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Destiny Thwarted

Part 8

By Charma and Jana (neomoonies@hotmail.com)

        Serena sat at her comforting window seat in a quiet melancholy
silence, staring out at the sky...and the stars... and Earth.  Her mind ran
over the events of last month's escapade to Earth as it had countless
times before.  And the last of her memories of her adventure were always
Darien's eyes, hard and cold, staring unflinchingly into her own.  She
could still feel in her mouth the bitter taste of misery and shock she
felt as she saw Darien coldly turn Beryl away.
        Upon hearing someone stride briskly into her room, she turned away
from the window and got a fake smile ready.
        "Oh, Rei, it's you," she said lifelessly, turning back to the
window.
        "Well, it's nice to know that you're happy to see me, Serena, but
I'm not here to soak up the compliments you so readily supply me with.
I'm here to take you to the throne room," Rei said, matter-of-factly,
completely blowing off Serena's obvious depression.
        Serena's curiosity was peaked when she heard Rei's last sentence.
"Take me to the throne room?" she repeated.
        "Yes, and if you don't get up, we're going to be late," Rei said,
signs of impatience showing in her deep purple eyes.
        Serena became angry with the impatience Rei was showing and
decided to teach her a lesson.  "Forget it, Rei, I'm not going," she
said, waving her away.
        "What do you mean, you're not going?  You have to!  You have no
choice!" Rei exclaimed shrilly.
        "Oh, please.  I have a choice," Serena contradicted airily.  "I
don't want to, and there's nothing you can do to make me."
        "What if I told you that Prince Endymion is here and doesn't like
to be kept waiting?" Rei asked softly.
        Serena's crystal blue eyes widened, but she retorted edgily, "I'm
sorry if the Prince doesn't like to be kept waiting, but he has no
business whatsoever in my castle, and I don't want him here. So he can
wait till the cows come home, and I won't go see him."
        Rei became distressed with Serena and wasn't sure what to say
next.  All she knew was that she had to make it count.
        "Serena, you are ordered by your mother to come to the throne
room.  If you don't believe me, you can call her on your communicator,"
Rei said calmly to Serena's back.  Please don't get it into your head to
call her... Please! she said internally.
        At the mention of her mother, Serena sat up a little straighter.
Standing, she brushed off the skirt of her white gown, and she said to
Rei, "Alright, let's go."
        "Thank you."  Rei caught up her hand and began to run down the
hallway and through the castle towards the throne room.
        The two racing girls slowed to a halt in front of the large doors
that led to the throne room.  Smoothing back hairs that had come loose
of her two buns, Serena breathed in deeply.  She fanned herself to rid
her face of the strawberry red flush that came over her whenever she
ran.  Looking at Rei, she pushed the heavy, solid doors open and stepped
through them.
          "Serena?" a familiar voice asked, timidly.  Serena's mouth
dropped open in shock at seeing Anna Wickham standing in front of her
throne.
        "Anna!"  Serena ran into the room and rushed to give her friend a
heartfelt hug.  "I thought I'd never see you again."
        Memories of Anna running away, hurt and upset, from the princesses
on the terrace entered Serena's mind.  Serena had been forced to leave
the ball, and Earth, before seeing Anna again in order to reach the Moon
before her mother did.  Since then, it had been impossible for Serena to
make any contact with Anna whatsoever, and among her dearest of wishes
was to set things straight with her someday.
        "I'm so sorry about everything that we did to you... I didn't want
to deceive you and I never wanted you to be hurt," she apologized
humbly, hoping that Anna would forgive her.
        "Oh, Serena, I forgave you the night I found out about all of
you!" Anna reassured her.  "I just wanted to let you know that
everything was okay."
        Serena relaxed with relief apparent in her eyes.  "I did too!  But
there was no way of me getting in touch with you!"  She shook her head
in disbelief, and continued, "And how did you get here??  This is
unbelievable-you can't imagine my shock at seeing you here!"
        "I know.  I'm actually on a different planet, me, Anna Wickham,
can you believe it?"  Anna spun around in glee.
        "Like you've always wanted," Serena commented with a grin.
        Anna smiled at her.  "You remember!"
        "How could I forget?  But I'm dying to know, how did you get
here?"
        "Well... after the ball was over and I realized that you and the
others had already left, I was pretty miserable.  I had treated you all
like you were deceitful traitors or something, when you were really only
trying to do what was best.  I flew off the handle and then I regretted
it... a lot.  I wasn't sure what to do, and then Prince Endymion came to
the house one day for me.  You can probably imagine what my parents
looked like.  It was pretty funny," she giggled.  "Anyway," she said,
serious again, "the Prince came for me, and he took me to the palace
where he explained that he heard what happened and he wanted to help me.
So he told me that he was coming to the Moon soon and that he would take
me with him if I wanted to see you guys again.  Obviously I did, but I
didn't know how to ask my parents.  So, the Prince suggested that I just
tell them that I wanted to see the Princesses, whom I had met at the
ball.  I did, and they agreed.  So, I'm here."
        "Darien's here?" Serena glanced over at Rei.  *I didn't think Rei
really meant it when she said Darien was waiting for me,* she thought
nervously.
"Right here, Princess," a voice came from behind her.
Doing what she could to regain her poise, she turned to him and
said coolly, "Thank you for your help in getting Anna here."
        Stunned by the ice in her tone, he took an involuntary step
backwards, but he quickly regained his composure.  "Anything for the
Moon Princess," he said, equally cold and detached.  Without another
word, he strode purposely out of the room.
        "Uh, I think that Anna should probably be shown to our rooms so
that she can put her stuff away, you know?" Jana interrupted the eerie
silence.  The other princesses nodded their heads.  Picking up Anna's
bags, they began heading out the side door without noticing that Serena
stood, still staring out the front doors after Darien.  Lita put a hand
on Mina's shoulders and motioned for them to stop for a minute.
        "Serena?" she asked softly.  "You coming?"
        "Huh-what?" Serena snapped out of her trance.
        "We're going to show Anna to our rooms and where she's sleeping
and stuff," Anya informed her.
        "Oh, yeah. Here, let me take something," Serena said, reaching for
a bag.  Taking a small suitcase, Serena walked next to Anna as the girls
headed towards their chambers.

