Beyond the Facade

Chapter Two, Discoveries:

Two large men held her down. She grunted and struggled
angrily, blushing from the embarrassment and the anger she felt
at the situation. \"I hate doing this,\" her father said shortly.

\"Well, she will not listen. She Never listens,\" her
mother said in exasperation. \"Do you want her to go to the
meeting in pants?\"

\"No, but surely we could talk some sense into her. No
reasonable young princess wants to wear anything other than a
dress. She is obviously simply going through a rebellious
stage.\"

Queen Anita sighed. \"Fine. You deal with her,\" she
said, her exasperation mounting as she left the room.

\"Amara,\" King Alan said hesitantly.

\"What?\" she asked sharply.

\"Will you please just put on the dress, so I can call
the guards off?\"

Princess Amara sighed. \"Fine.\"

\"What are you wearing??\" Luna asked, her mouth gaping
open.

\"What?\" Princess Serena asked naively.

\"That dress reveals way too much, especially for your
age. Serena I swear. Watching over you is the most impossible
task.\"

Serena sighed and looked out the window at the planet
Earth. *He is the only reason I keep doing this dreadful
princess stuff,* she thought.

She sat outside alone. She knew the meeting was going
to happen soon. They would have to come looking for her then.
She would most certainly be in trouble for wandering off again,
but she just wanted them to notice she was missing for once.

And they did.

She heard the noise a few hours later. Her head shot up
in surprise, and she snapped out of her daze. *Finally.* The
guards came running up to her. \"Come on princess. Hurry. The
King and Queen are very upset with your disappearance, and they
sent us to bring you home as quickly as possible.\"

Hotaru sighed. They had not even come this time. They
had simply sent guards. *Disappearance? They have not seen me
all week. Of course they only notice when they need me for
something,* she thought bitterly as she silently followed the
guards. *I hate life.*

She sat outside alone. She was cold, but she did not
care. She was always cold. It did not matter. She was used to
it. Her long dark black hair blew around her face. She knew she
had to go get ready for the princess annual meeting in a few
moments. Still, she stalled as long as she possibly could. *Why
do I even bother?* she asked herself apathetically. She knew
why-the consequences were too severe if she did not. Princess
Raye stood up slowly and went inside to get ready.

She sat outside alone. She was cold, but she was in a
too much of a trance to notice. If someone had passed by they
would have surely thought she was in some kind of catatonic
state. As fate or destiny or whatever the hell you believe in
would have it, someone or rather something did pass by. \"Are
you alone too?\" the male voice asked.

She jumped up in fear. *Please no, not again,* her
mind flew into a panic. \"No,\" she gasped in fear, barely able
to breathe.

\"Oh all right then. No need to have a heart attack
about it,\" and she looked down at the white cat.

Her panic slowed down, but her confusion mounted.
\"You...you can talk.\"

\"Yes,\" the cat answered simply.

\"I know another cat who can talk,\" the girl said
cautiously. \"Can all of you talk?\"

\"No,\" he answered simply. \"Another cat? Hmm...\" he
mused. \"I thought I was the only one. Well, no matter. My name
is Artemis. What is yours?\"

\"Mina,\" she said quietly.

\"Well Mina, nice to meet you. Tell me please, why are
you so frightened and alone?\"

She looked away, trying to keep the tear from slipping
out of her eye. \"I...I...\" she stopped, unable to go any
further.

He nodded. \"You will never have to be alone or scared
again,\" he said, jumping onto her lap. \"I will protect you.\"
She looked at him and began to pet him. He purred, and
she smiled some in comfort.

Combing her hair, she looked at her reflection in the
mirror. Another day to dress up. Another day to make herself
look perfect. At first, she hated having to look so perfect
all the time. Her parents expected nothing but the best from
her, especially her mother. She was always striving to be
better, but she was never good enough. She studied her face
carefully in the mirror. Yes, it was taxing to look perfect all
the time, but she had begun to need that control; she had begun
to crave that stability. If nothing else was right, her
appearance at least would always be perfect, she assured
herself. This time she had even more motivation. She would be
seeing her princess friends. Princess Michelle put a beautiful
dark pink flower in her wavy sea blue hair and smiled at her
reflection in the mirror. *My teeth seem a little less white
today,* she thought in irritation, trying to touch them up as
perfectly as possible.

