All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the third story in this particular story series of mine here, if that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers!
First Kisses?
AThe Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story
Moonbeam Garden In The Crystal Palace
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon
November 15, 986
Serena Moon was in the Moonbeam Garden with her sisters Destiny and Bethany, about two hours past local midday. She was reading stories to them both there from scrolls currently in her possession. She was reading them both aloud and by using sign language. For Destiny was blind, and Bethany was deaf. All three of them were Princesses in the Moon Kingdom of the Milky Way Galaxy's Sol solar system. Serena was the only one of the three to be both hearing and sighted. Serena was now within two months of reaching the middle of the eleventh year of her mortal life, at most. For she'd been born on June 30, 976, in Moon City, the Moon Kingdom's capital on Earth's Moon. As a matter of fact, she'd even been born on the Crystal Palace's grounds. Unlike Destiny and Bethany, who'd both been born on the grounds of another nearby Moon City-area palace of the Moon Kingdom's, which was the Imperial Palace, not too far away from the Crystal Palace.
Serena was the Moon Kingdom's Moon Princess. Which meant that she was her mother's chosen successor, as of the current time, to possibly rule the Moon Kingdom after her. Or any successor governments that might follow it in the future, given enough of the right circumstances to make either or both of those things happen in the Moon Kingdom, for that matter. Her mother, who was also Destiny and Bethany's mother, was the Moon Kingdom's current Queen. And her name was Queen Serenity. Her father, however, wasn't a King. He was a Prince, and his name was Daniel. Serena was almost three years older than both Destiny and Bethany. For her sisters were both twins, with Destiny being about an hour older than Bethany was, most likely.
Serena and her sisters were not the only Princesses in the Moon Kingdom. For there were several other Princesses from most, if not all, of the rest of the worlds that were now part of the Moon Kingdom. Besides them, various other Princesses in the Moon Kingdom came from the planets of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. But not from Earth. For there were no Moon Kingdom Princesses that currently represented the Earth in the Moon Kingdom, simply because Earth was not a world in the Moon Kingdom. And it likely wouldn't ever be.
Even though that was the case, at least at the current time, Serena did have at least one or two friends, if not more, that were from the Earth. This was because they'd often come to the Moon to visit with their various friends from anywhere in the Moon Kingdom. And so did at least a few other people she knew well enough in her own life. Including both of her twin sisters, for they also knew at least one or two people from Earth in their own lives.
As of the current time in her life, Moon Princess Serena had at least five to ten other Princesses currently in her royal Court, if not more than that in it. Among those various Princesses were both of her twin sisters, who'd joined it at least on a temporary basis, if not on a permanent basis, some time before, when other members of her royal Court had been sent by Queen Serenity on a mission to another Milky Way Galaxy-located solar system. And ever since, she'd had them in her very own royal Court.
As of the current time, there were more than the usual number of planets and moons in the Milky Way Galaxy's Sol system. This was the case just because while Serena and many other people in her life had been away from the Moon unexpectedly, seven other planets had shown up rather unexpectedly there with orbits that were all outside the orbit of Pluto in it. These planets had all showed up after they'd emerged from some sort of cosmic phenomenon that'd at least once been described as a possible dimensional rift by at least one of the people Serena now knew in her life. And it wasn't yet known if and when those planets would disappear into that rift or a similar one at some later time. For it hadn't been very long since they'd come from it shortly before they were discovered by people aboard at least one ship that was returning to the Moon some time before.
As she was reading to both of her sisters in that garden, a few other members of her royal Court and her mother eventually joined her and her sisters in it. Those other members of her own royal Court who then joined her there were four other Princesses from just as many other worlds elsewhere in the Moon Kingdom. Those four other Princesses were the Princesses Amy, Mina, Raye, and Lita, who were from Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, respectively.
Serena soon looked up from her scroll, once she heard her mother's voice as she was coming toward her daughters, and as she was talking to Amy, Raye, Mina, and Lita. And she said, "Hello, everyone. I've just been reading to both Destiny and Bethany for a while."
Queen Serenity, a woman who was now in her early to middle forties, and who was still rather attractive, then said, "That's good, Serena. But I think that you girls need to get back to training for a while. For it's been at least a week or two since you all last trained with each other."
