DFH00

I do not own the rights to any of the characters in this fanfic, nor do I claim them. The idea, however, is mine. Enjoy!

AN - After a few requests for a sequel to An Ancient Evil and then again for This Time Around, I finally came up with a pretty decent idea! So, I hope that you all enjoy and review this. I dedicate this to all who asked for a sequel!

Dealing Fate's Hand

Prologue

"Ms. Tsukino!"

Serena shot out of her seat quickly, standing at attention. She began to relax slightly, as she heard the snickers and giggles of her classmates, and pink tint stained her cheeks. "Present, Ms. Haruna," she exclaimed. Her teacher looked at her strangely, shaking her head.

"Yes, we know that all too well by your snoring, Ms. Tsukino," Ms. Haruna replied dryly. Serena blushed again, and the teacher rolled her eyes slightly. "You're obviously not prepared for class, Serena. Have a seat. I'll see you after class."

"Yes, Ma'am," she replied with a moan, taking her seat once again. Next to her, Kento looked at her, worry expressed on his face.

"Are you feeling alright," he whispered, leaning towards her.

"Is there something you want to share with the class, Mr. Faun," Ms. Haruna asked, looking at him pointedly. Kento sat upright in his seat, and shook his head. She turned towards the blackboard, her book in one hand and the chalk in the other.

"I'm fine, Kento," she replied quietly, once the teacher was busy at the board, a smile turning up the corner of her mouth. "We'll talk after class."

The rest of the class went uneventfully, and when the final bell rang, the students quickly gathered their things, rushing out to welcome the weekend - and upcoming vacation. Serena slowly stood, getting her things together and saying good byes as her friends called out to her. After she gathered all her stuff, she went to stand in front of Ms. Haruna's desk.

"Ms. Tsukino," Ms. Haruna began, looking up as she finished grading her final paper. She took a quick look around the room, and smiled slightly. "Serena, what has been going on with you? I've seen a great improvement in your schoolwork efforts, but there has been a decline lately."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Haruna," Serena replied with a bow. "I haven't been able to sleep at night. And it's vacation."

"Well, I won't tolerate you falling asleep during my class." Ms. Haruna stood from her desk, turning towards the blackboard. As she was erasing the board, she heard the sound of a desk chair being pulled out. When she turned back around, she saw Serena sitting at a desk, pulling out some books. "What are you doing, Ms. Tsukino?"

"I'm staying for detention, Ms. Haruna. That's why you had me stay after class, right?"

"Nonsense," she exclaimed, with a wave of her hand. She smiled as Serena looked at her, surprise written on her face. "Not even I will give a detention at the beginning of Spring Break, Ms. Tsukino." She watched as Serena packed up her things once again, and shook her head in amusement. "Just make sure to get plenty of rest over the break."

"Ok, Ms. Haruna," Serena exclaimed, smiling brightly. She bowed once again, and as she was about to leave, she turned back around. "And have a nice date tonight, Ma'am!"

"You know me too well, Serena," the teacher laughed. "Have a nice vacation."

* * * * * *

Serena shielded her eyes as the bright afternoon sunlight glared down in her face. She took in a deep breath of air, and a feeling bordering excitement coursed through her body. Humming softly to herself, she began skipping down the stairs, leading to the sidewalk. As she got near the bottom of the stairs, she lost her footing and felt as she began to fall. She gasped, and extended her arms out in front of her, bracing herself and squeezing her eyes shut. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her, keeping her from falling completely to the ground.

"Hey, where are you going," a voice asked lightly, chuckling a little. Serena opened her eyes and looked up into the smiling face of her boyfriend.

"Kento," she exclaimed, straightening herself up. "Thanks for catching me."

"It brings back memories, doesn't it," he asked, winking at her. She smiled, and then the two began to walk together. After a long silence, Kento cleared his throat. "So, are you going to tell me what was wrong earlier?"

"I've just been tired," she replied. "I haven't gotten as much sleep as I'd like to lately." She walked with her head bowed slightly, her arms loosely hanging in front of her, hands gripping her bag tightly.

"Well, you'll be able to catch up on sleep over vacation," Kento stated. He stepped closer to her, and as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders loosely, she smiled at him.

"That's what Ms. Haruna said, too."

The two continued walking in silence, waving to friends that they passed by. As they walked by the gymnasium, they saw Mina inside, clad in her volleyball uniform. "Although she's a shoo-in, she's still trying out for the team," Serena thought, returning Mina's wave as the girl noticed the couple walk past. Not too far from the gymnasium, in the baseball field, both Rowen and Ryo were trying out for a sports team, as well.

