Chapter Fourteen: Facing Your Past

As the giggles reached Mina's ears she tried to concentrate on the fruit smoothie in front of her. It wasn't like she could leave without making it obvious she was trying to escape them. She had so many bags from her shopping spree that it was physically impossible for her to carry all of them plus her snack. She hadn't noticed the girls from her school sitting a few tables away. It wasn't like any of them ate more than a few croutons a day, what were they doing in a food court anyway? She knew that last thought would sound judgemental if she'd said it aloud. But that was the diet she'd had to go through to get in the popular group originally, she doubted it would have changed.

'She's been shopping at that weird little vintage store. I bet you she's just taken the eighties and turned the volume up past just trashy and ugly,' Mina distinctly heard one of them say.

'Hey I like that store,' one of the other girls whispered.

'Well it's not like she can pick out the good stuff from it. It doesn't matter where you shop if you can't piece an outfit together. I mean really what's with that skirt she's wearing it looks like she made it out of her own spew.'

Mina flinched, unable to help but glance at the moss green skirt she was wearing. It was honestly a nice outfit she was wearing, she knew they were just bitching, but at the same time, she felt self-conscious. She wasn't used to being mindlessly hated. She knew the only reason they didn't like her was because she was Lyra's friend. If that was reason enough for them to try to destroy her self-confidence then she didn't think it was a good enough reason to stop being her friend. But she was still finding her footing in her return to Japan, and with Lyra not here, it was harder to take.

'So where did you find that skirt Mina? It looks brilliant with your skin tone. Somewhere cool in England?' piped up a voice.

Mina looked up to see Angela Masuda standing near her table, looking both awkward and determined. Her dark brown eyes were uncertain, but from a distance it was impossible to tell that she was anything else but interested in where Mina had bought the skirt. She tossed back her long red hair dramatically and helped herself to the one seat left on the table not taken up by shopping bags.

'Come on Mina, spill, where'd you find it?'

'It was just this little boutique in London, wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't known it was there,' Mina shrugged, finding it strange that after days of avoiding eye contact that Angie was approaching her.

Angie laughed, although it sounded slightly forced. Mina knew that Angie didn't have to do this, step up and make the other girls look away. They'd been friends before she'd left, and Angie had still made more effort to keep in touch with her then some of the others. She'd still sent her an e-mail on her birthday, it wasn't much but it was more than the rest of them had tried. Angie was part of Toby's group, the inevitable popular people, but she was one of the nicer ones. She never specifically bullied anyone; she was just along for the ride, for the parties and the sometimes good company. Throw in the fact her mother was a real-estate mogul and she fit nearly all the stereotypes.

'I'd love to go shopping in London.'

'It's not as good as LA I recon but its winter stuff is brilliant,' Mina shrugged, still finding this awkward.

'The more that skank covers up the better,' came a snide comment from the table.

Before Mina could do anything Angie whipped around and snapped, 'Who asked you?' and staring down the younger girl who'd made a comment, 'Maybe you should wait till you lose your baby fat before you start hooking up with high schoolers in public restrooms.'

The girl looked mortified before grabbing her friends and running off, and Mina looked at Angie in shock, 'What? She's like thirteen!'

Angie smirked slightly, 'And in this country that's perfectly legal honey,' she said in a sing song tone that was entirely unlike her own.

'...Why do I get the distinct feeling that you're paraphrasing me?' Mina asked uncomfortably.

'Paraphrasing? Please, that was practically your catch phrase, every time I caught you drooling over some random older guy it's exactly what you'd say. Although you spent most of your time sneaking a peak at Toby's older brother,' Angie teased.

Mina looked at her aghast, completely shocked that Angie even noticed, let alone remembered her incessant crush on the older Brown boy. The two girls looked at each for a long moment, before suddenly just exploding with laughter. Angie snorted slightly, making both girls laugh even harder, wiping their tears away with the back of their hands.

Mina beamed at her, 'I can't believe you realised that! I thought I was so discreet.'

'Really how discreet is murmuring, "It must be a crime to be so beautiful," whenever he comes into view?' Angie asked.

'Oh shut up! ...Do you think he knew?' Mina asked earnestly, flushing slightly.

'Of course he did, I think he just found it funny. Always selected his words very carefully around you. Saying things that would make you think he might be onto you with the most innocent look on his face,' Angie giggled a slight trace of her suppressed Irish accent slipping through.

'Jesus... Did everyone know? Even Toby? Because he never said anything.'

'You would have had to be deaf, blind and have an IQ of a sloth to not have noticed.'

Unwilling to take that lying down she decided to throw in, 'So it was just as obvious as your crush on Luca then?'

