Stephanie was on her way home from her job at the local pool and went to check the mail. Her family had got the regular things today, bills,junk mail and such but there was one special letter that was sent to Stephanie herself. She looked at it for a moment, 'accepted to what?' she thought then went inside. She placed the other letters on the table and took hers to her room and laid on her bed opening it..."Hello Ms. Sanders..we at the academy think your special and we have been watching you..we have noticed your powers slowly coming out and we want you to come here...to learn to use them for good..Please come to Tokyo as soon as you can...." Stephanie was confused but then understood most of the letter. See lately she had been able to some strange things in the pool where she worked and even the other day when she somehow pulled water up off the ground from a puddle. Also at the same time, its like she was being drawn to go since doing this just felt right to her. So she packed up so clothes and things and set off to the Academy's address on the letter. She also put it in her bag, so no one else could steal it or read it.

Minako stood in front of the mirror, assessing herself in her new uniform. The invitation to come to Crystal Academy was in her hand, and she glanced at it once more as if to make sure that she was really seeing it. She never expected that she would be invited to attend such a prestigious institution. To be honest, her parents never really expected much from her, even as a princess, since she was not the brightest student and did not have dreams beyond becoming famous.

But then again, not many people had a lot of expectations from others in Venus. It was the glamorous planet where everything shone just a tad bit too bright and where entertainment was on 24/7. It was where everyone competed to be the brightest star and the shiniest of the bunch. The entire planet was oversaturated with all forms of entertainment, each one trying to shout its advertisement louder than others, drowning each other out in the end. Where parties always reigned and never truly ended. Where fashion, hairstyle, and makeup had evolved into alien proportions. The other day she had seen someone painted with gold glitter from head to toe, and they were just going shopping in the grocery store.

Just another day in planet Venus.

Minako had always wanted to be famous elsewhere in some other way, even if she had never really realized it.

And now this. Earth. That was where she was going to go. And the academy had seen a potential in her nobody else did. They thought she was good enough to protect this galaxy. They thought she might become the senshi of Venus. She, Minako Aino. Getting the highest honor anyone could ever think of. The fact still blew her mind every time, even though she knew she was meant to inherit the throne someday. Still, being a princess wasn't exactly something she earned. She was just given it by birth. But this senshi thing? If she succeeded... it would truly be an achievement.

She wasn’t going to squander this chance. She was going to pass all the tests and training they threw at her and become the senshi that she knew she could be. She was going to make her entire planet proud. This… this was the fame she had always wanted.

She turned, and after saying goodbye to her parents for the last time, left for what she hoped was the beginning of her new bright future.

Zoisite stood in front of his mirror, adjusting his uniform, no hurry in his movements. The school year would soon begin and an army of new students would walk those walls. The general wonders were probably: how would the new students be? What planets would they be from? What destinies did they have? Would they become friends or enemies? But Zoisite didn't care about any of it and so the questions never crossed his mind. New students meant new students, more people and if they were unlucky, more chaos.

It felt like yesterday the day he joined as well, a bit stressed out, very curious, not entirely sure what was waiting for him in this place, but it turned out to be a nice year. He never meant to get involved in the school's life, but with the friends he made that year, it was hard not to. Hanging out with Endymion, Kunzite, Nephrite and Jadeite had been the highlight of this new school life, but otherwise, it hadn't been bad either.

He brushed his hair slowly, smoothing them a little bit, then tied them with a small ribbon made of leather. That would do. He tucked one loose strand behind his ear and snatched his bag in the way out of his dorm room.

It was still early and there would be no new students yet on the school grounds, so instead of heading in the main hall, he turned left towards the courtyard. Surely he would be able to get some reading done before an army of noisy and idiotic younger students invaded their space. He wanted to finish this book before Nephrite and Jadeite's arrival. God only knew when he would have the time for it after.

