VULCAN, 2282 - STARFLEET ACADEMY BREAK  From her remove, the girl called Bunny Serenity watched a tender scene. As much as she couldn't stand Saavik's seemingly stuck-up nature, the Vulcan's relationship with Peter Kirk reminded her of her own romance with Darien. Not to mention a home the dimension-lost schoolgirl superhero might never see again. So she watched her Academy roommate and her man with great interest. He kissed her, then held her face.

"You are--beautiful."

Bunny fought off a surprised yelp as Saavik then belted him across the face. She seemed in tears.

"I have repeatedly asked you not to complicate what we have with foolish romantic notions. You know that I am not pretty. Why must you say such things?"

Peter Kirk, The Rock Of Prophecy, glared at the other half of his soul and partner in The Last Battle yet to come.

"You are pretty. But if you strike me again today, that will be in doubt. Remember--I'm as strong as you. Maybe stronger."

Grabbing one of the larger loose garden stones from the walkway, he proved his point by crushing it to powder. The two walked away angry, and Bunny headed inside, very confused. Seeing Lady Amanda, she decided to address this confusion.

"Ummm..Miss Amanda? Saavik does like Peter, doesn't she? I mean, he complimented her, and she sent him flying with a sucker-punch. Last person I knew had that kind of temper was named Bulma Briefs. She lives back home, in this other part of the city, and she has these friends who fight..."

Amanda quickly covered up Bunny's mouth. She knew better than to let her get off on a tangent. The last time had nearly given the older woman a stroke. Explaining the nature of her mercurial unacknowledged grand-daughter's relationship with her thy'la was not so easy as covering a mouth, though.

"Saavik simply doesn't know what she wants, dear. And Peter doesn't know how not to give of himself, even with her temper. That's all I can say."

Bunny shook her head, her pigtails shaking with her.

"No way that can be true!"

Amanda shrugged.

"And yet it is the case."

Bunny Serenity tried again.

"But what if she knew what she wants?"

Amanda reminded herself to not speak of the childrens' physical intimacy problems, even indirectly. Tied into their abuse as children, it was not their problem here, in any event.

"Then he'd be giving it to her."

Bunny thought she saw hope.

Then what if she knew what she needs?"

"I'm sure Peter could give her that too."

"So If she knew what she wants..."

Amanda cut the once and future Sailor-Scout off.

"Yes, dear. But he can't see through her to find out."

Even with the pair's telepathy, Amanda thought, they still had so much to learn of each other. Bunny balled her hands into fists, and grew insistent. Amanda matched her for stridency, alternately upset by her intrusion and happy that the seemingly selfish thing had a caring bone in her body.

"Yes, but--If she knew what she wants..."

"He'd be giving it to her."

"But she seems to want everything!"

"They're in love. He can pretend to give her everything. Or maybe in having him, there's nothing she wants."

Bunny puzzled anew.

"She should really sort it out."

Amanda poured two ice waters as she responded.

"She doesn't want to sort it out."

Hoping despite evidence that her love for the absent Darien could never be this complicated, Bunny tried yet again.

"But Peter's soooo worth it! I mean, he's crazy for this girl."

Amanda sipped her water.

"And she for him, yet that's not enough. Bunny, she doesn't know what she's looking for."

Even the talkative dimensional exile from Nihonimeopolis needed some water, then. After, she tried to review what she'd been told.

"So. If she knew what she wants He'd be giving it to her. To miss out on that-no offense, Lady Amanda I'd say her values are corrupted."

Amanda allowed a light glare to show that indeed, offense had been taken.

"Perhaps they are. By more pain than I pray you'll ever know. But she's open to change."

"Then one day she'll be satisfied?"

Amanda drew back the glare. The kooky thing cared about Saavik, in her own way.

"And the next day--I'll find her crying. And it's nothing she can explain."

Whether as accidental Cadet Bunny Serenity, dumb-as-dirt schoolgirl Serena Usagi, or the besieged hero Sailor Moon, the young woman could never have been accused of being overly intellectual. Yet when she tried, she tried, and she was trying now.

"Some people seem to have a style. That they work hard to refine. So they walk a crooked line. Is that how it is with Saavik and Peter?"

Amanda smiled, lightly. The kid had hope.

"Maybe so, and maybe he understands that. But she won't understand."

"Understand what?"

"Well, they started together--early. Earlier than either Sarek or I were comfortable with. Some things went very smoothly for them. So she won't even try to understand why anyone would have to try to walk a line when they could--fly. They can't always, though. Crawling, walking, running--its all been in there for them. They'll get there. In time."

Bunny seemed firm in her resolve to intervene, now.

"Then let's help them do it. When two hearts are in synch and also in conflict like this, its time to step in. We'll start with Saavik, since she's the hard-case here."

Amanda ended the heartfelt though pointless conversation.

"Dear, there's no sense thinking you or I could rehabilitate her when really, she's fine. Besides, she's got so many ideas traveling around in her head, she doesn't need anything from yours--or mine."

Still confused, Bunny wandered back outside. There she saw Sarek watching another stage in the argument/love affair so much in evidence. Peter held an enraged Saavik above his head.

"Father! Make him put me down!!"

"Sri Sarek--we'll be back. After I've thrown her off Mount Seleya's peak!"

Sarek nodded at Bunny as the feuding pair left.

"Do not worry overmuch child. It is only Monday. And with those two, Mondays tend to be, well… Manic."