Michelle was not the only one looking in the mirror.
Princess Lita looked at herself in the mirror with disgust and
anger. She punched the mirror hard, and she gasped in pain and
shock as she felt and saw the breaking glass from the mirror.
*Uh oh,* she thought. *I am going to be in so much trouble.
Quick,* she thought desperately, looking at the broken glass
strewn everywhere and the red blood seeping through the cuts on
her hand. *How am I going to hide this?* she wondered
anxiously. She heard the doorknob to her bedchamber\'s
door turn. Her father\'s head poked through. *I am in trouble...*

\"Princess Amy, it is time to go to the ball,\" her father
called up loudly. Her maids had already dressed her earlier.
She had asked for some time alone to continue reading the book
she was so actively engrossed in, but she had ended up spending
that small amount of alone time quite differently. \"Amy, now!\"
her mother yelled up. She stood up shakily and wiped the tears
off her face. She looked in the mirror. *The red blotches are
already fading away.* She tried to stall another minute so
they would be gone. \"AMY!\" her father yelled loudly. She
started and rushed down the stairs, but halfway there she
slowed down. *Ladies do not rush,* she reminded herself calmly.

As usual Prince Darien was nowhere to be found, and his
parents were getting fed up. \"We cannot allow this to
continue,\" King Damion said angrily to his wife.

\"I know. I know,\" Queen Darla said.

\"No, I mean it. This has gone on long enough. He is 12
years old for god\'s sake.\"

\"Darling try to calm down. You know how your blood
pressure can get...\" Darla said, conciliatory.

Damion shouted. \"Calm down?? Calm down?? He pulls these
stunts EVERY single time. I am so sick of it. This stops now.\"

Queen Darla nodded. \"You are right of course,\" she
said in agreement. They could not have their son being so
disrespectful and so different. She remembered how she had
been as a child. Yes it had taken years to get that completely
out of her system. He would have to be taught to fit in and
obey no matter how hard that lesson was for him to learn.

Meanwhile, on a planet much much farther away, a young
princess was responding in quite the opposite way to her
parents\' demands. She always had been obedient and compliant
though. She had learned at a young age that it was much easier
and better to just obey and do what you were told by those
older than you. Usually the punishment was less harsh and the
anger died down more quickly. She sighed as she looked in the
mirror at her shorter green hair. It was getting past her
shoulders now. She missed the long, flowing silky green hair
she had last year. She missed running her fingers through it to
soothe her tormented soul, but she had cut it very short in a
moment of intense self-hatred. The self-hatred was always
there, but that was the first time it had gotten so intense. It
was not the last however. The moments returned, each one
feeling worse than the last. The only thing she could do was
hurt herself. The hair had been first. That had not actually
physically hurt her, but it had been the first step towards
self-injury she realized. It had progressed as she became
more and more obsessed with distracting herself from the inner
torment by causing as much pain as she could possibly stand on
the outside. Each time her tolerance for the outside pain got
higher, and so she had to hurt herself more each time to get a
good distraction from the inner pain. Like a drug addict
needing more drugs to get to that same high each time, she had
to cut deeper and harder each time to get the same relief from
the inner pain. Princess Trista averted her eyes from her ugly
short green hair. Her parents had not been happy about that.
She had gotten her punishment though from both of them. One
being far worse as always. She made her face as emotionless and
distant as possible to hide the inner torment. She would not
allow anyone to see her vulnerable.

As always Princess Serena and Princess Mina got their
time alone before the others arrived. Serena sat beside her
friend, smiling at her comfortingly. Then she saw that Mina was
clutching something tightly. She asked to see it, and Mina
showed her a white cat. \"Oh how adorable,\" Serena said softly
as she began petting the cat. He purred loudly.

\"His name is Artemis,\" Mina said carefully.

\"You picked such a beautiful name,\" Serena said,
complimenting her friend.

\"I did not pick it. He told it to me.\"

Serena moved uncomfortably, but she tried not to show
her feelings on her face. A very hard task for her indeed. She
failed. \"You think I am crazy?\" Mina said, a bit angrily.

Serena moved back in shock. Had Mina just gotten angry
at her? Her mouth moved, trying to get some words out but
nothing was coming out.

Mina swiftly apologized, tears coming to her fearful
eyes.

Serena put her hands on Mina\'s shoulder, her eyes
shining with compassion. \"Do not be scared of me Mina. I am so
proud of you. You can be yourself with me. You can always show
your feelings. It is all right to get angry all right?\"

Mina shook her head mutely.