Makoto woke early for her first day at her new school. She had received the invitation at the beginning of summer. She had been invited to attend Crystal Academy. She had read about how prestigious it was. Makoto had decided that she would go to the school.

She hadn’t hated life on Jupiter, but her life had felt empty ever since her parents had died. Everyone relied on her to rule over the planet, but she had wanted to ease into her responsibilities. When she found out she was wanted on Earth. They had seen potential in her and said she was gifted. Makoto knew she could cool and had some skills with gardening, but she had a feeling they meant something else.

Makoto was not sure what it was, but the fact that they wanted her and let her decide gave her all the more reason to go. Her planet could exist without her, her uncle could rule in her place. He was better suited for it in her opinion.


She had packed a small bag with some relics to take with her to Earth and left feeling happy and confident that this new chapter of life would be a good one.

Rei stood tall as she awaited the transportation to Earth. The arrival of her letter had prompted her father to actually stop and visit her and then take her on a quick press junket across all of Mars. Mars had gone from being ruthless in war and defense of the galaxy to now being ruthless in business. Most intergalactic corporations had an office here and there were many opportunities to create a lucrative career for oneself. Her father had done just that, to the extent that he had not been around much when her mother took ill and eventually died. From then on, Rei largely went about her days with the staff hired to look after her, but she refused her father's semi-annual, overly formal, requests to see her. 

But now, she was thankful she could finally leave. She had defied her father, professionally of course, all throughout the press junket by not playing happy family for them. She said nothing to defame his character, but now the media was full of images of their cold, business-like relationship. Perhaps she could finally meet people who would be worth talking to at the Crystal Academy, but she would have to stop cursing the weeks of annoyance the Academy had caused her first before she actually liked being there.

Kiyoko smiled as she sat up in her bed and looked out of the window. The time had come again, didn't it?

It's already been two years when the light blonde first entered the campus of the academy. Most of the people had been excited, nervous, some of them were sad to leave their home - but she was different. Other than the others she was glad to come here, deeply grateful that she got the invitation.

Panacea itself was a beautiful planet. Next to metropolises and cultural centers, you would quickly find deep forests and hot deserts, in snow covered mountains and sandy beaches not too far away either.
In fact, it had always been some sort of mystery to her that everything could exist so close to each other. It wasn't like it was on Earth where you had different climate or vegetation areas - no, everything was close to each other and easy to reach within a few hours.

And yet, she was happy, no, actually more than that, to leave Panacea.

When she first talked about her home to the others, everyone asked 'Why?' - 'Why did you leave a planet like this with zest? Why are you so glad to be here?'
And the answer was always the same:

Because Panacea isn't Panacea anymore.

The horrible scene - the destroyed houses, the burnt fields, the dead people - everything came back to her mind whenever she said it. No matter how often she said it to the others, no matter how strong she tried to be - it always hurt. It hurt to see the destruction again, it hurt to see her dead friends and family again - it hurt to see the end of Panacea again.

Being one of the few survivors shaped her character from new. She wasn't as happy as before, she wasn't as carefree as before. When she got the invitation, she accepted it, despite gratitude, coldly, her manner on the first day rather withdrawn than anything else. Only as time went by she learned to interact with others again.

And yet, she wasn't the old Kiyoko anymore. True, she was quite social now, granted, she would laugh if someone said something funny - but the original cheerfulness was gone. At least for now.

---

Her focus eventually went back to the campus she was looking at. At the moment it was empty - most students were probably still asleep - but she knew, in only a few hours the campus would be more crowded than a fashion store on the summer sale.

Guess, I need to get ready, hm?
Still a bit dozily she stood up from her bed, her legs wobbling and her sight blurry. How long it would take until she would be dressed up today?

OOC:

Sailor Desert Rose
 
“I do not wish to go.” Sailor Desert rose stood between her sister, the princess, and the seasoned head of the guards, her sparring trainer Ciaran. Her arms were folded across her chest. “My job is here. How do you expect me to leave my sister here and go off to some far away solar system? What if something happens and I am not here to protect her?” Her face was set in grim obstinacy.
 
