Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, except the villains.
Peace?
Prologue:
It was a beautiful, sunny day in Tokyo. Everything was calm and peaceful and since there were no evil villains to fight, the Sailor Scouts had time to enjoy their normal everyday lives as humans. Serena and Darien were engaged and were getting married in the fall, Setsuna had her own fashion design business up and running. Leta owned her own bakery and restaurant, Haruka was a race car driver, Michiru and the Starlights were away on tour. Mina was an actress and Amy, naturally, was a doctor. Hotaru and Renee were in their first year of high school and Rei was the High Priestess of the Cherry Hill Temple. Everyone was happy. Or so it seemed......
Chapter One. Leta was on her lunch break and walking through the park. As she was strolling along she noticed Darien sitting by himself on a bench. Going over to him she smiled. " Hi Darien . "
When Darien didn't look up or say anything Leta got worried. " Darien is something wrong ? "
Without looking up Darien nodded and Leta sat down beside him.
" Do you want to talk about it ? "
" Do you have a while ? " He replied.
" Not right now but I have hours to spare after 5 o'clock . " Leta replied before asking. " Have you eaten lately ? "
" No . " Darien said, shaking his head.
" Well then, eat . " Leta ordered, handing him half of her lunch.
Darien gave her a weak smile and accepted the food. Silently they ate.
" So do you want to talk about whatever's bothering you later or should I play hooky this afternoon ? "
" Later, I guess . "
" Okay. You can come over to my place at six if you like and have some dinner. We can talk then . " Leta suggested before quickly adding. " If you want . "
" Sure, sounds great . " Darien smiled. " I don't think anyone had ever been able to resist your cooking . "
" Thanks but I'm sure somebody will someday . " Leta laughed. " See you tonight then . "
" Oh and Darien . " She began as she got to her feet.
When Darien looked up she continued. " Don't worry too much about whatever it is, okay. It can't be that bad . "
Darien nodded and Leta walked off, back to her bakery to finish the mountains of paperwork on her desk.
Hours later the mountains had been downgraded to molehills. Exhausted Leta glanced over at the clock. It was 5:15. Leta yawned as she shut down her computer and got to her feet. , Grabbing a bag off the counter, turning off the lights, closing and locking the doors behind her Leta left the bakery and headed home.
Walking into her kitchen, Leta quickly chopped up vegetables and threw them in to a wok. Rice was put in a pot on the stove and chicken was diced and thrown into the oven to bake. Once that was done Leta jumped into the shower. She emerged twenty minutes later, clean and relaxed. Leta took the chicken out of the oven and put it in with the vegetables and added several spices. She turned off the rice and set the table. With five minutes to go before Darien was due to arrive Leta sat down on the couch and relaxed. That's when the doorbell rang.
" Hi Darien, Come on in . " She smiled.
" Thanks Leta . "
" No problem, so are you hungry ? " Leta inquired.
" Starving . " Darien replied with a tiny grin.
" Well the dining room is this way . "
Leta lead the way to the dining room and they both sat down to eat.
" So have to talked to Serena about what's bothering you ? "
" I haven't had a chance ." Darien shrugged. " Every time I tried one of her friends would come over and I'd get interrupted . "
" Oh ."
" Yeah, so are you sure that you want to hear this ? "
" Yes, I'm sure . "
" Well here goes nothing . " Darien said. " Did I ever tell you about my parents ? "
" No . "
" Well they were killed in a car crash when I was 8. I was the only survivor . " Darien replied. " Or so I thought . "
" H'uh ? "
" A few days ago I got a phone call from an older couple. They claimed to be my parents . " He whispered.
" Ohmigod ! " Leta exclaimed.
" That was pretty much my reaction too . " Darien frowned.
" What did they say ? "
" They said that they were my parents, that they'd been looking for me for years and were so happy that they finally found me . " Darien said, tears streaming down his cheeks. " They said that they wanted to meet me somewhere as soon as possible . "
" What are you going to do ? " Leta asked as she handed him a tissue.