Serena sighed sadly. *One step forward, two steps back.*
\"Mina, you do know though that Luna is unique? She was human
once. That is why she can talk.\"

\"I was human once too,\" Artemis said, stepping onto the
ground.

Serena\'s mouth opened in shock.

\"See,\" Mina said quietly.

Serena nodded. \"I am sorry. I should have believed you
Mina.\"

\"It is all right. I did not expect you to. No one does.\"

Serena looked at her friend. \"What do you mean?\" she
asked, sensing something wrong.

As life would have it, Mina would not be freed of her
burden yet. Princess Amy walked into the room quietly, and
Princess Mina shut her mouth firmly. Princess Serena looked at
her in deep concern but got up to greet the new arrival.

\"Hello Princess Amy. So nice to see you again. You have
your ninth birthday coming up do you not?\"

Princess Amy nodded politely. \"Yes,\" she said quietly.

\"You have been crying?\" Mina ventured shyly. Encouraged
by the girl\'s soft, quiet voice.

Amy looked at her in surprise. \"Oh, umm...well,\" she
said hesitantly.

\"It is all right,\" Serena said softly. \"Tell us about
it,\" and they sat down. Amy proceeded to tell them how lonely
she felt, and how much she hated the demands of being a princess.
They nodded in understanding. For they both knew the loneliness
and demanding pressure she spoke of from their own experiences.

Amy smiled. \"Thank you,\" she said in appreciation.

\"Anytime,\" Serena promised sincerely.

At that very moment, Princess Trista walked in silently.
Only Mina noticed her presence for the first few minutes, but she
said nothing. When Amy noticed her, she got up and Serena joined
her. \"Hello,\" they each said to each other. \"I think I need some
time alone,\" Princess Trista said quietly as she walked off to a
corner by herself. Amy sat down with Mina while Serena watched
Trista in concern. *Her hair is much shorter,* Serena thought as she
observed the quiet, deep girl.

She did not have much time for her musings however as
Princess Raye entered the room. She curtseyed in tradition.

Mina backed behind Amy in fear. Amy gulped but tried to keep
a straight face. Trista ignored her, lost in her own thoughts. Only
Serena stood, unmoving, though fear showed clearly on her face.

\"You have a problem your highness?\" Raye spit out harshly.

\"No, I think you are the one with the problem,\" Serena said
honestly.

\"Shut up you bitch,\" Raye said. Mina clung onto Amy in fear.
Amy gasped. Even Trista broke out of her thoughts in surprise.
Serena\'s face was one of complete confusion. \"What?? That too dirty
of a word for you princess?\"

\"I...I have never heard it,\" Serena said cautiously, looking
around at everyone\'s astonished reactions. \"What does it mean?\" she
ventured.

\"Damn you lead a sheltered life.\" Mina was shaking. Amy was
beginning to too. Trista was trying to decide whether to intervene
or not.

Serena smiled, unaware of what Raye really meant. \"Do you
need someone to talk to? Mina and Amy and I were talking. You could
join us. You must have a lot on your mind. We will listen and try to
help.\"

Raye\'s laugh was fake. \"You would have no idea what I am
going through,\" she said. Then she slapped Serena. Serena stood
there in shock, never having been hit before. Raye smiled in
satisfaction. Trista stood up, thinking this was going too far. Mina
was shaking so hard that the astonished Amy had to hold her close.
Artemis sat in Mina\'s lap to give her some warmth and comfort. Mina
petted him shakily. Raye saw Trista out of the corner of her eye,
and she walked to another corner of the room to be by herself. \"Back
off Pluto princess,\" she warned. Trista thought about it, standing
there and weighing the pros and cons carefully. She was still
undecided when Princess Michelle walked in, and she decided to
leave the Princess of Mars alone. *As always she looks stunning and
perfect,* Trista thought.

\"Well, hello Trista. Is Amara here yet?\" she asked softly.

\"Not yet,\" Trista responded. \"How are you doing Michelle?\"

Michelle paused. Only for a brief second of course, but
Trista was observant and noticed though she did not point it
out. \"All right,\" she lied. \"How are you feeling?\"

\"All right,\" Trista readily lied from years of practice.
Michelle was too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice anything
wrong. She went to sit with Trista in a corner of the room. Serena
sat down, still in shock. \"Is she all right?\" Michelle asked Trista
curiously.

