Serena looked at her hand, still amazed from what happened. There was no evidence that it had been burned earlier. That man had amazing powers. Who was he? What was he? Was he really working for the Nega-verse, and only trying to fool the Sailor Scouts? Amy seemed to think he was good, but what if she was wrong? Thank God her mom hadn't discovered that she had been gone, or else she'd be in really big trouble. Serena was so drained from using the scepter so much. She was going to sleep good tonight. Maybe I should apologize to Luna, Serena thought. She's right. If I did start getting up earlier, I wouldn't have been locked out today. Plus, my mom would be more willing to lessen the grounding if I did better at getting up. It was eight-o clock. Even though it was so early, she had to go to bed. She was just so tired.
The next day, Serena actually got up on time. She didn't have to run, which was a pleasant change of pace. She was walking leisurely down the street when she saw Darien going on his morning jog. "Darien!" Her hand was raised, and she was waving it to get his attention. He looked over her way, and then trotted across the street.
"Hey Meatball-head. How are you?"
Serena smiled. She had no doubts about how she felt about Darien. But, why did Clark Kent haunt her thoughts so? "I'm good."
"I'm surprised to see you." He was happy, though. Serena could tell.
"Oh? And why is that?"
"Well, either my watch is broken, or you're actually on time." Serena playfully jabbed him in the rib. He grabbed her, and stole a kiss. When he looked at her, she was blushing deeply. Darien smiled at her eagerness to see him. He loved her so much, but why couldn't he tell her those three small words? Even though he'd faced so many Nega-monsters, he couldn't wear his heart on his sleeve for this sweet and caring junior high student. Well, she was almost in high school.
"I got grounded yesterday, and maybe if I'm on time for school, I'll get off on good behavior." He laughed about her statement.
"I'll walk you to school." Darien put his arm around her, and they began walking down the street together. Serena stepped on her shoelace, and began falling forward. Darien tried to stop her from falling, but she dragged him down with her. They were on the sidewalk in a heap. Darien and Serena were a tangle of arms, legs and heads. Tears were in Serena's eyes. I always ruin everything, Serena thought. Why am I such a klutz? Darien saw Serena's dismay. He helped her up, after he got off of the hard cement, and started to laugh. Serena looked at him, and smiled slightly. Soon she started to laugh, too. They walked hand in hand to Crossroads Junior High.
Serena was actually early for school. She was even there before Amy. Molly was there, though. She'd go over and talk to her for a while. "Hey, Molly. How are you?"
"Oh, hi Serena. I'm surprised to see you."
"Yeah. I decided to try to get here earlier, at least until I'm ungrounded."
"You should really be on time every day."
Serena winced inwardly. "Yeah, I know."
"Hey, you could walk to school every day with your boyfriend. What's his name again?"
"Darien. Darien Shields." Why was she wishing that Clark could walk her to school, too?
"Oh yeah. How old is he, anyway? He looks a bit old for you."
"True love knows no age." Serena said with a romantic sigh. She had a slight smile on her face, and her eyes had the daydreamy look. Well, she isn't going to be good for conversation any more right now, Molly thought. Molly's mind wandered to Maxfield Stanton…or should she say Nephlite? Serena had said Maxfield was a bad person. She remembered her saying he wasn't even human. That was true, but how could Serena know? Serena's new friends were also making her suspicious. They each arrived when a new Sailor Scout did. Could Serena be Sailor Moon? Could Amy, Lita, Raye, and Mina be Sailor Scouts? Serena and herself had been growing apart for about a year now. She was always at Raye's temple. Why wouldn't Serena tell her? Molly had been thinking that for a while, but it had been plaguing her mind greater and greater. Maybe I should just ask her about it, Molly thought. She wasn't a stupid girl. She could put two and two together. She had no more time to ponder the thoughts of Serena's possible secret identity. The bell rang, and the students shuffled in for another long and exhausting day.