        Darien stormed down the great halls of the Moon Palace towards his
suite of rooms in a fury.  *I come all the way here to bring Princess
Serena's estranged friend to her, and all I get in return is a frosty
thank you?  Granted, Mother and Father were planning this trip and I
only suggested that we bring Anna along, but still!  She is so
ungrateful... why must she act this way towards me?*  Darien's furious
pace slowed.  *Could she have possibly misunderstood what Beryl said?*
        A frown marred his fine features.  The heated conversation he had
with Beryl at the ball brought back feelings of hurt and frustration.
And when he remembered Serena's beautiful face shadowed by shock and
horror...  Darien sighed.  Why was he bothered so much by what Serena
thought or how she treated him?  *She's only just another girl.  Just
another pretentious princess.  So why do I care so much?*


"Hey, Anna, we're going to go to the pond for a swim; wanna come?"
Charma asked, poking her head into the guest room about an hour
later.
        "But it's dark out!" Anna exclaimed, looking up from the dresser,
where she was putting away the last of her dresses.
        "It's a thing we moonies call an 'earthlight swim,'" Rei said,
pushing past Charma.
        "Okay... let me just get out my bathing suit."
        "No need!" Mina shook her head, hiding laughter behind her hand.
        Anna looked at Mina, embarrassment and shock flooding her face.
"No suits?"
        "What, Earthlings never go swimming in the nude?" Jana asked
innocently.
        "No we don't go skinny dipping!"
        "Well, there's a first time for everything," Anya said brusquely,
grabbing Anna's hand and pulling her to the pond.
        "But, you guys are princesses!  Doesn't that mean anything?" Anna
asked in a futile attempt to change the girls' minds.
        "Sure it does!" Serena said smilingly.  "It means that we have a
lot of power that our moms don't want us to know about; it means that we
can go to a lot of places that we wouldn't normally get to; it means
that-"
        "No, Serena, I mean, doesn't being a princess have anything to do
with MANNERS or ETIQUETTE?" Anna asked, hinting broadly.
        "Not when we're alone!" Ami said giggling.
        Anna's eyes widened at this completely uncharacteristic remark
coming from Ami.  "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Ami?"
she asked, semi serious.  She had never seen the girls this hyped up,
not even when they had stayed at her house.
        The girls all laughed and kept walking towards the pond.  Anna
sighed in resignation as she realized that the girls weren't going to
change their minds.  Not paying attention to where she was going, Anna
bumped into Lita when the girls all stopped suddenly.
        "What?" she whispered.
        "The light is still on in Queen Serenity's room," Lita said.  Anna
peeked in, and she could see the Queen moving around.
        "So?" Anna asked.
        "You think we're allowed to go skinny dipping in the pond in the
middle of the night?" Rei asked, shocked.  "We're princesses!"
        Anna just shook her head.
        "Guys, one by one, we're going to duck down under the sill and
run, okay?" Serena whispered.  "I'll go last.  Okay... Charma, you go
first.  On the count of three... 1...2...3!" As she whispered the last
number,
Charma ducked down and whizzed into the darkness that was the castle
grounds.  Each of the girls, one by one, followed.
        Giggling breathlessly, Serena and Anna were the last ones to
arrive at the pond.  Going to a private clearing that the girls had
chosen as their meeting point should anything happen, they found the
rest of the girls rolling on the ground with silent laughter.
        "What's so funny?" Serena asked, sitting on the ground to catch
her breath.
        "Well, it seems that we're not exactly alone here..." Mina said,
through her laughter.
        "What?!" Anna asked, failing to see the humor in the situation.
"Who else is here?"
        "The prince and his guard!" Charma squealed.  Lita swooned.
        "Are they that handsome?" Serena asked, staring at Lita.
        "Oh, yeah!" Anna replied heartily.  "The whole ride here was spent
with them and I have never seen five more gorgeous guys in one place at
one time."
        "Five?  I thought there was only four!" Serena exclaimed.
        "There's four in the prince's guard, but he was there too.  So
that makes five hotties!"
        "Oh, wow," Mina said, hearts in her eyes.
        All of a sudden, Serena's eyes widened and a light bulb went off
in her head.  "You know, I just thought of something that would be a lot
more fun than skinny dipping..." she said, a small smile tugging at her
lips.
        "What?" Rei asked, her eyes narrowing.  "What do you have up your
sleeve?"
        "Well, I'm assuming that they're skinny dipping.  Am I correct?"
Serena asked the girls.  They nodded enthusiastically.  "That means that
their clothes are somewhere around here."
        "Serena!  You don't mean-" Jana said, her eyes glowing with
mischief.
        "Oh, yes.  Just to pay back the oh-so-polite prince for his
manners towards us 'mere peasants' on the day of the ball."  As the plan
dawned on the girls, Mina fell over in a fit of giggles.
        "Shh, otherwise they'll hear us!" Serena whispered.  "Where are