\"I think so. Princess Raye slapped her.\"

\"What?! I cannot believe that...maybe we should go sit with
her.\"

Trista nodded her head to Amy and Mina who had surrounded
Serena with comfort and love. Michelle nodded. \"I see your point.\"

\"She will be fine,\" Trista promised, knowing inside that no
one was really ever the same after that first hit. Even if it was
not an adult she figured.

Princess Amara entered next, and Princess Michelle stood
up quickly, attempting to cover the excitement on her face. \"Hello
Amara,\" she said softly. Then she noticed the scowl on her
beautiful face. \"Amara?\" she asked softly.

\"I hate dresses,\" Amara said simply.

\"I am sorry...\" Michelle said hesitantly.

Trista moved slightly. \"Would you like to sit with us?\" she
asked.

\"All right,\" Amara said. \"What is wrong with her?\" she
asked, looking at Serena.

\"Raye slapped her,\" Michelle said softly.

\"Oh,\" Amara said. \"Wow.\"

\"Yeah,\" Trista said.

Michelle nodded in agreement. Amara was succinct. That wow
could have had many meanings, but Michelle knew her best friend very
well by now. She had known her well even when they first met though
now that she thought about it. There was just that connection they
had always mysteriously had. She knew exactly what Amara meant when
she said wow, and she completely agreed. Trista was perceptive and
also seemed to know Amara well enough to gather the probable
meaning behind it Michelle concluded, looking at her friends with
respect and love.

It is hard to say who entered next. Well actually, it is
not difficult. Prince Darien was the first to enter, but right
behind him was Princess Lita. They looked around, both seemed
nervous or guilty or both. Raye did not even raise her head. Trista,
Michelle, and Amara noticed but said nothing. Serena saw Darien and
blushed, frozen and unable to say or do anything. Mina as usual
said and did nothing. So Amy stood up and said hello to each of
them. When Serena snapped out of her daze, she walked right past
Darien and said hello to Princess Lita. Princess Lita said hello
back, keeping her hands behind her back the whole time. Serena
wanted to comment, but at that moment Darien said something. \"You
did not say hello to me princess. Do you have some kind of problem
with me?\" he asked coldly. She shuddered. He was almost as bad as
Raye. *Surely he would never hit me though,* she reasoned with
herself.

\"Not at all,\" she said, trying to match his cold tone
though only halfway successful. \"Humph!\" she exclaimed and turned
around to walk back proudly to Mina. Mina smiled briefly, sensing
something between them both despite the fronts they both put up,
especially Darien. She said nothing though of course. Princess Lita
was talking with Princess Amy, and Princess Serena joined them
again. \"Are your hands all right?\" she asked Lita kindly.

\"Of course,\" Lita snapped.

\"I was just concerned...\" Serena said, cautiously backing
away.

\"I am sorry. I know. Thank you,\" Lita said.

\"If you want to talk we are here for you,\" Serena promised.

Amy nodded her head in agreement. \"Mina and Serena were very
understanding about my problems. They listened and talked with me
about my problems. It does help more than you might think,\" she
said.

Lita grunted. \"Perhaps someday,\" she said hesitantly. \"Why
is no one sitting with Raye? Now there is someone who needs someone
to talk to.\"

\"I tried...\" Serena said.

\"Well try harder,\" Lita said, her voice getting loud with
passion. \"She NEEDS someone,\" she whispered angrily.

\"She slapped Serena,\" Amy said.

\"She what?\" There was an uncomfortable silence. \"Oh,\" Lita
finally said. \"Still...I am sure she is sorry. Right Raye?\" she asked
louder.

\"Right what?\" Raye yelled back.

\"You did not mean to hit Serena right?\" Lita yelled.

\"Yes I did,\" Raye screamed back strongly.

\"See,\" Amy pointed out.

Lita sighed. \"She is just too proud to admit it. Believe me.
She never meant to do that to you. I know her,\" Lita said with
conviction.

Serena nodded. \"I believe you.\"

\"What? Are you kidding?\" Amy asked in horror.

Serena shook her head. \"She must be so lost. She must feel
so alone. Could you tell her we would like her to join our group and
that we would like to talk with her?\" Serena asked. Lita nodded and
walked over to Raye just as Darien sighed and walked over to Mina
who cowered. He sighed again and walked over to Trista, Michelle,
and Amara. They nodded in acknowledgment but said nothing. He sat
down silently as Princess Hotaru quietly entered the room.