Ciaran bristled, the tension in his face highlighting the scar across his cheek. “Are you saying I cannot protect our princess? You are still in training I will remind you, and have yet to beat me in combat. This is necessary to enhance your training. It has been decided.”
 
Sailor Desert Rose sputtered, at a loss for words but still adamant, by her body language that she did not want to leave her post and her sister for that long. It was true she had a lot to learn still, but the red head would never forgive herself or Ciaran if she went to the academy and something happened.
 
The princess stepped forward, trying to ease the tangible tension growing. “I will be fine. I am in good hands, and it is only for the one term. Besides, it will help solidify our diplomatic relations with the other planetary senshi. And…I want you to go. If I have to, I will order you to go.” She gave her sister a truly satisfied wink. Aya had never pulled rank on her sister before, but this was something she truly wished to happen. “Not only do I want you to learn off world customs sister, but I want you to find friends and get away from the weight of your duty for a while. I want to see my smiling sister again.”
 
She gauged the seriousness of her sister’s face and decided for once Aya was serious. She would in fact issue a direct order. “That is unfair and sneaky. What are they teaching you these days?” she asked, but she was surrendering, the reply more of a tease. “I will go. But if anything happens I will hold you responsible.” She fixed the head of the guards with as serious a face as a fourteen year old that did not even come to his shoulders could do.
 
She disembarked at the academy, stepping out into green grass and a bright blue sky. She had never seen such bright blue sky and she pushed her hood back and paused for a good minute, looking up while the breeze ruffled her cloak and her long skirt. It truly was such a different place from home that she felt momentarily dizzy and disoriented, unsure where to go or what to do. I promised I would do this. I cannot turn back now. Taking a deep breath of the cool crisp air, she grabbed her bags and began to head for one of the buildings, her wavy red hair loose and flying in the wind.
 
 
Luna
 
Luna was full of nerves, pacing back and forth in the main office and periodically querying the computers to see who had checked in yet. It was always exciting to begin a new year and greet the new students. It was something she looked forward to very much. She checked the monitors periodically to see new and old students arriving, several of the expected arrivals were very special to her, though they did not know it, and one more special than all. princess… She would be in disguise, and Luna knew she could not show any preferential treatment to her at all. It would be a test of her acting skills to be sure.  
 
She glanced at the clock yet again and saw that it was time. Leaping up to the console she reached out a paw and pressed the button that would ring the school bell ,the sound transmitting through all buildings and grounds. The bell would summon them all to the main hall where she could greet them. Bouncing down from the console, she walked proudly into the main hall, head held high, and climbed up onto the specially made podium created for her to address the classes.

Once everyone had gathere, Luna addressed the students, to get the talking to settle down. “Good morning students of Crystal Academy”



 

OOC:

Stephanie had been at the academy for only an hour when a loud bell went off and she followed groups of others to a main hall that would fit at least 3 of her houses in it. She sat down at a table with some others..none of them she knew so she would try to meet some people later. She directed her focus to the front and watched a black cat jump to a podium and address them. She was very curious and eager to find out what would happen and who had what types of abilities. Her full attention now was on the Cat.

OOC:

With the courtyard so quiet, it was easy to lose himself in his reading, undisturbed and peaceful. He was slowly closing his book when the bell echoed all around the school's grounds, startling him. He blinked, coming back from the small bubble of comfort his mind had traced around him while he was focused, at first confusingly looking around him. It took him one more second to finally understood what that particular bell meant: students were to join together for an assembly, a last minute assembly apparently, because he didn't remember anyone telling them about it - or perhaps he just wasn't listening.

