Unexpected Restart

by Serena530

After learning that she is the Moon Princess and that Darien is not only her adored Tuxedo Mask but also the Earth Prince, a grief stricken and angry Serena wishes she could go back and redo events. Her newly acquired silver crystal unexpectedly grants her wish.

10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or her characters, and have no right to it except as a long time fan.

Unexpected Restart
Chapter Ten: Jupiter Revealed

Darien watched Serena until she disappeared from his sight as he walked then looked around for Andrew. He saw him walking away from some customers toward the front of the establishment and conveniently toward him.

"Serena and her friends just left." He said as Andrew stopped next to him. "One of them was feeling sick and Serena decided that they should see her home to make sure she made it if she grew worse."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Andrew said. "Do you think the food made her sick?" He asked in concern.

"No! No. It wasn't the food." Darien quickly assured him. The last thing he wanted was for his friend to worry about such a thing; especially since the excuse was fake.

Andrew nodded.

"I'm going to head out as well. Serena's gone and I don't want to distract you from your work." Darien said.

"Okay." Andrew said.

"I'll call you later; definitely some time after you get off work." He said, and Andrew nodded.

"Alright. I'll talk to you later." He said.

"Bye." Darien said

"Bye." His friend said, and he began to walk toward the sliding glass doors.

Once outside Darien immediately headed for his car. He got in and moved it as quickly as he could to another street. Thankfully it was near a park so anyone seeing him would think he was going into the park. He parked and got out, locked up the car, and began to jog for a secluded spot to transform.

He looked around, his eyes searching, wanting to hurry since he had sensed Serena transform while he was driving. Plus, he worried that one of his generals would be there, and he didn't want to miss him or leave the Scouts to deal with him and the attacking monster.

Finally he spotted what looked like a large utility or garden shed near the edge of the park, and he hurried behind it and transformed quickly. He then took off running, following his senses to his princess.

He ran along sidewalks, and alleyways before he managed to get to a rooftop. From there he continued toward his princess, leaping rooftops, moving ever closer to her. Eventually he started to hear screaming and knew he was getting closer. He jumped a few more rooftops and stopped on one and walked to the edge and looked down.

All three scouts were there and fighting what appeared to be a woman dressed in yellow hakama, blue tucked kimono, and a white haori. She had long straight black hair, but her face was covered by a kabuki mask.

That's probably a bad thing considering she's a monster. He figured, and decided to see if he could find out.

He pulled out a rose and narrowed his eyes at the monster before he threw it at the female's face.

---

The Sailor Scouts tensed as the female monster screamed and brought her hands up to the mask covering her face as a red rose pierced it suddenly. The monster dropped to its knees screaming as it bent over until its mask and hands were nearly touching the ground.

Sailor Moon looked up, her eyes searching rapidly, and found Tuxedo Mask standing on the edge of the roof of the building across from the Kabuki Theater they were standing in front of. She watched him jump to the ground, and quickly shifted her eyes back to the monster. She was glad he was here, but couldn't help recalling what happened before his arrival.

~Flashback~

Serena jogged down the sidewalk as she hurried to catch up with Raye and Amy, and once she did they all hurried to find a suitable spot to transform. They eventually ducked behind a large building and, after making sure they couldn't be seen by people or cameras, pulled out their transformation pens and brooch.

"Mercury Power!" Amy said firmly.

"Mars Power!" Raye said strongly.

"Moon Prism Power!" Serena said calmly.

Once they stood as sailor scouts they took off, following Mercury since she knew the location. They ran through the streets, along the sidewalks, dodging around surprised people, before they moved up to the rooftops.

After a few minutes they jumped down to the ground and landed in front of what Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon were realizing was clearly a Kabuki theater. People were screaming and yelling, and still trying to get out of the building.

The Scouts looked at each other before they went inside, squeezing through a side door where some people were trying to leave from. They hurried pass people in the direction they were fleeing from, and through another doorway only to find themselves surrounded by rows of seats and facing a stage.

Standing in the middle of the stage they saw a woman with long straight black hair dressed in traditional clothes wearing a kabuki mask over her face.

"Alright ladies." Sailor Moon said, and nodded to them before she leapt up onto the walkway that extended into the audience. She slowly began to walk toward the stage, keeping her eyes on the female that was obviously the monster.

Sailor Mars stepped to the side and began to walk down the aisle toward the stage, keeping her eyes on the monsters hands and mask as she wondered where its attacks would come from.

Sailor Mercury stayed where she stood and prepared herself for whatever the monster might do as she watched it turn its head slightly to the left and right obviously keeping Moon and Mars in its line of sight.

The monster lifted its hands and the Scouts tensed as a light orange glow began to form in the middle of its palms. In the next moment balls of fire were shooting rapidly out of its hands.

Sailor Moon instantly dropped to the floor of the walkway to let the fireballs pass over her before she got back to her feet.

Cosmic Starlight Illusion. She thought as she lifted her hands and launched the focused version of her attack. White blue-tinted light instantly gathered in her hands before a beam of blue white energy stars shot toward the monster.

Mars Fire Ignite. Sailor Mars said internally as she quickly lifted her hands and fired off her attack, sending her own fireballs at the oncoming attack. The fireballs collided and created bright mini explosions in the air.

Shine Snow Illusion. Sailor Mercury thought as she also lifted her hands and fire off her attack, and watched as a small snow storm streamed out toward the monster.

The monster dodged the energy stars and quickly jumped over the stream of ice and frost. While it was still in the air it threw fireballs at all the scouts.

Mars side stepped the fire balls coming in her direction and quickly summoned her flaming bow. Mars Flame Sniper. She launched the attack sending her fiery arrow at the monster before she moved further down the aisle and fired off another.

Mercury dodged off to the side away from the attack and launched her Shine Snow Illusion attack sending her frost and ice attack toward the monster as it landed back on the stage.

Sailor Moon ran forward to avoid the balls of fire and launched her Cosmic Starlight Illusion attack. She leapt up onto the stage and watched as marble sized energy stars streamed toward the monster from different angles and hit it as it was busy avoiding Mercury and Mars' attacks; exploding against it and damaging its clothes.

The monster cried out in pain before it jumped out toward the seating and the exits. It jumped over seats and leapt onto and off the back edges of seats as it dodged out of the way of streams of ice and frost. It burst through the doorway and out into the lobby before it moved toward the next set of doors, and burst completely through them, breaking down glass, wood, and steel.

The Scouts burst out of the doors behind the monster and spread out as they faced it. The monster looked to them and suddenly produced a flaming whip and flung it toward them. The Scouts jumped back and dodged away from the monster and launched their attacks.

Shine Snow Illusion. Mercury said internally.

Cosmic Starlight Illusion. Moon thought as she focused on the version she wanted to launch.

Mars Fire Ignite. Mars said intensely in her mind.

The monster jumped around dodging this way and that way, but then stopped and spun in place; its fire whip creating a protective ring around it until the attacks stopped.

~End Flashback~

Sailor Moon blinked back to the here and now as the monsters screaming began to turn into words.

"No, no, no; my mask, my mask, MY MASK!" The monster screamed.

The warriors shifted uneasily as they noticed its hair began to change; from the long straight black to wild thick white locks.

"No!" The monster screamed again as it dropped its hands revealing its face.

Everyone grimaced at the demonic looking face with its off white color, wide bright red eyes, and large fangs. The pointy white horns on its head didn't help either, and they idly noticed that its white haori was replaced with a sleeveless red one.

The monster seemed to glare at them and suddenly a stream of fire came flowing from its mouth. It turned its head and body left and right so the stream went toward everyone. They all jumped back as the fire continued to extend further out then they thought it would.

Tuxedo Mask launched rose after rose toward the stream of fire as he lightly landed on the hood of a parked car. Mars launched her Mars Fire Ignite attack as she landed in between two cars; balls of fire shooting at the monster as it continued sending out a stream of fire.

Mercury launched her Shine Snow Illusion as she landed, and Moon launched the focused version of her Cosmic Starlight Illusion as she landed. Their two attacks combined midflight and icy white blue energy stars raced toward the monster.

The monsters stream of fire stopped and it jumped up high in the air to avoid the various attacks coming its way.

Cosmic Starlight Illusion. Sailor Moon quickly launched her attack at it while it was in midair, and dozens of the white blue tinted energy stars sped toward and around the monster before they started hitting and exploding against its body causing it to scream in pain.

The monster fell back to the ground, hitting hard, and Tuxedo immediately launched his roses at it. Mars launched her Mars Flame Sniper attack, firing off arrow after arrow at the downed monster.

Sailor Moon took off her tiara as she listened to the monster scream and charged it up. She hoped to be able to destroy the monster in the next few moments and be done with it.

Suddenly the monster screamed loudly and jumped to its feet before tilting its head forward. In the next moment its horns extended out rapidly and right toward Mercury.

Sailor Mercury made a surprised sound and jumped back before darting off to the side and out of the way of the horns as they extended further than the stream of fire did.

Sailor Moon took that moment to launch her tiara at the monster. Tuxedo threw a series of roses at the monster right after, and Mars launched her Mars Fire Ignite attack so all the attacks hit the monster one after the other.