"Uh, Serena," Kento began, causing his girlfriend to look at him. It was then, that she took notice that he was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, instead of his regular school uniform. "I think I'll try out for the baseball team, as well." Rowen and Ryo waved as they noticed Kento, and he returned the gesture.

"You'd better go then, Kento," she replied, pushing him in the field direction. A smile played at the corner of his mouth as he leaned forward, kissing her lightly. As they parted, she smiled at him. "Good luck, and wish Rowen and Ryo luck for me, too."

"We'll do our best," he exclaimed, sharing a knowing smile with Serena. "You should try out for an extracurricular activity, too, or sign-up for a club."

"If I keep falling asleep in class, detention will take up all my after school time," she said with a pout. Kento chuckled and then waved before he turned to go to the field. "Kento," she exclaimed, causing him to turn back around. "Meet me at Rei's, after practice. And tell the others, too."

"Alright, babe," he called back, before turning once again, and running towards the diamond. Serena watched as he, Ryo, and Rowen exchanged high-fives in the distance, and she sighed.

"How long has it been," she wondered silently, and she continued on her way home. "Six months; six, long months. Rini, Lotus… I miss you both so much."

She took notice of Amy and Sai sitting together in the courtyard as she passed by them. Amy sat on the ground, her legs crossed underneath her, and Sai was laying down, his head resting in her lap and his eyes closed peacefully. Amy looked up from the book she read, and waved in Serena's direction.

"Are we still meeting at Rei's," Amy called out. Serena nodded her head, and Amy smiled and nodded in response, returning to her book.

"I wish I could see them again," her mind began to wander, once again returning to her gloomy thoughts. "What is this emptiness?"

"Serena!" The girl blinked, realizing that her vision was blurred with unshed tears. She looked up in the direction the voice had come from, and noticed Lita sitting in the bleachers, near the track.

"When did I get here…?" She shook her head, realizing that she hadn't been paying attention to where she was walking. "Lita," she finally replied, watching as the girl descended the bleachers, and ran in her direction. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm cheering on Sage," Lita replied. "He's trying out for the track team, although I know he'll make it." She smiled. "I joined the Culinary Club."

"That's great." It was a half-hearted reply.

"What's wrong, Serena," Lita asked, cocking her head to the side in concern. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Just meet up with everyone at Rei's, later this afternoon," Serena replied, beginning to back away slowly.

"Serena…"

"We'll discuss everything there," Serena interrupted, putting on a fake smile. Lita shrugged, though a frown still remained on her face. "Don't look so down, Lita! It's spring vacation!"

This seemed to ease Lita's mind, and she returned Serena's smile. "Alright, then. I'll see you at Rei's!"

* * * * * *

As planned, the warriors all met up at the Hikawa Shinto Shrine (the Cherry Hill Temple) later in the afternoon. Kento, Ryo, and Rowen all had made it onto the baseball team, while Sage and Mina made the track and volleyball teams respectively. Amy and Sai had ended up arriving at the shrine last, and Lita teased them about their delinquent behavior. Flushing with extreme embarrassment, Amy explained that she and Sai had decided to join up for the Chess Club at the last minute. At Rei's private school, she had joined up for the Archery Club.

After finally finishing up her chores, Rei joined her friends on the stairs. "So, which club or after-school activity did you sign up for, Serena," she asked. When she didn't receive an answer, she stalked over towards her friend, tapping lightly on the blonde's head. "Hello, is anyone in there!"

"Rei," she exclaimed in surprise. She shook her head, and then returned her gaze back up towards the sky; more specifically, to a star which shone strangely, brightly in the sky. Next to it, a phantom crescent moon was visible. "I heard what you said..."

As she trailed off, her friends looked at each other in concern. "So what club did you decide to join, Serena," Mina asked.

"Isn't that a strange sight," Serena commented, ignoring the question. "It's not normal for a star to be in the sky during this time of the day, is it?" She finally tore her gaze away from the star, to look at her friends.

"It could be a planet," Sai suggested. "They can sometimes be seen during daylight."

"I was thinking…" Serena trailed once again, then nodded her head decisively. "Once we go back to school, I'll change my classes around, and take a class that deals with the stars."

"Do you mean Astronomy," Amy asked, just as surprised as the others.

"Yeah… astronomy," Serena stated, a genuine smile crossing her face. "But let's not talk about school right now! We have to plan out what we'll do during our vacation time!" Her usual, bubbly attitude kicked in, and her excitement slowly spread to the others.

However, her strange behavior from before lingered in all of her friends' minds.

To Be Continued…

I'm sure this is a little shorter than you would have liked, but keep in mind, it is only a prologue. I'll begin working on the next part… Until then, please leave a review!