Clark Kent was in his hotel room. He was thinking about these Sailor Scouts. They were obviously good, but way out of their league. This new enemy was definitely a Kryptonian, but how did he get to Earth? He was the only survivor. The Sailor Scouts had assumed that he was bad, probably because they had the same powers. The fact that Serena was Sailor Moon shocked Clark greatly. The girl that he had a crush on was a superhero. Wait a minute, Clark thought, a crush? She's half my age! I do not have a crush on Serena Tsukino. Just stop thinking about her, Clark. You have a story to write, and a nation to help. He wished that he could have the council of his mom and dad right now. They'd know what to say to him. Enough! Just don't think about it, Clark ordered himself. He switched his frame of mind, though it was difficult to do. The chief would like his story. He had a great story in mind. Instead of the mysterious drainings, he'd write about five young women in Sailor Suits fighting for love and justice. It wasn't what he had come here for, but it was still good. He couldn't forget about the masked man. Was there something between him and Sailor Moon? Tuxedo Mask was his name, wasn't it? Lois would flip out about this new caped man. They were popping up everywhere. Gotham City, Metropolis, and now Tokyo. She was probably flipping out that she didn't get the story, anyway. Clark chuckled to himself. Lois amazed him sometimes. She was an investigative reporter, yet she couldn't tell Superman and Clark Kent were the same people. Sometimes Clark was jealous of his alter ego. He should go interview the police. That would be the first place to start. Dammit! Clark thought. I could have interviewed, Serena, or should I say Sailor Moon? Oh well, I'll interview her the next time I see her. He wouldn't reveal who Serena really was, of course. He'd better get to that police station. Clark picked up his jacket, and walked out the door. Sailor Moon would sell a lot of papers the day he got back to Metropolis.
The day was dragging by so slowly. It was about lunchtime. Serena's mom had packed her the usual. A sandwich, soda, and this time celery sticks. What was she, a rabbit? There was also some vanilla pudding. That was an okay treat. She sat down next to Lita. Amy was in the classroom, studying. Why did she have to study so much? She said she'd probably be out later. Just as Serena thought that, Amy came wandering out. She must have decided not to study after all. Amy plopped down on the other side of Serena. "So, Amy, did you decide to come out here and eat?"
"Yeah. It's such a nice day out. If you weren't grounded, we could go for a walk."
"Maybe my mom would un-ground me."
"Fat chance, Serena." Lita said. Serena looked at Lita with the nastiest look she could muster, but Lita only laughed. "I was just kidding. Your mom never stays mad long. Maybe she'll un-ground you."
"I sure hope so." Serena smiled back at the tall athletic girl, and they began eating.
Serena was at home, pleading with her mom. She was starting to give in. "Please Mom," Serena whined, "Please un-ground me. I promise I won't be late ever again."
Serena's mom sighed. "You always say that, Serena."
"I know. I never get locked out, though. It wasn't even my fault. Please, Mom. Un-ground me."
"Okay, Serena. I'll let you go out. Just don't let what happened yesterday happen again."
"Thanks Mom!" Serena hugged her, and ran out the door to meet them at Cherry Hill Temple. Luna came trotting up next to Serena. Serena suddenly remembered the horrible things she said to her earlier. She had to apologize. "Luna, I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. I didn't mean it." The feline with the crescent moon on her forehead looked up at her and smiled.
"It's okay, Serena. I know you didn't actually mean it. You were just angry at your mother, and I had to nag."
"No. There's no excuse. I shouldn't yell at you just because my mom pissed me off." They walked the rest of the way to Cherry Hill Temple in silence. As they walked, Serena's thoughts went back to Clark Kent. Maybe I should talk to one of my friends. I can't keep this inside forever. When they got there, the rest of Serena's friends were surprised to see her.
"Did your mom un-ground you?" Mina asked.
Serena nodded. "She sure did!"
"How did you manage that?" asked Lita.
"Oh, she was probably her usual whiny self." Raye said.
"Raye! That was mean." Tears welled up in Serena's eyes. She started to bawl. Even though it was true, did she have to be such a brat about it?
"Oh, great going, Raye," Amy said, "now we have to calm her down."
"Hey, I'm just pointing out the obvious here."
"Well, do you have to be so mean about it?" Serena asked between sobs.
"Come on, Raye. Apologize. That's the only way she'll stop her wailing." Lita said loud enough for only her to hear.
Raye sighed. "I'm sorry, Serena."