The monster screamed in pain, its horns returning to it, and continued to scream as it gradually turned gray only stopping when its body began to crumble.

Sailor Moon looked to Tuxedo after the monster finished crumbling to dust and nodded at him, which he returned, before she turned to her fellow scouts.

"Let's get out of here." She said.

Mars and Mercury nodded and they all began to run; the Scouts in one direction and Tuxedo in another.

~~uUuUu~~

A tall young woman wearing a school uniform consisting of a white long sleeve sailor top with a light brown collar, a long light brown skirt that stretched pass her knees, and black small heeled shoes walked down the sidewalk on a bright Monday morning.

She had fair skin and a slim figure, big green eyes, long brown wavy hair tied up with a green hair tie in a high ponytail that trailed down her back, and wore pink rose stud earrings.

She yawned lightly as she thought of her destination. Another new school. A new school that she was transferring into that very day.

She didn't know why she had to transfer there. There was nothing wrong with her last school; except for the fact that she had a reputation as a bit of a bad girl and had gotten into a fight or two.

But that wasn't my fault! They shot their mouths off at me! Little boys trying to pretend they're men, only to find out they were in fact little boys when they couldn't handle a strong girl willing to put her fists in their mouths. She thought fiercely.

And because of that she had to go. Now she had to deal with being the new girl all over again, and no doubt her reputation for fighting would already be circling the campus even though she wasn't there yet.

She was tired of transferring schools. She didn't know why it kept happening. Why couldn't she just be quiet and keep her fists to herself?

Maybe I'm intentionally getting into trouble to switch schools until I find the right one, but then which school is the right one? And how will I know it's the right one when I find it? She wondered in confusion. Clearly my previous schools weren't the right ones, so what were they missing? What did they lack?

She didn't know, but she hoped this next school was the right one if she was subconsciously searching; because she was tired and just wanted some stability.

She sighed as she glanced around, and blinked at the sight of three big guys standing in the way of a girl with incredibly long golden blonde hair up in twin buns with the rest trailing in two streams. She also happened to be wearing the uniform to her new school.

She frowned slightly as she slowed her walk. She didn't like the three to one odds against that girl.

~~uUu~~

Serena walked down the sidewalk in the cool morning air. It was bright out but that did nothing to chase away the cold in the air. She adjusted the strap of her duffle bag further onto her shoulder, and held her school bag in her other hand as she let her thoughts wander.

Her prince was with her, Amy and Raye were with her and doing well as scouts, and Jedite and Neflite had been freed. They were with Darien and reestablishing their presence as generals at his side. Molly knew her secret and had once again been introduced to Neflite, and everything appeared to be going well for her.

Now she was wondering what would happen next. She was just waiting on Lita to make her appearance since she couldn't go to her; not having any idea where she had been before transferring into her school.

Beyond that they had to wait on circumstances in order to rescue and free another general since their future knowledge didn't count anymore.

After getting Neflite early it would be Zoycite's turn, and they had no idea when or how he was going to make his move; especially since there were no more rainbow crystals out there. No rainbow crystals meant no monsters to defeat and turn back into humans.

There was also the very real possibility that freeing the generals like they were had changed things up, and Beryl could send out Malachite instead of Zoycite or both of them at the same time.

Serena sighed as she rounded a corner. She very much hoped that both generals didn't confront them at once. It would make things more complicated than they needed to be.

They wouldn't be able to capture both of them at the same time, especially not without the Scouts noticing, and if they got one and the other escaped the Negaverse would know something wasn't right. At the very least the general that got away would know the other hadn't been killed, and not by all the Scouts like they currently thought.

She shook her head slightly and blinked as she looked ahead. She was halfway down the sidewalk and ahead, walking toward her, were three guys. She remembered them from the first time around. She recalled running into one of them and being threatened, and Lita coming along and rescuing her.

She blinked and was internally pleased at this development, because it meant today was the day she would meet Lita; which meant she was around there somewhere. She glanced around and spotted her across the street; standing out in her white and brown uniform.

Serena turned her attention back to the guys approaching her and sighed. She hoped that since she wasn't running into them she could avoid a confrontation with these guys, but the warrior in her knew there was no avoiding it.

These guys were the confrontational type. They would not let her pass without harassing her at the least, and at the most they wanted something from her that they weren't going to get.

Something that's for my prince and my prince alone. They aren't getting anything from me. She thought quietly as she looked them over; taking in the details she had been unconcerned with the first time around considering how threatening they had been.

One guy wore dark green pants and a white tank top, another wore a blue short sleeve button up shirt and black pants, and the last wore blue pants, a yellow long sleeve button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and dark sunglasses. All three guys were muscled and taller than her; as tall as her prince, but that wouldn't stop her if she needed to act.

As she walked closer to the guys she moved off to the side to try and walk around them, but one of the guys blocked her path. She stepped back and looked up at them to see what would happen next, because she wasn't about to walk out into the street and risk getting hit by a car to get pass them.

"Look who we have here." The guy in the white tank top said.

"Yeah. A pretty young thing." The guy in the sunglasses said as the last guy laughed.

"You want to hang out with us for the rest of the day?" The guy in the tank top asked as he stepped forward. "I like a girl in a uniform, and yours looks particularly appealing." He added as he looked her up and down.

Serena stared at him blankly, disgusted and insulted, and suddenly everything was happening quickly.

She swiftly brought her leg up in between the legs of the lead guy, the one doing most of the talking, and kicked him right in the crotch; so hard that he was lifted off his feet despite his size.

He dropped to his knees with a pained cry, holding himself, and she kneed him in the face, colliding with his nose, causing him to fall back.

She looked to the guy with the sunglasses as he ran at her and swung a punch at the side of his face then backhanded him with the same hand across the other side, knocking his sunglasses clean off his face, before she swept his feet out from under him causing him to fall hard to the ground.

The last guy moved toward her threateningly and she shifted her eyes toward him and jumped up off the ground with a front kick, her foot catching him under his chin so his head was knocked back.

He stumbled back as he grabbed his face, and when she landed she swung a back kick into his stomach causing him to double over even as he stumbled back a little more, and finally she swung a kick at the side of his head causing him to fall to the ground and hit the other side of his head on the concrete.

---

"Are you okay?" Serena heard a familiar voice call out, and looked over to see Lita rushing across the street toward her.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She answered, and glanced up to her forehead and saw the symbol for Jupiter glowing an emerald green.

"I'm impressed that you were able to stand up to those guys," The tall girl said as she stopped next to her. "and all without putting your bags down or losing them in the process."

"Thanks." Serena said as she adjusted the strap of her duffle bag on her shoulder. "I've been taking martial arts classes and training with my boyfriend."

"Oh yeah? What classes are you taking exactly?" She asked. "I'm Lita Kino by the way." She said in the next breath.

"I'm Serena Tsukino, and I'm taking karate and taekwondo." Serena informed her.

"Nice." Lita said as she nodded.

"So where are you headed?" She asked even though she already knew.

"I'm headed to my new school Juuban Municipal Junior High." Lita said.

"That's where I go. We can walk there together." Serena said, and Lita nodded easily.

They walked away from the guys still lying on the ground groaning and moaning in pain, and Serena told her all about the school, how it was run, and what the classes were like.

~~uUuUu~~

Serena walked into her classroom after she arrived at school and moved down one of the rows of seats toward her desk as she looked around. Both Amy and Molly were there, but Molly was currently talking to Melvin and a girl off to the side of the room by the windows.

She hung her school bag on the hook attached to her desk and put her duffle bag under her seat before she calmly made her way to Amy's desk where she was sitting reading through one of her textbooks.

"Good morning." Amy said as she looked up.

"Good morning." Serena said in return before she looked around. Once she was sure no one was paying them attention she looked back to Amy.

"I met a girl this morning on my way here. Her name's Lita Kino, and she's transferring into our school today." She said quietly, and Amy nodded curiously. "I clearly saw the symbol for Jupiter glowing green on her forehead." She added.

Amy gasped as her eyes widened. "Really?!" She said in surprise.

"Yes." Serena said as she nodded seriously.

Amy remembered their conclusion that the next scouts would wear green and orange. It looked like the one to wear green had finally been found, and they hadn't even had to go look for her. Though Amy had looked at any female wearing green, and subtly scanned them with her minicomputer to try and see if she could be a scout.

"Wow." She said. "What does she look like?" She asked curiously.

"Tall with her long brown hair pulled up in a high ponytail. She has green eyes and wears her previous school uniform since ours doesn't have our uniform in her size." Serena described, and Amy's eyes widened.

"She's that tall?" She asked, and Serena nodded.

Their teacher came in moments later and Serena and the other students standing went to their seats and class started soon afterward.

A few hours later when lunch time arrived Serena, Molly, and Amy grabbed their lunch and made their way outside. Serena led them over to their usual spot in one of the courtyards before she spotted Lita sitting on a bench nearby.

"That's the girl I met this morning on my way to school." She said for Molly's benefit as she changed course slightly. "Hey!" She called out, and Lita looked over and smiled and waved as she stood up.