Angie instantly blushed and insisted, 'There is nothing going on with me and-'

'Sure about that?' Mina said innocently.

'We're just friends!' she insisted her face beginning to match the colour of her hair.

'Sure; then answer this for me huh Ange? Why is it that every time I see you, why you and Luca seem to be slinking off together? I mean I get that your avoiding me, but still can't be a coincidence that you're always together.'

'Shut up!' Angie groaned, hiding her head.

Mina just laughed and shook her head, for a moment there was nothing but silence. Before Angie looked back up, staring at her. She was clearly trying to get the guts up to ask about what had changed since the last time they'd spoken. Why it had become pretty much necessary for her to avoid Mina like wildfire. She just wanted to know how Mina had changed to the point that she'd opted for Lyra's friendship over everything else she'd once had.

'…Mina… Um…'

'Just ask Angie, I'm not going to kill you for being curious.'

'…Your friends with Lyra, and I don't get it… I mean you and her hated each other. She got some serious joy out of tormenting you back in the day. And even if there weren't as many scuffles as she and Toby had, it could still get downright vicious between you two.'

'And that oddly is part of the reason why I value her friendship so much. I was in a bad place, I didn't ask for her help and originally I didn't want it. She had no reason, absolutely nothing to benefit from by helping me. Yet she still went completely out of her way to pick me up from the depths of self-imposed solitude and destruction. No one at our school would have given her the slightest glance if she was in the state I was in, yet she helped the enemy and expected nothing in return. I owe her so much for that and I- I'm rambling, sorry, honestly you can just forget I said anything it really doesn't concern you in the end.'

Angie blinked slowly, unnerved by Mina's sudden spiel. She'd known Mina since they were ten, yet she'd never heard her like this, conflicted yet assured, regretting something yet somehow grateful. She knew Mina had been pretty off before she'd run off to England and she could only guess what it was about.

'…Is this about what happened with Hiro? Because I tried to talk to you but you wouldn't let me in-'

'Lyra doesn't wait for permission to do anything, I wasn't willing to accept help and she gave it to me anyway,' Mina said shortly.

'I guess so...'

'Anything else you want to quiz me on while I'm here? Because I probably should head home before my wallet decides to go purchase something else I don't need,' Mina asked, trying to brighten the mood and yet escape from the awkward situation she'd found herself in.

Angie went to shake her head, but then paused and said, 'Lyra knows she doesn't have to be public enemy number one right? I mean I think part of what makes everyone so uneasy around her is because they know she could be one of us with ease. She'd be Queen Bee in no time at all if she tried. Why does she act like... well, the way she does, when she knows she could be accepted?'

'Because unlike most people, she knows exactly who she is. And she's not going to let anyone interfere with that. If being an outsider means she doesn't have to compromise her identity, so be it,' Mina shrugged, gathering her bags and said, 'I'll see you around Angie.'

'Sure, sure,' she said, the look on her face implying she wasn't entirely happy with the way this conversation had ended, 'I'll see you weekend after next.'

'Huh?' Mina replied intelligently, her shopping bags swinging as she turned around.

'Toby's 16th? Oh come on, you've got to be going!' Angie exclaimed seeming stunned.

'So I can get smoke, drink and watch the people around me do a lot worse then make out on any available surface? Not a chance.'

'When did you get so judgemental about that sort of stuff?' Angie said sounding irritated but a bit amused at the hypocrisy.

'When I realised being mature meant understanding that doing those things I used to insist I was old enough to do, only just showed how immature I was,' she said, knowing she was channelling Lyra's influence on her right there.

Her old friend looked shell shocked as Mina swept away feeling distinctly not herself. The entire conversation she'd been fighting against her two selves. The over confident and ignorant Mina of the past who would have thought Toby's birthday bash was the "can't miss social event" of the year which she would have rather died then miss. The polar opposite Mina of today who was desperate to be independent, strong, responsible and regain some confidence in herself. She was stuck between two distinct personalities that had an unwavering symmetry. And she just didn't know how to force herself to make the right choices.

...

'Now Serena you must pay attention to every detail we are able to give you. Anything from the Silver Millennium could come round again and it is vitally important that you react accordingly in such an event-'

Serena groaned loudly still in her work out clothes, a bit sweaty and quite tired after the black cat with the tediously mothering tendencies wrenched her out of bed on a Saturday morning. It hadn't even been eight yet! It was the first day of the holidays and the weekend; she was not supposed to be up that early. Let alone to exercise. Luna had put her through a grilling workout routine supposed to "prepare her for the dangers of fighting the Negaverse!" She had a magic tiara that vaporised monsters, why should she have to attempt to do push ups? Serena gave a long pitiful stare to Artemis who hid his smirk.