With a dramatic sigh of exasperation, Zoisite slowly stood up, carefully keeping his book close to his body as he walked towards the building. He hoped he'd be able to quickly find the other boys in the ocean of old and new heads there probably would be. He didn't want to spend too much time with people he didn't know - and was not interested in the slightest. He could barely stand to be in the same class as others he would consider simple, tolerating strangers was beyond his qualifications. Let Endymion handle them. Or even Jadeite.

He managed to walk until a far corner in the back of the room, avoiding both students and first rows. From there he could see the podium, the cat, many heads and he knew he would be able to hear everything as well, so why bothering keeping close? At least he wouldn't be pushed here and he wouldn't have to meddle with any of the others. Good thing he was also visible enough for his friends to find him if ever they'd show up.

He twirled a strand of his hair around his index finger, watching as the room was slowly filled by the other students.

When Luna spoke, he was already only half interested.

A few hours later, Serenity found herself already on Academy grounds, at her dorm, with a slew of guards disguised as “friends” moving her belongings. She was fortunate enough to have been given a single spacious room with en ensuite bathroom which would afford her some privacy. While she was expected to be Usagi Tsukino in the outside world, within the confines of her dormitory she was allowed to be Serenity. Her mother had agreed that Serenity could take off her pin when she was behind closed doors. Otherwise, she was to remain hidden. Serenity still questioned whether all of this was necessary, and whether her mother was overreacting. The unrest of the Galaxy had not been properly explained to her and she didn’t understand the gravity of the situation at all. All she was told, was that she was going for her own training and protection.

Well there’s nothing you can do about it now. Maybe a little fresh air will do you some good so stop worrying about everything, she thought to herself as she stepped out onto her balcony. She leaned against the railing taking in the entire lower campus. Looking out at the huge expanse of the campus, she was completely captured by the beauty of Earth. The Academy seemed to have every single kind of trees littering the grounds and there seemed to be never ending gardens. Flowers were strategically placed, here and there, and she could see several students running around the grounds. She watched a group of students greet each other with such zeal, that she wished she would find those kinds of friendships here. On the Moon, she had several friends, but she was still missing something. She hoped that her experiences at the Academy would provided her with new opportunities / relationships to explore. The only drawback would be that she would have to lie to everyone. This was extremely concerning to her, as by nature, she was quite an honest person, so having to hide her identity effectively would prove quite difficult.

Sighing to herself, she turned her attention back on her room and noted that it was all set up. It meant that she was about to be left alone. While Luna and Artemis would know about her identity, the departure of her guards meant the official end of Serenity and the official beginning of Usagi. Smiling, she thanked them for all of their help and dismissed them. There was no point in delaying the inevitable. Walking over to her bed she grabbed her book bag and hung it over her shoulder. “Alright Serenity,” she said out loud. “Try not to trip…” she said with a wink to herself and exited her dorm.

Several minutes passed as she descended the three flights of stairs to the main floor and walked out into the courtyard behind her dormitory. She walked past the many flowers and stopped to sniff a few. Moon flowers were definitely not as fragrant or vibrant in colour. Seeing these flowers up close and being able to feel a warm breeze, put a smile on her face. Her peaceful moment was interrupted when she heard a rather loud bell echoing throughout the campus. Startled at the sound, she practically toppled a passing student with loose wavy red hair.

“I’m so sorry,” Serenity exclaimed as she rearranged her bag. “I was so caught up that I wasn’t expecting there to be such a loud bell,” she said smiling at the girl before her.  

She noticed her rather stern face and the attire she was wearing. Looking her up and down she wondered if she was part of Aran Cara. Often her mother had spoken of them in a positive light, noting they were true guardians who were duty bound to their own princess. Looking at this girl she wondered whether she truly was part of that Solar system or not. Normally, she would have questioned the girl but she doubted that her alter ego, Usagi, would know anything about interstellar relations. Instead, she kept her thoughts to herself and tried to engage her in conversation. .

“...I guess we can blame it on first day jitters,” she said with a little laugh.