No one noticed her for several minutes. When Michelle did
notice her, she turned to Trista and Amara. \"She has this habit of
staying in the shadows, and she is so quiet. Quieter even than any
of us. I wonder how she learned that,\" Michelle mused. \"She must be
alone a lot.\"

Amara and Trista nodded in agreement. Michelle stood up to
go ask Hotaru to sit with them, but she slowly sat down by Mina. The
two of them still seemed to have that connection. Mina put Artemis
in Hotaru\'s lap. She petted Artemis and smiled some in amazement. She
had never gotten to pet a cat. Serena smiled and after glaring at
Darien, sat down with them and Amy.

It would be another year before the whole group saw one
another again, but quite a lot would take place in that year.
Some of the princesses would see others once or even more often than
that before the next annual meeting. A strange split would occur in
the group as the result of an innocent request Serena would make to
her mother Serenity that evening.

\"Can I see Mina, Amy, and Lita again soon?\" she asked. \"We
are getting sort of close,\" she added.

Serenity looked at her daughter lovingly. \"Yes of course,\"
she said.

She saw the red mark on her daughter\'s face. \"What
happened?\" she asked gently.

\"Oh, it is nothing,\" Serena said.

\"Serena, it is important,\" Serenity said seriously. \"Please
tell me.\"

\"Well, Raye...she just has kind of a temper that is all,\"
Serena ventured cautiously.

\"Oh darling, I am sorry. Are you all right?\"

Serena nodded vigorously. Serenity giggled a bit. \"All
right. All right. I get the point. Let me make you a deal. You can
see the others, but I would like to invite Raye to the meeting too.
Is that going to be all right with you?\"

Serena thought about it for a minute. \"All right,\" she said.
\"I do not want to leave her out, but she hates us all.\"

\"Oh I very much doubt that,\" Serenity said wisely. \"Ten
year olds do not hate. They may think they hate, but it is just to
mask how lost and scared and alone she must be feeling.\"

Serena\'s eyes filled with tears. \"Do you think she is all
right?\"

\"I do not know,\" Serenity said honestly. \"Her mother is not
a good person, and her father.\" Serenity shuddered. \"He is really a
very bad person,\" she said after a silence. Serena began to cry. \"Oh
hush precious. It is all right,\" her mother soothed her, holding her
close. \"We will be here for her. How does that sound?\" Serena nodded.
\"Good. Now can you try to sleep precious?\" Serenity asked gently.
Serena nodded again, and Serenity left. However, Serena did not sleep
well at all that night.

She ran like the wind. The wind-little did she know it was
her element. However, she was on the verge of discovering this. She
ran faster and faster. She would never fit in, never belong anywhere.
Tears stung her face. She wiped them away angrily, her heart
pounding in her chest. The pain inside it growing bigger and bigger
with each passing day. *NO!* she screamed inside, running faster and
faster to try to block out the pain. The faster she ran the more she
could feel the pain sweeping out behind her with the wind. She was
free. The only moment she was free was when she was running, alone
and running. Well there was one other moment when she was free. *No,
I can\'t think about that,* she promised herself as she angrily pushed
the \"abnormal\" thought out of her head. When she finally collapsed in
exhaustion, gasping for breath, she thought of all her pain. She
thought of society\'s demands and pressures, but most of all she
thought about all the forbidden things for her as both a princess
and a girl. She got angry. *How dare they tell me what is normal?
How dare they dictate my life for me?* She wanted to punch
something, kick something, scream angrily, but somehow none of that
seemed satisfying enough. She screamed and a large golden power shot
out of her. She froze in surprise, staring at the trees she had
demolished and the land she had destroyed. *This could be what I
needed,* she thought, her thoughts spinning out of control as a
smile slowly appeared on her face.

*Would it always be this way?* she wondered tiredly. She was
tired, exhausted actually. Exhausted of life. Exhausted of being a
princess. Tired of living up to the impossible expectations of
everyone around her. There was only one person in this world that
she could truly be herself with, but even that would never be
allowed. She wanted to banish the thought from her head as she
usually did, but the deep eyes and short, tomboyish blonde hair was
imprinted in her soul and would no longer leave her mind either.
She sighed. *Why could I not just find a nice prince and fall in
love with him?* she asked herself in exasperation. Her only goal
now was to find a tolerable prince, live up to everyone\'s
expectations, and never ever show Amara her true feelings. She was
not sure which part would be the hardest. She closed her eyes out by
the stream and let the frustration build up, the pain. Then suddenly
she felt this surge of power and heard the loud noise of water
crashing into everything. She opened her eyes, knowing the stream
was the only source of water nearby. She was unleashing the water
from the sheer will of her mind. A power-her power. She smiled
briefly, feeling some relief.