'Maybe we should just start already Luna,' he suggested, 'Mina mentioned she loved mythology, maybe she'll find it interesting.'

'Thank you Artemis, for having faith in me. Unlike some felines, who I shall not name,' Serena said with the thinnest veiling she possibly could.

Luna looked aghast but Artemis hastily offered, 'Why don't I start?'

Luna nodded slightly while Serena leaned forward to look at the white cat at the foot of her bed, 'So Artie, tell me why it's my destiny to fight monsters for a living?'

Artemis smirked slightly, but began in an ethereal tone that cast a spell in the small suburban room, as he began to speak of a time and a world unknown to Serena, 'An exceedingly long time ago, long before life was anything like what you know now; the solar system was filled with life. Every planet, every moon, every place that could possibly sustain life, did. And one of the most important places of all was the Lunarian Kingdom, the kingdom of the moon. The city that stood among the craters of the Earth's moon, bathed in silver light, a kingdom ruled by one of the most powerful enchantresses ever known. Queen Serenity Neona Selene; descended from the goddess herself.'

Serena had been so enchanted in the story that she hadn't even blinked but at that she hesitated, 'Selene? From Greek Mythology? The Titan? She was descended from the ancient goddess of the moon!?'

'So the story goes, but how accurate it is, we are unaware or even if it is the same Selene it could just be a coincidence,' Luna insisted, 'Now if you'll stop picking at irrelevant details-'

'I was taught that asking questions was how you showed you were listening but fine, have it your way sourpuss,' Serena insisted poking her tongue out before nodding to Artemis to continue.

'Anyway... Queen Serenity was the only one who could command a great source of power that had been passed down through her family for centuries, an object called the Imperium Silver Crystal. Her daughter, Princess Serenity would be the one to inherit it naturally, but if something should have happened to the Princess, the Queen could have selected a new heir. This was a powerful prize to anyone with ambition, so as a result a special protective unit by the name of the Guardian Senshi was created to protect her.'

'Makes sense,' Serena shrugged, 'So I'm supposed to protect some Princess?... Where is she?... Wait I thought you said this was a long time ago, how is it still relevant to me?'

'Let him finish the story Serena all will be told in due time-'

'Okay you two enough, now,' Artemis insisted, 'now, as I was saying. Something went wrong in the past life. Something completely catastrophic. All life was wiped from all planets except Earth, and it was all because of the Negaverse.'

'...Oh my god... What happened? Why did they do it?' Serena asked.

'...Actually, we don't know,' Artemis admitted.

'Then why are they back?' she queried.

'We don't know that either,' Luna said.

'What do I have to do with any of this?'

'Not sure.'

'...Do you know anything other then what you just told me?!' Serena asked sharply, Artemis and Luna exchanged furtive glances and Serena just gaped, 'You sound like me writing an essay on a book when I've only read the blurb and the first page!'

'Look Serena, the Silver Millennium was an ancient time, when everything fell to pieces Luna and I were given new life on this planet so that if the Negaverse ever stirred we'd be able to awaken the Guardian Senshi to fight once more,' Artemis began, 'But our memories of those lives are vague to say the least. In fact Mina probably knows more than us-'

'Why would Mina know more? You two were actually there- don't tell me...'

'We think it is highly plausible that you two and the rest of the Guardian Senshi were there. If our lives could be brought back all these years later we assume the same thing was done in your case. And we believe our Princess too would have a life on this Earth,' Luna said calmly.

'...I had a past life... a past life? As in I existed before this? I was reincarnated?' Serena asked, sounding completely mystified at the idea.

'Your certainly taking this better then Mina did... although she called it re-incinerated so there may have been some confusion in that case,' Artemis offered.

'I had a past life...' Serena said smiling bigger and bigger, 'I always thought YOLO was stupid and now I know why. I defy it!'

'What is she talking about?' Luna whispered to Artemis.

'Don't go there, it's a big black hole of idiocy of which you may never come out,' Artemis hissed in reply, before saying hastily, 'Serena, just to clarify, we don't know if that's true, but yes Mina has in the past referred to things that happened in the Silver Millennium. Things that I never told her or quite frankly knew about. She pulled them out of thin air.'

'That could just be caffeine,' Serena admitted, knowing her cousins tendencies.

'Hence why we don't know for sure whether or not you were reincarnated,' Artemis laughed.

'This is truly no laughing matter Artemis, precious information could be discredited purely because you can't rely on Mina-' Luna lectured.

'Hey!' both the cat and Serena yelled in response.