Prince Endymion was getting ready for his first day of his second year. Dressing and adjusting his outfit, he was getting a little nervous. He had no idea why, it was just like any other day at school, it wasn't like he hadn't done this at least a hundred times last year. What's wrong with me? Prince Endymion thought. Maybe it was the idea of his new classes or the fact that he had no idea what was in store for him this year, whatever it was, the feeling was most likely going to stay with him all day. 

He was the Prince of Earth and things were always a little crazy with him, other than school he was still in charge of certain things in the kingdom to prepare him for when he'd become the King. He took a deep breath and closed the closet with the mirror on it and left his room. He headed to the courtyard and hoped he'd meet up with his friends, the Shittennou. Maybe they'd help calm his nerves.

Rei gracefully but firmly dismissed the attendants sent along with her on the journey to the Academy. They stated her father's wishes for her to have an escort to make sure all of her needs were met, but she was so tired of being coddled by paid handlers that she was aflame with frustration during the entire flight. Her father had shipped her belongings to the school, so she had only two light bags to carry upon her arrival. She didn't even bother saying goodbye to any of them, but quickly turned away with a flick of her hair and quickly made her way toward the dormitory assigned to her. 

Rei's pace slowed when she heard the craft taking off and breathed a sigh of deep relief. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the warm, clean air carrying many exotic scents. Mars wasn't exactly known for plant life and there were constant battle over emissions standards on the planet, so it was refreshing to be somewhere that civilization and nature seemed to be in balance. 

After a few moments of enjoyment, Rei continued to her building with a small involuntary smile on her lips. She made her way up several flights of stairs as though they were nothing at all and dreamily floated down the hallway to her room number. When she entered, she realized it was a suite of two rooms, each with two beds, and a common space and bathroom in the center.

A small piece of her was annoyed that she did not have a private room, but at the same time it would be so nice to be around people that weren't paid to keep track of her. She felt a tension easing in her shoulders she hadn't realized was there. Rei then noticed her suitcases in one of the corners of the common room and decided to move her things into the room on the left. She stopped after setting the bags she had been carrying on a bed and just stared out at the beautiful landscapes of the campus. Nowhere on Mars had she seen such beauty.

She was startled when a bell rang. In the courtyard below students began making their way to a large hall, so Rei decided she should probably follow suit. 

Down the stairs she went and across the green before settling into a seat in the middle of the auditorium. She saw so many interesting appearances from around the room, some she recognized from business travels appearing on Mars, but others she did not. She was excited by the networking prospects in this room alone!

Minako had just arrived in the Academy grounds when she heard the bell rang. Just in time. She barely had time to drop her belongings in her room—only noticing briefly that it seemed she’d be sharing it with someone else—then straightened up her uniform a little bit more and power-walked straight to the main hall, where the assembly for the first day was supposed to take place. She fell in line among all the other students, surreptitiously looking around at everyone else. There seemed to be senshi-in-training from all corners of the universe here. Most of them were humanoid, but some had interesting appearances as well.

She blinked when she at first could see no one behind the podium despite the clearly speaking voice, until she realized the one talking was a cat.

Well. That’s interesting.

At the end the tall blonde found herself in front of her mirror, looking confidently at the white-blue lace dress she chose for the welcome assembly and just about to leave. For a last time she fixed the salient strands of the wavy hair laying on her chest, checked if the lipstick reached every corner of her mouth, and eventually left the room, the purse in her hand and the fox on the shoulder.

She sighed.

Every year she attended the assembly again - year in and year out and every single time with the exact same speech and the exact same announcements as the years before. Granted, it was always interesting to see the new students - to see the chaos in the hallways and the inexperience in their faces - however, that was already it. Other than that it was nothing but a mandatory appointment that she would also love to skip.

The bell rang and Kiyoko eventually arrived in the hall, seeing the tons of new students causing disturbances and chaos in the usually more organized crowds. She smiled. It really was a pleasure to watch that scene over and over again.