" Thanks . " He mumbled. " I don't have a clue . Do you have any ideas ? "
Leta thought for a moment before answering. " You could tell them that they made a mistake. That your parents were killed years ago in a car crash. Or you could meet them and see if they're for real . "
" That's exactly like the list that I came up with . " Darien frowned once again. " But I still don't know what to do."
" I think that you should do what you think is best for you . " Leta smiled. " It's not going to be an easy decision but whatever you decide will be for the best . "
" And what if I make the wrong choice ? "
" What if you make the right choice ? " She gently countered.
" Thanks Leta . " Darien managed a weak smile. " I guess I needed to get that off my chest more than I thought . "
" Anytime Darien . So when are you going to talk to Serena about this ? "
" I was hoping to talk to her tomorrow . But when I called her before I came here she said that she had some plans to go shopping all day with someone . "
" That would be me." Leta admitted sheepishly.
" Hey wait a minute. We were going to eat breakfast here before we went shopping." Leta exclaimed. " Why don't you talk to her then . "
" You wouldn't mind ? "
" Of course not ! " Leta laughed. " That's why I suggested it. "
" She 's coming over early so why don't you just crash in the guestroom for the night. It'll save you a trip . "
" Umm. Okay. " Darien agreed, sounding unsure.
" You don't have to . " Leta replied. " I wouldn't have even offered it if I thought that ."
" That's alright Leta . " Darien interrupted. " I wouldn't mind getting a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning . "
"You sure ? "
" Yeah, I'm sure . " He laughed. " Besides it's not like anything is going to happen or anything . "
Chapter Two.
Leta didn't wake up in the morning until she heard someone pounding on the front door and calling her name.
"Leta ! Come on open the door ! " A familiar voice whined. " Leta ! "
' Serena ' Leta thought before jumping out of bed. " Oh shit ! I slept in ! "
Leta grabbed her housecoat and ran to the door. She flung it open wide and ushered Serena inside. Darien had just left the guestroom and was standing in the hallway, in his clothes from the day before which were now slightly wrinkled, staring at Serena.
" Hi Serena . " Leta said cheerfully. " Back in a flash. Make yourself at home ."
" Okay . " Serena said. " Darien ? What are you doing here ? "
" It's a long story . " Darien replied.
" Really, I think that I have time to hear it . "
" Okay here goes . "
" I'm sorry that I slept in Serena. I'll have breakfast ready in about 10 minutes . " Leta apologized when she returned.
Serena was silent, thinking about the sight that had greeted her that morning when she arrived. A thought struck her and she didn't like it. Not one little bit.
" So Darien, you spent the night here I take it . " Serena stated furiously.
" Yes I did ." He warily replied.
" Well I hope that you have a good explanation because you have exactly 10 seconds to give it to me . " Serena fumed.
" Serena what are you getting at ? " Darien asked.
" The least that you can do is tell me to my face what's going on between the two of you . " Serena screamed. " And not go around behind my back . "
" Serena what's wrong ? " Leta asked as she came out of the kitchen.
" What's wrong ! " Serena screeched. " You have the nerve to ask me what's wrong . "
" Serena ? " Leta said unsure.
" Don't you ' Serena ' me missy. How dare you !" Serena cried. " I thought that you were my friend. How could you do this to me ! ? "
" What are you talking about Serena ? "Leta asked in confusion.
" What am I talking about ! " She shrieked. " As if you don't know ."
" Serena if you think that anything happened last night between....." Leta began.
" I don't think ! "
" That's for sure . " Leta muttered under her breath.
" I know and I for one don't want to hear it . " Serena continued, not hearing Leta's comment. " I though that you were my friend . "
" Serena..." Darien began.
" Shut up Darien ! " Serena shouted.
Both Darien and Leta froze, staring wide-eyed at her. Serena glared at them.
Growing more and more agitated at Leta and Darien, Serena spun on her heel and grabbed Leta's purse. She opened it and pulled out Leta's crystal transformation wand.
" See this, you won't be needing it anymore ." Serena said, walking over to a cabinet. " See these , "she said as she pulled out two more transformation wands. " you won't need these either . "
" Serena you can't be serious . " Leta cried. " Tell me that you're joking . "
Silence.