"These are my friends Molly and Amy." She said as she gestured to each girl respectively before she looked to them. "This is Lita Kino, and she's new to our school." She said as she introduced Lita to them.

Serena looked to Molly and gave her a subtle look to remind her of what she had said about Lita's arrival, and that this was her proof that she was from the future as she had said.

Molly nodded subtly before she greeted Lita. She could not believe what she was seeing. This tall girl was the one Serena had mentioned would be transferring to their school. She was even wearing the uniform right down to the last detail.

This was the girl that was going to be another scout; Sailor Jupiter.

---

After school ended Serena said bye to Amy and Molly and changed into her workout clothes before heading to the park to meet up with Darien as was usual.

She didn't get to say bye to Lita since she was in a different class than them, but she had made the tall girl aware of her after school activities during lunch so she wouldn't think she was taking off without a word.

It didn't take her long to get to the park and when she did she found only Darien there waiting for her.

"Jedite and Neflite are training on their own today." He said to her silent question.

"That's fine with me." She said as she quickly put her bag next to his then joined him in the grass and began to stretch.

"Lita transferred into my school this morning." Serena said calmly.

Darien paused his stretching and looked over to her, and she returned his look with a nod.

"Jupiter has arrived." She said.

"Then the next phase of events has started." Darien said.

"Yeah. I told Amy when I got to school, and I plan on contacting her, Raye, and Luna when I get home to let them know and discuss how we should proceed. It's definitely going to happen differently than it did the first time around." Serena said, and he nodded.

"You'll figure out a safe and comfortable way to awaken her." Darien said.

"Thanks." She said.

And with that they put the matter from their minds and focused solely on their workout. They moved areas and shifted into their training like they always did until it was time to leave for their martial arts classes.

After their martial arts classes Darien drove her home and kissed her goodbye.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he pulled back.

"I already can't wait." Serena replied before she got out of the car.

She closed the car door and waved at him and he returned it before she walked up to her front door, unlocked it, and walked into her home.

"Hi mom, dad." She called to her parents before she went up to her room and closed the door. She put her duffle bag down next to her closet and her school bag on her floor desk.

She laid down on her bed with a sigh and closed her eyes as she allowed herself to relax. A few moments later she opened her eyes, gestured with her hand, and watched as her communicator dropped into her hand. She pressed the button to contact Amy and Raye, and waited.

"Amy here." The blue scout answered first.

"Raye here." The red scout answered a moment later.

"Is Luna there Raye?" Serena asked since she knew by that time the cat had moved on from Amy and was staying with Raye.

"She's right next to me." Raye said.

"Good." She said. "So I met the girl who's Sailor Jupiter." She informed them, and Raye and Luna gasped.

"Are you sure?" Luna asked.

"Positive." Serena answered. "I met her on my way to school this morning and could clearly see the symbol for Jupiter glowing on her forehead. We walked to school together since she was transferring into mine and Amy's school today." She explained.

"Her name's Lita Kino, and she's a tall girl, our age, with green eyes, and long brown hair she wears in a high ponytail." She said.

"I met her during our lunch hour and I thought she was nice, and that she's definitely a fighter judging by what she liked to talk about." Amy said.

"Yes." Serena agreed. "She talked about that on the way to school as well. She's definitely going to be able to teach us how to fight better."

"That sounds good." Raye said thoughtfully. "So what are we supposed to do now?"

"We're going to have to figure out exactly how to approach Lita, so we should have a meeting tomorrow so we can discuss it in more detail." Serena suggested. "I just got home from my martial arts classes, and still need to do my homework."

"Okay. We can have the meeting at my apartment since my mom won't be home." Amy said.

"Okay. I'll come there directly from my gymnastics class." She said.

"That's fine with me. It'll give me a chance to get my chores done before I head there. Especially if I leave my homework for after the meeting." Raye said agreeably.

"We can do our homework together, so you and Serena won't have to worry about it when you get home." Amy said.

With that agreement they said they would see each other the next day and said their goodbye's before ending the connection.

~~uUuUu~~

Amy, Raye, Serena, and Luna met up in the late afternoon on Tuesday at Amy's apartment, and they settled in the living room with their school things spread out in front of them.

"I think we should approach Lita as soon as possible like we did with Raye and I did with Amy." Serena suggested, getting their meeting started. "I've already befriended her and Amy's met her, but I think we should give it one more day to let her get used to us and figure out how we can do it."

"Perhaps we can approach her like I did with Amy and suggest studying and talking, and be able to do it in the comfort of Lita's own home so she'll be comfortable." She added.

"I like that." Amy agreed. "I felt comfortable learning about being a scout at home."

"I did as well, and I think Lita will appreciate it too." Raye said.

"Then it's decided. We'll do it on Thursday at Lita's place." Serena said. "Although I think we should have a backup place in case she isn't interested in inviting us to her home so soon after meeting us." She added.

"We can do it here since my mom won't be home. We would have the privacy we need." Amy said, and Serena and Raye nodded in agreement.

"Where am I going to meet up with you in order to go to Lita's place if we're able to go?" Raye asked, and Serena hummed thoughtfully.

"The arcade. Lita needs to be introduced to the place anyway." She said. "I suppose I can skip workout and training tomorrow to show her before heading to my classes." She considered.

"No. Don't skip it." Amy insisted. "I can show her."

"I can go there after school and meet Lita instead of meeting her for the first time when we tell her about being a scout." Raye added.

"Are you two sure?" Serena asked, and they nodded.

"Amy and I usually do our workout and training during the time you're in your classes." Raye said.

"We can do our workout and training later in the evening or just double it up the next day." Amy added.

"But the next day we'll be telling Lita about being a scout, so it'll have to be put off again or I can just take the day off from working out, training, and my class, and we can all do an evening workout and training together." Serena said.

Amy and Raye looked at each other with hesitant frowns; neither of them wanting Serena to skip out on her class, and after meeting her boyfriend they actually didn't want her missing time with him either even if they were just working out together. They liked seeing the couple's closeness, and didn't want that to be strained by taking that time away.

"It's just my gymnastics class, and I can see Darien anytime I want. Plus, if all goes well and quick enough with awakening Lita as a scout I can still make my class." Serena said, and Raye nodded along with Amy.

"Then we'll do our workout and training later tomorrow evening." Raye said, and Serena nodded.

"Then Thursday we'll all head to the arcade and meet up and either go to Lita's place or Amy's, and get started on letting Lita in on our secret." She said.

Raye and Amy nodded, and they all smiled lightly at having figured out their plans pretty quickly.

Luna remained silent as she watched the three young women plan out when and how they were going to approach the new girl and inform her that she was a scout. After seeing that and with the time she had spent with Amy and Raye she decided now was the time to bring up having a leader and announce her decision on who that would be.

"Girls." She called their attention to her. "I've recently decided that it is time you had a leader among yourselves." She informed them once they were looking at her.

"I've spent the past few weeks thinking about it and watching you all, and I've finally made a decision, which I think is good timing since there will soon be another one of you." She said.

Serena, Amy, and Raye suddenly understood why Luna had decided to live with each of them for a while. She wanted to get to know them better in order to choose one of them to be leader.

That's a bit of a change since she didn't declare a leader until after Lita was awakened as a scout, but I suppose that's okay. Being named the leader earlier isn't a bad thing. Serena thought.

"Amy will be the leader of the Sailor Scouts." Luna announced.

All the girl's blinked in various states of muted surprise. Serena understood in that moment that she had only been chosen as leader the first time around because of Luna's closeness to her, and not because the role was supposed to go to the one who could use the Crescent Moon Wand.

Amy and Raye were surprised that Luna was not choosing Serena since she had been acting as a leader all this time as far as they were concerned.

Ugh! She's making a mistake. I'm not leader material, and haven't done anything worthy of the position since becoming a scout. Amy thought.

"Now that there's a leader the Crescent Moon Wand can be used." Luna said into the silence. "The wand is for returning people who have been turned into monsters back to normal, and it's also a means of finding the rainbow crystals; which will ultimately aid us in finding the Moon Princess." She explained.

As soon as she finished speaking she jumped up and flipped, in a move that they all recalled from when she produced their transformation items, but nothing appeared as she landed back on the floor.

"That's strange." Luna said as she frowned, and then tried again. She jumped up and flipped, and again nothing appeared.

Serena simply watched on knowing the wand wouldn't appear, because its rightful owner already had it and it couldn't be summoned away from her.

"Perhaps the wand isn't coming because you aren't making the right decision." She said quietly.

"I believe I'm making the right decision." Luna said firmly. "I spent a great deal of time with Amy, and I know how smart she is. That intelligence will lead you all well in finding the princess. Not to mention she's properly cautious of Tuxedo Mask, and doesn't leave meetings early."

Everyone's eyes widened at her words.

"You're penalizing me for that." Serena said; well aware that she was the only one to leave meetings before the others. It was becoming clear to her why Luna didn't choose her as leader.