Tossing and turning in her bed, her first vision came to
her. A woman shrouded in the mists. She was only a dark figure in
the princess\' mind, but she could tell somehow that it was a woman.
Perhaps by the slightly feminine tone to the old, wise voice. The
place she was in was grey with all the mist, and in the distance
she could make out some brownish grayish colors. She shook her head
in confusion, looking back to the place where the lady had been.
She was no longer there. \"Behind you,\" the voice said, echoing
through the mysterious place. The princess turned around in
surprise. And there she was, much closer, but still very blurred
and hard to see. Her face was only slightly visible. She noticed
the woman had a fairly large nose. \"You have a duty here princess,\"
the woman said, disappearing as the princess woke up from the dream.
Although she was not yet aware that it was a vision.

They were all ten years old for this meeting. It had taken
quite a lot of persuasion by Queen Serenity as well as Queen Miriam
and King Michael once they were convinced, to convince the Kings
and Queens of Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars to agree to this meeting
among their daughters. Somehow they managed to convince the royalty
of those planets that it would be in the best interests of all the
princesses to learn from one another on manners and such. Of course,
they were not really learning anything of the sort. They were
getting a few moments of precious freedom and forming long-lasting
friendships with people who could understand what one another was
going through. Even Queen Serenity herself though could never have
imagined how strong and close these friendships would one day become.

Mina and Serena were sitting calmly in the field as Princess
Raye and Princess Amy approached them. Princess Amy was lagging
behind Princess Raye, obviously on purpose. Princess Raye looked back
at her and laughed. \"Coward.\"

Serena and Mina said nothing, not wanting to tempt her into
more violence or verbal slaughter as she sat down by herself near
some trees. When Amy approached them she sat down calmly, tears in
her eyes. Serena put her arms around her in a giant hug, and Amy
smiled warmly. \"Thank you Serena. You are such a wonderful friend. As
are you Mina,\" she said, hugging the girl gently. Mina hugged her
back thankfully, and the three of them began conversing like old
friends. The bond among them all growing stronger already.

Princess Lita came several minutes later. She looked at
them all apologetically. \"Sorry for being late,\" she said.

\"No need to be sorry,\" Serena said, approaching her
cheerfully. \"So glad to see you.\"

Lita nodded. \"Thank you.\"

She looked over at Raye and sighed. \"You three need to stop
leaving her out.\"

\"I do not know how to get her to join without angering her,\"
Serena explained.

\"Besides we are scared of her,\" Amy admitted. Mina nodded her
head silently in agreement.

\"There is really no need to be. It is all a front. I promise.
I should know.\"

Serena looked at Lita sympathetically. \"If you could get her
over here that would be great. We are here for both of you.\"

Lita nodded. \"I will try my best,\" she promised.

She approached Raye. Lita spoke for only a minute before Raye
jumped up. \"I cannot believe you betrayed me and went to their side,\"
she yelled angrily. \"Well fine, go sip tea with them. I have more
important things to do you wimp!\"

Lita\'s fists clenched at her side. \"It is only because I like
you so much that I am not beating you up right now,\" she said through
clenched teeth. \"But do not ever call me a wimp again.\"

\"What are you going to do about it? Swing those weak, floppy
arms of yours at me? I could take you on in a heartbeat,\" she said
angrily.

Lita\'s eyes flashed as Raye ran off to be by herself. Lita
was turning all shades of red, trying very hard not to run after her
and punch her like she wanted to so badly. A gentle hand was on her
shoulder. She turned around, seeing Princess Serena. \"I will go after
her all right? You go join Mina and Amy and try to calm down. So sorry
for what she said.\"

Lita looked at Serena gratefully and walked slowly over to
the other two.

\"Hello,\" Princess Amy said. Princess Mina cowered behind her.
Lita sat farther away from her, near Amy, so as not to startle
her. Amy held Mina\'s hand to reassure her she would not let anyone
harm her.

\"Hello,\" Princess Lita responded, calming down and smiling at
them. \"Hello,\" she said to Princess Mina.

Mina smiled a little and squeaked out a shaky hello.