they?"
        "We don't exactly know," Charma admitted sheepishly.  "We saw them
and ran over here."
        "But we can find out," Ami said, her face lighting up.  "Hold on.
MERCURY POWER!" With that, Sailor Mercury soon stood in Ami's place.
Anna's jaw dropped.
        "That is so cool!" she whispered.
        "Ami, what are you doing?" Rei asked.  "I hardly think we're in
any danger."
        "Well, can you see in the dark?" Mercury asked logically.
        "No, and neither can you!  Not even as Sailor Mercury," Rei said,
heatedly.
        "Oh yes I can," Mercury said.  She touched her blue earring, and a
blue visor slid over her eyes.  "Now I can see perfectly."
        "Mercury, you're a genius!" Anya said, clapping her hands
gleefully.
        "I know, I know," Mercury said, bowing.  "But, girls, we have work
to do.  Turn on your communicators.  I'll get as close as I can, and
then I'll tell you what I see, okay?"
        "Okay.  Be careful, Mercury, and don't let anyone see you!" Serena
said.  Sailor Mercury nodded and slipped into the dark forest.  "Let's
hope this works."


        "You guys?  It's me." A voice buzzed into the almost silent air.
        "What do you have for us, Mercury?" Serena asked.  Anna leaned
over her shoulder to see Mercury's face on the screen of what she
thought was Serena's watch.
        "Well, they're over on the other side of the pond from you... over
by the rocks and birch trees.  But getting their clothes isn't going to
be as easy as we thought."
        "Why not?" Jana asked.
        "Because their clothes are really close to them.  There are five
folded piles on a rock.  I can see them from here," Mercury responded.
"It's almost as if they *expect* someone to take their clothes."
        "Well, we're just going to need a distraction," Anya announced.
Her face broke into a grin.
        "What are you thinking, Anya?" Serena asked suspiciously.
        "Well, we all know that the prince has a thing for you-"
        "He does not!" Serena interrupted, flushing bright pink.
        "Oh, he does too.  Anyway, if he saw you swimming... well, let's
just say HORMONES!" Anya chortled.
        "I don't think so!" Serena said, indignant.
        "Yeah, Anya, that's a little far fetched.  But, if he just saw
Serena standing at the edge of the pond, I think he'd be a little
distracted," Lita mused.
        "What about his guard, you guys?  They're not his guard for
nothing," Mercury pointed out.
        "What if Mina, Rei, Lita, Ami, and me distract them while Anna,
Charma, Jana, and Anya take their clothes?" Serena asked the group in
general.
        "How exactly do you plan on distracting them?  Something decent, I
hope," Anna said raising her eyebrows suggestively.
        "Of course something decent," Rei assured her, her eyes telling a
completely different story.  She grinned mischievously.
        "Well, whatever your plan may be, we need to know what it is so
that we know how much time we have," Jana put in reasonably.  Everyone
looked at her, and she said defensively, "Listen, I come up with a good
idea or two every so often!"
        "Okay, then, Ami, get back here as soon as possible.  Does it seem
like they're leaving?" Lita asked into her communicator.
        "No, I actually think that they got here not too long before us.
Oh, no..." All of a sudden, Ami was cut off.
        "That was strange," Lita said, musing.  Her eyes widening, she
asked, "Do you think she's in trouble?"
        "If she is, she'd be okay because she's Sailor Mercury.  And she
can always call for backup," Charma said, complete faith in her friend's
ability.
        "Most likely, they saw her, and she had to get away," Anya spoke
up.
        "Oh, man!" Serena moaned.  "If they saw her, our plan is
completely fouled up.  We can't wait anymore.  Someone wait here-"
        "What for?" Ami gasped for breath as she entered the clearing.
She was detransformed, but her face was dirty and she had thistles in
her fluffy hair.  She was carrying several bundles of clothing.
        "Oh, Ami!  What happened?" Anna asked, leading her to a tree stump
to sit.  Lita took the clothes from her.  As Anna began picking the
thistles and things out of her hair, Ami spoke.
        "Well, I was talking to you guys, and all of a sudden, I saw one
of the guards staring right at the place where I was hiding.  I could
have sworn he was looking right at me!  I got so flustered that I sent
out fog, and since I was right there, I grabbed their clothes and ran."
        "Yeah, Ami!" Mina said, giving her a high five.
        "But we should start heading back because my fog is going to wear
away soon," Ami cautioned.
        "Alright, you heard the woman!  Out!" Jana ordered.
        "Wait a minute.  Isn't all of the fun watching them get out of the
pond and scramble?" Rei asked.  "I mean, seriously.  I don't think it's
all that fun to just take their clothes.  I wanna see the looks on their
faces when they get out and see that they don't have any more clothes!"
she giggled.
        "Yeah..." Lita and Mina agreed.
        "But there's no way that all of us are going to be able to watch
without them seeing us..." Ami tried to warn the girls, but they were
already on their way to where the prince and his guard were swimming.