"It's okay." Serena said between sniffles. After her last sniffle, Serena's mood changed back to her regular happy mood. "Let's go for that walk." Everyone agreed to that. After the walk was almost over, Serena decided that everyone should get ice cream. Everyone else readily agreed. They were walking along, when Serena gasped, and then smiled. Amy, Lita, Raye, and Mina followed Serena's view. What they saw was a tall, dashing young man. He had dark skin and hazel eyes. He wore glasses, and a nice working suit. The man had black hair, and looked like he had a nice body under the suit. Serena waved to the man, and he waved back, with a smile on his face.
"So, Serena, are you breaking up with Darien and going out with this guy?"
"NO! Clark and I are just friends." Lita nudged Serena's arm. Amy just sort of looked at Serena. She answered somewhat hastily, but no one else seemed to notice.
"Yeah, sure Serena. We believe you. Don't we?"
"Yeah…NOT!" Lita, Mina, and Raye said in unison.
"Ha ha ha. That's very funny." The man came trotting over.
"Hi Serena. Who's your friends?"
"This is Amy." Serena said pointing to the girl with the bluish hair and blue eyes. That was the girl I rescued yesterday. Could the rest of these girls be the other Sailor Scouts? Clark asked himself.
"Hi Amy."
"Hello, Clark." Her voice sounded a little mistrusting.
"This is Raye." Serena pointed to the girl with long black hair and purplish eyes. "This is Mina." Serena pointed to the young woman with long blond hair and blue eyes. "And last but not least, this is Lita." Lita had brown hair pulled into a ponytail and greenish eyes. "Everyone, this is Clark…Clark…I don't know your last name."
"Kent. My name is Clark Kent."
"It's nice to meet you, Clark." He shook the girls' hands one by one. They all seemed very nice. They all looked dreadfully familiar. Maybe they WERE the other four Sailor Scouts. They all looked like them. Well, he might as well conduct some interviews.
"Hey, I'm here to do a report, and it would be nice if you let me ask you guys a few questions."
"Okay. Sure. What do you guys think?" Serena asked. They all nodded their heads yes. "Great! Let's have a seat." Some of them sat down on a park bench. Raye, Lita, and Amy sat on the ground.
"Ask away." Serena said. He suddenly turned serious.
"Have you ever noticed any unusual goings-on?"
"What do you mean," Amy asked.
"Well, I don't know. Whatever comes to mind."
"Well," Amy said, "Those flying guys were pretty strange."
"Anything else?"
"Serena's hair!" Raye said jokingly.
"Very funny, Raye."
"I thought so."
"How about energy. Has it been mysteriously drained away from people?"
"Yeah. It's been going on for a few years now. I even saw one of the monsters. Sailor Jupiter kicked its butt," Lita said.
"Sailor Jupiter?"
"Yeah."
"Sailor Moon does the real butt-kicking, or so I've heard," Serena added.
"Well," Raye said, "she DOES have a lot of help from the other scouts."
"That's true, but it's obvious that Sailor Moon does most of the butt-kicking."
"Oh, please, Serena. Give me a break. Sailor Moon is the clumsiest and whiniest Sailor Scout of them all."
"That is not true," Serena exclaimed
"Guys, come on. Don't you think you should cool it?" Amy asked. What if Clark realizes we're the Sailor Scouts? Amy thought quietly. We'd never have normality in our lives again, and our lives aren't really that normal anyway. Raye and Serena did drop the subject, though.
Clark was looking at them strangely. Perhaps my hunch is right, he thought. "Well, I guess I know who Serena and Raye's favorite Sailor Scouts are." He chuckled softly.
"So, have you ever seen the Scouts in action?"
"Umm…well…I…" Serena mumbled hesitantly.
"No. We've never seen the Sailor Scouts in action." Raye said.
"You haven't? Then how do you know who your favorite Scouts are?"
"We…we just do, okay?"
Could you guys act any more suspicious? Amy thought. "They're always on the news." Amy said.
"Fair enough. I heard the Sailor Scouts were in a fight yesterday."
"Yeah?" Lita asked with fake enthusiasm. "Do you know what happened?"
"I don't have all of the details, but it was with a man named Superman."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"How very interesting." Lita looked at her watch. "We'd better go, guys. Was the interview helpful?"