\"Nothing to be scared of. I promise. I would never hurt you,\"
Lita promised. Mina smiled some more.

Serena ran after Raye. She stopped for a second to catch her
breath. Heaving and gasping. *Goodness she is so fast,* Serena thought
tiredly. She shook her head and pursed her lips in determination,
surveying the forest area and running again after Princess Raye.

She finally found Raye slumped against a tree crying. Her
whole body nearly convulsing from the deep, painful cries. Tears
filled Serena\'s eyes as she stood there silently, feeling deep
sympathy for this fellow princess.

Raye sensed her and looked up. She wiped her tears away
angrily in shame. \"What do you want?\" she asked harshly.

\"A friend,\" Serena said simply.

\"You have friends. Go back to them you wimp.\"

\"Is that what you call everyone who tries to help you?\"

\"I do not want your help.\"

\"Why? Because it might mean someone actually cares for you?\"
Serena asked wisely for her age.

Raye looked away. \"Just leave,\" she said coldly.

Serena sat down beside her instead. \"Do...do your pparents
hhurt you?\" she stuttered shakily.

Raye looked at her sympathetic eyes with her own pain-filled
ones. There was a long silence. \"Yes,\" she said finally.

\"Oh Raye, I am so sorry,\" she said.

Raye began to cry again, and Serena reached out to hug her.
Raye accepted the hug, falling into Serena\'s arms, sobs wracking her
small body.

Amy was getting concerned. \"Serena has been gone a long time.
Do you think she is all right?\"

\"I think so,\" Lita responded.

\"I am going to go check on her just in case. I do not want her
to get hurt,\" Amy said, walking away.

Lita looked at Mina. Her green eyes softening at the shaking
girl. Finally she spoke. \"You are not the only one with hurt you
know.\"

Mina looked up at her, eyes wild with fear.

\"I...I know how it feels. Raye does too. We just all show it
differently. Raye puts up the angry defense. I did that for awhile.
Still do, though not with you all anymore. You hide behind your fear.
Different methods, but the same pain drives it.

Mina tilted her head and looked at Lita\'s soft, kind green
eyes.

\"I will be here for you,\" Lita promised. Mina scooted nearer
and laid her head on Lita\'s shoulder. Lita held her close. \"You will
always be safe with me,\" she promised. \"I would never let anyone hurt
you.\"

Amy was surprised when she came upon the scene of Raye and
Serena hugging each other tightly, tears streaming from both of their
faces. \"Are you two all right?\" she asked cautiously. Raye was silent.
Serena came out of the hug but put her hand in Raye\'s. \"I think so
Amy. Just getting to know each other.\"

\"We are all here for you Raye,\" Amy said, her eyes softened at
the girl\'s obvious pain.

Raye nodded. \"I know. Thank you.\" The three walked back
together and an amazing sight met their eyes. The fighter Lita
holding the fearful Mina who did not seem frightened. Serena smiled.
Finally Mina was reaching out to another. Raye approached them
softly. \"I am sorry for all those times I scared you Mina....I was
scared too...\" Mina looked up and smiled.

\"It is all right,\" she promised quietly. They looked at one
another, eyes full of love and understanding. Thus, the everlasting,
strong friendships of these princesses began.


Only a month later came the meeting of the other princesses.
Angry that the other princesses were invited to Queen Serenity\'s
palace for a meeting, the Kings and Queens of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune,
and Pluto set up one for their daughters as well. The meeting was set
up at King Tritan and Queen Tamara\'s palace on Pluto. The first to
arrive and greet Trista were Michelle and Amara at nearly the same
time. They saw each other and hugged then walked over to Trista and
hugged her. Trista remained distant, but she smiled politely at them.
Michelle and Amara looked at one another in concern, but neither one
of them commented on either the circles under Trista\'s eyes or the
even more distant feeling she gave off. Hotaru was a bit late. She
apologized profusely. Trista waved her hand. \"Nothing to apologize for
small one,\" she said, her warmth for the little girl showing through
a bit despite her distant attitude. Hotaru clung onto Trista, thanking
her and leaning her tired, aching head on her. Trista looked down at
her. *She is always so frail, full of aches, and so clingy. I do not
think her parents take care of her,* she thought sadly as she held the
girl close to give her as much comfort as possible. The meeting was
mainly uneventful other than Amara and Michelle mostly talking to one
another as Trista and Hotaru held one another silently. Amara and
Michelle eventually walked off to be on their own.

