As Serena walked up the stairs to the Cherry Hill Temple, she smiled. Her day had been great so far. She had gotten up early because since the NegaCreeps were no longer fighting, she could get to sleep at a decent time. Mrs. Haruna had been out sick, so they did not have the English test they were supposed to, giving Serena an extra day to prepare for it. Since she had gotten to school on time, and had actually gotten her homework done the night before, the sub had found no reason for her to get detention. To put the cherry on top, after the meeting she had a date with Darien. She had gotten to the thin door and was about to pull it open when she heard Raye's sharp, cutting voice.
"Meatball Head is always late! She needs to get her head out of the clouds, 'cause I am sick of this! She's ditzy, clumsy, and a pathetic little crybaby. She trips, she falls, and she cries. She can never turn up on time for battle unless she discovers the NegaMonster or we're with her when it shows up. I think that whenever she shows up, we jack the crystal and force her to resign from the role as Princess. We'll elect a new leader once she's dealt with. What say you, Ames?
Ami thought for a moment, and then responded. "I think you're right, but I don't think we'll be able to take the crystal from her. Her grades are simply atrocious, and she never applies herself, not once. Her work is sloppy at best, and she always seems to be at the arcade when we need her. She's let others blind her from her Scout responsibilities several times. Mina, Lita, do you agree?"
"Mhmm." they nodded. Luna also agreed, giving her consent as she hung on Raye's shoulder.
Then Serena heard the end of her world. Her beloved, her prince-in-shining-armor nailed her coffin in, shattering everything Serena ever believed.
"Serena's okay, I guess, but she's a child, and always will be. I need a woman, I'm a grown man and I need to be in a mature relationship. Serena just won't be able to give that to me, Raye can. Pure and simple."
Serena fell to her knees silently, holding herself to keep from falling into a black abyss of depression. Everything was wrong now, the sun wouldn't come out after the rain, the sun in the sky wouldn't rise tomorrow morning, and she couldn't ever be loved. She could hear the Scouts planning something, but it was noise in her ears, she couldn't comprehend it. Silent tears rolled down her porcelain face, smearing the makeup she had worn just for her Darien. A dull, aching throb filled her body; each heartbeat caused her misery. Unknown to her, the Crystal the Scouts were planning to jack formed a little crack, cracking a little more with each word they said against her.
Eventually she was able to pick herself up and dust herself off. The Scouts were laughing at something, but fell silent when they saw her. She was in her Princess form, the Silver Crystal dangling from a golden chain on her neck. Something was wrong with the Crystal though, instead of its beautiful, shining radiance that it normally possessed, it was scratched and battered, with a sense of mourning surrounding it.
In an instant, the three loyal Scouts and the baby Hotaru were there, but Hotaru was older, instantaneously, her growth being sped up by the need of her Princess. She developed into the last Scout, and Serena began to speak.
"Ami," she started, "was I not your first friend when you came to Crossroads? Didn't you see that I was completely spent after each and every battle? I have to run to each battle. I live in Crossroads. Most battles are downtown. That is a ten minute drive when no one else is on the road. I make it here in five. Until Amara would pick me up and drop me off for battles, I would run both ways, usually with injuries. And forget about class the next day. I was too tired from the battle to even think about studying, or even cramming. I often found it hard to concentrate on school when all I wanted was to sleep and heal. That exhaustion caused me to be much clumsier then the normal teenage. Could you, the Scout of Intelligence, not recognize that?
"Raye, Scout of Fire," she continued, "when you had head-to-toe bruises, didn't you find it hard to pick up your feet, to study for an upcoming test? Sailor Mercury was right. Only I and my descendents can possibly use the Crystal; all others who try without explicit permission from the Crystal's current owner will die." As she rebuked her former team, the crack in the Crystal grew wider.
"Lita, Mina, why did you agree? Mina, as my cousin and my second, you should remember I never received any Scout training on the Moon. Lita, you used to be my Champion. If ever I got hurt, you collected punishment. What changed? I didn't."
"Luna, I am ashamed of you. You, who tagged along on my shoulder and saw me bandage more wounds each night, then clean up the mess each night before I could go to bed. You, who gave me advice and raised me up to be leader, and then Moon Princess without so much as a by-your-leave. You saw how I collapsed on the floor several times, never making it to bed." The break in the Crystal was now completely visible, and threatening to ruin the gem completely.
"Darien, I suppose I should have seen this coming. You never treated me quite as well as you had before the possession by Beryl, and it got worse with Queen Nehellenia. I became property to you, not a woman who had proven herself in numerous battles to be able to save those I loved and still stand. I leave you with these words: You screwed up big time, jerk. Enjoy your life; I won't be in it."
As the Moon Princess spoke, her golden aura, which had been pulsating heavily, grew dark. The Crystal finally cracked completely, the remaining jewel falling to the floor. It shattered as it hit, and Serena's powers exploded. She fainted into Amara's strong arms, and her loyal Scouts got her to the car. Once in the car, Hotaru reverted back to her previous age, and Trista held her as the car sped back to where the Outers were currently living.
They arrived at their, for a lack of a better word, mansion, and Amara lifted her Princess out of the convertible effortlessly. She forbade herself from going back to the previous events, focusing on getting her Princess into a soft, warm bed. Trista was getting Hotaru ready for bed, and then they would talk.
Amara was the first to break. "I've never seen Kitten like that. What happened to the Crystal? How could it just… break?"
"I don't know." The Guardian of Time admitted. "I never saw this… or the betrayal… something went very wrong with the Scouts."
"Whatever it is, Trista, they nearly killed Serena. Her vitals were spiking heavily during the confrontation. When she collapsed, she nearly flat-lined. If you hadn't caught her, we most likely wouldn't have a Princess."
Amara looked shocked at Michelle's words, but Trista nodded mournfully.
"Whatever happens, we must protect Serena."
Serena slowly woke up the next morning, and panicked. She remembered the farce of a Scout meeting last night…. and nothing after that. She looked around, and smiled as she saw Amara snoozing on an easy chair near her bed. The dirty blonde was snoring slightly, and had a dribble of drool hanging from her mouth. Serena sniggered, and Amara woke up.
"Wha… who's there?!? Who's there? Oh, Princess, it's just you."
"Just me, my butt. How many other Moon Princesses do you know?" Serena asked in mock indignation.
"I've known them all." Trista said as she entered the room. "I also knew all the original Goddesses, too, but that doesn't matter right now."
"Show off." Serena and Amara said in unison, and Trista laughed, causing Michelle to join the trio of Scouts.
"I see you're up, Serena. How are you holding up?" Michelle asked kindly.
"I'll… I'll be alright. It would have been much worse if you supported the other Scouts, but… I might eventually recover."
The Outers all heard what was unsaid, and without even looking at each, gave their Princess a large group hug. Amara began to tickle Serena, and Serena laughed, but it was a hollow laugh.
The next day, Serena went to her parents' house and told them that she would be visiting a friend in the States. Her parents were sad, but as she was 18, she was perfectly allowed to go. She boarded the plane and left, leaving behind a destiny, four tearful Outers, and a life she had never wanted to live in the first place. Back at the terminal, Amara turned to Michelle, who was feeding baby Hotaru.
"Where did Kitten say she was going again?"
"Her exact words were "To Gotham. To Bruce"".