"I suppose so. Thank you for your time." The five girls got up and walked off quickly. Serena looked back at Clark momentarily, and her breath caught in her throat. Why was she so attracted to him? Clark looked into Serena's eyes, and heat flashed through them, as if he was attracted to her, as she was attracted to him. Serena quickly turned her head away, breaking the heat-filled gaze.
The next day, Serena actually got up on time. She didn't have to run, which was a pleasant change of pace. She was walking leisurely down the street when she saw Darien going on his morning jog. "Darien!" Her hand was raised, and she was waving it to get his attention. He looked over her way, and then trotted across the street.
"Hey Meatball-head. How are you?"
Serena smiled. She had no doubts about how she felt about Darien. But, why did Clark Kent haunt her thoughts so? "I'm good."
"I'm surprised to see you." He was happy, though. Serena could tell.
"Oh? And why is that?"
"Well, either my watch is broken, or you're actually on time." Serena playfully jabbed him in the rib. He grabbed her, and stole a kiss. When he looked at her, she was blushing deeply. Darien smiled at her eagerness to see him. He loved her so much, but why couldn't he tell her those three small words? Even though he'd faced so many Nega-monsters, he couldn't wear his heart on his sleeve for this sweet and caring junior high student. Well, she was almost in high school.
"I got grounded yesterday, and maybe if I'm on time for school, I'll get off on good behavior." He laughed about her statement.
"I'll walk you to school." Darien put his arm around her, and they began walking down the street together. Serena stepped on her shoelace, and began falling forward. Darien tried to stop her from falling, but she dragged him down with her. They were on the sidewalk in a heap. Darien and Serena were a tangle of arms, legs and heads. Tears were in Serena's eyes. I always ruin everything, Serena thought. Why am I such a klutz? Darien saw Serena's dismay. He helped her up, after he got off of the hard cement, and started to laugh. Serena looked at him, and smiled slightly. Soon she started to laugh, too. They walked hand in hand to Crossroads Junior High.
Serena was actually early for school. She was even there before Amy. Molly was there, though. She'd go over and talk to her for a while. "Hey, Molly. How are you?"
"Oh, hi Serena. I'm surprised to see you."
"Yeah. I decided to try to get here earlier, at least until I'm ungrounded."
"You should really be on time every day."
Serena winced inwardly. "Yeah, I know."
"Hey, you could walk to school every day with your boyfriend. What's his name again?"
"Darien. Darien Shields." Why was she wishing that Clark could walk her to school, too?
"Oh yeah. How old is he, anyway? He looks a bit old for you."
"True love knows no age." Serena said with a romantic sigh. She had a slight smile on her face, and her eyes had the daydreamy look. Well, she isn't going to be good for conversation any more right now, Molly thought. Molly's mind wandered to Maxfield Stanton…or should she say Nephlite? Serena had said Maxfield was a bad person. She remembered her saying he wasn't even human. That was true, but how could Serena know? Serena's new friends were also making her suspicious. They each arrived when a new Sailor Scout did. Could Serena be Sailor Moon? Could Amy, Lita, Raye, and Mina be Sailor Scouts? Serena and herself had been growing apart for about a year now. She was always at Raye's temple. Why wouldn't Serena tell her? Molly had been thinking that for a while, but it had been plaguing her mind greater and greater. Maybe I should just ask her about it, Molly thought. She wasn't a stupid girl. She could put two and two together. She had no more time to ponder the thoughts of Serena's possible secret identity. The bell rang, and the students shuffled in for another long and exhausting day.
