Hi all ;)

I really thought that this chapter would make it up on the first day on the month, but no such luck. :( Seriously though, I had a mini heart attack yesterday when I couldn't find my USB. I flipped out! I was freaking out sooooo much and ended finding it in the first placed I had originally looked, just hidden a little deeper than I thought. Of course, that was after practically turning my room upside down searching for the damn thing. However, you have NO IDEA how happy I am now that I have it safe and sound! And yes, I have learned my lesson about not saving everything ONLY to a USB but it's just so convenient most of the time!

Anywho's…thanks to all who have reviewed, favourited and followed either me or this fic! It really is great to know that people are reading and enjoying! So I hope that you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Eleven: Fated Strangers

By Fedski

Working at O'Reilly's was turning out better than she first thought – and that was saying something. The fast paced environment that was almost always accompanied by an upbeat folk song was exciting and enthused the young Jupiterean to put her all into every task she undertook. It was also extremely helpful that the staff she worked with were very amiable folk who knew how to get a job done whist laughing and having fun. Lita couldn't help another big grin unfurl on her face as she caught Ryan, head chef extraordinaire, ruffling the head of the ever clumsy Melvin as he embarrassedly swept up a broken plate he had just dropped. Ryan was so good with all of them, even though he looked to be super tough, he was quite the joker and was very understanding about these small slip ups. Melvin, although always trying his best, wasn't always the most coordinated of people and often made mistakes, yet Joe and Ryan looked out for him and helped where they could. She loved the family feel this restaurant had.

Speaking of which, that was the one thing that she was trying to avoid as much as possible in these past few days. Nola had been very accommodating to her during her stay here and her son, Ken, more so. In fact, he had been very accommodating, so much so that her roommate Unazuki had taken to pointing out to her just when and where Ken was being overly attentive to her. She had never been really good with the girl talk, even with her own group of friends on the Moon Kingdom. When they all began talking about boys and the hints and tricks to grab, hold or deflect the attention of men she had sat there in silent confusion. Battle strategies were one thing, but the strategic signs of love were something she had never understood. In these past few weeks with the never-ending-motor-mouth that is Unazuki Furuhata she had felt that she had learnt more about boys and the signs of love than she ever had before in her past nineteen years.

Unazuki, after one observation of a conversation between Ken and Lita while cleaning one night, had pulled Lita aside that night in their shared room and demanded the full details about Lita and Ken's supposed relationship. The night had been an utter embarrassment for the elder Jupiterean girl as the young sixteen year old Earthen girl had gone through the many many reasons why she believed Ken O'Reilly was interested in her in a romantic way, followed by a lengthy suggestion about the ways Lita could encourage his pursuit yet still 'play it cool'. Despite Lita's protests that this was completely untrue, Unazuki had been insistent that Ken held special feelings for her and refused to back down. She had gone to bed exhausted unable to dissuade the younger girl at all.

Now, she found herself highly sensitized to Ken's presence and to ultimate horror, had just felt herself blush at something he had said only today. Her soldier's senses told her that this was something to be wary of and reprimanded herself for thinking so much on this topic when she should have her full attention devoted to hearing news at the diner. A byproduct of her hyper sensitivity was the fact that she could sense the change in Ken over the past few days. She found herself more aware of the sighing glances he sent her way as well as the many opportunities the man tried to engage her in private conversation that had always –thankfully – been interrupted.

She was at her wits end. She was so damn aware of this one man and found herself…anticipating…? Yes, that's what she felt; she was filled to the brim with anticipation. The scary thing was, that she wasn't sure what she was anticipating. Unazuki took every opportunity she could to point our Ken's latest 'give-away-behaviour-that-he's-into-you-Lita-dear' and Lita found herself very very tired of feeling this keyed up. She hadn't ever felt this anxious in or before any battle she had ever engaged in and the fact that she was so nervous because of one Earthen man scared her most of all.

And why am I nervous?

It was two days ago that she had finally received her answer and that answer was why she had been walking on eggshells with poor Ken for the past few days. It was completely mortifying to realize so late, but she had finally sorted through her feelings and came to the conclusion that she really liked Ken. So much so that she didn't want to be hated by him, that she was embarrassed to see him lest she make a fool of herself in front of him. She didn't want to see him because she knew she'd never be able to look at him without him figuring out her feelings with one look. It was a wonder that Unazuki hadn't caught on yet, but then again, Unazuki had been under the assumption that the two were both interested in each other from the beginning. In her sixteen year old mind, Lita had been in love with Ken from the moment Ken was discovered to be in love with Lita.

Lita couldn't help but smirk at that thought. She folded another towel away to be put into the now-rented guest room. Unazuki was a bright and cheery girl, her fault, if she had one, was that she was a little too excitable and often missed the bigger picture as she flittered around from thought to thought. However it was probably due to that little meddler's encouragement that Lita now found herself aware of these feelings stirring within her.

