This next part of my Sailor Moon series takes place a few days after 'A Gift from Beyond'.

Good Intentions

Part 1 of 4

Chapter 1:

"Would you care for a little more tea, Ojii-chan?" Rei raised the brown clay pot from the table and offered it to her grandfather. "There's still some left and it's good for you."

"Arigatou, Rei-chan. I would, but just half a cup, or I'll spend the entire morning running back and forth to the washroom."

Yuuichirou's faint snicker was scarcely loud enough to be audible but the old priest replied with a firm frowning glare across the Hikawa Jinja's breakfast table. "Something funny, boy?"

"Funny? Well... uh... I was just picturing you sprinting across the shrine's courtyard" Rei's fiancee snickered again. "Toward the bathroom. In a huge panic. With your legs a blur and your robe flapping behind you like a cape."

"I see. And you find that image amusing, do you?" the elder Hino grumbled. "Bladder issues are something you too may have to deal with eventually. When you get older the body changes, and in most cases it is decidedly not for the better."

"Maybe so, but that's ages away, Hino-sensei" Yuuichirou grinned. "Decades and decades! After all, I'm still a healthy teenager, not an ancient... um, I mean mature..." His face reddened. "Mature and very wise, I meant to say! Just as you are, Sensei."

Rei's grandfather sipped his fresh tea with a wistful sigh. "Youth truly is wasted on the young. Tactfulness also appears to be a foreign concept around here." He set his cup down and, ignoring his grinning apprentice, turned his attention back to the young miko seated across from him. "So granddaughter, are you still planning on that evening in the country tonight? Staring up at the moon, I believe you mentioned?"

"Hai. Tonight's lunar eclipse is supposed to start just after ten according to Ami, and we want to watch it happen in a darker, more starlit place than here in Tokyo. She said Ryo is bringing along the small telescope his father has in his home office, and promised us the moon should be quite the breathtaking sight through it. Don't worry, Ojii-chan. Yuuichirou and I will be coming straight home after the eclipse is over."

The old man gazed thoughtfully at the amber liquid in his teacup. "Legend has it that misfortune often accompanies such a heavenly event, Rei-chan. It would be wise for you and Yuuichirou to take extra care tonight."

"Nani?" Yuuichirou chuckled at his mentor, "Don't tell me you still believe those old fables, Sensei. Not in this day and age! It's nineteen ninety-five, not the ancient past when you were a young... uh... I said too much, didn't I?"

His fiancee responded with a groan and shake of her head while the priest again raised his cup, gently rebuking his student before taking another sip. "You still have a great deal to learn, Yuuichirou-chan. And not merely concerning the practice of Shinto, but regarding life itself. It isn't wise to mock the old legends merely because we live in modern times."

"We'll be extra careful, Grandpa" Rei promised. "Anyway, we aren't leaving Hikawa until after the shrine is closed for the day. Would you like to come out to Nerima with us?"

"I think not, granddaughter. I see no good reason to stay up to such an obscenely late hour just to watch shadows creep across the moon. Besides, a man of my age needs his rest."

"He really does, darling" Yuuichirou smirked. "Just like those old stories, Hino-sensei isn't getting any younger."

"Thank you for reminding me of that fact" the man muttered. "You have quite the talent for stating the obvious, boy."

"One of my many skills, Hino-sensei" the teen grinned.

"Oh? You have others?" the priest deadpanned. He frowned again as a sly, knowing smile appeared on his granddaughter's lips and she softly kissed her Yuuichirou's cheek. The old priest looked away and cleared his throat. "Yes... well... that's quite enough of that topic here at the breakfast table-"

"Minna! Ohayou!" Tsukino Usagi's odangoed head abruptly poked around the open kitchen door. "Am I too late?"

"Ohayou, Usagi-chan." Rei's welcoming smile quickly changed to a suspicious scowl. "Too late for what? If you were thinking about mooching more food from us, yes you are too late. Our breakfast is finished."

"It is? Oh... well at least I tried" Usagi pouted. "I knew I should have left home earlier!" She entered the kitchen and stood hovering over the table beside the miko's shoulder. "Are you sure there isn't anything left? Not even the tiniest crumb of rice?"