" Tell me that you're joking ! " Leta cried.
" I'm not joking Leta ." Serena said, her eyes blazing in her anger. " There are no sluts in the Sailor Scouts. And you are no longer a Sailor Scout . "
Furious, Leta's fist shot out and connected solidly with Serena's jaw. Serena fell to the floor, a large bruise forming where Leta's fist had punched her.
" You stupid little bitch . " Serena wailed.
Leta jerked Serena to her feet and slammed her against the wall. " No one has ever gotten away with calling me those names before. So don't you ever call me a slut again, If you do, I can guarantee that your fighting days are numbered. And it's a very small number ." With that said Leta let Serena drop to the floor.
Darien quickly moved to Serena's side but was shoved away. Serena's eyes glittered with sadness and hatred as she looked at Leta. Leta returned her glare unblinkingly. Serena looked down at her left hand and pulled off the diamond ring. Throwing it at Darien as she got to her feet, Serena stormed out the door. Darien stared at the ring in his open palm.
" I'm sorry Darien . " Leta apologized. " I didn't expect anything like this to happen. And I especially didn't mean to lose my temper like that at Serena . "
" I know Leta . " Darien sighed. " I know and I'm sorry too. I don't know what got into her . "
Leta gave a weak smile and picked up her fallen purse. Looking inside she almost began to cry. Reaching inside she pulled out a little green compact with the symbol of Jupiter on it.
" She didn't take my communicator . " She said, a single tear trailing down her cheek.
Darien gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and Leta looked up at him. " You'd better go after her before she explodes at someone else . "
Darien nodded, said goodbye and left. Leta just sat on the floor and cried. Five minutes later there was a knock at the door.. Wiping her eyes with her sleeve Leta answered the door and came face to face with a very worried Amy.
" Leta, is something wrong? I thought that I heard someone yelling . " Amy asked with concern.
" Hi Amy. Come on in . "
" Leta what happened? Were you crying ? ! "
" Oh nothing much. Serena came over and jumped to the wrong conclusions. " Leta said. " And she kicked me out of the Scouts."
Peace?
Prologue:
It was a beautiful, sunny day in Tokyo. Everything was calm and peaceful and since there were no evil villains to fight, the Sailor Scouts had time to enjoy their normal everyday lives as humans. Serena and Darien were engaged and were getting married in the fall, Setsuna had her own fashion design business up and running. Leta owned her own bakery and restaurant, Haruka was a race car driver, Michiru and the Starlights were away on tour. Mina was an actress and Amy, naturally, was a doctor. Hotaru and Renee were in their first year of high school and Rei was the High Priestess of the Cherry Hill Temple. Everyone was happy. Or so it seemed......
Chapter One. Leta was on her lunch break and walking through the park. As she was strolling along she noticed Darien sitting by himself on a bench. Going over to him she smiled. " Hi Darien . "
When Darien didn't look up or say anything Leta got worried. " Darien is something wrong ? "
Without looking up Darien nodded and Leta sat down beside him.
" Do you want to talk about it ? "
" Do you have a while ? " He replied.
" Not right now but I have hours to spare after 5 o'clock . " Leta replied before asking. " Have you eaten lately ? "
" No . " Darien said, shaking his head.
" Well then, eat . " Leta ordered, handing him half of her lunch.
Darien gave her a weak smile and accepted the food. Silently they ate.
" So do you want to talk about whatever's bothering you later or should I play hooky this afternoon ? "
" Later, I guess . "
" Okay. You can come over to my place at six if you like and have some dinner. We can talk then . " Leta suggested before quickly adding. " If you want . "
" Sure, sounds great . " Darien smiled. " I don't think anyone had ever been able to resist your cooking . "
" Thanks but I'm sure somebody will someday . " Leta laughed. " See you tonight then . "
" Oh and Darien . " She began as she got to her feet.
When Darien looked up she continued. " Don't worry too much about whatever it is, okay. It can't be that bad . "
Darien nodded and Leta walked off, back to her bakery to finish the mountains of paperwork on her desk.