Clark Kent was in his hotel room. He was thinking about these Sailor Scouts. They were obviously good, but way out of their league. This new enemy was definitely a Kryptonian, but how did he get to Earth? He was the only survivor. The Sailor Scouts had assumed that he was bad, probably because they had the same powers. The fact that Serena was Sailor Moon shocked Clark greatly. The girl that he had a crush on was a superhero. Wait a minute, Clark thought, a crush? She's half my age! I do not have a crush on Serena Tsukino. Just stop thinking about her, Clark. You have a story to write, and a nation to help. He wished that he could have the council of his mom and dad right now. They'd know what to say to him. Enough! Just don't think about it, Clark ordered himself. He switched his frame of mind, though it was difficult to do. The chief would like his story. He had a great story in mind. Instead of the mysterious drainings, he'd write about five young women in Sailor Suits fighting for love and justice. It wasn't what he had come here for, but it was still good. He couldn't forget about the masked man. Was there something between him and Sailor Moon? Tuxedo Mask was his name, wasn't it? Lois would flip out about this new caped man. They were popping up everywhere. Gotham City, Metropolis, and now Tokyo. She was probably flipping out that she didn't get the story, anyway. Clark chuckled to himself. Lois amazed him sometimes. She was an investigative reporter, yet she couldn't tell Superman and Clark Kent were the same people. Sometimes Clark was jealous of his alter ego. He should go interview the police. That would be the first place to start. Dammit! Clark thought. I could have interviewed, Serena, or should I say Sailor Moon? Oh well, I'll interview her the next time I see her. He wouldn't reveal who Serena really was, of course. He'd better get to that police station. Clark picked up his jacket, and walked out the door. Sailor Moon would sell a lot of papers the day he got back to Metropolis.
The day was dragging by so slowly. It was about lunchtime. Serena's mom had packed her the usual. A sandwich, soda, and this time celery sticks. What was she, a rabbit? There was also some vanilla pudding. That was an okay treat. She sat down next to Lita. Amy was in the classroom, studying. Why did she have to study so much? She said she'd probably be out later. Just as Serena thought that, Amy came wandering out. She must have decided not to study after all. Amy plopped down on the other side of Serena. "So, Amy, did you decide to come out here and eat?"
"Yeah. It's such a nice day out. If you weren't grounded, we could go for a walk."
"Maybe my mom would un-ground me."
"Fat chance, Serena." Lita said. Serena looked at Lita with the nastiest look she could muster, but Lita only laughed. "I was just kidding. Your mom never stays mad long. Maybe she'll un-ground you."
"I sure hope so." Serena smiled back at the tall athletic girl, and they began eating.
Serena was at home, pleading with her mom. She was starting to give in. "Please Mom," Serena whined, "Please un-ground me. I promise I won't be late ever again."
Serena's mom sighed. "You always say that, Serena."
"I know. I never get locked out, though. It wasn't even my fault. Please, Mom. Un-ground me."
"Okay, Serena. I'll let you go out. Just don't let what happened yesterday happen again."
"Thanks Mom!" Serena hugged her, and ran out the door to meet them at Cherry Hill Temple. Luna came trotting up next to Serena. Serena suddenly remembered the horrible things she said to her earlier. She had to apologize. "Luna, I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. I didn't mean it." The feline with the crescent moon on her forehead looked up at her and smiled.
"It's okay, Serena. I know you didn't actually mean it. You were just angry at your mother, and I had to nag."
"No. There's no excuse. I shouldn't yell at you just because my mom pissed me off." They walked the rest of the way to Cherry Hill Temple in silence. As they walked, Serena's thoughts went back to Clark Kent. Maybe I should talk to one of my friends. I can't keep this inside forever. When they got there, the rest of Serena's friends were surprised to see her.
"Did your mom un-ground you?" Mina asked.
Serena nodded. "She sure did!"
"How did you manage that?" asked Lita.
"Oh, she was probably her usual whiny self." Raye said.
"Raye! That was mean." Tears welled up in Serena's eyes. She started to bawl. Even though it was true, did she have to be such a brat about it?
"Oh, great going, Raye," Amy said, "now we have to calm her down."
"Hey, I'm just pointing out the obvious here."
"Well, do you have to be so mean about it?" Serena asked between sobs.
"Come on, Raye. Apologize. That's the only way she'll stop her wailing." Lita said loud enough for only her to hear.
Raye sighed. "I'm sorry, Serena."
"It's okay." Serena said between sniffles. After her last sniffle, Serena's mood changed back to her regular happy mood. "Let's go for that walk." Everyone agreed to that. After the walk was almost over, Serena decided that everyone should get ice cream. Everyone else readily agreed. They were walking along, when Serena gasped, and then smiled. Amy, Lita, Raye, and Mina followed Serena's view. What they saw was a tall, dashing young man. He had dark skin and hazel eyes. He wore glasses, and a nice working suit. The man had black hair, and looked like he had a nice body under the suit. Serena waved to the man, and he waved back, with a smile on his face.