"I'm very sure. Please make yourself comfortable, Usagi-chan. Oh wait, I don't need to invite you because you already barged in here without even bothering to ask, or even knock! That's rather rude!"

"Be nice, Rei-chan!" Usagi sat between the miko and her grandfather. "Are you still driving out to Mako-chan's house tonight to see that eclipse thing? I hope so because I need you to do me a favour."

"Hai" Rei nodded. "Aren't you going there with Mamoru? You know, you could have asked me for a ride to Nerima over the phone if he's tied up and can't make it. You didn't need to walk all the way here to Hikawa to do it. Then again, you can't eat through a telephone so I suppose that's the real reason you came."

"No it isn't! Well, not the main reason!"

"Didn't you have breakfast already?"

"As a matter of fact I did, for your information" Usagi retorted. "And I am going to Mako-chan's house with my Mamo-chan, thank you very much! But there's a whole long Saturday to kill until he finishes his important assignment at the university, so in the meantime I thought I'd-"

"You thought you'd start your day by pestering us while you waited for him" Rei frowned. "Instead of trying to improve your grades. Ok, if you want to stick around, I'll find plenty of work for you to do."

Usagi recoiled in her seat. "You'll what?"

"There's an extra broom in the closet. Try not to break it in half like you and Minako did with that other one."

"I wasn't going to stay here that long!" Usagi hastily backtracked. Her blue eyes shifted sneakily to and fro, taking on a mischevious gleam. "Anyway, I'm too busy planning something very important. There's no time to tie myself up with boring work like sweeping your shrine."

"Oh?" The miko stood and collected the empty plates and bowls. "And what would that be?" She turned away and placed the dirty dishes in the sink.

"Like I said, it's a big secret for now so don't bother asking for details" Usagi miffed. "I was just wondering if you'd mind picking up Setsuna and bringing her out to Mako-chan's house with you and Yuuichirou. That's all."

"Setsuna is joining us? Why can't she ride with you and Mamoru?"

"Mamo-chan doesn't even know she'll be there" the blonde giggled evilly. "Like I said, it's a really big secret!" She folded her arms. "And I'm not talking about it anymore."

Rei spun to face her friend with hands planted on her hips. "No? Spill it, Usagi-chan. What insane scheme are you hatching this time?"

"Never mind what I'm thinking! I'm not saying another word about tonight's big surprise. My lips are completely, totally sealed!"

"Is that even possible?" her friend smirked.

"Rei-chan!" Usagi glared sourly at the girl. "And don't you dare ruin the surprise either!"

"How can I ruin it if I don't even know what it is? Baka!"

"If you must know something, I'll only say that my plan involves Setsuna" Usagi relented. She absentmindedly rubbed her hands together in gleeful anticipation. "Minako and I want the meeting to go really well tonight."

"Meeting? What meeting? What on earth are you blathering about?"

"Hai, the meeting! Tonight at Mako-chan's house, when we introduce her to Mamo-chan's tall handsome friend from the university. He's travelling out to Nerima with us."

Rei's shoulders sagged. "So that's it. You're matchmaking again, aren't you? I might have known! I want no part of this, Usagi-chan."

"But I really need your help" Usagi begged. "Please! I'm hoping it will be a wonderful surprise for Setsuna and maybe even lead to a relationship. Ohh, I've already said too much! Don't ask me anything else, Rei-chan!"

"You just told us nearly everything, you imbecile! You keeping a secret is utterly impossible! Like Mako-chan cooking a bad meal, or Ami failing a test, or Minako driving at a normal pace. Never happen in a million years!"

"Well... it was a secret, until you forced all the details out of me!"

"Forced? I did no such thing! Usagi-chan, you're still as hopeless as ever."

"And you're still just as grumpy!"

"I was fine until you got here!"

Curious, Yuuichirou interrupted the growing feud. "I deduce from you and Minako planning on introducing Setsuna to that college buddy of Mamoru's, Usagi-chan, that she doesn't know anything about tonight's blind date?"