Now finished with the towels she grabbed the bundle ready to take them to the rooms in the inn, only to hear the door open behind her. Whirling around she came face to face with the person she least wanted to see.

"Lita…" Ken began in surprise but quickly came to his senses and shut the door behind him.

She felt trapped. Ken stood by the door, her only way out. She felt panic arise in her and she forced herself to calm her heartbeat, as a trained soldier of the Moon Kingdom she would not lose the battle that was about to take place. "Ken." She replied in acknowledgement. She shifted the towels in her hand and went on. "I need to put these in the guest rooms, can you open the door?"

He looked startled for a moment, before conviction once again filled his eyes. "Actually…I wanted to talk to you…" He trailed off yet that fire in his eyes told her he was determined to have this talk with her.

Well, not if she could help it. She faked a tired smile. "Now's really not the time Ken, I've got these towels to do, then Unzuki and I are cleaning the bathrooms. I'm really in a hurry-" She made to push past him but he was having none of that. His arm barring her way.

"Lita, we need to talk."

"About what Ken?" There was a pregnant pause as her last sentence came out abrupt, clearly carrying her annoyance in its tone. She could see his eyes dim a little at realizing her foul mood about this topic and she could see he was conflicted about whether or not he should continue to pursue this conversation at the current time. They stood in silence for half a minute before the answer was once again chosen for him, this time in the form of Unazuki calling out for Lita's help.

Taking the opportunity she quickly excused herself and pushed passed the handsome man, calling out to Unazuki that she would be there shortly. If she had turned around like her gut was telling her to she would have seen the disheartened slump of strong shoulders as Ken realised another chance had been missed.

Diamond strode along the promenade, his heavy white boots stomping angrily as he went on his way. The dreary Saturn landscape was eerie in the setting sunlight even with thirty four of its sixty moons out. A sallow wind ghosted sourly across the coastline where he walked, old ships' sagging sails barely lifting with its putrid breath. Wasted. All that time and effort wasted. Serenity was not on Pluto and she never had been. It had all been a ruse, a sham and he had foolishly fallen for it. He was furious at himself. How could he be so stupid when so much was at stake now? Serenity's wellbeing was at stake and he was acting like a foolish cadet on his first assignment; jumping the gun, running off without knowing all the facts. Sapphire had always said he was too rash with his decisions and he couldn't agree more right now.

He had his people working to find anything to do with her. The clues he thought he'd known were actually breadcrumbs left by the Queen of the Moon so as to distract others and he'd fallen for that trick hook, line and sinker. He was so utterly disappointed in himself and he would make up for it, if they ever found out where to go. He sighed again in frustration, the tart air of Saturn did not really agree with him. In the few times where he did venture to this unnatural planet he had had the pleasure of staying in the capital at the Court of the Helios Eight or more informally known as the Planetarium. The air had been conditioned there – he recalled being told – so as to suit the majority of the interplanetary guests and their natural habitats.

He had forgotten how putrid the air seemed to be elsewhere. There was always a sense of…foreboding in the air of Saturn. He had seen many Saturnic commoners go about their day like nothing was out of order, but all foreigners who stepped foot on the planet…well they all seemed to be affected by the environment. He had even heard on good authority that the ever stoic Sailor Senshi had barely covered a grimace on their first excursion to Saturn. Yes, it was rather unusual. In fact, the only exception to this notion was that of Princess Serenity III. Apparently, she had not been affected by the atmosphere at all and had run down the gang plank to greet her friend the small Sailor Saturn. It was amazing how magnificent she could be. It only made him love her more.

Once again his thoughts turned to his princess and he began worrying about her whereabouts yet again. His walk had taken him from the empty beach to the practically deserted docks. He could hear every now and then a tavern near the bay making chatter as its doors opened letting patrons in and out. He continued forward, his boots thudding along the old sturdy wooden docks as he hoped to clear his perspective when a shout broke his concentration.

Immediately alert, he looked to where the noise came from and his warrior's ears picked up the distinct sound of a scuffle. Stealthily he ran towards the narrow crack where two awnings from boat repairing buildings met and peeked into its dark depths.

"Have mercy." A raspy voice quivered as two more forms hovered over its crouching form. It was swiftly beaten again as the two figures jeered and taunted attempting to snatch the treasure the voice clasped within its old wrinkled hands. That was all he needed to see. Drawing his sword, Diamond strode forward, the sound of his sword being drawn alerting the two thugs to his presence. They backed off the old man they were attacking; startled by this new threat that had came along out of nowhere.