Lining up, she looked at Luna, waiting for the speech and the day to start.

Eirinn just had to stop. Her eyes feel upon a field of beautiful flowers like she had never seen before, and all thoughts of finding her room vanished. In truth she did not even know if she was assigned a room yet as she was enrolled a bit late, no thanks to her own stubbornness. But this simply took her breath away and she stopped to stare wide eyes as a child. So many colors!

Suddenly she felt something hit her from behind,. Forcing her to take a few steps forward to keep her balance. She whirled, defensive training kicking in to quickly bring her facing the potential opponent with her feet once more in a balanced stance. But there was no attacker. She immediately relaxed her stance. Instead there was a young blonde possibly about her age.

Quote :

“I’m so sorry, I was so caught up that I wasn’t expecting there to be such a loud bell”

Eirinn blushed with embarrassment. Her sister had been right. If she became so distracted by a bunch of flowers on her first trip off world, how could she ever protect the princess on her many interstellar diplomacy trips? She had been right to send Eirinn here. She was not ready yet. “No, the fault is all mine. Had I been paying attention we would not have collided. I was distracted by these vibrantly colored flowers. I hope you will forgive me.”

Quote :

“...I guess we can blame it on first day jitters,”

The blonde had a very friendly and open demeanor with expressive blue eyes. Eirinn nodded. “It is my first day as well, so perhaps we are both nervous. You are the first person I have met here. Speaking of the bell, I believe we are meant to go to that large building there?”

Seeing that she had guessed correctly, Eirinn walked alongside the blonde carrying her small bag. Arriving at the main hall she saw so very many faces, some from all over the allied systems. It was a rather humbling experience to find herself a new student in a sea of warriors and senshi. “There are so many!”, she exclaimed to her newfound fellow newbie as they waited for the room to settle down.

Normally, VesVes was the type to hate school. Her tutors on her asteroid Vesta were some of the most boring people she'd ever encountered. Everything was diplomacy, spirituality, the importance of keeping the sacred hearth of Vesta burning at all times, blah blah blah. But when she received the invitation to go to Crystal Academy, a prestigious school that offered all sorts of classes including power control and combat, Ves jumped at the chance and accepted immediately. The chance to make friends her own age, instead of being forced to hang out with her servants at Castle Rheasilvia? Hell yes. The chance to hone her powers and become a strong Senshi that would make her asteroid proud? Hell yes! Maybe she'd even end up with an animal guardian after all of this!

Ves carried with her only one small suitcase with her uniform and other basic necessities. Other than decorating their hair with gold, the Vestians often led simple lifestyles (Ves thought of most of them as being behind the times) and therefore didn't need much else. Her dorm room was empty, so she assumed her roommate must've already left. As the bell rang, it didn't even occur to her that she was supposed to be somewhere. Instead, she stared around at her room and out the windows.

"Whoa," she muttered. The place was indeed beautiful. She noticed that there was green everywhere, and the sight of a squirrel climbing up a tree made her smile. So this was what Earth was like? Sure, there were animals on Vesta, but she'd never seen one anywhere near Castle Rheasilvia. To be living amongst animals like this (in a way) was exciting to her.

Then, as Ves stared out the window, something clicked in her brain. Wait...where was everybody? Oh no! she thought as she suddenly remembered the bell, and the welcoming assembly that was supposed to happen. I can't ditch on my first day!


As quickly as possible, she changed into her uniform and adjusted the gold bangles and hair clips that made up her strange hairstyle. Then, she broke into a flat-out sprint to the assembly building. Luckily for her, she wasn't too late, as the cat on the podium had just begun speaking. Wait, a cat? This was just getting better and better!

It was just now that VesVes noticed the sheer mass of people. "That's a lot of Senshi," she muttered. Still, this was surely going to be an experience that Ves looked forward to!

