A Quick Intro
Hey everyone! This is just a quick introduction to my fan-fic! This is the first fan-fic I've ever posted so I hope it's not too bad. I'm not even sure if I'm going to post the entire story because I'm not sure if it'll be any good, but I'll let you all decide :)
What else? Right. First off, this story takes place after another fan-fic I haven't written yet. In sum, it is a crossover between Sailor Moon and Dragonball Z and it includes the same main villain. The crossover takes place after the defeat of Galaxia and this one takes place two years later in the girls' senior year of high school. Darien is in his first year of med school and Uranus and Neptune are in their second year of college.
Secondly, the inner scouts keep their English first names and Japanese last names. I was going to use their Japanese names but I like the names Serena and Darien :) The outer scouts (with the exception of Sailor Neptune) keep their Japanese names. This is because I don't like their English names. Amara = Haruka? Trista = Setsuna? No thanks. A lot of Japanese names stay the same but so do a lot of English names. I don't think it'll be too confusing.
Third, as with everyone else, I do not own Sailor Moon or any of her characters. That goes to the lovely Miss Naoko Takeuchi. There are some characters that are my own and you will recognize them as you read.
I welcome any and all reviews, questions, comments, concerns, and suggestions! Please let me know what you all think! I'll post more chapters (or not) based on the reactions I receive.
Without further ado, here it is!
Title: Love, The Hardest Way
Author: life705
Rating: M
Chapter One
It was a bright autumn day and a party of four girls and their male companion were making their way down a mountain. They were in the company of their two cats who were being carried in a picnic basket. The five chattered away, laughing in a rather carefree manner. These girls, of course, were Lita, Mina, Amy, and Raye. Their male companion was Darien. Their feline friends were none other than Luna and Artemis.
"What a relaxing vacation!" Lita said. "It's so cool that your cousin let us stay out here while he was out of town."
Raye nodded. "My cousin is such a great artist. I'm so glad I got to spend time with him before he left. His art will be famous one day, I know it!"
"Totally relaxing," Mina agreed. "Sunny days, beautiful nights! Not to mention the hot guys running around this place." She giggled. "I got a few phone numbers myself!"
"Oh Mina, you didn't study at all!" Amy admonished. "Think about your future! This is our senior year of high school! College entrance exams are right around the corner and all you can think about are boys!"
"Amy, you bookworm! Life's not all about studying!"
"Well Mina, that's true," Darien replied. "But studying is important. Aren't you going to college?"
"College, schmollege," said Lita. "A girl wants to fall in love!"
"And get married!" Mina added.
"What's high school without romance?"
Amy raised an eyebrow. "A doorway to your future."
The blonde and the brunette shook their heads. "You guys will never understand," they said in unison.
Raye hmphed. "Dating is such a waste of time. If you want something done, do it yourself!"
Mina sighed. "I wish Serena could have come. She would have agreed with us."
The five were on a walking path now, headed toward the bus stop.
Luna spoke for the first time. "I'm sure she missed you all on her vacation with her family although I am surprised she didn't have cram school."
Artemis laughed. "If Mina can make it, of course Serena can!"
Mina looked down at the basket with an annoyed look on her face. She slammed the basket shut and locked the two felines in. "That's enough of you two!"
"I bet you can't wait to see Serena again," Lita said to Darien. He blushed in response.
Amy looked up from a book she was reading. "I know I can't. I sure missed our ball of energy. The trip just didn't seem the same."
"Yeah," Raye retorted, "it was peaceful."
The five laughed. "Aw, how can you say that, Raye? You love Serena just as much as we do!"
Raye looked to Lita. "Don't hold your breath."
The bus arrived and the five got on it, eager to get home to their princess.
The next day, the girls returned to school. They were happy to be back from vacation and back in the hustle and bustle of an ordinary life. They spent the day learning their new classes and reconnecting with old friends. Raye was still attending private school so she didn't get the same excitement that Amy, Mina, Lita, and Serena got at their school.
Lunchtime finally came around and the girls sat at their usual spot under a big, shady tree waiting.
"So Amy, all honors classes again huh?" Lita asked as she joined them.