"See what you just did, Rei-chan?" the odango-haired blonde wailed. "Now everybody knows!"

"All I know is, this will probably be yet another one of your's and Minako's gigantic, idiotic disasters!" Rei fumed. "Setsuna already told us that she's not in the market for a boyfriend. She said her duties make a relationship untenable. Didn't you remember when she said that? Or were you off daydreaming again?"

"Wrong, wrong, wrong! Every girl needs love and romance in their life. I don't care if she said she can't have a boyfriend because of her... uh... special position. Setsuna's just being mysterious again, that's all. But I know better! As I should, being in charge and your future Queen and all."

"Don't keep reminding me about that! Usagi-chan, you're going to cause a big mess. Stop meddling in Setsuna's personal affairs and leave her alone!"

"No!"

Growing increasingly flustered, Rei retook her seat beside her fiancee. "I knew things were going too well lately, Yuuichirou honey. Trust odango atama and our so-called love goddess to keep finding new ways to rock the boat. And then sink it. Why do they always drag me into their dumb ideas?"

"It sounds like this has the makings of a big weekend, darling" Yuuichirou remarked. "Isn't this the afternoon when Mako-chan takes her first driving lesson?"

"And there's another disaster in the making!" the raven-haired girl grumbled. "Not Mako-chan learning to drive, I'm sure she'll do fine. But why on earth did she agree to let Minako teach her? She should've asked Ami or me for lessons instead of courting death with that blonde lunatic."

"Because you said you won't be heading out to Nerima until later on today, Rei-chan" Usagi piped up. "And neither will Ami and Ryo because of all that tutoring they're busy doing. Minako and Mako-chan are probably already on their way there, and I overheard Minako promise to teach her everything she knows about driving. If you're so smart, why didn't you know that?"

"Shut up, Usagi-chan." Rei muttered, "Everything she knows about driving... that should take all of two minutes. I hope Mako-chan doesn't pick up any of Minako's carelessness or bad habits."

"Me too" Usagi admitted. "Minako's craziness at the wheel still scares me half to death. So... will you bring Setsuna along like I asked? I already promised her you would, and she said she'd be waiting here when you close the shrine for the day so you don't even have to pick her up at her apartment. Isn't that convenient?"

"Do I have a choice?" the miko grumbled. "Fine, I'll give her a ride to Nerima. But if this stupid date thing blows up in your face, and I'm sure it will, just remember it was all your fault!"

"It won't blow up" Usagi boasted confidently. "Arigatou, Rei-chan!" She pressed her fingers over her chest. "Tonight, love will definitely be in the air! Cupid Usagi can feel it!"

"It's probably just hunger pangs you're feeling" the miko muttered. "Or heartburn."

"Hino-sensei, tell that evil granddaughter of yours not to spoil the romantic mood!"

"Usagi-chan, stop telling my grandfather what to say or do!"

"You probably wouldn't listen to him anyway. You're so stubborn."

"And you're a troublemaking little-"

"Hush, Rei-chan!"

Chapter 2:

"Are you still paying close attention to everything I do, Mako-chan? The more you learn from watching an expert like me, the less I'll need to teach you about driving later."

Aino Minako's Toyota lurched to a stop and the two girls sat waiting at a traffic signal in Nerima, the blonde driver drumming her fingers impatiently against the steering wheel and frowning up at the red light beneath her designer sunglasses.

"Sure, I've been paying attention" the brunette in the passenger seat laughed. "I've been watching you very closely, Minako-chan. So far I've learned how to always make sudden jerky lane changes and how to break every speed limit in Honshu. Is that good?"

"It is a start" Minako giggled. "But after we get to your house and lose the luggage, that's when you sit here the driver's seat and the real lessons begin." She peered to her right and her expression instantly brightened. "Look at that building over there, Mako-chan! It's Shubu Kogyo!"

Makoto stooped to peer across her friend through the driver's side window. "Hai, it is. So?"