'Mina single handedly insisted in taking down the dark agency herself and was nearly killed half a dozen times. She refused to let me even look for another Sailor Scout because she didn't want for someone else to have to have their life ripped apart for an unknown cause,' Artemis instantly defended.

'Three days ago you were on your hands and knees worshipping her because you thought she was some sort of saviour! Is she suddenly too much like me for you to respect what she's done?'

Luna instantly shrunk back, not having expected this outburst, 'From what Mina seems to remember,' she began, earning a huff from Serena as she changed the subject, 'the Shitennou were of Earth originally. Each had the power to match the Sailor Senshi in combat.'

'Why would they help destroy their own planet if they were of Earth?' Serena asked carefully, glancing at one of the posters Lyra had given her to remind her of how to get more information out of teachers.

'We don't know that one,' Artemis began.

'Figures.'

'But she does remember that Earth was unstable politically for quite some time, despite the general peace in the rest of the Silver Alliance, Earth seemed to be at war with itself,' Artemis said making Serena turn her head in interest.

'So when was this anyway? Are we talking the World War One and Two old? Or Napoleonic wars old?' she asked, noting proudly how her love of history was making her sound intelligent for once.

'Older,' both Luna and Artemis said in sync.

'Really?' Serena asked excitedly, 'What about Ancient Rome or Greece? It would explain the Queen being called Selene?... Is that what happened with the Trojan War? Is that why they were never able to prove it actually happened?'

The cats seemed awkward before Luna decided to just say it, 'Even older still. Serena from what we understand from being locked in dormant forms for so long, this would have happened,' she said and took a deep breath hastily, 'Possibly as long as ten million years ago...'

'Ten million?' Serena babbled, 'Ten million years ago? What I thought we were talking maybe a thousand years ago.'

'Well even then people were inventing highly sophisticated telescopes, there's no record of anything associated with life on any other planet that in anyway resemble our history in any of the records,' Luna explained knowing that Artemis hadn't even told Mina how old this war was, he knew she wouldn't react to well to it.

'Okay, so maybe five thousand years or so, but ten million? Were humans even around then? And how do you know how long ago this was if you don't remember more than the most minimal information?! How is any of this even relevant if it happened that long ago and how is it even possible? How?!'

'We're not sure that it was that long ago, but we do have something that suggests that it might have been,' Artemis said carefully, before back flipping and bringing out what seemed to be a USB from a portal in space, and at Luna's expression he shrugged and said, 'Cats don't have pockets, or thumbs. I can't carry that everywhere in my mouth.'

'...Do you want me to get my laptop?' Serena asked slightly caught off guard by the fact that a cat could use technology.

Artemis nodded and Serena began hunting through the crap on her desk before finding it under a stack of papers that she'd been given for holiday homework. None of which had been touched, but she had vaguely glanced at them when Lyra asked to know what work she had to do. The bedazzled pink laptop was then placed in front of the cat as she hastily logged on putting in her password. Subconsciously noting to change it from "Mrs Serena Furuhata" and find a new crush to replace it with. She plugged in the USB, unable to help but notice the slight musical tone her computer played upon injecting it. But when she opened it, she found a very complex looking inscription facing her to gain access to the any of the documents.

She gaped for a long moment till Artemis jumped up on her lap and began typing in a long string of digits and letters with no relation to one another occasionally asking her to press the shift key for him. But all in all this cat could type faster than her mother could, not that she was good with technology, but to know she was outclassed by a talking cat made Serena suppress a jolt of laughter.

Serena's computer slowly opened processed the JPEG Artemis selected, and she saw an image of a rock on her screen, and instantly she was confused, 'Huh?'

'Look closer Serena, zoom in,' Artemis explained.

Serena obliged, but then realised with a jolt of shock that there was a carving in the stone, the same mark that both she and Mina's uniforms were dotted with, an identical crescent moon, 'What... what is this?'

'It was a piece of evidence the US government suppressed when it was located during the first moon landing in 1969,' Artemis said, and Serena looked at him in alarm.

'Where did you get this?'

'A secret database in the Japanese Governments system, the best mineralogist at the time was Japanese so they got him in on it. They all agreed to suppress what it contained for the sake of preventing a public panic, or as they probably envisioned at the time, a third world war.'

'...What was so special about that rock? You know other than that carving?' Serena asked carefully, not finding it easy to take in.

'They examined it, and have several times over the decades since as the technology has improved. They're almost positive that the carving was made around ten million years ago, on the moon. That's something that could cause hysteria, something that they would not like to cause. Especially after suppressing it all these years.'