"Mom, do we have to?" asked Serena, a young girl with long blonde hair that was often worn down in ponytails.
"Yes, Serena, I'm afraid so. Yes, it's been at least a week or two since Darien left us again. But if we're ever going to have enough of a chance against our new enemy, we're all going to have to train very often. Even if we don't actually beat them, at least not at first."
Darien was a Prince from the Earth nation of Japan. And he was a very close friend of several people from the Moon Kingdom. Especially those who actually were running it, or who actually had very high ranks in it. He, as well as several other people, had unexpectedly found themselves on a world in another galaxy in the known Universe. And while he and they had been on that world, he and they had eventually found themselves fighting numerous beings from another part of the Universe. It was a part of the Universe that could possibly be best described as another dimension in it, and which was called "The Negaverse," from what he and they somehow had already learned of it in the past.
Serena had been among those various people that'd also rather unexpectedly found themselves on that world. And so had many other people that she'd known then, and at least two others that she'd never met before she'd actually ended up there. Including several members of her Court and her mother. Besides them and her mother, two cats that belonged to her mother had ended up on that world as well.
While she and they had all still been on that world, they'd all met at least a few, if not a lot of, natives of that very same world. At least one of which had soon enough became really good friends with them. Serena and at least a few others with her at such a time eventually helped that person or those persons to eventually topple a certain throne-usurper's dictatorial regime of sorts. After doing so, they were eventually brought back to wherever they'd each come from some time before rather unexpectedly. Whether or not they'd actually come from anywhere on the Moon or from anywhere on Earth, they eventually returned to the very same worlds from which they'd earlier disappeared rather unexpectedly.
Serena and most of those other people that'd been whisked away from other places in the Milky Way Galaxy's Sol system had secretly been Sailor Scouts in the Moon Kingdom. Those various people had included her mother and sisters, as well as a good portion of her own royal Court, if not all of it. But at least three of those people were not from anywhere in the Moon Kingdom. That minimum of three people consisted of two males and one female, with all of them being from Earth. One of those males was Prince Darien of Japan, who Serena was very fond of in her life. The other male was Prince Rolando of Scotland on Earth. While the one Earth female was Princess Sylvia of Israel on Earth. As Serena and others then with her had eventually learned while they'd all been on their last adventure to another world elsewhere in the known Universe.
Princess Sylvia had eventually become a Sailor Scout, just like most, if not all, of the other current members of Serena's royal Court, as well as Serena and her mother Serenity. But she'd not been one when she first met up with Serena and a number of her friends and relatives during that adventure. For before that happened, she'd never met up with any people who weren't actually from Earth in her life, at least not knowingly, both for her and for them.
Sylvia had first encountered Darien many years before, when she'd visited his nation on Earth at least once before. But she'd never actually met Rolando of Scotland before. Just as she'd not actually met anyone from the Moon Kingdom before knowingly, both on their parts and on hers. Sylvia and Serena soon became close friends of each other before Sylvia eventually had to return to Earth again. And they'd last parted from each other in the last month, with them both not actually wanting to do so, because of that very fact. Their quite-reluctant partings from each other, of course, were very emotional because of it.
That was the case for them both because both Serena and Sylvia didn't usually like parting from people they'd begun to care for very much. Especially Serena, who really hated it whenever Darien had to return to Earth, for any reason whatsoever, in his life. That was mainly because she was especially fond of him. And she often dreamed and hoped that she'd ever be able to marry him someday in the future, of course, due to that very fact.
Even though he was nearly fifteen years older than she was, she still was very fond of him. So much so, that Serena would often call him her "Honey." Much to the frequent dismay of Raye, at least, who also really liked him a lot in her own life. And both girls would often be trying to spend every possible minute they could spend with him whenever he was on the Moon, because they really liked him so much in their lives.
"How soon do you want us to do that, Mother?"
Serenity said, "If you haven't yet had your lunches, then I want you to be ready to train within one hour from now. If you have, then tell me when you three had your lunches, Serena."
"Twenty or so minutes ago, we finished our lunches, I think."
"Then I expect you all to be ready to resume training in about thirty to forty minutes, once I leave you here again. Is that clear, Serena?"
"When we report, how do you want us to report?"
"As usual, of course, Serena."
"All right, where do you want us to be when we report?"