"That's the very same hardware store where my honey muffin started his new job today! I'm so proud of my Taro, finding such good part-time work! Those hardware places don't hire just anyone who walks in off the street, you know. They have really high standards."

"Nani? Are you implying that my Yuji's new weekend job at the town grocery store isn't as good as Taro's?" Makoto bristled.

"No, not at all! I'm proud of both our boys, silly! And their new jobs will help them pay back the money they still owe their parents. Remember that advance they borrowed for our engagement rings?"

"I remember. And though I cherish the ring Yuji gave me, I still feel bad that he went into debt to buy it."

Minako prattled on, "But you must admit, it takes lots of skill and knowledge to work at a place like this, helping customers buy complicated tools and... stuff. Much more than you'd need to sell fruit and vegetables and stock shelves with boring packages of noodles."

"I admit no such thing!" the brunette growled back. "My Yuji is a very hard worker and he knows a lot about food. If you think that's silly, maybe you won't mind skipping the dinner he and I were planning on making later."

"Don't be so serious, Mako-chan! I'm very happy for your lover boy too."

"Good. By the way, the light just changed."

"Oh! It did, didn't it?" the blonde giggled. The little orange car sped away. "You know what we should do, Mako-chan? After today's driving lessons are over it'll nearly be time for our cuddle muffins to finish their shifts at work. How about we come back into town and give them a ride back to the house?"

"Hai, I was going to suggest that" Makoto said.

"And if you do well today, you can even be the one to drive them! How about that idea?"

"Me? I don't want to rush things, Minako-chan. I need a little time to build up my confidence first."

They soon arrived at the old two-storey home that the sixteen-year-old girl's deceased great aunt had left the brunette in her will. After two small overnight bags were unloaded and left in the hallway, Minako grinned at her future sister-in-law. "Time to put the pedal to the metal, Mako-chan!" She latched onto the tall brunette's left arm and escorted her outside.

Minako whipped open the driver's door. "Ready? Let's get you out cruising on the open road!"

Makoto nodded confidently. "Hai. Let's do this. I just hope I can remember everything from that written test I took last week. I swear I've never studied so hard for an exam before! I'm kind of surprised I passed it on the first try."

"You'll take to driving just fine! Especially with a professional like me teaching you" Minako boasted before gesturing inside. "You get to sit in the driver's seat today, Mako-chan."

The brunette muttered, "Kind of hard to drive from the passenger side, don't you think?" She hesitated at the door. "I don't want to start my first lesson by backing up. Would you mind pulling your car out of the driveway for me, please?"

"Tsk tsk! Aren't we fussy!" the blonde teased. "Ok, give me a second." Minako quickly reversed out of the lane and switched off the Toyota's engine, leaving it parked in the very center of the narrow and usually deserted side road. She unconsciously dropped the key back in her purse. "Good enough, Mako-chan? Now it's your turn!"

"Arigatou." Makoto slipped behind the wheel and securely fastened her safety belt. "By the way, in case you're wondering I'm not at all nervous. I'm just a little worried about putting a scratch on your car, Minako-chan. Will you get mad at me if I do?"

"Have you noticed the bumpers lately?" Minako giggled. "They're covered in tons of scratches!" She waggled an admonishing finger at her friend. "Don't let unimportant little details like silly dents and scratches distract you, Mako-chan. Let's get started! And trust me, you'll love driving!"

The taller girl extended her feet toward the pedals, finding her knees uncomfortably bent. "Give me a minute, I need to move the seat back a bit."

Minako pointed, "There's a lever thingie you need to pull up. It's under the-"

"I already know how to adjust a seat, Minako-chan! I'm not that green!"

"Sometimes you are" the blonde joked. "When you're Sailor Jupiter, you're green and pink and-"

"Ok, ok! I get the point." Makoto repositioned herself and remembered to readjust the rear view mirror. "You should clean this glass more often, Minako-chan. It has dust all over it." She rubbed at it with a finger. "There's a smudge or something on the glass that's not coming off. Wait... it looks like it's moving."

Puzzled, Minako reached for the mirror and twisted it toward her. "That's not a smudge, silly. It's just a huge truck or something way off in the distance. Looks like it's heading this way."

