Finding Yourself in Life Part 4 By: Dreamlume email: dreamlume@hotmail.com Authors Notes: I'd like to take this grand opportunity to thank my dear friend Tif, who has been kind enough to post these chapters for me. THANK YOU! That's all for now, I hope you enjoy it. On the Moon ??????????????????????? Queen Serenity sat staring at her reflection in her vanity mirror. She touched her cheek. she thought miserably. Just the thought of her missing daughter was too painful to bear. Her eyes became misty and she bit back a sob. She felt the agony of the loss of her only child as if it had happened yesterday. The only thing she could be sure of, was that somewhere on Earth was her daughter?s soul mate. She could only hope that they would somehow meet and that he would take care of her. She wondered if this was too much to ask of the Gods; that her beloved daughter was safe. The uncertainty was suffocating. She could feel her heart break for the hundredth time. ???????????????????????? Royal Palace on Earth As Serena woke up, she tried to inhale?????..but couldn?t. Her eyes bulged open and she thrashed around, oblivious. Her mind reeled. Just as she was about to loose all consciousness, her eyes focused on what was causing her suffocation????. And there was Jedite, sitting in contentedness, squarely on her chest. He was giving her one of his annoyingly innocent looks that made her want to ring his neck. ?Je?.Jed, ge?? ?WHAT??!? He said. ?I can?t hear you!? ?Get ?..p? Serena?s eyes were rolling back in their sockets and her nails were going blue. Jedite relented and got up. Serena sucked in a sharp breath and started to heave. As she sat there trying to get her breath back, Jedite doubled over with laughter. If Jedite?s antics had been annoying before, she was having violent impulses now??. ?YOU?RE DEAD!? She screeched. She vaulted herself off of the bed and landed on top of him laughing. ?AHHHH!??.Heeeeelp!!!!!!? Yelled Jedite in mock horror. They landed on the floor with a thud and started to wrestle and roll around throwing punches, all the time laughing loudly. Out of the Four of them, Serena felt closest to Jedite, and it showed. Serena rolled herself over, facing the door, so that she was on top of him. She straddled his chest and pinned his arms to his sides with her knees. She then grabbed his neck and looked at him and glowered. ?Now my friend, you WILL pay!!? She proceeded to press down on his wind pipe. At that moment, the door was opened and the three other guards and Darien came walking in laughing at an inside joke. They stopped short at the sight of Serena with her silver hair in a wild mess. Her eyes were shinning and she wore nothing more than a pair of skimpy silk P.J.?s all the while straddling and choking a wailing Jedite at the same time??? Kunzite, Zoisite and Nephrite burst into laughter at the familiar scene. Darien stood in shock, his hands clasped in front of him. One eyebrow raised as a slow smile spread across his face. ?Does he need help???? Said Darien, nudging Zoisite out of his stooper. ?Just watch???..? Zoisite returned, tying to contain himself. Serena had momentarily lost her concentration when the others had come. This gave Jedite the chance he had been waiting for. He rolled over and tried to reverse their positions. Serena however, was too fast. She jumped to her feet in a flash of silver and placed a foot across his neck. Jedite tried to move, but Serena bent down, increasing the pressure. ?I don?t think so??.? She said with an evil grin. Jedite took the opportunity to make use of his newly freed hands. He reached up and slowly stroked his fingers over the back of her knee???? Serena squealed and reluctantly removed her foot, unable to keep from laughing. ?No fair!!? She cried indignantly. ?Did you ever hear me promise to play nice?????? He said grinning. She huffed and stood akimbo. ?You, are an utter moron.? He bowed. ?Why thank you Mi?Lady!!? She stood glaring at him for a moment before turning to the others. ??Morning everyone??..Hello Sir? She said, addressing the Prince formally. ?Just Darien? He replied easily. She nodded in return. ?What?s the plan for today?? She continued. ?Well? Said Kunzite ?We?re not quite ready for you to destroy our troops by letting you train with them?? There was a collective groan from the guards. Serena smiled confidently. ?So you?ll be studying battle tactics and administration with Darien in the communications room, or comms as we normally call it.? Serena turned to Darien. ?Ok, give me ten minutes to change and freshen up.? She ordered, and they all filed obediently out of her room. Serena sighed and set about getting ready. She scowled, as she knew that pants were out of the question while she was in her formal capacity. She found the simplest dress in her closet and put it on. It was floor length and navy, with an empire bodice. The colour highlighted her eyes, and set off her silver tresses. She found a long, dark pink ribbon that she entwined in her hair as she pulled it up into a loose bun, as was her custom. Wisps of hair escaped and softened her face. She then rubbed some cream on her face and then added a balm that would enhance her naturally rouge lips. Satisfied with her appearance, she put on a pair of soft, leather slippers, before finally exiting the room. She walked the entire length of the hall, but failed to find the Prince. She decided to go exploring while she had the chance. *Know your enemy better than they know themselves?..