"I want you all to be in the Sailor Scout Garden when you report. I think you need to spend some time at the Rainbow Springs Palace again, Serena. Yes, I know that was where you girls had at least a little trouble there some time ago. But I want you girls there again for a while. You'll all be going with me and several other Scouts to that place. After which I'll be leaving you there with them for a while. This will be so that you can all train in conditions much like the ones that you'll most likely be facing in the future, if our visions and/or dreams about it are sufficiently accurate in their nature about such things."
"This won't be a vacation trip to the other side of the Moon, Mother?"
"No, I'm afraid not, Serena. You'll all have to train quite often in the future from now on. As of tonight, I'm now starting to cut back on the number of balls that'll be held on the Moon. That's so we can hopefully buy our Moon Kingdom at least a little more time to try to defend ourselves sufficiently well before the Negaverse comes here to the Moon. Of course, if I do that for the balls in question, I'll also do that for the fireworks shows that have been accompanying them for so many years, before too much longer. That's if I don't actually start cancelling them entirely, Serena. You may not like it. But those things will have to be done, of course. And you know it just as well as I do. So do the rest of the Princesses, even your sisters."
"I'm going to be away from Moon City when Darien comes back here next time?" asked Serena.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. I can't help it. But until further notice, you and several other Princesses will be on the other side of the Moon."
"Can you see that Sylvia gets here to the Moon, then, Mother?"
"I can't make any promises, Serena. But I'll see what I can do, just the same. For I think of her quite a bit as well."
"Thank you, Mom."
Then Serenity said, "Raye, see that Serena and the twins get to the Sailor Scout Garden in time, please, if possible. I can't afford any unnecessary delays in our schedule at the current time."
Raye then said, "Understood. I'll do that, Queen Serenity."
"Good, Raye. Serena, I'm not kidding here. I want you there, if possible, at the necessary time. If you're not there at that time, there'll probably have to be the inevitable consequences, of course. So be there, please."
"All right, Mother. I'll be there. I don't really want Raye to get too mad at me again, like she often does. So I'll be there as soon as I can be, if at all possible."
At that, Serenity nodded at Serena, just before she left her alone again with the rest of her royal Court's now-present members in the Moonbeam Garden. Serena watched her go, and she asked, "Would somebody please tell me why we're suddenly going to have to go back to the other side of the Moon, really? Is it really necessary for all of us to do that, when we can all possibly train here just as well?"
Raye said, "Serena, we're going back because we need to train away from any location that the Negaverse might be able to spy on us from a very long distance away. And your mother fears that they may try to slip a spy or two into our Moon Kingdom, if they haven't already done so, so that they can learn more about us than they likely already know about us. She feels that if we're on the Rainbow Springs side of the Moon, they may not be able to find us as easily as they might be able to if we were still on this side of the Moon. Listen, I don't really like it any more than you do. For I really like being on this side of the Moon very much. But if our new enemy's trying to learn as much about us as it can, then I think it doesn't make much sense for us to be where they might be able to learn more about us than if we weren't in such a place. Even if it means we have to miss Darien, we have to go to the other side of the Moon. Believe me, I want to be with him too. But if our enemies are mad at us, then I think that it really doesn't make much sense for any or all of us to be where they might be able to find us."
"I suppose you're right. But why now, of all times, girls?"
Amy said, "Because she's just learned from a message canister sent from Darien a few days ago that a strange ship was recently seen just outside the orbit of Pluto, and inside the orbit of Ninby. And he couldn't recognize who it might have belonged to. So your mother decided that we needed to go away, just in case it was what we've been fearing for so many years. Also Darien told her about at least one conversation he'd had with Sylvia before we met up with Rolando, Sylvia, and him back on Ozotov IV, during our last adventure. It seems at least a few dock-workers in the area of Osaka, Japan, were rather loose-tongued about the joint project that his Nipponese Empire and our Moon Kingdom are currently working on together. They were talking more than they should about 'Operation Cocoon.' Which, of course, you know we call 'Operation Survival,' Serena. And Darien let your mother know that just a little while ago. He told them a lot of other things too, as well. But nothing that really concerns you much. Except that he wishes he could see you again the next time he comes to the Moon. I don't know if that'll be possible now. For we're all going to have to go to the other side of the Moon for a while."