Stephanie was waiting for apparently the rest of the school to file in and she looked back behind her, amazed at the numbers of people who were there. Men, women, and possibly some other types, who knows. As she waited she noticed a young girl with pretty red hair run in and Stephanie thought to go say hello really quickly, She got up walking over to the girl and said kindly, "Hello..my name is Stephanie Sanders..nice to meet you. Boy this school is crowded, huh...so many good people..um if you don't mind me asking but..who does your hair?? I mean to get it like that must have taken either years or a master hairstylist...right?"

OOC::

Her letter of acceptance from Crystal Academy didn't come to much of a surprise to Ami or her family. It would have been more of a surprise for the academy to have not sent her a letter. Out of all of the planets, Mercury probably had the most young individuals that were accepted into the prestigious school. It was only natural that the planet's princess go when she became old enough.

While Ami was excited to attend school and expand her knowledge, she wasn't too excited about leaving the safety of her home or being surrounded by strangers from other planets. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck in a room with some stubborn Martian, or a vane Venusian, or some mindless brute from Jupiter. It would be best if she were placed with someone calm and practical from her own planet, or maybe from the Moon. But of course, Ami didn't get her hopes up. Her goal was to get to Crystal Academy, learn what she needed to, and get back home. She didn't need friends or social status. Her intellect would never fail her like those other trivial things were bound to.

After saying goodbye to her parents and accepting their best wishes, Ami grabbed her small suitcase and pulled it across the campus to the dorms. Strangely, there were not many students wandering about the courtyard or the halls. After stopping by her room and dropping off her things, Ami checked her 'Welcome' message on her port-screen and scanned it. Her eyes widened in surprise as she read the sentence stating the date and time of orientation, which just-so-happened to be that very minute! Without wasting a single moment, Ami rushed down to the assembly building and into the room filled with students, new and old. Out of breath, she sat into an empty seat and tried her hardest to pay attention to what was being said.

This was already getting off to be a rough start.

The Vestian princess wasn't surprised to see someone approach her almost immediately. With her red hair in its unique style (well, unique in the minds of people who weren't of Vestian descent), she stood out in the crowd of men and women. The girl who approached her seemed nice enough. VesVes was happy to have someone to talk to.

"'Sup? Name's Princess Vesta, though call me VesVes, or just Ves. Literally everyone does," she said with a grin. "And my hair? Well, I did have handmaidens to do it, although today I did it myself. It's a common Vestian hairstyle, and it's supposed to mimic a torch wielding the sacred flame. Or at least that's what the priests back home say. And yeah, it does seem like a large crowd, huh? There's people from everywhere, it looks like! So, where are you from?" She said all of this rather fast.

Stephanie smiled at the girl as she introduced herself, "I'm from Earth..and your right your hair does look like a torch flame. Also I wonder what kinds of classes this Academy has. Do you think that their might be a swimming pool? I am a swimming instructor back home. I am though wondering about the cat up there..is she one of the teachers or what? I guess since she's up there that she is special. Would you like to sit with me? There might not be many seats left..."

Endymion started walking from the courtyard to the Assembly Hall to find his friends. He realized that he was running a little late and he hated being late. As he walked into the hall he found Zoisite standing close to the back. "Hey Zoisite. Have I missed anything?" Endymion whispered to him. He looked around the room quietly to see if he could find the rest of his friends in the room. Weren't they all supposed to be here for this? Why'd he have to be sitting through an assembly again, it was that same one as last year. Endymion just had a strange feeling, like something was wrong or something was going to change; it scared him.

Zoisite was getting impatient, turning a strand of his hair around his fingers, as if it would help making his friends come sooner. He was bored and about to leave - if something was really important it would probably be repeated in the next few weeks - when Endymion finally made it to the Assembly, joining him at the back of the room. Green eyes scolded his protégé's lateness despite his features relaxing slightly, a sign that he was happy to see him.

"Nothing much." He admitted, pressing his lips into a thin line. "The speech hasn't started, yet."