        "Okay, spread out..." Rei whispered.  "We don't want to be in a
clump."
        The girls moved quietly to where they all could see.  All of them
giggled as they watched the normally suave, debonair prince goof off
with his guard.
        "Do we act like that with you, Serena?" Jana asked, turning to her
princess.  She was the only one who noticed the flush creeping up
Serena's neck.  "Sere, what's the matter?"
        "I don't know if I want to watch this anymore," Serena whispered.
Confusion was written all over her face, and she hung her head so that
she couldn't see any of what was going on in the pond.
        "Do you feel something for him?" Jana asked carefully.
        "I don't know.  I thought I might, but then I heard something, and
I can't decide," Serena said almost tearfully.  "Jana, I really don't
want to be here anymore.  Please, let's-"
        She was cut off by a cry coming from the pond.  Jana's eyes lit up
as she said, "I think they just realized their clothes are missing!"
        "Hey!  Where's our clothes?!?!" one of the guards yelled.
        Rei collapsed in helpless giggles, and the five guys turned toward
the girls' hiding spot.
        "Rei, shut up!" Lita scolded quietly.
        "Too little, too late, Lita!" Darien yelled.  "Give us our
clothes!"
        "Girls, run!  Charma, take the clothes!  NOW!" Lita directed the
fastest of the girls.
        "Come back here!" Darien shouted.
        "Whatever you do, girls, don't stop!  They can't follow us out of
the forest!  Remember they're butt naked!!" Mina laughed.
        The girls set off at a run and were soon out of the forest.  They
heard heavy footsteps and gasping behind them.  Turning around, Rei saw
five wet, shivering, angry guys standing in the shadows at the edge of
the woods.  She laughed gaily at the blond who shook his fist at her.


"We could get in such trouble if Queen Serenity found out," Jana
said, giggling, when the girls got back safely to their chambers.
        Lita almost spit out the punch she was drinking as she listened.
"Then why are you laughing?"
        "'Cause it was *so* classic!" Jana squealed, rolling over with
laughter on her fluffy bed.
        "What was classic?" Anya asked, walking into the room while
toweling her fuchsia hair dry.
        "Seeing the Crown Prince and his Guard shivering and wet-" Jana
started.
        "-and naked!" Rei interrupted, grinning mischievously.
        "Is that all you think about, Rei?" Mina asked, her tone
reprimanding.
        "Don't tell me that YOU, Princess Venus, did not look," Rei said
smugly.
        "I did not!" Mina denied.
        "Oh, please," Rei scoffed.  "I saw you checking out that one with
the white hair."
        "But he was so built..." Mina sighed, hearts in her eyes.  The rest
of the group sighed in resignation.
        Serena stood up and stretched.  "Okay, I'm going to bed.  It's
late, and I'm tired, so I'd appreciate it if you guys were just quiet
enough not to keep me awake."
        "Serena, when you're asleep, nothing can wake you up," Rei said.
        Yawning, Serena simply waved off Rei's comment, much to the shock
of everyone else.  "Good night."
        She disappeared behind the doors that led to her private bedroom
as the other girls chorused their goodnights.
        "I wonder how Darien is going to get back to the castle..." was
Serena's last conscious thought before she slipped into dreamland.