"A truck?" Makoto yanked the mirror back and looked again. "And we're still sitting in the middle of the road. I'd rather not get run over on my first time at the wheel, if that's ok with you."

"Then you'd better move out of its way!" Minako laughed. "Don't panic, it's probably still a really long ways behind us. Start the car, Mako-chan."

"Don't I need the ignition key first?"

"Hai! The key!" the blonde giggled. "I forgot!" She began rooting through her tiny cluttered purse to find it. "Now where did that silly thing go?"

Makoto muttered to herself, "Who exactly is doing the teaching here?" She peered again through the mirror while she waited. "Minako-chan, that truck is getting closer. And it's moving really fast! Where's that key?"

"Still looking! Wait, here it is!" Minako whipped it out and hastily passed it to her friend, but the two girls bumped hands and the key slipped from her fingers, falling into the gap between their seats. "Oops! I dropped it!" the blonde giggled. "Clumsy me!"

"Can you find it?"

Minako's fingers groped under the seat. "No. It disappeared somewhere."

"Wonderful!" A final glance in the mirror revealed the massive truck still rapidly bearing down on them, now less than a kilometer from the teens. "There's no time!" Makoto gasped. "I need to move this thing out of the way right now!" The student driver leapt from the car and ran to its rear as a loud warning blast from the speeding truck's horn reached her ears. "Steer us off the road, Minako-chan!" the brunette yelled.

"Hai!" Minako quickly released the parking brake, pulled the shifter out of park and grabbed the wheel, yanking it to the left.

Pushing hard, the strong brunette shoved the orange Toyota off the road and onto the shoulder mere seconds before the truck whooshed narrowly past with another angry blast from its horn.

"Whew! That was close!" Makoto breathed in relief.

Her future sister-in-law ran up, wiggling a metal object between her fingers. "Found it!" She grinned, "How do you like driving so far?"

Makoto glared at the embarrassed blonde. "A little more exercise than I thought it would be" she muttered.

"Gomen, Mako-chan!"

The determined brunette took the offered key from her friend. "Let's drive."

. . . . .

Back in Tokyo, two teenage lovers walked hand-in-hand together toward the Mizuno residence.

"Though I enjoy helping others improve their grades, I must admit I'm glad today's lesson is over, Ryo-kun."

"Sounds like someone is really looking forward to watching tonight's eclipse" the boy chuckled.

"Hai... that too." Ami smiled lovingly at her fiancee, making her young man blush. "Among... other things."

"Don't forget, we have to stop by my house and get the telescope before we go. My father said we can even leave it at Mako-chan's if we want, since he never uses it. It's been sitting in his office as a decoration ever since he won it in a contest at work."

"He won it?" Ami exclaimed. "Your father is very lucky, my Ryo-kun."

"Not nearly as lucky as I am" the boy smiled back. Ryo softly whispered to the love of his life, "I won your heart."

Chapter 3:

Several hours later...

The bright orange Toyota cruised smoothly past the Ito residence for the tenth time that day, the young brunette at the wheel gaining confidence with each passing mile. "How am I doing so far, Minako-chan?"

"Not bad at all for a beginner!" Minako happily replied. "You've taken to driving really well, Mako-chan. Especially turning corners and backing up and silly things like that." She boasted, "I must be an even better teacher than I thought I was!"

"Obviously" the brunette chuckled. "You know, I have to admit you were right about one thing. I really do like driving. I like it a lot. Can I go a little faster?"

"It's about time you asked!" the blonde laughed. "We don't want to turn you into another slow turtle like Usagi, do we now? Step on it, Mako-chan!"

. . . . .

Chiba Mamoru closed his notebook as the professor ended his rapid-fire lesson and left the podium. Another handsome young man walked up to him in the hallway as the other students filed out of the auditorium. "That was a brutal lecture, Mamoru-san. That sensei was covering new ground so quickly, I could barely keep up with my note taking."

"He does know his material, Nobuo-san" Mamoru chuckled. "And unfortunately acts like we already do as well."