Hours later the mountains had been downgraded to molehills. Exhausted Leta glanced over at the clock. It was 5:15. Leta yawned as she shut down her computer and got to her feet. , Grabbing a bag off the counter, turning off the lights, closing and locking the doors behind her Leta left the bakery and headed home.
Walking into her kitchen, Leta quickly chopped up vegetables and threw them in to a wok. Rice was put in a pot on the stove and chicken was diced and thrown into the oven to bake. Once that was done Leta jumped into the shower. She emerged twenty minutes later, clean and relaxed. Leta took the chicken out of the oven and put it in with the vegetables and added several spices. She turned off the rice and set the table. With five minutes to go before Darien was due to arrive Leta sat down on the couch and relaxed. That's when the doorbell rang.
" Hi Darien, Come on in . " She smiled.
" Thanks Leta . "
" No problem, so are you hungry ? " Leta inquired.
" Starving . " Darien replied with a tiny grin.
" Well the dining room is this way . "
Leta lead the way to the dining room and they both sat down to eat.
" So have to talked to Serena about what's bothering you ? "
" I haven't had a chance ." Darien shrugged. " Every time I tried one of her friends would come over and I'd get interrupted . "
" Oh ."
" Yeah, so are you sure that you want to hear this ? "
" Yes, I'm sure . "
" Well here goes nothing . " Darien said. " Did I ever tell you about my parents ? "
" No . "
" Well they were killed in a car crash when I was 8. I was the only survivor . " Darien replied. " Or so I thought . "
" H'uh ? "
" A few days ago I got a phone call from an older couple. They claimed to be my parents . " He whispered.
" Ohmigod ! " Leta exclaimed.
" That was pretty much my reaction too . " Darien frowned.
" What did they say ? "
" They said that they were my parents, that they'd been looking for me for years and were so happy that they finally found me . " Darien said, tears streaming down his cheeks. " They said that they wanted to meet me somewhere as soon as possible . "
" What are you going to do ? " Leta asked as she handed him a tissue.
" Thanks . " He mumbled. " I don't have a clue . Do you have any ideas ? "
Leta thought for a moment before answering. " You could tell them that they made a mistake. That your parents were killed years ago in a car crash. Or you could meet them and see if they're for real . "
" That's exactly like the list that I came up with . " Darien frowned once again. " But I still don't know what to do."
" I think that you should do what you think is best for you . " Leta smiled. " It's not going to be an easy decision but whatever you decide will be for the best . "
" And what if I make the wrong choice ? "
" What if you make the right choice ? " She gently countered.
" Thanks Leta . " Darien managed a weak smile. " I guess I needed to get that off my chest more than I thought . "
" Anytime Darien . So when are you going to talk to Serena about this ? "
" I was hoping to talk to her tomorrow . But when I called her before I came here she said that she had some plans to go shopping all day with someone . "
" That would be me." Leta admitted sheepishly.
" Hey wait a minute. We were going to eat breakfast here before we went shopping." Leta exclaimed. " Why don't you talk to her then . "
" You wouldn't mind ? "
" Of course not ! " Leta laughed. " That's why I suggested it. "
" She 's coming over early so why don't you just crash in the guestroom for the night. It'll save you a trip . "
" Umm. Okay. " Darien agreed, sounding unsure.
" You don't have to . " Leta replied. " I wouldn't have even offered it if I thought that ."
" That's alright Leta . " Darien interrupted. " I wouldn't mind getting a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning . "
"You sure ? "
" Yeah, I'm sure . " He laughed. " Besides it's not like anything is going to happen or anything . "
Chapter Two.
Leta didn't wake up in the morning until she heard someone pounding on the front door and calling her name.
"Leta ! Come on open the door ! " A familiar voice whined. " Leta ! "
' Serena ' Leta thought before jumping out of bed. " Oh shit ! I slept in ! "
Leta grabbed her housecoat and ran to the door. She flung it open wide and ushered Serena inside. Darien had just left the guestroom and was standing in the hallway, in his clothes from the day before which were now slightly wrinkled, staring at Serena.
" Hi Serena . " Leta said cheerfully. " Back in a flash. Make yourself at home ."