* she banished the thought as best she could. *DAMN that Beryl!! I refuse to let her take over my mind!* She sighed ruefully. When she had made the deal to save her mother, she had gone into it blind, uncaring of the consequences. And although she never regretted her decision, it was getting harder and harder to keep the dark abyss that was Beryl and her Kingdom at arms length. She needed help. But she knew that there was no-one who could. *If only??.* ?UUUUMPH!??? Not looking where she was going, she collided head long with someone. They both fell to the floor gracelessly. She instantly launched into an apology. ?OH! Your Highness, I?m so, so sorry! Are you hurt?? She asked worriedly. She shifted her position on the floor and sat on her heels. She reached her hand out and with the help of her magic she quickly assessed the surprised Prince for injuries. Darien sat still and regarded her silently. At first he had been irritated by this person?s utter lack of sense. Then he had heard the voice and his anger had melted. Serena. He felt as if he had already known her for a lifetime even though she was still a relative stranger. He loved just being near her. He found that her presence brightened his day. But most of all, he loved the way she was so giving of her self that she would neglect her own possible injuries to check his. It gave him a sense of hope that was unfamiliar, yet very welcome in his heart. He sat up in front of her and cupped her extended hand in his. ?I?m fine Serena.? He said gently. He quickly scanned her with his eyes. She seemed to be favouring her left hand, though under his gaze, she had tried to hide it. ?But it seems you weren?t so lucky.? She laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood. ?I?ll be fine, Darien.? For the first time she felt comfortable enough in his presence to address him informally. This did not go unnoticed by Darien, who quickly tried to continue the conversation. ?You?ve been exploring, I see.? There was mischief in his eyes. Serena didn?t know how to react, and was about to give an excuse when she felt Darien?s hand run softly down her cheek. ?Don?t worry,? he said with a slight smile. ?A tour of the palace has been long overdue in any case.? ?I quite agree.? Came a loud baritone from above. Darien and Serena jumped at the intrusion. Their eyes flew to the owner of the voice, who stood in a doorway that had opened behind Serena. ?Father!? Darien said in surprise, too shocked to move. ?Your Majesty!? Exclaimed Serena, who immediately dropped into a make- shift curtsy in her position. The King looked at his son fondly. Serena noticed a flash of amusement in the older man?s eyes and became nervous. She started to explain what had been happening when he had caught them. The King?s smile only deepened. ?Serena? he said soothingly, ?Don?t worry yourself. From what I?ve seen of you, I?d only be looking for trouble if I punished you.? He winked conspiratually at the girl before him. Darien was shocked for the second time in five minutes. He?d never seen his father this relaxed around some one who wasn?t a family member or close friend. Serena was still a near stranger to him. The King looked from the gaping face of his son to the overly grateful face of Serena and tried not to laugh. They really made quite a pair. ?Alright you two, I think that the chances of you getting any work done are slim. So why don?t you give Serena the tour you offered her and we?ll reconvene tomorrow.? So saying he turned, with the door shutting silently behind him. Serena let out a whoosh of air she didn?t know she had been holding, and slumped unto the floor in a tired gesture. Darien looked at her grinning. Serena was immediately suspicious. Without warning, he grabbed her left hand and started running down the corridor. ?AHHH!!? Serena cried out tearfully as her injured wrist was abused even further. ?Oh God!! I?m sorry!? Darien turned and began to gently massage the damage. So intent was he, that Serena got a chance to study him more closely. And she found more and more that she liked what she saw. Then Darien looked up and found himself lost in her eyes. ?Let?s go.? He murmured hazily. ?Alright..?