It was obvious he wished it would have been over right about now, the blond rarely patient when it came to standing and listening to things he probably already knew. It was a waste of his time and he cherished his peace. A peace he would lose as soon as this school year would officially start.

Endymion saw the annoyance in Zoisite's face when he arrived, and his friend was right to be mad he was late. He did seem a little happy he was there though. The others hadn't seemed to arrive either, which was strange for them, and he was sure they would all get scolded later when the assembly was over. Knowing that he was lucky that he made it before the speech started, Endymion began to relax a bit, but he still had this nagging feeling, like something was about to happen.

"Hey Zoisite, I've been having this feeling today, ever since I woke up, that maybe something is about to happen, something that could change things drastically. I can't shake it." Endymion said.

Seeing that the room was filling up nicely and some of the students were getting antsy, Luna decided it would be best to begin. 

"Ahem", she said, clearing her throat into the microphone to gain the student's attention. 

"Welcome to a new year at Crystal Academy. For those who haven't met me yet I am your headmistress Luna." She paused a minute for the inevitable wave of "It's a talking cat!" to pass through the new students before continuing. "Yes, do not be alarmed, I am a talking feline from the planet Mau. There are many things about the world that you have yet to learn, but that is why you are here so let's continue." Hmm, the reaction this year was not as drastic. Luna took it as a good omen for the coming year. 

"I would like to welcome back our returning students and welcome in the new. This will be a great year at the academy and I would like to ask that you all try your very best. Now, I believe your schedules have already been distributed, or are being distributed, and most of you should have your lodgings in order. If not, please come see me in the office. To kick start the year and give you all a chance to get to know one another, we have planned a welcome luncheon. Please proceed through these doors and enjoy yourselves because your real studies are just about to begin. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to come and speak to me. Class Dismissed!"

Luna watched them filing into the luncheon room where all manner of foods would be served buffet style. She was eager to get in and watch the new students interact and get acquainted. And he was also eager to keep an eye on a certain student in particular.

While untrained eyes would have looked at Zoisite thinking the young man wasn't listening at all, what with his apparent quirk of twirling a loose strand of hair around his finger and the obvious disinterest written all over his features, trained eyes - friends - would know that despite having these assemblies in horror, he was attentive. Against all odds, Zoisite was a remarkable student, good notes, good behavior, a very bad attitude, but all in all, he was the pride of his parents and made his teachers more tolerant of him by actually listening to their lessons.

"They are supposed to become this galaxy's best and brightest, yet, a talking feline gets them overexcited. This is ludicrous."

He had the politeness to whisper towards Endymion.

Then the realization came.

They were expected to bond over lunch. He cast an overdramatic and desperate look at his prince before following all the others to the next room. He had a prince and three idiots already to socialize with - which he secretly likes - it was well enough.

But networking never hurt.

If it could benefit Endymion in the end, why not?

Endymion laughed quietly and a slight smile crossed his lips. It was a very amusing thought that a talking feline made the people of this school so excited. Then again, he and the rest of the shittennou were used to her by now. But the newer students had probably never seen someone like that. 

They were going to be expected to bond with the new students later and Endymion watched as Zoisite over dramatically showed his disdain for bonding with the new students. He smiled again, but he still couldn't shake his feeling that things were going to change somehow. He thought he might mention this to Zoisite and the other Shittennou later. In the mean time, he followed Zoisite and the other students to the next room.

Stephanie good up and stretched before starting to move to the lunch room. "Hey VesVes I will meet you in there ok, I won't be long." She smiled at her friend and then made her way to go try and speak with Luna. She got up there and said, "Excuse me..Miss Luna..I know you said to meet you in your office about where I'm staying but I also wanted to know about if you all had a swimming pool here? see Im a swimming instructor back home and was curious if there was any classes for swimming. I mean I don't think everything is based on land stuff right?" Stephanie waited kindly to see what Miss Luna had to say.