It didn't take long for the smaller of the two to regain his composure though and he struck fast, the small dagger he had had concealed was thrust quickly aimed at the exposed belly of this would be rescuer. He had not, however, counted on the fact that this stranger had been trained for war and as he lunged clumsily at the white haired warrior he easily missed his mistake. Diamond used his longer sword to trip up the first man and as he sailed past him to catch his balance, Diamond quickly raised his sword and brought the hilt down on the back of the man's head. Witnessing firsthand how easily his partner and brains of the operation had been beaten, the bigger of the two turned and ran scuttling through the winding backstreets of the godforsaken port.

Diamond looked at where the man had fled in disgust. Nothing was worse than a coward who ran once real power showed its face. People could be so pathetic he thought. Ridding him of these thoughts by shaking his head slightly he turned to face the old man, who had now eased himself into a sitting position, his back leaning against the stony wall as he tried to control his ragged breath. The man's face was still shrouded by shadows; the large heavy hood he donned did nothing to illuminate his features.

"Thank you." The old man rasped. Old hands still clutched tightly at the small box he held. A shuddering breath made it passed cracked old lips as the old man's lungs tried to function properly after their previous beating. "Thank you." He once again whispered.

Diamond frowned in concern. "It was nothing, my friend."

The old man shook his head firmly. "To you, maybe young lad. But to me a great deal. You are a powerful young man aren't you?"

Diamond smirked softly at the joking tone. "They weren't really much to fight, old man."

"True," the old man wheezed with a laugh. "Very true. Yet too much for this old man." Again he tapered off in a mixture of laughter and coughing fits.

"Old man, are you alright?" The old man raised his head, yet still nothing could be seen within the depths of that cowl.

"I am fine, my Lord. I thank you for your assistance and for your concern."

Diamond frowned again, it was rather heartless, he thought, those ruffians attacking such a defenseless old man. It didn't sit well with him. "Tell me, old man, why did they attack you?"

The old man sighed deeply, resting his back further against the wall. "Those thugs had ambushed me because of the treasure I carry." Again Diamond's eyes were brought to look at the simple old box the man kept clutched in his hands. It didn't seem like anything special, but he assumed something inside it was. Jewellery perhaps? Money? "Unlimited knowledge is in this box, my prince, for those who know how to make use of it." Diamond's eyes widened. "Is there something you wish to know, my prince, a small favour of gratitude for your assistance?"

Diamond felt his mind burn with the possibilities. A moment of silence passed between the two as Diamond formulated a plan. "Old man," he began. "Do you have any place you belong to? Any place you call home?"

The old man sighed despairingly. "No sire, I have none. Nothing but this treasure and my cloak to my name."

"Would you come with me then? I shall house you and feed you. Give you all you desire if you give me wisdom through your treasure." He paused a moment. "What do you say to that old man?"

The old man stood up slowly, creaky bones protesting as he did so. With treasure in hand he faced Prince Diamond and spoke. "I would like that very much Prince Diamond."

Diamond smirked in pleasure as he thought about the chess piece he had just acquired. He was going to find Serenity now. He would protect her, love her and eventually marry her and this old man would show him how to go about it every step of the way. "Old man, what do I call you?"

The man looked up at him and for a moment, Diamond thought he could see a silver grin flash as he answered. "They call me Wiseman."

"What? Another one?" Malachite asked in exasperation. Nephrite nodded solemnly, his own disbelief clear on his face. The issue they were discussing was once again the physical harm of one of the young ladies gathered in the palace for the Tónne season. The girls seemed to be dropping like flies. Two weeks ago they had welcomed thirty two young ladies into the palace ground and now, six of them were injured in some shape or form, the worst being the last incident where a young duchess had her arm broken and was now being kept under sedation due to her utter hysteria at her current state. No one had been able to ask her how her injury had occurred as whenever the poor girl was coherent enough to speak she broke out into bouts of panic, raving about 'the dark'. She could give no useful information and eventual had to be placed under sedation once again for the sake of her frazzled nerves.

With an annoyed sigh Malachite continued. "Well then, what is it this time?"

"It's getting worse. This time it was the Princess of Eealie, she has been drugged with sleeping medication. She lives, but she is sleeping so deeply it is as if she is lying in death. Nothing we try will rouse her, it's as if she's taken leave of her body." He coughed nervously. "The uh, serving ladies have even tried a uh-" he paused a moment to find the best word, "rougher, approach." Malachite looked at him asking for further explanation. With a deep sigh Nephrite continued. "Even physical harm does not wake her." He continued. It was against every gentlemanly fibre of his being to harm a lady, and he hated relating the facts to his superior even if it had not been he himself who had tried awaken the lady with a sharp slap. His only comfort was the fact that it had been another woman who had dared to what he had not been able to. Even still, the painful stimulation they hoped would wake her did nothing and the princess still slept on.