Amy put down the book she was reading and looked up at the girl as she took a seat. "Oh yes. They're really challenging but it's nothing I can't handle. I've already got down all of this month's readings for all my classes."
Mina raised an eyebrow. "Even the ones you haven't been to yet?"
"Of course! I met with the teachers before we went on vacation and got the syllabus for each class."
Mina's expression went blank as Lita laughed. "Oh Amy, this means our study sessions will just bore you now!"
Amy bit into her sandwich and looked up reflectively. "Not really. It will all just reinforce what I know." She paused as she chewed. "How are your classes?"
"Lita and I are in the same classes!" Mina replied cheerily. "This must be a sign that we're going to pass for sure!"
The scout of thunder laughed. "Or it might mean that you'll cheat off of me!"
Amy and Lita laughed while Mina folded her arms, crossed. "Laugh all you want, but I know this is destiny! We're finally going to be done with school!"
"Speaking of classes," Amy began, "do you guys have class with Serena?"
Lita and Mina looked at each other. "No, we don't," Mina answered. "We kinda just assumed that she was in a lower level class or something."
"Hey, where is Serena?" Lita bit into some fish she had prepared. "I made a giant lunch with tons of her favorites!"
"Yeah! And I wanna tell her about all the hot guys we saw on vacation!"
The brunette laughed. "Maybe she's eating with Molly."
"No way," her friend replied. "I saw Melvin dragging Molly off to the computer room for lunch and you know there's no way Serena would be caught dead in there."
Amy raised an eyebrow. "Is it possible…that that girl…was Serena?"
The two looked to the scout of water. "What girl?"
"Today, in my class, when the teacher was calling roll, I thought I heard her say Serena's name."
"What?"
"Was it her?"
Amy sighed. "I don't think so. All I heard was the last name. I looked up immediately but the girl I saw looked nothing like Serena."
"Probably just a coincidence," the blonde said.
"Let's go look for her," Lita said as she wrapped up her remaining lunch.
The other two followed her lead. They walked all around the school with no success. They ended their search on the roof of the school. Still, she was nowhere to be found.
Mina looked over the fence of the roof and looked out. "Where the hell is she?"
Lita shrugged. "Maybe she was sick today."
They entered the school and they had just reached the hallway when the bell rang to signify the end of lunch.
"I guess we could stop by her house after school," Amy suggested.
"Hey guys!" a cheery voice rang out. The three girls looked up and saw Molly standing at her locker. "How was your break?"
"Good, thank you!" Lita replied. "How was yours?"
"It was okay. You guys like your classes so far?"
"We sure do," the scout of love responded. "Hey Molly, can we ask you a quick question though?"
"Sure!"
"Well, have you seen Serena? Is she here today?"
"Oh yeah, she's here." Molly pulled a book out of her locker and slammed it shut. "I'm surprised she chose to come, but you know Serena. She's such a fighter."
"You're surprised she chose to come?" Mina repeated.
Amy nodded. "So she is here? We've been looking for her all of lunch period."
Molly laughed. "I bet you didn't check the computer lab."
"WHAT?"
"Yeah! She and Melvin thought it would be a good idea for me and her to try something new. Serena seems to really be into it. She's catching on fast. Anyway guys, I gotta get to class. See you later!"
"Bye Molly!" Lita turned to the other two. "Computer lab?"
The other two shrugged and the girls left each other for their classes. Serena even being in the computer room just didn't make any sense!
The girls met up outside the gates of the school at the end of the day and decided to wait for Serena. Maybe it really was possible that they had just missed each other. As they stood waiting they couldn't help but feel anxious. They were eager and nervous to see Serena again…but why?
"Where is she now?" Mina whined. "Almost everyone has left!"
Lita laughed. "Maybe she has detention."
Mina scoffed. "On the first day? I don't think even Serena's capable of that!"
Amy's eyes were transfixed to a book in her hand. "It is weird that we haven't seen her yet."
"And how are you going to see anything with your face in that book?"
"Oh Mina, come now. Serena would see us waiting and come over to us."
"Well this is getting us nowhere. I'm gonna go back in and see if she's in detention."
"I have a better idea. Hey Molly!"