" Okay . " Serena said. " Darien ? What are you doing here ? "
" It's a long story . " Darien replied.
" Really, I think that I have time to hear it . "
" Okay here goes . "
" I'm sorry that I slept in Serena. I'll have breakfast ready in about 10 minutes . " Leta apologized when she returned.
Serena was silent, thinking about the sight that had greeted her that morning when she arrived. A thought struck her and she didn't like it. Not one little bit.
" So Darien, you spent the night here I take it . " Serena stated furiously.
" Yes I did ." He warily replied.
" Well I hope that you have a good explanation because you have exactly 10 seconds to give it to me . " Serena fumed.
" Serena what are you getting at ? " Darien asked.
" The least that you can do is tell me to my face what's going on between the two of you . " Serena screamed. " And not go around behind my back . "
" Serena what's wrong ? " Leta asked as she came out of the kitchen.
" What's wrong ! " Serena screeched. " You have the nerve to ask me what's wrong . "
" Serena ? " Leta said unsure.
" Don't you ' Serena ' me missy. How dare you !" Serena cried. " I thought that you were my friend. How could you do this to me ! ? "
" What are you talking about Serena ? "Leta asked in confusion.
" What am I talking about ! " She shrieked. " As if you don't know ."
" Serena if you think that anything happened last night between....." Leta began.
" I don't think ! "
" That's for sure . " Leta muttered under her breath.
" I know and I for one don't want to hear it . " Serena continued, not hearing Leta's comment. " I though that you were my friend . "
" Serena..." Darien began.
" Shut up Darien ! " Serena shouted.
Both Darien and Leta froze, staring wide-eyed at her. Serena glared at them.
Growing more and more agitated at Leta and Darien, Serena spun on her heel and grabbed Leta's purse. She opened it and pulled out Leta's crystal transformation wand.
" See this, you won't be needing it anymore ." Serena said, walking over to a cabinet. " See these , "she said as she pulled out two more transformation wands. " you won't need these either . "
" Serena you can't be serious . " Leta cried. " Tell me that you're joking . "
Silence.
" Tell me that you're joking ! " Leta cried.
" I'm not joking Leta ." Serena said, her eyes blazing in her anger. " There are no sluts in the Sailor Scouts. And you are no longer a Sailor Scout . "
Furious, Leta's fist shot out and connected solidly with Serena's jaw. Serena fell to the floor, a large bruise forming where Leta's fist had punched her.
" You stupid little bitch . " Serena wailed.
Leta jerked Serena to her feet and slammed her against the wall. " No one has ever gotten away with calling me those names before. So don't you ever call me a slut again, If you do, I can guarantee that your fighting days are numbered. And it's a very small number ." With that said Leta let Serena drop to the floor.
Darien quickly moved to Serena's side but was shoved away. Serena's eyes glittered with sadness and hatred as she looked at Leta. Leta returned her glare unblinkingly. Serena looked down at her left hand and pulled off the diamond ring. Throwing it at Darien as she got to her feet, Serena stormed out the door. Darien stared at the ring in his open palm.
" I'm sorry Darien . " Leta apologized. " I didn't expect anything like this to happen. And I especially didn't mean to lose my temper like that at Serena . "
" I know Leta . " Darien sighed. " I know and I'm sorry too. I don't know what got into her . "
Leta gave a weak smile and picked up her fallen purse. Looking inside she almost began to cry. Reaching inside she pulled out a little green compact with the symbol of Jupiter on it.
" She didn't take my communicator . " She said, a single tear trailing down her cheek.
Darien gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and Leta looked up at him. " You'd better go after her before she explodes at someone else . "
Darien nodded, said goodbye and left. Leta just sat on the floor and cried. Five minutes later there was a knock at the door.. Wiping her eyes with her sleeve Leta answered the door and came face to face with a very worried Amy.
" Leta, is something wrong? I thought that I heard someone yelling . " Amy asked with concern.
" Hi Amy. Come on in . "
" Leta what happened? Were you crying ? ! "
" Oh nothing much. Serena came over and jumped to the wrong conclusions. " Leta said. " And she kicked me out of the Scouts."