Leaning back in his chair Malachite let a frown unfurl on his face. "This is beginning to become dangerous, Nephrite." The brunette nodded in agreement; if it were to get out of the palace that the young ladies staying there were being targeted, questions of the royal palace's security would be asked. "Do the others know about this latest attack?"

"Yes." Nephrite answered. "Jadeite came with me to examine the Princess of Eealie. I believe he is now tactfully interrogating the remaining women questioning them about her actions the previous day."

Malachite nodded thoughtfully. "Keep in mind this may be an outside force, serving staff, or workers who are being paid to cancel out the competition so to speak."

"We'll need to keep track of the ladies' whereabouts. It is not safe here."

A small silence passed between the two men as they thought about their current mess. "Well," started Malachite, "We will need to inform Endymion of this as soon as possible." He paused to let out another sigh of exasperation. "Whenever he gets back from his latest attempt of hiding, that is." He turned to face Nephrite once more. "Do you think Jadeite can handle questioning the young women himself?"

"I think he should be fine."

"-and I said to her, that's what love's about, darling." Jadeite finished, earning himself a round of feminine giggles and chortles

"-oh Lord Jadeite that is simply dreadful!" twittered a chorus of young women. They sat in the eastern gardens under a pavilion amongst dozens of plush crimson cushions. A dozen or so women and the young General Jadeite. He had been in 'inquisition' with them for a little over half an hour and they had all warmed up to him considerably.

He had always been good with women, having three older sisters he had been the only male in a predominately female household and had quickly learnt all the best ways to butter up a woman and keep her happy. He had always prided himself on always having something to say 'never at a loss for words' his mother would say. Naturally, he had also become quite the flirt, easily learning from his sisters' advice on how to court a woman to happiness. It came in mighty handy now as he had to delve into this injury issue. By buttering up the young ladies he hoped to gain private information or gossip on all the available candidates and in addition gain a feel for each lady's personality for himself. These women all thought themselves to be very sneaky, but if you gave them a few muddy hints that they might be a favourite of the prince, they would spill anything to seem useful to the prince.

It also didn't hurt that in this more casual setting, alcoholic beverages were available and often loosened the tongues of these highbred women allowing them to spill their real thoughts rather than the cock and bull shit they were trained to spout out. It was uncanny how shallow the majority of these women seemed to be when you got them talking long enough. They all just wanted one thing – an easy life. Essentially, they all just wanted to be queen so that they could live in the lap of luxury and never give a care for the world around them. Now, it was unfair to suggest that all of these women felt the same. There were the odd few who wanted the throne so as to use their power as queen but of the few he met that seemed to truly want this, none of them seemed to care about the common populous. No, their main talks centered around the nobility of the nation and the alteration of the taxing regulations to make life easier for the 'hard working noble man'. Jadeite had nearly scoffed when he heard one young lady, a Countess Capriange, if he recalled correctly, stating this as if it were a slogan for a governmental campaign. Clearly she had been trained by her father to spout such political promises as when he had asked her to elaborate what she meant, she became flustered and floundered for words and ended up repeating her initial statement using different words. He had pretended to understand but in his book a mark had been struck against her name.

Actually, nearly all of the women he had spoken to had earned themselves a notation in his mental log – and not in a positive way. Perhaps he was being choosy because the man they all had their sights set on was his dearest prince and most loyal friend but he felt that none of the candidates he had spoken to thus far had been at all suited to his prince. Then again, it was possibly the fact that Endymion had his sights and his heart set on one girl in particular that he felt none of the others could dare come close. No, not with the way Endymion spoke of her.

He hadn't been kidding when he had agreed he had wanted to meet the girl who had stolen Endymion's heart. The way the prince had looked as he talked of her, well, he knew that she had captured a section of Endymion's heart and surprisingly, Jadeite found himself wishing he would soon be wearing that same look on his own face.

A rather loud shriek brought him back to his present situation and he seamlessly fell back into the conversation with the rowdy young women eagerly soaking up all the gossip they had to offer. A soft breeze blew and with it carried the scent of cherry blossoms and burnt pine wood.

Later, as he recalled this moment, he could not tell you what made him turn around that day. But he felt something within him call his eyes upright and to the side and he would tell you that he was forever grateful that he did. For at that moment, when the cherry blossoms around them littered their petals into the sky he happened upon the sight of a goddess. Her ebony hair fell straight down her back, the long tresses immaculately groomed ending at her hips. Her eyes a bright hue of sunset purple shined with intelligence and her perfect lips the shade of a deep crimson rose. She was breathtaking and quite rightly so.

And when she caught sight of him surrounded by the dozen of giggling frivolous girls, she raised one perfectly arched eyebrow in disdain before turning and making her way through the garden.

And in that moment, Jadeite Fitzpatrick was finally at a loss of words.

So that is chapter 11, I hope you liked it!

Posted October 2nd 2013