"I just want to thank you again for inviting me to dinner and to watch the eclipse with you and your fiancee tonight. I'm looking forward to getting away from the university and out of Tokyo for a few hours."

"To be honest, it was Usagi who kept insisting that you join us" Mamoru said. "I think she's up to another one of her schemes again, but have no idea what it could be. I suppose we'll find out soon enough."

. . . . .

After a further half-hour of practice, Minako watched her student turn into the driveway of her old house, bring the car to a smooth halt and switch off the engine. "Mako-chan, I'm so impressed! You're a natural!"

"Really? Driving isn't that hard, Minako-chan. Besides, I can do nearly anything if I put my mind to it."

"And having a highly skilled teacher like me must have helped a lot too" her friend insisted. "Much better than grumpy Rei or shy Ami would be."

"Yeah, right. Um... after a short break and a cup of tea, can I drive a little more?"

"Told you you'd love it! Sure! We definitely should go out again. We still have some time before we need to collect our honey muffins after their long working day."

"My Yuji will be so surprised when he sees me sitting at the wheel when we pick him and Taro up" the brunette grinned. "I'm glad we kept me getting my permit our little secret."

"I'm surprised too, Mako-chan! You're taking to this like a duck to soup!"

Makoto grimaced. "Like a duck to water, Minako-chan. Not soup. But I'll assume that was a compliment anyway. Arigatou." She swung open her door. "Let's go have that tea."

. . . . .

Kumada Yuuichirou finally emerged from a clump of departing tourists and hurried over to the nearest torii gate, beneath which the love of his life was busily sweeping. "Rei my sweet," he sighed, "I'm so glad this afternoon is almost over. Someday I have got to take the time to learn another language properly."

"Communication problems with the visitors again, honey?" the miko smiled knowingly.

"Hai. I thought I was finally getting the hang of English a little better by now, especially after our Hawaiian holiday, but that last conversation was a nightmare! Those guests couldn't understand a single word I said and I had no idea what they were saying either. We were babbling incoherently at each other and I ended up pointing at every part of the shrine. For a full five minutes! On the bright side" he chuckled, "I'm getting pretty good at sign language."

The raven-haired girl laughed, "That's because they weren't speaking in English, lover. They were talking to you in French."

"French, you say?" the apprentice groaned. "Great! Now I need to learn two more languages!"

"Oui, mon amour" Rei teased.

"Nani?"

"That means 'yes, my love'."

Yuuichirou eyed his fiancee suspiciously. "I didn't know you could speak French, darling."

"Only a little" Rei modestly replied. "One of the Sisters at T.A. is from France and she teaches a class in how to speak in her native tongue. It's such a romantic language."

"Ah. So why didn't you come over and help me just now?" the boy pouted.

"Because it was too much fun just listening in on your conversation" the girl laughed. She affectionately pecked his cheek. "Gomen, darling. I promise to always help you with foreign visitors in the future."

"Would you please?" her young man begged. "I only know one word of French and I didn't even get the chance to say it!"

"Oh? What word is that?"

"Uh... banjo. I think it means hello or... something."

"You mean bonjour" Rei snickered.

"See? I told you I need help!" Yuuichirou grinned.

"Not with everything" the miko purred. "In fact, in certain areas you're exceptionally skilled."

"I am? Well then, would you mind telling your grandfather about them? I'm convinced he still thinks I'm useless at nearly everything."

"I'd rather not" Rei winked. "That discussion would be far too... intimate."

"Oh! Now I understand!" her love grinned back. Blushing, Yuuichirou lowered his voice. "Rei darling, do you really think I'm a good-"

The miko replied in a soft, sultry whisper. "Hai. I do. It's closing time, lover boy. Go lock the front gate."

Chapter 4:

Yuuichirou had scarcely taken a half-dozen steps before calling over his shoulder, "Usagi and Setsuna have arrived, Rei honey. And as I might have expected, precisely on time."

"That's right! I'd forgotten about odango atama's latest disaster-in-the-making" the raven-haired girl muttered. She walked over to greet the other girls. "Konnichiwa, Setsuna-san." She glared evilly at Usagi. "Hello again, troublemaker."