"Yes!" Luna said seriously. "You all need a leader who doesn't trust so easily, and who won't leave meetings early in favor of sending time with a boyfriend. When we find the princess you can't leave her unprotected to go off and do frivolous things."

Serena frowned in anger at her words, upset partially because she was taking charge and being more of a leader then she had in the other timeline, and because if she wasn't going to be the leader then technically the role should go to Mina since she had been the leader in the past.

And for good reason. In the past Venus had been serious, level headed, reasonable, objective, and knew how to take charge.

"You're wrong." Serena said, raising her voice in anger. "You aren't doing your job properly as an advisor, and not being objective."

"You know nothing about Tuxedo Mask, and yet you're so quick to label him as untrustworthy and a possible enemy. He's never done anything to get in our way. He has in fact been helping us since day one. He's never even asked about what we're doing or what our purpose is. He's helped without complaint." She continued.

"For all you know he could be important to the princess! He could be reincarnated just like us. He might even remember the past and know more than us, but is keeping his silence." She argued intensely.

"We have instincts and are supposed to trust those instincts, but you aren't willing to trust mine. My instincts tell me that Tuxedo Mask isn't a threat, and so far his actions have proved that. I know instinctively that he isn't an enemy like we know how to use our powers." She insisted.

"This isn't the past. It's the twenty-first century and we all have lives to live, and just because you came along and awakened us as scouts doesn't mean we're going to push everything to the side or throw everything away just to spend as much time together as possible!" Serena told Luna angrily.

"I don't always leave our meetings, and when I do it's after we've finished talking about Scout business. If I have plans I have plans. I'm not going to ditch them just because you want us to spend as much time together as possible to talk about nothing but random things that happened during our day to day lives."

"And I think it's interesting that your only problem is with me spending time with my boyfriend, and not the classes I'm taking after school or spending time with my other friend." She noted.

"I'm not giving my boyfriend up for anything; not even the princess!" Serena told the feline outright. "I'm sure the princess has a life of her own, and whether she remembers the past or not I doubt she'll appreciate us trying to guard her twenty-four seven interfering in her life. Just because we're supposed to protect her doesn't mean we'd suddenly be her friends and she'll want us around her."

"Perhaps you should take some time to think about that!" Serena said angrily.

She huffed and began to pack up her things, knowing she needed to leave before her secret came out into the open. Her emotions were high and the last thing she needed was her powers coming to the surface and giving her true identity away.

"I could have accepted your decision if not for your reasoning. You aren't being objective as you're supposed to be. You're, in fact, being narrow minded, and that needs to change quickly or we're going to have some serious problems!" Serena told Luna in a quiet yet angry tone before she grabbed her bags and walked toward the door and left.

---

Raye, Amy, and Luna sat in stunned and surprised silence after Serena left. None of them since meeting her had seen Serena angry. She was always calm, collected, or happy.

Raye for her part had the strong sense that that was only a hint of the anger Serena could express if given a good enough reason. She then shook her head slightly.

"Serena's right." She said as she looked to Amy and Luna. "Since I've been a scout Serena has acted like a leader. Making sure we're training, using our powers to the best of our abilities and making sure our teamwork is solid, and that we're physically fit."

"Yes." Amy agreed as she looked to Luna. "I don't want to be the leader. Serena's been doing just that since I became a scout as well. Even now when she's clearly upset she didn't bad mouth you or call us out on any mistakes we've made. And I did make mistakes." She admitted. She knew that for a fact, and wasn't ashamed to admit it.

"Serena's also right about Tuxedo Mask. He's been helping us consistently and without complaint. He doesn't question our motives or get in our way." She added. "And let's not forget she's the one who found each of us, having seen our planetary symbol glowing on our forehead."

"To be honest despite the conversations we've had about finding other scouts I thought it would be Serena to do it since she apparently has the ability." Amy said, and Raye nodded.

"Serena's also right about us having lives to live. We obviously won't be able to be with the princess all day every day. We all have to go to school, and she might go to a different school then us." Raye said.

"Or she might have things to do after school like we do. Or she might not go to school at all. She might be home schooled or out of school altogether." She added.

"You can't forget Serena and I go to school together, are in the same class, and already know what's going on with each other. If anything we need time apart to have something other than Scout business to talk about." Amy added, and Raye nodded.

"The three of us spend our weekends together after our training, and usually make plans to spend time together during the week after our individual obligations. If we can't manage that there's the fact that we're always calling each other and catching up." Raye added.

Luna sighed heavily. Serena's reaction was unexpected. She thought she might be irritated but not angry with her decision. She also hadn't expected Amy and Raye to defend Serena the way they had; to basically argue for why Serena should be the leader instead of Amy.

Amy not wanting to be the leader wasn't surprising. She knew she was shy and quiet but she was intelligent, and Luna had hoped that giving her the responsibility of leadership would bring her out of her shell.

And she really did believe that Amy's intelligence made her the best of the girls to be the leader. Even with learning that she wasn't as cautious of the masked man as she'd thought, and with what she had heard them say about the leadership Serena had apparently been doing all these months.

There had been nothing said about her leadership during encounters with monsters, and just because Tuxedo Mask helped them during attacks and didn't question them didn't mean he wasn't an enemy. He could be lulling them into a false sense of security only to turn on them when they least expect it.

"I hear you; I hear what you're saying, but I still strongly believe Amy is the best to lead you in the search for the remaining scouts and the princess, and to protect the princess once she's found." Luna said to them before she looked to Amy. "Your intelligence will aid your good judgement and help in making the best decisions."

Amy sighed in frustration. "It hasn't helped my judgement yet. Twice I've made bad decisions, during attacks, and both times directly affected Serena." She said, and realized just then that both times Tuxedo Mask had helped Serena after her blunders.

Raye shook her head as she saw that Luna didn't seem to want to hear them despite saying that she had.

"What are we going to do if the princess doesn't want us protecting her?" She asked, deciding to change the subject.

"It doesn't matter if she doesn't want you protecting her; she needs protecting from the Negaverse." Luna said. "It's too dangerous to leave her unguarded. If they get ahold of her or the silver crystal I can't even imagine the devastation that would happen. It would be even worse if the Negaverse got their hands on both!"

"What are we supposed to do if she goes to another school like Raye does?" Amy asked.

"You'll have to figure something out just like you did with Raye." Luna said.

Raye looked away and held in a sigh. That solution came from Serena. She thought.

Amy was thinking along the same line, and remembered what Serena said about the possibility of the princess not wanting them guarding her all day every day or if she would even like them.

She figured that most of the danger came from the attacking monsters, and that the princess wouldn't be out fighting with them so she should be safe enough. At least as long as the Negaverse didn't discover her current identity.

"You mentioned rainbow crystals. What are they and how exactly are they supposed to help us find the princess?" She asked Luna.

"The rainbow crystals are seven small crystals, each a different color, that are actually pieces of the silver crystal. If you can collect them all then you can get the silver crystal, which will hopefully lead us to the princess." Luna explained to them, and they nodded in understanding.

"How are we supposed to find them since you said that wand could find them, and you obviously can't produce the wand?" Raye asked, and the cat sighed heavily.

"I don't know. I don't understand why the wand won't come to me." Luna said in confusion.

Both Amy and Raye silently wondered if Serena had been right, and the wand wouldn't come until the right decision was made.

~~uUuUu~~

Serena cooled off during her walk home, but she was still upset when she arrived. She couldn't believe Luna.

She wasn't the overwhelmed naive little girl she had been the first time around that was willing to listen to everything Luna said without question or really complaining, and do whatever she said because Luna was supposed to know better than her. And because of that Luna didn't like her like she had the first time.

And Luna's fondness of her was apparently the only reason she had been made the leader of the Scouts the first time around. It wasn't because Luna saw something in her that spoke of potential or that she wanted her to have the responsibility and better herself. The cat just liked that she listened to her, and made her leader because of it.

Serena unlocked and opened the front door and waved to her parents distractedly before she headed upstairs to her room. She dropped her duffle bag on the floor next to her bed, and walked over to her floor desk and put her school bag on it. Then she sat on her bed and sighed heavily before she allowed herself to fall back and rest on her bed.

This was completely unexpected. She thought.

Here she had been acting the leader; making sure everyone was found and awakened in a safe manner instead of during the heat and danger of battle, making sure everyone kept in shape and trained individually to become as familiar with their powers as possible, and made sure they had group training sessions to become comfortable and used to fighting with each other so they could work well together.

She had made sure everyone was safe and unhurt after attacks, even making sure the victims were fine after the fighting was done. All of that and Luna decided she wasn't going to be the leader, because she didn't think Tuxedo Mask was an enemy and questioned her knowledge and reasoning.

This is unbelievable, but I meant what I said before I left the meeting. I wouldn't have minded Amy being the leader, but just as I wasn't leader material the first time around Amy isn't leader material this time. She thought as she shook her head slightly.

Serena remembered wishing the first time around that Luna had asked her if she wanted to be leader instead of just telling her she was the leader. She had just sprung it on her, along with everyone else, without any hint or warning.

Beyond Amy not being leader material she just wasn't who Serena wanted leading her Scouts. Her talents belonged focused elsewhere.