"So our joint project's secrecy is likely quite compromised?"
"Yes, I'm afraid that it might very well be. And so are both your parents and Darien," said Amy.
"So what do we do now, if that is the case, girls?"
"We hide out for a while, until we know for sure. Yes, Serena, I know you might not like it. But that's what your mother wants us to do," said Lita, a few seconds later.
"Will we be able to take many of our things with us?"
Mina said, "Not likely. Your mother told us that we'll only be able to bring the most essential items with us when we go to the Rainbow Springs Palace again. If needed, though, and if possible, there'll still be periodical resupply flights to us on the other side of the Moon from this side of the Moon. But don't be all that surprised if that doesn't actually turn out to be the case, Serena."
Princesses Destiny and Bethany had been either watching or listening to the current conversation between Serena and her fellow Princesses, with Serena translating for both of them when necessary, of course. Then Destiny asked, "Do you think there'll be any reasonably cute guys that we can actually see there on the other side of the Moon, while we're there, Raye?"
"Not likely, Destiny," said Raye. "That won't likely be possible, I believe. Because I really don't think that there are any male Scouts anywhere on the Moon, if there are even any male Scouts in our own Moon Kingdom. Or if there are any cute guys on the other side of the Moon that we can see there, I don't think that they'll actually be Scouts. Of course, Destiny, I could be wrong. But I don't think that I am." Of course, Raye also translated this for Bethany's benefit.
When she did so, Bethany signed, "Aren't we a little too young to be chasing most guys in our lives?" She said this, just before Amy spoke the words that she'd just signed for Destiny's benefit, of course.
Serena soon said, both aloud and through sign language, "I don't think that we older girls are, Bethany. Hannah's sister Jacqueline, who's often referred to as 'Jackie', has already started chasing any number of guys that she thinks are at least a bit cute. So who's to say that we're too young to chase boys, Bethany? I've been chasing Darien ever since I first met him, I think, Bethany. And I really don't think I'll ever stop doing so. Or at least not until I finally marry him, if I ever stop doing so."
"Are you Jackie Tompkins, Serena? Or are you Poruzuka Gallenski? And if you're either of those girls, you certainly can't be Deborah Meyers or Ariel Herschel. Unless I'm mistaken, you're Serena Ruth Teresa Hope Rose Moon, and not any of those other four girls. So what's the big deal about chasing other guys so early in your life?" asked Bethany.
"No, I'm not any of those other four girls, Bethany. It's just that I don't really like having to wait to grow up and get married to some guy who I care for very much in my life."
"Serena, listen to me, or at least pay attention to what I'm trying to tell you with my signing. I think you'll have enough time in the future to chase Darien and possibly get married to him in it. It's just that right now, Mom may feel that it's not all that safe for you and other Princesses from our dear Moon Kingdom to just forget about doing what may need to be done to help it, and chase any number of boys in it. Yes, I know you really care for Darien. Just as do most, if not all, of the rest of us Princesses here as well. And that you may indeed want to be with him if anything bad happens to us. But such a time hasn't yet come to us here on the Moon, if it ever will. And if all goes sufficiently according to plan for us all for at least the time being, it won't for at least a little while. Granted, you may be right when you say that we may not survive such an invasion of the Moon Kingdom by the Negaverse. But there's no logical sense in courting danger from them any more than absolutely necessary, if we don't have to, and if we can possibly avoid it for at least a while. I know the future might scare you. But if God sees fit to let them come here, and for Destiny and I to be called home to Him forever, then so be it. Same thing for any other friends or relatives that we may know in any of our own mortal lives, Serena. I know I may die, of course, if they come here. And Destiny knows that she might too. But if that's the case, then so be it. You've said at least one time before that you yourself will most likely be killed quite near Darien by the evil leader of the Negaverse, whoever that leader might be. If so, Mom may indeed try to save as many people she can from those of us, whether good or bad, who are either on the Moon, or close enough to it. If we're among those people she saves, then so be it. But if not, then I hope that we'll end up in Heaven forever."