Usagi scowled back at the miko. "What a nasty way to address your future Qu-"

"For the last time, stop reminding me about that!"

Yuuichirou hurried up to the new arrivals. "Banjo, Setsuna-san!"

The older girl regarded the eighteen-year-old apprentice with puzzlement and raised eyebrows. "Ban... jo, Yuuichirou-chan?"

"He thinks he's speaking in a foreign language" the miko explained. "But he obviously isn't. Gomen, Setsuna-san."

Yuuichirou scratched his head. "I... wasn't?"

"I just told you honey, it's bonjour, not banjo."

"Ah, en francais" Setsuna smiled. "Bon apres-midi, Yuuichirou-chan. Il fait beau temps aujourd'hui. N'est-ce pas?"

"Huh? Uh, hai!" the boy stuttered in reply. "You're absolutely right, it is nearly dinner time!"

"That... wasn't... even... close" Rei groaned.

"Minna, stop saying bad things about me behind my back!" Usagi blustered. "Especially in German! Or whatever that jibberish was."

"Baka! No one is talking about you!" Rei answered sharply. "Usagi-chan, vous etes un idiot!"

Usagi smugly folded her arms. "Good! That sounds much better!"

The miko rolled her eyes skyward. "Completely and utterly hopeless, as always."

"Hopeless, am I?" The blonde promptly stuck out her tongue. "Nyaa! Take that, you rude person!"

"Oh, grow up!"

Setsuna deftly interrupted the girls' spat. "I appreciate your taking me to Nerima, Rei-chan. It has been quite some time since I last witnessed a total lunar eclipse, and this one promises to be extra special."

'You'd better believe it!' Usagi thought gleefully.

"Not to mention how much I'm looking forward to sampling the latest creations from Makoto's skilled hands in the kitchen" the tall, greenish-haired young woman continued.

Rei smiled, "Don't mention it. We'll be leaving in just a few minutes, after my fiancee and I change our clothing and we say goodbye to Grandpa."

"Hai, go ahead and change" Usagi said, shooing the miko away with a rapid wave. "Preferably into someone a lot less miserable" she muttered under her breath.

Rei spun around. "I heard that, Usagi-chan. So watch it!"

"Make me!"

"Make you?" Rei smirked. "Into what? Someone who isn't so paranoid? Don't expect too many miracles, Usagi-chan. Even Shinto can only do so much."

"Then be quiet, you! Go on, change already!" Usagi whirled around and told her companion, "Mamo-chan and I will be joining you there a little later, Setsuna-san. Well, gotta run!"

"You aren't coming with us...?" Setsuna began to ask, but the odango-haired blonde was already sprinting down the stone steps, heading toward her fiancee's apartment.

Yuuichirou gently took his girl's arm and began leading her toward the shrine. "Dinner at Mako-chan's and romantic moonlight awaits us, Rei my sweet."

"And disaster, Yuuichirou-chan. You forgot Usagi's next big disaster, darling."

"For Setsuna's sake, let's hope it isn't... not this time."

. . . . .

Ryo and Ami emerged from the Urawa residence with the boy cradling a long wooden box in his arms. "After we load the telescope into your car we can finally be off to Nerima, Ami darling. I just hope this thing I'm carrying doesn't disappoint everyone."

"I'm sure it won't, my Ryo-kun. May I see it before we go?"

Ryo placed the box in the trunk of the tiny blue sedan and unlatched its lid, revealing a long brass tube and a spindly silver tripod. "There it is. Not much to look at, I'm afraid." He chuckled, "No chance of viewing any trace of the old Moon Kingdom with it, that's for sure."

"I think it will give us a wonderful view of the Earth's shadow as it traverses the lunar craters" Ami lovingly smiled back. The young couple boarded her car and began their trek to Makoto's country home. "By the way, Ryo-kun..." Ami spoke as she drove, "we're going to meet another guest at the house. A male friend of Mamoru's from his university will be there. And Setsuna will be joining us there too."

"Oh?"