Still, she would find time to talk to Amy tomorrow at school to see how she was feeling about the decision. Not that it would change her mind. She would be leading her Scouts and that was that.

I'll see if Venus has leader material in this life, and if she does then I'll name her second in command; the one to lead and take charge when I can't. If she doesn't then I'll see if Raye or Lita are capable. She decided.

Serena sighed and sat up before she got up to head downstairs. She wanted to call Darien and inform him of what happened, and then call Molly and vent to her a bit and talk about what she thought of gaining proof of her time travel; as well as what was going on with her and Neflite.

She left her room and walked down the stairs and grabbed the phone, and as she walked back up the stairs she heard her mom call her name from behind her. She paused and turned to look behind her and watched her mom walk up the steps toward her.

"Are you okay?" Her mom asked. "You seemed upset when you first got back." She said.

Serena looked over her mom's shoulder to see her dad still sitting in the living room.

"I was upset about a decision Luna made." She said as she looked back to her mom.

"Was it serious?" Her mom asked.

"Uhhh, it was somewhat, but ultimately Luna's decision doesn't matter. My word is final; even if Luna doesn't know it." Serena said.

Ikuko nodded, once again reminded that her daughter was a princess and the Sailor Scouts were her guardians, and she was the one making the decisions and not the cat.

"Alright. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." She said.

"I'm fine, and hopefully I'll get over it soon." She reassured her mother. "Right now I'm going to call Darien and then after him I'll call Molly."

"Okay. I'll let you know when dinner is ready." Her mom said.

Serena nodded and turned and continued on her way up the stairs. She started dialing Darien's number and listened to the ringing as she walked into her room and closed the door.

"Hello." She heard his familiar voice, and sighed at the sound.

"It's me." She said.

"Hey princess. Are you home?" Darien asked.

"Yes. I got home a few minutes ago." She answered.

"So how did the meeting go?" He asked.

"It started out good." Serena said as she walked over to grab her school bag. "We decided to speak to Lita about being a scout on Thursday, and tomorrow Amy will show her the arcade and Raye will meet them there so she can meet Lita before the reveal."

"We're going to meet up after school on Thursday, and hopefully go to Lita's place but if not then we'll go to Amy's apartment to talk. Of course that means I'll unfortunately have to skip on working out and training with you, but I hope to be able to make my gymnastics class." She explained.

"We can always do evening workout and training. We both know fighting at night is always possible." Darien said.

"Okay." She said as she sat on her bed. "So after my class."

"Yes. I'll pick you up from class and bring you something to eat since I'm sure you'll make your class in time." He said.

"Okay." Serena said, and sighed heavily as she began to pull out her homework.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"After we made the decision on how to approach Lita Luna surprised us by choosing one of us as the leader." She said. "She chose Amy because she thought her intelligence would give her the ability to make better decisions, and because she would be cautious of you, Tuxedo Mask, and not leave meetings early." She explained, and he groaned.

"Exactly. Clearly she was talking about me and I called her out on it. She said we needed a leader that didn't trust easily and won't leave meetings to spend time with a boyfriend. That when the princess is found she can't be left unprotected to go do frivolous things." She continued.

"Seriously?" Darien said, his voice full of quiet anger.

"Yes, and I was upset and went off on her before I left the meeting; early ironically." She said as she shook her head. "Oh, and did I mention she tried to get the Crescent Moon Wand to give to Amy?" She added.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Nothing. The wand wouldn't come and Luna couldn't explain why." Serena said. "I told her it was likely because she wasn't making the right decision, and Luna said she believed she was, which led into the part where I went off on her." She explained, and he sighed heavily.

"That feline is not being objective. You've clearly been the leader that team needs." Darien said quietly. He didn't speak for a few moments and Serena waited patiently; knowing he had more to say.

"Things have officially gotten worse with Luna. Her behavior and attitude have steadily gone downhill, and at this point I really think you need to remove her from influencing your Scouts." He said.

Serena sighed and closed her eyes, hardly believing it had come to this, but Luna had taken it there.

"My princess. You don't need to put up with Luna just because she made you a scout. This isn't the past and Luna isn't your advisor; even in the past she wasn't. She was your mother's advisor, and she clearly doesn't know how to transition to being yours in the present." Darien said seriously.

"It doesn't matter that she doesn't know you're the princess she's supposed to answer to. She should still treat you respectfully, and not like a disobedient child that needs to be chastised." He finished.

Serena nodded, knowing he was right. Luna had gotten worse and was treating her exactly like he said, a disobedient child. Luna knew she was being the leader and was trying to punish her likely to get her to fall in line.

That wasn't going to happen. Luna had widely mistaken her if she thought such a strategy would work on her.

Her prince was right. Luna wasn't her advisor. She recalled her advising her mother quite well in political situations, but she wasn't doing that now. Whether she didn't want to do it or she didn't recall how was now irrelevant at this point.

Luna was being destructive to the cohesion of her guardians with her attitude and behavior. Not to mention singling her out as the one that was trusting, in her eyes, an enemy, and doing unimportant things instead of focusing on Scout business.

"You're right. Luna needs to be set aside." Serena said with quiet strength. "She's going to be needed at Lita's awakening simply because me producing Jupiter's transformation pen would give away my true identity, but after that she won't be needed. Artemis has already awakened Venus at this point, so she's already set."

"Good. We don't need dissension right now; especially not with Jupiter joining the team. Luna's words could confuse her. In fact, you're going to have to be careful of that during your talk with her come Thursday." Darien said.

"True. I'll have to watch for that." She said. "If it happens I'm going to have to decide if I want to counter her words right then or wait until our training session on Saturday."

"I'm sure you'll know what to do when it happens." He said.

"Thanks for the confidence." She said.

Before either of them could say anything else there was a knock on her door.

"Yeah?" Serena called out, and watched her door open to reveal her mother.

"Dinner's ready." Her mom said.

"Thanks. I'll be right down." She said, and watched her mom nod before she closed the door. "Did you hear that?" She asked her prince.

"Yes." Darien replied.

"I guess that's my cue to get off the phone since I can't very well talk to you and eat while at the table." She said, and paused thoughtfully. "Well, I can but not when my parents are there watching me." She added, and he laughed.

"We can try it another time, so I can listen to you chew in between sentences." Darien said in amusement.

"Alright." Serena said as she laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay; bye." He said.

"Bye." She replied.

~~uUuUu~~

Serena stood in her room Wednesday evening wearing her bra, and a white knee length wrap chiffon skirt that she had just finished tying closed at her hip.

She had been home only a little over half an hour after being dropped off by Darien after their martial arts classes, and had only been out of the shower for a few minutes.

Tonight she and Darien were going on a double date with Molly and Neflite, which was something she and Molly had planned the night before when she called her after she finished eating dinner with her family.

She grabbed her blouse, a white cotton V-neck long sleeve wrap shirt with a red and blush red floral pattern, and as she slipped it on she thought back to the conversation she had with Molly.

---

"Serena." Serena heard Molly say after being put on hold by her mother.

"Hey Molly. How're you doing?" She asked.

"I'm doing good. Just finishing off my homework." Molly said.

"I still need to get started on mine, but I wanted to talk to you first." Serena said.

"Ah I wanted to talk to you too." Molly said. "Lita Kino is real! I could hardly believe it when you introduced her at lunch. Is she really Sailor Jupiter?" She asked in a rush.

"Yes she is, and we plan on telling her that on Thursday." Serena answered.

"Wow. You and Darien are really time traveling." Molly said. "What's it like?"

"It's just like regular living I suppose; except that I have to be careful of what I say so no one realizes that I knew something before it happens, and before the information can be learned from the only supposed source." Serena said.

"It's only a little stressful when I'm around Luna and the girls since talking to them is where I can slip up and say something that I shouldn't know." She explained.

"Well they don't know your secret, so you're pulling it off well enough." Molly said.

"Yeah; maybe a little too well." Serena said with a sigh.

"What happened?" She asked. "From the sound of your voice I know something happened."

"Today we had a meeting, and after we finished deciding on when to approach Lita about being a scout Luna decided to announce that we needed a leader among us and who that was going to be." Serena said.

"She decided on Amy, and made it clear that I wasn't fit to be the leader in her eyes because I trusted Tuxedo Mask, left meetings early, and am always spending time with my boyfriend; apparently a frivolous thing that can't be done when the princess is found so she won't be left unprotected." She explained.

"What?! She really said all that?" Molly asked.

"Yeah, and I went off on her. I basically told her that she was being narrow minded and wasn't being objective, and that she wasn't doing her job right. Then I left the meeting." She said.

"Early." Molly said in amusement.

"Yeah." Serena admitted. "I have left meetings early before, but only after we've finished talking about anything Scout related. Luna just wants us to spend all of our time together, and has a problem with me having a boyfriend for some reason."

"What are you going to do about that?" Molly asked.

"I've decided that Luna needs to be put on the sidelines before she can affect the cohesion of my Scouts; especially with Lita coming onto the team." She said. "I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to do it, but it's going to happen after Lita is awakened as Jupiter."