"Those girls are going to get it," Jedite muttered threateningly,
hugging himself to try to retain some body heat.
        "Oh?  They are, huh?  And who's going to give it to them?  We're
not exactly CLOTHED, if you would like to remember," Nephlite shot back.
"Unless you wanna go after them and run through the castle BUTT NAKED."
        "Well, I could," Darien suggested.
        "WHAT?!" all four guards screeched.
"If you think that we are going to let the crown prince of Earth
run through the Moon castle naked, you have completely lost your
mind," Zoisite said, shocked.
"If you think that I would even *consider* doing that, you have
completely lost your mind," Darien replied airily.
"Then what the heck are you talking about?  As Nephlite so gently
reminded us, we are all 'butt naked'," Malachite said.
"Oh... you underestimate me," Darien smiled.  In a flash of light,
he was suddenly clothed in normal, every-day clothes.
        "Do that for us!!" Jedite begged, his eyes taking in the warm
shirt and comfy pants Darien wore.
        "Sorry, man, no can do.  This only lasts for a little while.  And
if I want to get our clothes back, I should probably get moving," Darien
said, turning.  "Wish me luck!" he called over his shoulder.  He loped
out of the forest and towards the bright castle.

        Yawning, Anna turned over from where she lay sprawled out on
fluffy, down comforters on the floor.  "Are you guys still awake?" she
asked sleepily.
        "Sort of..." Charma replied, closing her eyes.
        "I am!" Lita said, practically bouncing off the walls.
        Disgusted, Anna rolled back over to face the wall.  "Does she ever
get tired?"
        "No," Charma said, equally annoyed at Lita's display of energy.
        "How can you guys be tired?  I am so wired!!  Don't you guys want
to know how the prince and his guard are getting back to the castle?
Every time I think about it, I start cracking up!" Mina chortled.
        "Well, Mina, that's you..." Charma said.
        "I just don't see how you could be so tired after what we did-"
Mina was cut off by a soft knock on the door.  Her eyes widened, and she
clamped a hand over her mouth.
        "That better not be Queen Serenity, otherwise we're in a whole lot
of trouble," Anya whispered.  No one moved as whoever it was knocked
softly on the door again.
        "Someone answer it!" Ami said.
        "No!  Pretend we're asleep!" Rei hissed.
        "Girls?" an unknown voice came through the door.  "Open up."
        "See, whoever it is knows we're awake, so if one of you don't get
the door, I will," Lita threatened.  No one moved.  Glaring, she said,
"Thanks, guys, for being such great friends."  She got up, stretched,
and walked over to the door.
        She opened it a crack, and upon seeing who it was, tried to slam
the door closed again.  Unfortunately, the person on the other side was
stronger, and he kept the door open.
        "Let me in, Lita.  I want our clothes, and I want them now,"
Darien's voice filtered into the room.
        Rei gasped.  "Lita!" she hissed.  "How did he get here?  What is
he wearing?"
        "Clothes," she grunted, as she struggled to keep the door closed.
"Hello?  Help me, here, unless you want him to get in!!" she exclaimed.
        Darien took advantage of her distraction and pushed the door open
all the way.  He quickly stepped in the room as Lita tried to close the
door on him.
        "Why do you care about the clothes you lost so much?" Rei asked
suspiciously.  "Why don't you just go back to your room and get some
others?  Did you really have to barge in as we were trying to fall
asleep?"
        At this, a flush began creeping up Darien's neck.  Soon, his ears
were flaming red with embarrassment.
        Rei's eyes narrowed.  "What's the matter, Darien?  Why couldn't
you go to your room?"
        "It's none of your business, *Princess Mars*," he said,
emphasizing her title as if to remind her of the manners she was
supposed to have.
        "Oh, sure it is, Darien!" Mina said cheerfully.  "You know we'd
never laugh at you!"
        "Forget it.  Just give me the clothes, and I'll go," Darien said
stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest.
        "Think again, buddy," Anya said, thinking fast.  "Tell us and then
you'll get them."  All the girls shot Anya the evil eye as she said
this.  She sent them all a look that clearly said, I know what I'm
doing.
        "No.  I want the clothes," Darien said, tenaciously.
        "Well, I guess you're going to have to go back to your little
friends empty-handed, then, huh?" Anya asked, sweetly.
        Darien shuffled his feet and muttered something inaudible under
his breath.
        "What was that, Your Highness?" she asked, her tone sugar-coated.
        "IsaidIgotlockedoutofmyroombecuaseIleftmykeysinmypocket," Darien
admitted hurriedly.
        "What?" Anya asked, beginning to become a little annoyed.  "Say it
louder and slower.  As in loud enough for everyone to hear and slow
enough for everyone to understand."
        "I said I got locked out of my room because I left my keys in my
pocket," he said slowly.  The girls could practically see what was left
of his pride being flushed down the toilet.
        Anna covered her mouth with her hands, but a snort came out
anyway.  Soon, all the girls were doubled over with laughter.  Darien
burned with embarrassment, but as the girls kept laughing, his face
turned red with anger.
        "HEY!" he yelled.  The girls quieted down.  "I told you, so you
have to give me my clothes."
        "Go get 'em, Darien," Anya said, trying to calm herself down.
        "Where are they?" he asked.
        "In Serena's room... she's sleeping on them!" Anya said, laughing
even harder.
        "WHAT?!  AND YOU EXPECT ME TO GO GET THEM?" Darien's face turned
from fire-engine red to an agonizing purple.  "YOU GET THEM!  You have
to hold up your end of the bargain."
        "Oh, dear, dear, Darien," Anya said, her voice soothing.  "That
wasn't part of the deal at all... I said that when you told us, you'd get
them.  So now you can." She smiled brightly.
        His jaw dropped.  Remind me never to come here again... he thought,
pained.  Suddenly, he straightened his posture.  His jaw was set, and he
said, "Fine.  Where's her room?"
        "What?" Anya asked, shocked out of her innocent guise.
        "I asked you where her room is.  It is only fair, after all, that
I go get them.  But I can't do that without knowing where it is," he
said, logically.  His face was slowly turning to a normal color again.
        "Uh... right through that door..." Anya faltered as she pointed to a
pair of shut doors.
        "Thank you, ladies, and have a good night," he said gallantly.  He
stepped quietly through the doors.  Not wanting any witnesses to the
embarrassment he was sure awaited him, he softly shut the door behind
him.