"Usagi and Minako made me promise not to say anything, but I guess it's ok to tell you now. Usagi invited him along. She's been planning on setting up a blind date for Setsuna all week, and tonight is the big night."

"But I thought Setsuna didn't want a relationship, my love."

Ami briskly accelerated onto the highway leading southwest from Tokyo. "She did say that, but we both know how Usagi simply won't take no for an answer. She really does mean well, even if her actions can be somewhat... misguided at times. Oh, and Minako is in on the plan as well."

"The two matchmakers are at it again" Ryo grinned. "Although I can see their point. Setsuna is the only Sailor Senshi who isn't in a relationship. It must be a very lonely existence for her."

"Hai." The blue-haired girl sighed. "I once knew exactly what that feels like. Being without you was... a rather difficult time."

"But not anymore" her young man gazed lovingly at his girl. "And you never will again. I love you, Ami-chan."

"And I love you, my Ryo-kun." She gave her fiancee a sweet smile. "Would you mind if I have a cigarette while I drive?"

"Of course not, Ami darling. Let me find them for you." He reached between the seats for her small purse and zipped it open.

Ami suddenly began to giggle. "Who knows? Perhaps something wonderful will come of her surprise date with Nobuo-san after all."

"Nobuo?" Ryo wondered aloud. "Would you by any chance mean Wakahisa Nobuo?"

The blue-haired girl pondered a moment. "Hai, I believe that's his name. Have you met him before?"

"Only once, at Chiba-san's apartment when I went over there to borrow a book. He was finishing up an assignment with Mamoru." The sixteen-year-old boy began to snicker. "This could get really interesting."

"What's so funny, Ryo-kun?"

"Usagi and Minako may have their work cut out for them, my love. I think Nobuo is gay."

"Are you sure?" Ami gasped.

"Well, not entirely sure, but I do recall Mamoru mentioning something about that at a later time. However, I could be thinking of the wrong guy."

"And Usagi and Minako aren't aware of this? Oh dear!"

. . . . .

A dozen kilometres ahead of Ami and Ryo, Hino Rei's red Mercedes whooshed through the late afternoon sunshine with its convertible roof folded down. "Are you sure it isn't too drafty for you back there, Setsuna-san?" the raven-haired driver called above the passing breeze. "I can stop and raise the top if you feel chilly."

"I'm quite comfortable, Rei-chan" Setsuna replied, "and enjoying this pleasant drive in the crisp autumn air. Please continue."

Yuuichirou nervously eyed the speedometer, its needle far to the right as it normally was whenever Rei drove on an expressway. "Are we going too fast for you, Setsuna-san?"

The young woman smiled reassuringly from the rear seat. "Not at all, Yuuichirou-chan. Remember, I'm well accustomed to travelling with Haruka."

"Not everyone drives as slowly as you do, darling" the miko teased her fiancee. "Except Usagi, who's a lost cause. And maybe Mako-chan, now that she's finally taking driving lessons. I just hope Minako hasn't confused and frustrated the poor girl into throwing in the towel already."

"I'm sure that won't happen" the apprentice seated to her left spoke confidently. "Mako-chan isn't a quitter at anything. She'll stick with it until she finally has her full license."

"I hope so. Maybe when I take her out driving I can undo all the bad advice Minako has probably given her by now." Rei spotted a long gap in the afternoon traffic and tramped hard on the gas, increasing her speed still further and making Yuuichirou cringe in his seat. "Setsuna-san, you mentioned back at the shrine that the eclipse tonight will be even more special than usual" the miko asked her female passenger. "Why is that?"

"Because of the season, Rei-chan. Tonight's rising moon won't merely be full. It's a harvest moon."

"That's so romantic!" the teenage girl enthused. "Um... have you given any thoughts to that topic recently, Setsuna-san? Romance, I mean."

"No, not lately, Rei-chan. You're all well aware of my position on that particular subject."

"Oh. That's such a shame." She smiled evilly, thinking 'And just as I predicted, yet another huge disaster in the making for that matchmaking odango atama and our baka self-appointed Love Goddess!'