"So, Serena, are you breaking up with Darien and going out with this guy?"
"NO! Clark and I are just friends." Lita nudged Serena's arm. Amy just sort of looked at Serena. She answered somewhat hastily, but no one else seemed to notice.
"Yeah, sure Serena. We believe you. Don't we?"
"Yeah…NOT!" Lita, Mina, and Raye said in unison.
"Ha ha ha. That's very funny." The man came trotting over.
"Hi Serena. Who's your friends?"
"This is Amy." Serena said pointing to the girl with the bluish hair and blue eyes. That was the girl I rescued yesterday. Could the rest of these girls be the other Sailor Scouts? Clark asked himself.
"Hi Amy."
"Hello, Clark." Her voice sounded a little mistrusting.
"This is Raye." Serena pointed to the girl with long black hair and purplish eyes. "This is Mina." Serena pointed to the young woman with long blond hair and blue eyes. "And last but not least, this is Lita." Lita had brown hair pulled into a ponytail and greenish eyes. "Everyone, this is Clark…Clark…I don't know your last name."
"Kent. My name is Clark Kent."
"It's nice to meet you, Clark." He shook the girls' hands one by one. They all seemed very nice. They all looked dreadfully familiar. Maybe they WERE the other four Sailor Scouts. They all looked like them. Well, he might as well conduct some interviews.
"Hey, I'm here to do a report, and it would be nice if you let me ask you guys a few questions."
"Okay. Sure. What do you guys think?" Serena asked. They all nodded their heads yes. "Great! Let's have a seat." Some of them sat down on a park bench. Raye, Lita, and Amy sat on the ground.
"Ask away." Serena said. He suddenly turned serious.
"Have you ever noticed any unusual goings-on?"
"What do you mean," Amy asked.
"Well, I don't know. Whatever comes to mind."
"Well," Amy said, "Those flying guys were pretty strange."
"Anything else?"
"Serena's hair!" Raye said jokingly.
"Very funny, Raye."
"I thought so."
"How about energy. Has it been mysteriously drained away from people?"
"Yeah. It's been going on for a few years now. I even saw one of the monsters. Sailor Jupiter kicked its butt," Lita said.
"Sailor Jupiter?"
"Yeah."
"Sailor Moon does the real butt-kicking, or so I've heard," Serena added.
"Well," Raye said, "she DOES have a lot of help from the other scouts."
"That's true, but it's obvious that Sailor Moon does most of the butt-kicking."
"Oh, please, Serena. Give me a break. Sailor Moon is the clumsiest and whiniest Sailor Scout of them all."
"That is not true," Serena exclaimed
"Guys, come on. Don't you think you should cool it?" Amy asked. What if Clark realizes we're the Sailor Scouts? Amy thought quietly. We'd never have normality in our lives again, and our lives aren't really that normal anyway. Raye and Serena did drop the subject, though.
Clark was looking at them strangely. Perhaps my hunch is right, he thought. "Well, I guess I know who Serena and Raye's favorite Sailor Scouts are." He chuckled softly.
"So, have you ever seen the Scouts in action?"
"Umm…well…I…" Serena mumbled hesitantly.
"No. We've never seen the Sailor Scouts in action." Raye said.
"You haven't? Then how do you know who your favorite Scouts are?"
"We…we just do, okay?"
Could you guys act any more suspicious? Amy thought. "They're always on the news." Amy said.
"Fair enough. I heard the Sailor Scouts were in a fight yesterday."
"Yeah?" Lita asked with fake enthusiasm. "Do you know what happened?"
"I don't have all of the details, but it was with a man named Superman."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"How very interesting." Lita looked at her watch. "We'd better go, guys. Was the interview helpful?"
"I suppose so. Thank you for your time." The five girls got up and walked off quickly. Serena looked back at Clark momentarily, and her breath caught in her throat. Why was she so attracted to him? Clark looked into Serena's eyes, and heat flashed through them, as if he was attracted to her, as she was attracted to him. Serena quickly turned her head away, breaking the heat-filled gaze.