        Seven girls turned on Anya as soon as the door shut.  "What,
exactly, do you think you're doing?" Rei asked, her eyes flashing.
        "Shh!!  Do you want him to hear?" Anya asked, annoyed.
        "Anya, that was low.  Those clothes are right here!" Ami
whispered.
        "Listen.  First of all, I didn't think he'd actually go in there!
Second, and more importantly, Darien likes Serena, and Serena likes
Darien.  That much is obvious.  They just needed a little..." Anya
gestured, searching for a word.
        "Push in the right direction," her stepsister finished.  Anya
nodded.  "You guys know that neither of them would do anything about it,
so as Serena's royal guard, we have to protect her and keep her happy."
        "Hmmm... you do have a point there," Charma conceded and a devilish
smile lit up her face.  "I just wish I were there to see Serena's
reaction when she finds out that a man, *Prince Darien* no less, is in
her bedchamber!"
        "I just hope she doesn't have an apoplectic fit," Jana commented.
        "All the better!  Then her dear Darien would have to administer
CPR!" Lita crowed.
        "Um, guys, as interesting as Serena's love life may be, we are the
ones with the plighted prince's and guards' clothes, and I was wondering
what we were going to end up doing with it all," Ami interrupted.
        "Now that's a good question, Ami," Mina praised, but she was quite
at a loss as to how to answer it.
        The princesses all sat for a moment in perplexed silence, for none
of them knew how to properly dispose of the garments in question.
Impatient for an idea, Rei stood up and strode to a large window seat
that faced the forest.  After idly scanning the area, she snorted.
        "What, Rei, is Serena's transformation wand power wearing off?
Turning back into a pig, are you?"
        "Don't make me set your bed on fire, Jana," Rei warned in mock-
seriousness.  A hidden smile lifted the corners of her mouth.  "But if
you must know what made me, ah, react that way, well, let's just say
that there are four guards who are probably very cold due to lack of
coverings and who are also hiding unsuccessfully among some bushes at
the edge of the forest."  She pointed eastward and soon the whole gaggle
of girls were smashed against the window, vying for a sight.
        Sure enough, there were the pale hides of Malachite, Zoicite,
Nephlite, and Jedite cowering behind some bushes.  They were obviously
waiting for their prince to return with their clothes.
*Well* Charma thought with some satisfaction, *Darien won't get
himself out of Serena's company very soon.*  "You know, those poor
guys are probably waiting for Prince Darien to return with their
clothes, but I don't know how long it will take him to get back to his
generals... Poor guys," she sighed, her voice dripping with pity.
"Yeah," Lita agreed. "I think they've suffered long enough.  And I
guess the least we could do now is to give them back their clothes.  Not
that it would be too hard since they're right down there..."  An impish
look appeared on her scheming face.
Mina quickly caught on.  "Right!  So all we have to do is throw
the clothes-"
"-out the window!!" Lita finished grandly.
Ami guffawed.  "To see them running out of the forest to get their
clothes!" she gasped.
Jana smiled widely.  "Life is beautiful!"
Rei quickly took charge.  "Anya, shut off the lights.  Ami, it's
up to you now."
Ami nodded seriously, but her face turned red in her effort to
keep her laughter in.  "Bombs away!" she whispered and watched merrily
as the clothes fluttered out the window to the ground below.
"Looks like someone's underwear caught the wind," Charma observed.
All the girls collapsed in laughter as they watched the underwear
balloon with air and then make its lone, lazy flight down to the grass
below.
"I guess one of them is a briefs-man," Lita choked out between
gasps of laughter.
"Maybe it's Malachite," Mina sighed with hearts in her eyes.