They walked through the forests. Michelle was sneaking looks
at Amara, but Amara was too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice.
Michelle smiled briefly. *She is so beautiful when she goes into deep
thought. Hell,* Michelle thought, *she is always beautiful no matter
what she is doing.*

Amara turned to see Michelle looking at her strangely. She
coughed and looked down at the ground in embarrassment. \"So
Michelle...\"she ventured cautiously.

\"Yes?\" Michelle\'s sweet voice rang in her ears.

*No,* Amara thought to herself as she quickly shook that
thought out of her mind and pushed it down into the far recesses of
her soul. Using all her might to deny it. If she did not acknowledge
it, it would not exist she fooled herself into believing. She did not
know how to bring up the power she had discovered. She did not know if
Michelle would believe her, or how she would react. She tried to hint
around it for awhile, preparing herself for the worst reaction
possible. She knew she should not ever tell anyone. She wanted this to
be her own secret, but somehow it did not seem right keeping her best
friend out of it. \"So, have you ever felt so frustrated you wished
you could do so much more than just kick or punch something?\" she
asked, trying to keep her voice casual. *Please do not let her hear
the strain in my voice.*

*She is trying so hard to keep the strain out of her voice,*
Michelle thought sympathetically. *Does she not realize she needs no
façades around me? I love her just the way she is. No, not love, just
intense like,* she promised herself. Although deep down she could not
even believe that lie anymore. \"Often,\" Michelle responded.

Amara nodded and looked out across the lonely desert. \"Me
too,\" she said.

\"Amara?\"

\"Hmm?\" Amara asked, turning towards Michelle.

Michelle put her hand in Amara\'s and gazed into her eyes. She
looked away, blushing.

*Michelle is blushing?* Amara thought in confusion.

\"I umm...is there something you are trying to tell me?\" she
asked.

\"I guess so,\" Amara admitted. \"I just do not know how you
will react.\"

\"Amara, you know I will understand,\" Michelle promised.

Amara nodded. \"I know, but I...it is just so personal. I do
not want to...ruin this good thing.\"

Michelle looked at her strangely. *Could she possibly have the
same feelings for me? No...what feelings Michelle? You like her...
like, like, like, like, like, like...that is All,* she emphasized to
herself. \"Amara, I promise it will not ruin it. You are free to feel
however you feel and to be yourself.\"

\"Well,\" Amara began uncomfortably. \"Do you think it is
possible for a person to have certain...powers?\" she asked, trying to
appear curious.

*Darn.* \"Yes,\" Michelle answered. \"I do think that is
definitely possible.\" *Does she know about my sea powers?*

\"That would be neat I think...\" Amara said cautiously.

\"Definitely,\" Michelle answered, relieved.

\"Oh good,\" Amara said in relief. \"I am glad to hear you say
that because well see...I discovered recently that I have these
powers.\"

Michelle\'s mouth opened. \"You too?\"

\"You have powers too?\"

\"Yes,\" Michelle said, her dignified face actually showing
excitement.

Amara\'s usually apathetic face also broke out into
excitement. \"I think mine are related to the land and wind.\"

\"Mine are related to water,\" Michelle said.

\"I will show you mine if you show me yours,\" Amara said in
excitement.

Michelle nodded in agreement.

Amara glowed golden and decimated everything in the area-which
was not much.

Michelle smiled and allowed herself to glow blue as she burst
out with her strong water power. The few remaining bushes were
destroyed.

Amara smiled in appreciation, and they hugged.

\"I am sure if we spent more time we could get them under
better control,\" Michelle suggested. \"After all, right now we are
destroying everything within 20 feet. I bet in time we could destroy
more at farther distances as well as keep it so only a certain path
or even target got hit by our powers.\"

Amara nodded, eager to practice with Michelle. They had such
a wonderful practice that they nearly forgot the time and almost did
not return to the meeting in time. Trista and Hotaru hugged them and
said goodbye. Trista looked at them strangely but said nothing, and
they both wondered silently if she knew something. \"I am sure she
simply senses we were up to something. She is so perceptive. I do
not think she knows about our powers,\" Michelle assured Amara.

\"Maybe she has them too,\" Amara said.

\"Maybe...I do not think I want to risk it right now though.\"

\"No, you are right. I have had enough risk for one day from
showing you,\" Amara responded.

To Be Continued...