"I want to know how it goes, so let me know after all is said and done." Molly said.

"I definitely will." Serena said and then sighed. "So how are things going with Neflite?" She asked, and listened to her friend sigh.

"I really like him. He's so handsome and gentlemanly. We went out only a couple of days after meetings for chocolate parfaits, and walked in the park and talked about whatever came to mind." Molly said. "I learned that he's twenty years old since I had been wondering since I first laid eyes on him."

"Now you have the issue with an age gap." Serena said.

"I know, but I really like him." Molly said.

"It's your decision." Serena said as she shrugged to herself.

She herself wouldn't have cared if Darien had turned out to be twenty. He still would have been her prince. The question would have been if he would have been willing to give her any physical intimacy with the age gap.

She didn't know. She supposed it would have depended on how strong the past prince in him was in comparison to the modern guy.

"He's decided to work instead of going to school, but he's looking into taking online classes." Molly added.

"Good for him." Serena said. "I wonder if Jedite has decided on what he wants to do." She said thoughtfully.

"I don't know." Molly said.

"I'll ask the next time I see him." She said.

"You know, we should go on a double date." Molly said suddenly. "We'd all get to spend time together and I can go on my first date with Neflite without being alone with him."

"Will that make you more comfortable? Not being out on an official date alone with him?" Serena asked.

"Yes; especially since it will likely be in the evening." Molly said, and Serena nodded to herself.

"What can we do? Something casual and not at all fancy." She said.

"Yeah." Molly agreed. "Something casual would be great. Maybe a simple dinner and movie."

"Dinner first or movie first?" Serena asked.

"Movie first I think." Molly said thoughtfully. "That way we won't have to sit through the movie with full stomachs or have to take a bathroom break during the movie."

"Alright then. Movie and then dinner. Now we need a when." Serena said.

"You're obviously going to be busy Thursday, and it will have to be after your classes." Molly said.

"How about tomorrow?" Serena suggested. "That way you'll have two days free if you want to have another, solo, date on Saturday." She said. Plus, she was free the next day since Amy and Raye had insisted on her not skipping her workout, training, and classes.

"Okay. Tomorrow it is then. Now we just have to get the guys on board." Molly said.

---

After Serena decided she would be the one to call Molly back they both hung up with each other, and called their guys to see if they were interested.

Thankfully both guys had easily agreed to the date and the plans they had made, so here she was getting ready for the outing. Along with the plans she and Molly made it was decided that Darien would drive, and he and Neflite would pick up Molly first and then her.

Serena tied her wrap shirt closed in a nice knot at the middle of her stomach, and sat down on her bed and began to pull on her white crisscross flat wedge sandals. She then stood up and walked over a few steps to look at herself in her vanity mirror, and turned this way and that way, nodding in satisfaction that she looked casual and yet nice.

She moved forward and sat down at her vanity table and put on her gold thin chain necklace with a small gold crescent moon pendant, then picked up her pink lip-gloss and began to spread it on her lips. Idly deciding as she did so to leave in her white stud earrings since they went with what she was wearing.

Serena rubbed her lips together slightly to be sure the lip-gloss covered all of her lips then closed it and put the little tube in her subspace pocket. Following her lip-gloss was her brooch, keys, and a bit of money. She wasn't interested in bringing a purse, and everyone she was going to be with that evening was aware of who she truly was.

She then stood up and straightened her clothes before she began to pick up her things and straighten up her room in the time she had left until it was time to leave.

That way she wouldn't have to worry about it when she got back. All she would have to do when she got back was change her clothes, and finish her homework since she had made sure to get the majority of it done at lunch during school.

A little over half an hour went by before the doorbell rang. She went and looked out her balcony and smiled as she spotted Darien's red car. She turned and grabbed her white cardigan sweater off her bed and headed out of her room.

~~uUu~~

Once inside the theater building Serena and Darien and Neflite and Molly headed up the escalator chatting about their plans for the next day. They showed their tickets to the ticket checker before they continued down the hallway toward the theater rooms.

As they came up to the concession stands they decided against getting any snacks so they wouldn't ruin their appetites for dinner, so they continued on passing up one then another numbered theater doorway.

Molly looked over to the side and spotted the women's restrooms just up ahead of them. She touched Serena's arm to gain her attention before she nodded to the restroom. Serena looked and nodded.

"We're going to the restroom real quick." She said to Darien and Neflite. "You guys can go ahead and find us some good seats."

The guys nodded easily and continued down the hallway, and Serena and Molly walked over to the restroom door and pushed it open before stepping inside. They used the restroom, making sure they wouldn't have to worry about any breaks during the movie, and went about washing their hands.

"So what's up?" Serena asked as she began to dry her hands, knowing Molly had wanted to talk without the guys. "Are you already enjoying the date even though it's still the beginning?"

"Absolutely." Molly said with a sigh as she moved her hands away from the water. "I like him so much and he's so handsome. We've talked on the phone a lot and we've been able to meet up and spend time together during the week after he finishes training with you and the guys, and on the weekends."

"It's just nice being around him, and I love the sound of his voice." She added as she dried her hands.

"I can easily relate." Serena said. "I can't get enough of being around Darien and listening to the sound of his voice. Even on the phone he sounded really good."

"It's the same with Neflite, and talking to him is so easy. I was surprised that he found it easy to talk to me. He's even told me how hard a time he's having dealing with the death of his family; that it's like he's finally able to grieve since he couldn't before." Molly confided.

"Oh no. That's something I hadn't considered yet." Serena said as they walked toward the door. "Jedite's likely going through the same thing, and the others will as well if they have similar stories." She said as they stepped out into the hallway.

"It's just so sad." Molly said as they leaned against the wall near the door to the room where their movie would be playing. "He doesn't even know where his family was laid to rest, and he worries the wrong questions will be asked if he tries to find out." She explained, and Serena groaned quietly in sympathy.

"I can't even imagine being in such a situation." She said with a frown.

Is there anything I or Darien can do to help? She wondered as she hummed. Their powers could do a lot, but she wasn't sure they could find graves. She didn't even know how to go about finding the paperwork on what happened to Neflite and Jedite's families.

"Maybe they'll open up and talk to Darien. He didn't lose his parents in such a situation, but he did lose them violently. He might understand how they feel." She suggested.

Molly nodded with a sigh as she watched a couple and then a group walk pass them.

"I wish there was something I could do." She said.

"You are doing something. You're listening to him and being there for him. Just talking about it is likely helping him." Serena assured her.

"Hello ladies." They heard before Molly could reply and looked over to see a guy walking up to them. He smiled and looked back and forth between them before he focused on Molly.

Serena sighed internally, already seeing what the guy was about, and wondered how Molly would react. Before her thought could continue she felt a light tug on one of her streams of hair.

"You have beautiful hair." She heard a male voice say almost at the same time she felt the tug on her hair.

Serena bristled and spun around and snatched the guys hand from her hair, and twisted his arm around his back, listening to him cry out.

"Do not touch my hair!" She said angrily.

She was serious about that. The only guy she let touch her hair was her prince. Even her father had stopped touching her hair after she turned five. And girls asked permission, and even that was rare since looking was good enough for most females.

She pushed the guy away from her, releasing his arm, and looked to Molly.

"Come on; let's go. We've kept the guys waiting long enough." She said before she walked around the first guy toward the door to their theater room.

Molly followed without a backward glance. After all, she had a very good looking guy waiting for her.

---

Serena waved to Molly as the car pulled away. It had been decided after they finished eating dinner that Neflite would use Darien's car to take Molly home, and she and Darien would be dropped off at a playground near Serena's house since they were interested in spending a little more time together.

They would have gone to his apartment, but they both still had homework to finish and they needed to get to sleep for school the next day.

Another day. She thought. We'll take advantage of some free time or go on a date, and be able to spend some uninterrupted hours together.

Until then the couple would enjoy the passing minutes together until they reached her house. Serena held on to Darien's arm, he having offered it like the gentleman he was, and they silently walked through the grass of the playground.

"Thanks for tonight; for coming out on this date. I really needed it. It helped to take my mind off of what had happened with Luna." Serena said.

"No problem. I was glad to go; anything to spend time with you you know that." Darien said.

Serena smiled up at him before she looked back to the path they were idly walking.

"You shouldn't think about Luna at all until you're ready to deal with her." He added. "Your mind could be better occupied with something much more pleasing."

"Like you." She said as she smiled again.

"Do you find me pleasing?" He asked.

"My prince is always pleasing to me." She answered.

"Then yes; like me." He said.

Serena laughed softly and sighed as she leaned her head on his arm as they walked. He was good at that, making her feel better, and he was right. She needed to stop thinking about Luna and what the cat thought of her. Her prince was a better subject to focus on. His handsomeness, kindness, and intensity.

And it's all mine. She thought as she glanced up to him.

There was no more worry about Raye trying to be her rival for him, no uncertain feelings, and nothing and no one that could keep them from each other. They fully remembered their past, and their friends and guardians would all soon be with them. All they needed to do after that was defeat the Negaverse, and they would be completely free to live their lives.