        "Where is Darien??" Nephlite grumbled in the generals' hiding spot
in the bushes.  "It's starting to get chilly out here."
        "Earth was never this cold this time of year," Jedite complained.
        "Well, we never really ran around outdoors in the nude on Earth
this time of year either," Zoicite drawled sarcastically.  "Perhaps it's
our lack of clothes that's making us cold."
        "Hey!  Look over there!  Our clothes!" Malachite suddenly
exclaimed, pointing to the clothes coming out of a window of the Moon
Palace.
        "Aren't those your briefs, Malachite?" Jedite asked, trying
valiantly but vainly not to laugh.
        Malachite face turned several shades of red as he watched his
underwear float *very* slowly to the ground, even after the rest of the
clothes already landed.
        Nephlite looked up at the darkened room where the clothes came out
of.  "That must be the princesses' bedchamber.  The lights are out... I
wonder if they've gone to sleep?"
        "Maybe they got tired of this stupid game and decided to get rid
of the clothes," Zoicite hypothesized.
        "And they've unwittingly made it very easy for us to get them
back."  Malachite rubbed his hands together in satisfaction.
        "Silly princesses.  No matter how smart they think they are, we'll
always end up on top," Jedite chirped.
        "Alright, I think it's safe to go out there now," Zoicite decided.
"On the count of three we'll run out there, get our clothes, and come
right back here okay?  One... two... three!"
        The generals of Earth made a mad dash to retrieve their clothes
and perhaps restore a bit of their dignity.

        The room was dark, but Darien could make out Serena's sleeping
form on the large canopy bed.  He carefully made his way towards her in
a great effort not to awaken her.  When he reached the bed, his breath
caught in his throat at the sight of the princess.  He never saw her
without her hair up in meatballs before (except when she was pretending
to be a gypsy, that is) and as he stood staring at her, he wondered how
hair could possibly be that long and thick and golden... his hand ventured
to touch a strand... *and silky.*  He stood transfixed before the golden
Aphrodite, but after a great effort, was finally able to snap out of it.
*Must remember the clothes.  I'm here for the clothes.*
        With a prayer to the gods that Serena wouldn't wake up, Darien
gingerly pushed the covers down to Serena's waist and carefully
attempted to roll her over.
        "No Luna, I don't want to get up yet," Serena grumbled, pushing
Darien's hand away from her.
Darien froze but then relaxed as he realized she was just talking
in her sleep.  He reached his hands towards her once more when Serena's
voice again stopped him cold.  "Fine, fine, I'll get dressed.  Just hand
me my dress will you?"  Serena then promptly grabbed hold of Darien's
sleeve and gave it a gentle pull.  "What?  It must be stuck on
something."  She jerked once more on Darien's shirt and, to his utter
discomfiture, Darien found himself falling onto her bed, right on top of
Serena.
        Although he didn't at all mind the position Serena had gotten him
into, Darien quickly rolled off of her.  He stilled for a moment,
waiting to see if his fall had interrupted her sleep.  Satisfied that it
had not, he began to get out of the bed when Serena wrapped her arms
around his waist and snuggled her head against his chest.  *What the
heck kind of dream is this??*
        "Hmmm... actually, why don't we sleep in today?  Never mind what
Luna says; she's just an old frump.  G'night, Darien," Serena mumbled, a
complacent sigh escaping her lips.
        Darien stared down at Serena's golden head in total surprise and
disbelief.  *She's dreaming about me?*  Part of him felt flattered and
an even bigger part felt content and completely at ease with Serena
nestled against him.  Without even thinking about what he was doing,
Darien slowly eased his arms around her and found she fit perfectly
within the circle of his arms.  *It would be so easy, so perfect just to
fall asleep like this,* he thought drowsily.  Besides, he was exhausted
after the journey to the moon and then the events of the long day that
followed.  All rational thoughts of the other princesses in the room
next door and what they or anyone else may say if he and Serena were
found in such a compromising position flew from his mind as sleep took
him.  In his sleepy haze, he did what only came naturally to him when he
bent his head and kissed Serena's forehead.  "Good night love," he
whispered subconsciously.
        His nap was over almost before it began because not two minutes
after he nodded off, the sound of screams and shrieks wafted into
Serena's bedchamber.  He frowned at the interruption and looked down at
Serena, hoping the noise hadn't waken her.
        Two huge blue eyes, practically bulging out of their sockets,
stared back up at him.  Serena hastily withdrew her arms from around
Darien's waist and without further ado, shoved him soundly off the bed.
        "Aughrg," Darien groaned as he made contact with the hard floor.
Not that he didn't deserve that.  He felt like smacking himself because
somehow he hadn't thought about what *Serena* would think if she woke up
and found herself locked in Darien's embrace!  Gathering up shreds of
courage, he looked sheepishly up Serena, who was staring down at him
from the edge of her bed.  "It's not what you think-"
        Now that she had a chance to recover from her surprise, Serena was
just plain angry.  "What do you think you're doing in my room, in my
*bed*, under my covers??  What do you take me for?  Your personal harlot
or something?  Because let me tell you, Prince Darien, I-"
        Serena's angry tirade was interrupted by more shrieking laughter
coming from the other princess' room.  "Serena!  Are you awake?  You
gotta come look at this!"  Serena looked towards Rei's voice, uncertain
as to what to do, but quickly made up her mind.  She frowned at Darien
and, keeping a close eye on him, jumped out of her bed, grabbed her
robe, and ran out of her bedroom.