Molly turned to the three and waved. "Hey Lita!" She broke free of Melvin's grip and walked over to the three. "What's up?"
"I'm sorry we keep asking you this but have you seen Serena? We've been waiting for her but she hasn't come out yet. Does she have detention?"
The redhead giggled. "On the first day? Nah, Serena took off already."
"What? We haven't seen her all day!" Lita sighed. "Did she say where she was going?"
Molly looked up and thought a moment. "I don't know honestly. You know how she is."
"What does that mean?" the blonde questioned. "You said something like that earlier. You said you were surprised that she chose to come. Molly, what's going on?"
The three girls stared at Molly whose face fell at their looks. "You mean you don't know?"
Amy closed her book. "Don't know what?"
"That's right…you guys were gone all summer."
"Don't know what?" Mina reiterated.
"And I tried to call you guys but I couldn't reach you at all."
"Reach us for what?"
Molly looked at them sheepishly. "It's not my place to say." Melvin suddenly called to Molly. "I'm coming!" She turned to them. "You should talk to her yourselves. I don't want to be the one to tell you guys."
The girls looked at each other.
"Just be careful with her, okay?" Molly ran off and the girls began their walk home.
"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Lita grumbled.
Mina shrugged. "Don't know."
The girls resolved to go out to Serena's house and find her themselves. Amy called Raye who agreed to meet up with them. They had just reached the shopping district when she found them.
"Hey guys!" She shook her cell phone in her hand. "I called Serena but I got no answer. I take it none of you guys have talked to her either?"
Mina shook her head. "We haven't even seen her."
"Hm, that is weird. Maybe she didn't go to school."
"Nuh uh, we talked to Molly and she told me that Serena was definitely at school today. Apparently, something happened to her."
Raye looked to the brunette. "Something like what?"
"Who knows?" Mina huffed. "She said she didn't want to be the one to tell us...like we don't have a right to know! We're the ones sworn to protect her, not Molly!"
"Now Mina, I'm sure Molly didn't mean it that way," Amy said gently.
Lita agreed. "Right. She did say that she tried to reach us."
This answer was not good enough for the irritated blonde. "I don't believe that at all! She called you, Amy, Raye, Darien, and myself but couldn't reach any of us?"
"Well remember how spotty the reception was up at my cousin's place? None of us could get a signal. Don't take it so harshly. I'm sure Serena's fine." Saying this though, Raye wasn't so sure.
They soon arrived at Serena's house. The girls walked up the steps to the house and Amy knocked on the front door. They waited a few moments and then the door swung open.
"Well hello girls!" Serena's mother bubbled. "Long time no see!"
"Hello Mrs. Tsukino," Amy said politely. "Is Serena here?"
Her mother shook her head. "Oh heavens no! I have no idea when she'll be back either. Why don't you call her tonight?"
Amy nodded. "Could we possibly stop by tomorrow morning?"
"Oh sure, sure!" Her mother waved her hand nonchalantly. "You'll have to be early though. Serena's new outlook on life has her up with the sun!"
Mina's jaw dropped. "What?"
"Now I'm sorry to rush you girls but I've got a ton of things to do! Have a good day girls!" She slammed the door and that was that.
The four girls looked to each other as they walked out. For a moment, they didn't say anything. Once they were outside the yard, Raye spoke.
"Did she say 'Serena' and 'early' in the same sentence?"
"She did," Lita replied. "That is so unlike her."
"I wonder what new outlook on life she has that her mother was talking about," Amy mused.
Mina folded her arms. "Well now I have no idea what to think."
"I've got it!" The girls looked to Lita as she pulled out her cell phone. "She's gotta be at Darien's!"
"Of course!" Mina smacked her head. "Where else would she go?"
Lita called Darien and talked to him briefly. After the call, she turned back to her fellow scouts. "He says he hasn't seen her either. And she hasn't called him."
"Maybe he could help us find her?" the priestess suggested.
"He says he's got a party that one of his college friends is hosting that he's going to. He'll be busy all night."
"So what do we do?"
Lita sighed. "I guess we'll just have to catch her in the morning."
life705: That's it! Let me know what you think so far!