How different things would be if they had been able to do the same in the past. She would have been able to go to the Earth with no problems just like she did the other planets. She and Endymion would have met, openly courted, married, and ruled the Earth and Moon when it was their time.

She sighed lightly, loving the images that thought produced, but then she considered the reality of what actually happened.

Would their romance have been the same without the forbidden aspect?

Serena wasn't sure. She knew for her the first appeal beyond his attractive looks was the fact that she had never seen him in person. She had only seen him through the observation mirror in her palace home, and she knew with him he didn't even have that. He had heard of her, heard rumors of her looks, but he had never seen her before.

Beyond that the secretiveness of their meetings allowed them to talk and get to know each other in a way they wouldn't have had they been courting openly where anyone could listen to and join in their conversations.

So as much as it would have been nice to have been like other couples, and of course not died the way they had, she surprisingly preferred the past that they had. They had grown incredibly close, fallen in love, and proved how much they loved each other over and over again before and including the end.

Serena looked up to Darien again, taking in his peaceful face.

And here we are now. She thought. In our new life, and our second chance at that new life, and just as in love. She blinked at the thought. Yes. I do love my prince, and am very much in love with him.

And he needs to know. She told herself as she looked around and realized they were about to reach her house.

They reached the front of her house and Serena paused her steps and stopped Darien before he could guide her toward her front door. She moved to stand in front of him as he looked down at her questioningly, and raised her hands up and cupped his face.

"My Endymion. I love you." She said simply yet honestly.

Darien's eyes widened before they softened and he smiled happily. It was the first time she had told him that since they remembered their past. It was what he had been waiting for.

"I love you too." He said as he wrapped his arms around her waist then he leaned down and kissed her smiling lips.

~~uUuUu~~

Thursday arrived quickly and found Serena, Amy, and Lita walking down the sidewalk after school on their way to meet up with Raye at the arcade.

Serena was still in her school uniform but she had her duffle bag slung on her shoulder filled with her gymnastics clothes and her workout clothes for after Darien picked her up from class.

But right now she was ready for Lita to finally join the team. She hoped it was an easy conversation, and that Lita wasn't too disbelieving. It was going to be made easier for Lita since she had agreed to have the study session at her apartment, so she was going to be in her own environment and able to move around as she wished with whatever she was going to be feeling.

It also helped that Lita had already met Raye. From her understanding the meeting had gone well the day before and the two got along really well; bonding over the fact that they were both strong determined young women.

As they walked and talked she looked over to Amy and saw that she was just as ready to welcome Lita onto the team, and as they arrived at the arcade she saw Raye and knew from the look on her face that she was ready as well.

The four young women left the arcade as soon as they greeted each other and followed as Lita lead them to her apartment; Luna subtly following them since she had followed Raye from school.

Almost half an hour later they arrived at a five story apartment building. They followed Lita inside and up the stairs to the top floor, and into her cozy apartment with plants visible everywhere they looked. They settled in the living room and connected dining room, sitting at the table and on the couch, and began to take out their homework and textbooks.

Serena sat on the couch with Amy, and she looked over at the table where Lita and Raye sat on the long side facing the living room. She glanced under the table where Luna was sitting to stay hidden, having followed them into the building and snuck into the apartment when they all entered. Serena hadn't paid her any attention since she wasn't going to help her get in; not with the decision she had made in regards to her.

She looked to Amy and saw her looking back at her with an encouraging look as she idly leafed through her notes. She nodded and looked over to Lita, and tried to think of how to get started.

She thought back on how she did it with Amy and Raye, and decided to do something similar. With Amy she had started by asking what she thought of Sailor V, and with Raye she had outright said that she and Amy were two of the scouts that had been in the news fighting monsters around the city.

"Hey Lita." She called as she leaned against the arm of the couch. "What do you think of the Sailor Scouts that are going around the city fighting monsters?" She asked.

Lita looked up, surprised at the subject, but shrugged.

"I think they're interesting and inspiring. I like that they're strong female warriors doing the fighting and saving the day." She answered, and Serena nodded and smiled; liking her thoughts.

"How old do you think they are?" She asked, and the tall girl hummed thoughtfully.

"They have to be at least twenty." She said. "With the few images I've seen of them they don't look younger, and I think they just can't be younger anyway. They're doing something so dangerous, and how could they work that around their school lives without having any conflicts? What about getting around their families or do their families know or do they not have families?"

Amy, Raye, and Serena shared a commiserating look.

"Having schedules, good time management, and quick thinking are definite qualities that they would need to have to make it work." Raye said.

"It wouldn't matter how dangerous or what they had going on in their lives; they would still have to go out and do what they had to do when the time came." Amy added.

"What would you say if I said they're actually younger than the twenty you think?" Serena said.

"I would ask how you know that." Lita said.

"What if I said I know because I'm one of them, and that there are two more here with us?" She said.

Lita blinked and looked at her calm yet serious face, and then looked at Amy and saw she didn't look surprised or shocked. Then she turned her head to look at Raye, and saw that she too looked calm and not at all surprised.

"You're kidding me." She said as she looked around at all of them. "There's no way!" She added, but even as she said that she remembered the morning she met Serena and watching how efficiently she had handled those big guys harassing her.

"I'm Sailor Moon, Raye is Sailor Mars, and Amy is Sailor Mercury." Serena said calmly. "We have yet to come across Sailor V, but I'm sure she's one of us and it's only a matter of time."

Lita looked at them wide eyed, and watched as Raye and Amy nodded in confirmation.

This is unbelievable. They're actually saying this. They can't be serious. She thought.

"You're serious. You guys are actually sailor scouts." She said in disbelief.

"How about we prove it so there will be no doubt." Serena said.

Lita watched as Serena reached up and pulled the gold brooch, she had thought was only a pretty decoration, off her uniform top and stand up. Then watched as Amy stood and with a gesture of her hand a blue and gold pen-like object fell into her hand out of nowhere.

She quickly shifted her gaze to Raye and saw that she was already standing, but was in time to see a red and gold pen like Amy's fall into her hand. Then she watched as they held up those items, and listened as each girl spoke a phrase.

"Mars Power." Raye said.

"Mercury Power." Amy said.

"Moon Prism Power." Serena said.

Lita watched as bright blue, pink, and red light filled the room around her, blocking the girls from view. She squinted her eyes until she had to close them then quickly opened them back up as she registered that the bright light was gone.

What she saw shocked and surprised her. There standing in her apartment were three sailor scouts. Standing the closest to her, next to the table, was Sailor Mars, and over in front of the couch was Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury.

Each wore a white bodysuit with a sailor collar, mini skirt, bows on their chest and lower back, long gloves, a choker, and a tiara on their forehead. Each one had their own identifying color, she guessed, as well.

Mars was red, so her collar and skirt were red, the pop of color at the end of her gloves was red, and the gem on her tiara and high heel shoes were red.

Mercury's color was blue, so all of the things that were red with Mars was blue with her. Though Lita noted that she wore knee high boots instead of the high heels Mars wore.

And with Sailor Moon she had both red and blue as her colors. Her collar and skirt were blue, and her bows, knee high boots, gem on her tiara and the color on her gloves were red. Not to mention there were crescent moons in seemingly specific places on her entire outfit.

Lita blinked and released a slow breath as she looked at her still new friends turned warriors. They were truly sailor scouts. It was not a joke; it was very real. It was amazing, but also confusing. Why did they suddenly reveal themselves to her like this?

"I believe you." She said as she looked back and forth between the three of them. "There's no way I can't after this display, but why are you telling me this?" She asked them.

"Because you're one of us. The day we met I saw the symbol for Jupiter glowing brightly on your forehead." Serena revealed before glancing up to her forehead. "And it's still there." She added.

"Really?!" Lita asked in surprise, and looked to Amy and Raye, but they both shrugged.

"We can't see it. Only Serena can." Amy told her.

"Did they have glowing symbols too?" Lita asked as she looked to Serena.

"Yes. They each had it when I first met them, but not anymore. It disappeared after the first time they transformed." Serena informed her.

Lita nodded and breathed in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"What now?" She asked.

"Luna." Serena said, her tone a firm command, as she looked down at the black cat still under the table. "You have a task to do, so get to it." She said calmly.

Luna stepped out from under the table and leapt up into the air, Lita gasping in surprise at the sight of the black cat, flipped forward and in a brief flash of light produced a pen.

Serena grabbed it out of the air and stepped toward the table where Lita still sat and held it out toward her.

"Your transformation pen. Since you have the symbol for Jupiter all you have to say is 'Jupiter Power' and you'll become one of us." She informed her. "So what do you say; will you join us?"

Lita reached out and took the transformation pen, as Serena had called it, and got a closer look at it. It was green on the bottom half and gold on the top half with the symbol for Jupiter engraved as a pendant at the top of the pen. As she looked at it she realized that it felt right in her hand; like it belonged there, belonged in her possession.

She looked to Serena and saw her smiling softly in welcome, then she looked to Amy who nodded with a light smile, and lastly to Raye who raised her eyebrow and her chin as if to say 'are you going to do it or not'.