        "How could you let him into my room??" Serena hissed upon her
breathless entrance to her friends' room.
        Eight guilty eyes turned away from the picture window seat.  "Uhh...
we don't know what you're talking about?" Jana offered weakly.
        Serena shot her a look.  "I'm sure."
        "Serena, forget about that for a second will you?  You have to see
this!"  Mina cocked her head towards the window.
        For the first time, Serena noticed that all her friends were
crowded around the window.  "What's out there?  You guys are acting as
though there's a male strip tease going on or-"  Serena choked on her
words when she beheld the sight of the four disrobed Earth generals
scrambling around the grounds, trying to gather up littered pieces of
clothing.  She pealed with laughter.  "What did you do, throw their
clothes out the window?"
        "Yup," Anya affirmed proudly.
        "Hey, they're starting to leave!"  Rei threw open the window.  "Hi
guys!  Thanks for the show!" she shouted.  She grinned when they, quick
as lightning, covered their unmentionables with what scraps of clothing
they held in their hands.  Even from two stories up, the girls could
tell that their faces were fire-engine red.
        "Oh, you don't have to bother with that!  We've already seen
everything there is to be seen!" Lita yelled, her voice loaded with
mock-reassurance.
        The guards looked at each other and darted back into the forest
where they came from, Charma and Jana's hoots following them all the
way.


        Darien shook his head at the cat-calling coming from the
princesses rooms.  *What's going on out there?  Surely that's no way for
princesses to act,* he thought wryly.  *Wait, what was I here for?  Oh
yeah, the clothes.  I wonder how the guys are holding up out there...*
Gathering what concentration he had left after that strange encounter
with Serena, he threw back the covers of the bed and could only stare.
*The clothes aren't here.*  He smacked his head in frustration when he
realized he had been duped.  Slowly he lowered himself onto Serena's bed
in defeat.  *Geez, it's a little chilly in here.*  The sudden draft he
felt distracted him from his miserable thoughts.
         A loud knock on the door caught his attention and he looked to
see Serena enter, her eyes glued to the ground.  "Okay Darien, I hope
you've thought long and hard-"  Her voice faltered when she looked up at
him.  "-long and hard..."  Serena's words were reduced to a mere whisper
and face turned deathly pale.
        "What's wrong with you now, Princ-"  He let out a strangled cry
when he looked down at his legs and found them unclothed... as was the
rest of his body.  "Oh shit!  My magic wore out!"  His entire face
flooded with color while he hastily wrapped Serena's sheets around himself.
Darien attempted to reenact his disguise spell again, but he found he
couldn't concentrate enough for it to work.  "I'm sorry, Serena... I would
never..."  Utter embarrassment was apparent in his strained voice.
        A slow, shy smile spread across Serena's face.  "You have nothing
to be embarrassed about, Darien.  Believe me."
        She closed her eyes and used her still growing powers to clothe
Darien herself.  When she finished, she held open her door for him.
"Good night and sleep well, your highness... but in your *own* bedchamber
this time, please."
        "Thank you.  I will try to sleep well, but I doubt any sleep I
ever have will compare to the nap I took tonight."  Darien grinned at
Serena and gracefully exited the princesses' suite of rooms.

To be continued...