Raye commented, "Girls, we have about twenty or so minutes before we have to be in the Sailor Scout Garden again. I suggest that we all get ready to go there. And from there, to the other side of the Moon, in the necessary manners. Amy, Lita, and Mina, go find Hannah, Alexis, Michelle, and Susan. Please remind them that they'll need to be there at the necessary time. I'll be accompanying Serena and her sisters to each of their respective chambers so that they can get what they'll likely need to bring with them to the other side of the Moon. Then, after I do that, I'll be escorting them to that garden, so that we can all meet you there by the required time. If you see Luna and Artemis while you're going to find the necessary Outer Scouts, please tell them that they need to be in that same garden as well when we finally leave. For they'll also have to go with us, of course, Amy."
"Where's all the stuff you'll need to bring there, Raye?" asked Mina.
"It's already there, or it's somewhere near there. For I had this rather strange feeling not long after we got back from our time on Ozotov IV that we'd have to eventually go back to the other side of the Moon, Mina. I can't exactly say how come I had that feeling. But I can say that I had it a while ago, after we all got back here to the Moon."
So Amy, Lita, and Mina actually left Raye alone with Serena, Destiny, and Bethany moments later, of course, to do all the things that Raye had just told or asked them to do. Raye either told, or asked, them to do those things. For she had a feeling that Serena wouldn't tell or ask them to do those things. And because she was often rather outspoken in her life, as had often been proved to others she knew well enough in her life. Most likely, that was most often evident when she was anywhere sufficiently near Serena in it.
Then, after Princesses Amy, Lita, and Mina had left her alone with Serena and her twin sisters, Raye then said, "Serena, we'd better get going, if you don't want to get in serious trouble with your mother."
"I know, I know, Raye. We all have to get ready to leave this quite wonderful place here in Moon City again. And resume our training as Junior Sailor Scouts. All so that we can hopefully delay at least a little while our new enemy's possible invasion of our dear Moon Kingdom. I really wish we didn't have to do so, Raye."
"So do I. But it doesn't make any logical sense for any of us to deny what now appears to be a very dangerous reality for us, or a potentially dangerous reality for us, in our own mortal lives. It won't help any of us if somebody I know decides to be an 'MBH,' I think, Serena." Often Serena was called a "Meatball Head" by other people in her life, most often by Raye. And that was at least occasionally shortened to just the letters "MBH" by them. But she was never called a "Meatball Head" or an "MBH" by her parents. For they didn't call her names like that. Even when she was misbehaving around them or others in her life, and they knew that she was doing so, or that she'd done so when she wasn't with them. However, if she misbehaved, they'd, of course, eventually punish her, as they saw fit, at such times, just as soon as they could do so in private.
"So what if I want to be an 'MBH,' Raye? I just want to be a kid for as long as I can. And also have Darien for my own, too, if possible. What's wrong with that?"
"Will being an 'MBH' likely help us protect our Moon Kingdom, Serena?"
"Maybe not, Raye. But I don't want to fight, if I don't have to."
"Neither do the rest of us, Serena. But we'll have to do so, whether we like it or not, for as long as we possibly can, if not forever. We're all most likely going to fall asleep eventually. But let's all not do it before the proper times for each of us to ever do so come our way, if we can possibly avoid it. That way, maybe we can all buy our Moon Kingdom at least a bit more time. Even if it's ultimately doomed to fall someday in the future. We may not ever be able to actually save the Moon Kingdom. But at least we can all try our best to protect it for as long as we possibly can all do so."
Then Raye made sure that Serena and her sisters each got everything that they'd need to bring with them to the other side of the Moon, if they'd not already done so. That done, she soon escorted them all to the Sailor Scout Garden, while she made sure that Serena and her sisters all reported there in their respective Scout states. And she did so even while she made sure that she also did the same with her own Scout state, as of the current time, in each of their own mortal lives in God's very own Universe. That done, Mars awaited the eventual arrival of all the other Princesses who weren't yet there ahead of her and her current companions there. She and Queen Serenity's three daughters were the first of the Princesses to arrive there for their upcoming trip to the other side of the Moon. They waited another two or so minutes after getting there, before Mercury eventually appeared there leading Saturn Beta, Neptune Beta, and several other Princesses into the garden. By the time that Mercury's current companions had all arrived in it well enough, Mars had asked Mercury, "How soon will Queen Serenity be here?"
"She'll be here momentarily. She's just making sure that all the necessary things and people on the other side of the Moon are ready for our arrival there, before we go there, Mars. When she's sure that they are, then she'll be here to meet us. We're supposed to make sure that we each have all the required items that we're supposed to bring with us to there, in the meantime."