Lita stood up from her seat and looked to the transformation pen, her transformation pen, before she looked to them and nodded.

"Jupiter Power!" She said firmly as she held the pen up.

She closed her eyes as she found herself suddenly surrounded in bright green light that felt charged, as if with static electricity, but didn't hurt or make her feel numb. When the light cleared she opened her eyes and looked down to herself, and saw that she was just as transformed as they were.

She was wearing the same white bodysuit they were, but her color was obviously green. The only difference that she could see was that instead of high heels like Mars or knee high boots like Moon and Mercury she was wearing laced up ankle boots.

And the bow on her chest and, after twisting slightly to see, lower back were pink. She lifted her hands to her ears and felt that she was still wearing her pink rose stud earrings.

She looked up and saw that they were all smiling at her.

"Welcome to the team Sailor Jupiter. We're glad you're finally with us." Serena said.

"Thank you." Lita said, and watched her sit down. Amy and Raye followed, so she returned to her seat as well. "Now what?" She asked.

"Now we clue you in to everything you need to know, and answer any questions you have. First, I'll start with an introduction." Serena said, and gestured to Luna who hopped up onto the coffee table in front of the couch.

"This is Luna." She said calmly despite her feelings toward the cat. "She's the one who gave us all our transformation items, and she has something else for you."

Luna turned her head toward her with a look that said she had no idea what she was talking about. Serena took a slow breath in through her nose and let it out the same way.

"The communicator." She told her, masking her frustration.

Luna said nothing but leapt up into the air once again with a flip that produced a small pink object. Serena once again caught the object and stood up before she walked over to Lita and handed it to her.

"This is your communicator." She informed her. "We use them to contact each other for anything Scout related. From planning meetings, relating important information, to notifications of attacks in progress."

Lita nodded and watched Serena turn and head back to her seat then looked at her new communicator. It looked like a small mini calculator that could barely do the basic function, but looking closer she saw the buttons had planetary symbols and that there was a tiny screen.

She put the communicator on the table, and then listened as Raye explained about the subspace pocket she now had and how to use it. Lita gestured with her hand as she had seen them do, and watched as her communicator disappeared.

"Cool." She said, and Raye smiled.

Seeing that had been explained Serena began to explain how she became a scout and her reaction to it, briefly touched on her first fight, and when she saw the Mercury symbol glowing on Amy's forehead.

Amy took over the storytelling explaining how Serena had befriended her and how she and Luna had come over to her apartment one evening and revealed to her that she was a scout. She hadn't believed it at first since she couldn't see herself as being a scout, but once she transformed there was no denying it.

She told of her first fight and what an experience that was with the danger around them and her emotions running high, and yet keeping them in check to deal with the situation in front of her.

Then she went on to explain hanging out with Serena and their friend Molly as they visited the Cherry Hill Temple, and Serena later informing her and Luna about seeing the Mars symbol glowing on Raye's forehead.

Raye continued from there telling of Serena, Amy, and Luna coming to her family temple the next day and speaking to her in private. She had been disbelieving at first of the strangers that had come wanting to speak to her in private only to talk about them being scouts and that she was one as well.

They transformed to prove it and then she transformed, which helped to cement what she had just learned. After that they had talked and she'd learned how they each became scouts, and what their purpose as scouts actually was.

"There's a purpose beyond fighting those monsters?" Lita asked, and then blinked as the cat, Luna, actually spoke. She'd understood from their explanations that she obviously could, but it was another matter to be listening to a cat talk.

"The Sailor Scouts fight the monsters to stop them from taking the energy they steal from their human victims." Luna said. "Beyond that it is your duty as a scout to locate any remaining scouts, and find the Moon Princess and protect her. You are one of her Guardian Scouts, and until you and the others find her she will be in danger." She explained.

"Why is this princess in danger, and who is she for that matter?" Lita asked.

"She was the heir to the throne of the Moon in the past, and sent to a future on the Earth with all of us to have another chance at life." Luna answered. "She's in danger because she is the only wielder and holder of the imperial silver crystal, and if our enemy, who unfortunately was also sent on to have another chance at life, finds her she will be in terrible danger." She explained.

"If she's found by our enemy she could be made to fight for them or just be killed outright so she can't use the silver crystal against them, and that's with or without them finding the silver crystal." Amy said, and the new scout nodded.

"What does she look like?" Lita asked.

"Unfortunately I don't remember." Luna said.

"Alright. Who is this enemy, and what do you know about them so far?" Lita asked them. "Obviously they're the ones sending out the monsters, but what else?"

"Our enemy so far are the monsters sent out by possible generals." Raye said. "Possible because we've only seen one general so far, and he was dealt with weeks ago, but the monsters are still coming so there must be another one or at least someone else sending them."

"The general we saw claimed to be a general for someone named Queen Beryl, and that she was the leader of the Negaverse." She added, and Lita nodded in understanding.

"How many scouts are there supposed to be?" She asked.

"Luna doesn't know," Amy answered before the feline could. "but we figure after you there's probably one more. We believe she will wear orange."

"Sailor V doesn't wear orange does she?" Lita said, and frowned as she tried to remember the last picture she had seen of the scout.

"There is some orange, more like a little, but more red and blue in her outfit then anything." Amy said.

Luna, Raye, Amy, and Lita were silent as they considered that detail. Was Sailor V the last scout or was there another in addition to her that wore orange?

Serena on the other hand was silent because she knew that Sailor V was in fact the last of her Guardian Scouts, and she didn't want to speak and risk giving anything away.

"Okay so we're reincarnated guardians of a reincarnated princess, and as scouts we have to find and protect her. We only fight the monsters sent out by the Negaverse because we were born on this planet and the monsters are a threat to our way of life, but more importantly they, and the Negaverse, are a threat to the princess." Lita said.

"Did I sum that up about right?" She said as she looked around at them.

"Perfectly." Serena said seriously.

And she meant it. She knew very well that if they had been in the past instead of the present the Scouts wouldn't be fighting monsters on another planet. That planets guardians or soldiers would be taking care of that threat. The only way the Scouts would fight them was if they were a direct and immediate threat to the princess.

"Okay." Lita said as she nodded. "You all have obviously participated in fights. How do you prepare for them? Can you prepare for them?" She asked.

"We can and do prepare for them." Serena answered. "We train individually during the week, working out to keep in shape and practicing with our powers, and on the weekend we have group workout and training so that we'll be comfortable fighting together and using our powers in combinations."

"You remember I mentioned my martial arts classes." She said, and Lita nodded. "Well, they're part of my training, and in addition to those classes I take a gymnastics class to help with my balance and maneuverability during fights." She explained.

"I do my training and workout in the forest behind my house." Raye said.

"I use the park closest to my apartment." Amy said.

"I use a park that isn't too far from our school." Serena added. "It has an attached recreation center, but it also has secluded woods around it."

Lita nodded thoughtfully, considering where she could do her workout and training, and then frowned.

"How are we supposed to find the princess in order to protect her?" She asked.

"The silver crystal could very well lead you to her." Luna said seriously. "You all need to start looking for the rainbow crystals, which are actually seven different colored pieces of the silver crystal. Getting the rainbow crystals can get you the silver crystal, which might ultimately lead you to the princess." She explained.

Serena pressed her lips together.

Luna seems to remember pieces of information randomly since she certainly didn't remember anything about the rainbow crystals months ago. She thought in irritation.

"How are we supposed to find these crystals?" Lita asked.

"There's a wand that can help locate them that your leader is supposed to use, but for some reason I can't produce it like I did with your transformation pen and communicator." Luna said.

"We have a leader?" Lita asked in surprise.

She watched as Serena simply blinked but her face remained calm. Amy grimaced and looked away, and Raye pressed her lips together and looked like she was trying not to roll her eyes.

"Yes. I picked Amy as the Scouts leader only two days ago, because I believe she's the best to lead you with her intelligence leading you in the right direction and to help make the best judgements and decisions." Luna said.

"I've already refused. I don't want the position." Amy said instantly. "I'm no leader. In fact, I'm still learning how to work properly in a team."

Lita tilted her head in confusion as she looked from Amy to Luna, and opened her mouth but paused as she glanced to Serena.

Serena calmly shook her head, and mouthed 'later'.

Lita closed her mouth and then decided to ask something else instead. Clearly there were issues or at least a disagreement between Luna and the rest of the group.

"So being reincarnated as we are does that mean we'll remember our past lives?" She asked.

Serena released her transformation as she listened to Luna explain that they should remember, and that she hoped they would remember soon; that she was hoping to remember more too since it would help them so much.

Luna won't appreciate what I'm going to do to her once she realizes I've remembered all along. It certainly won't help her. She thought as she looked over to Amy, seeing her release her transformation as well.

However, it did bring to mind helping the girls remember. If Darien could unlock the past memories of his Generals she could do the same with her Scouts.

Perhaps I'll do it after Venus joins us or possibly after the last general is freed. She considered thoughtfully.

I'll know when the time comes. She thought as she tuned back in to hear Lita's next question, and watched her and Raye release their transformation.