"Are Luna and Artemis with her at the moment?"
"Yes. So are Princes Daniel and Raphael. She's also saying her farewells to them both, just in case she can't return to this side of the Moon when she's planning to do so, after we all get there ourselves. She's already sent a message canister to Sylvia. We'll have to wait to see if she'll be able to come to the other side of the Moon after all. We won't know for at least a few days if she'll be able to get back here soon enough, I think, though, Mars. That's if she even gets Queen Serenity's message canister to her somehow before anyone else does in her part of Earth, of course."
"Understood, Mercury." So all the Princesses now present in that Crystal Palace garden did as Mercury had just said that Queen Serenity wanted them to do while she still wasn't in that garden there. Of course, all of them were in their respective Scout states as Junior Sailor Scouts in the Moon Kingdom. Even Serena, who was Junior Sailor Moon, as a matter of fact.
Besides Serena, who was actually Junior Sailor Moon, other Princesses now in the garden who were also somewhat secretly Junior Sailors were Amy, Mina, Destiny, Bethany, Raye, Lita, Hannah, Alexis, Michelle, and Susan. Those other ten Princesses here were Junior Sailors Mercury, Venus, Corona, Eclipse, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Beta, Uranus Beta, Neptune Beta, and Pluto Beta, respectively. At least a few, if not even more than just a few, other Junior Sailors would be meeting them when they actually all got back to the other side of the Moon. Those other Junior Sailors were most likely, if not most definitely, either sisters or female cousins to the specific Junior Sailors they'd eventually be meeting there, when Queen Serenity brought them there some time later.
But that still wouldn't happen at least until Serenity brought them there, of course. In the meantime, those Junior Sailors would await the arrival of Serena, her mother, and other members of Serena's own royal Court, while they were in each of their respective Scout states, if they even had any. Luna and Artemis, however, weren't Scouts. But they were still very close to Serena and a number of other people in her life, of course.
Eventually Queen Serenity did show in the necessary Crystal Palace garden. She came there as Sentinel Serenity, which meant that she was currently in her second-power Scout state, as she did so. And when she did, she also came there with Prince Daniel. For he'd quite naturally indeed want to wish his daughters well while they were all on the other side of the Moon, of course. He briefly conversed with all three of his daughters, before Serenity reminded him that he couldn't go with them to the other side of the Moon. After which, he said his goodbyes to his three daughters, not yet knowing if and when he'd ever see them again in his own mortal life.
All three of his daughters said their goodbyes to him as well, of course. Sentinel Serenity soon asked him to leave the garden again, and make sure that nobody else would then enter it at all for at least a few hours. So Daniel did so, already knowing why. For he'd done it at least one time before in his life, mainly whenever his wife Serenity was traveling to the other side of the Moon from the Crystal Palace's Sailor Scout Garden, whether she was alone when she did so or she was with any other people at such times.
After he'd left everyone else alone in the garden, Sentinel Serenity went to a nearby pillar in it. Of course, it was the exact same one that she'd gone to shortly after Serena, Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina, Destiny, and Bethany had each become Scouts on Serena's tenth birthday. She did this as she had all her current companions follow her to it. Then she had them all surround her with their backs to her, while she temporarily lifted the top off that pillar, so that she could access the necessary console under it. She accessed that console, and input certain currently-required codes into that console, before she put the pillar's top back where she'd taken it from. That done, she allowed all her current companions to face her again, before leading them to a large boulder elsewhere in the garden. Of course, it was the same one that she'd first taken seven Junior Sailors to some time before. As she'd done at that time, she had Jupiter help her move that boulder to one side, so that she and all of her current companions could access the tunnel behind that boulder.
After the boulder was moved to one side as was then required, Serenity led all her current companions into the necessary tunnel, as she'd done at least once before, if not even more often than that. Of course, she provided all her fellow Scouts here with torches now. When she and all her current companions were far enough into that tunnel, she palmed the necessary brick on a nearby wall. And she then did that so the boulder she and Lita had earlier moved to one certain side of that tunnel's opening, somewhere in the Sailor Scout Garden, would slide back into its proper position there.
I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the first chapter of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The second chapter of this third story in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out!