'What were you even doing hacking into a government database?' Serena asked sharply.

Luna and Artemis hesitated, before giving a synchronised, 'Ah...'

'You're cats,' Serena reminded.

'We know that,' Artemis shrugged, 'But who'd suspect a cat did it?'

'So ten million years ago?' Serena clarified.

'That might not be when it ended but it was at least when the Lunarian Kingdom existed, it may have endured for millions of years before it was destroyed, but it's the best estimate we have,' Luna sighed, twitching slightly as if not knowing pained her.

Serena took a long moment to process this, before taking yet another look at Lyra's poster and deciding to prove to Luna she had been listening, 'So... about ten million years ago, there was a kingdom on the moon, and there were a group of people called the Guardian Senshi to protect the Princess of the Moon. We may or may not be the reincarnations of those guardians, and the Princess may or may not exist in this time. This Silver Millennium thing ended because of the Negaverse who are helped by the Shitennou for no apparent reason… and that's all we've got to work with.'

'Yeah pretty much,' Artemis shrugged.

Serena stared for along moment before flinging herself back onto her bed, nearly squashing both cats as she muttered, 'oh this is going to be a very unique kind of hell.'

…

Every time she came back here, it hurt like nothing else she would ever experience anywhere else, but this day was the worst, as it was as each anniversary passed. The morning mist clung to her skin, as she slowly paced forward, unable to move any faster, unable to convince herself to do anything more then put one foot in front of the other.

'Daddy! Daddy! Look! I can walk on my hands! Look at me daddy!'

The childish once familiar voice rung in her ears, making her flinch; but she didn't pause as she slowly forced herself to continue. She'd left Darien in the car, he had wanted to come but she wouldn't let him. She had seen that he was hurt by this but she knew that if he was there, she wouldn't be able to face this. If anyone was there, she wouldn't be able to face it. She was trying open up, trying to let him in more, the fact she'd let him drive her all the way out to Yokohama was new. But for now that's all she was ready for.

'Mama, I don't want to eat my crust!' complained a tiny three year old pushing the plate away from her with a pout and a toss of her head.

The dark haired women just laughed and pushed it back towards her, 'C'mon sweetie, it'll make your hair curly.'

'But I already have daddy's hair!' the toddler insisted incredulously pulling at the blonde tufts of curls.

The tears were already gathering along her eyelids, but she knew if she let them fall before she had even migrated her way through the graveyard that she would never learn how to hide the misery she always felt. Tears would solve nothing, prove nothing, it wouldn't even make her feel better. And thus as a result she'd never understood why they insisted upon leaking from her eyeballs whenever the feeling of grief hit her.

'Lyra, I know those boys were mean to you but you shouldn't have lashed out like that,' said the man, crouching in front of the six year old who swung her legs depressedly, sitting outside the Principal's office.

'…I know daddy… they just… they just…' she stuttered before her bottom lip began to quiver and she started to tear up rapidly.

'Hey, hey it's okay, as long as you know that there are other ways to handle these situations,' he assured her, stopping her tears as he pulled her into a hug, before being unable to question, 'Did you kick their butts?'

'Yup.'

'That's my girl.'

The stone building stood before her, and for a moment her heart stopped and her breath caught. Staring at the vault which contained the bones of her family members for generations. Like every time she visited there was a long stretch of hesitation before she entered. But after a huge breath in she took her tentative steps back into the building. It hadn't been long since she'd been here; it was her duty to keep this tomb clean as one of the last Taiyou descendants. Apart from those who had married into other families, every member of her mother's family for eight generations lay in this tomb. She knew her grandfather, her only living relative, paid for the maintenance of the site, but she still did some of it on her own every few weeks when she could make it down there, paying homage to all that she'd lost.

'Mama! Daddy! It's too hot! I want ice cream!' complained the impertinent four year old from where she dragged her feet along the ground, scuffing her sandals.

'Oh sweetie, you've already had a lot of treats today-'her mother began but her dad whisked her up into the air, kissing her on the forehead and plopping her onto his shoulders.

'You just read my mind Lyra.'

Her father was buried here as well; he had no family of his own so an exception had been made. Lyra's mother and father, buried side by side since the day he too had passed. The eternity of it all burned into her skin as she slumped to her knees in front of the graves. The traditional above-ground graves making her feel small and even more alone, as she stared at the family crest engraved into her mother's headstone. The alter of grey marble was cold under her fingers as she lightly ran her fingers over the words left to symbolize everything her mother had once been.

Hikari Franklin

"Just because love has been lost it does not mean you cannot feel its warmth."

'Mama... Mama! Why are you sleeping?'

Her hands shook as she tried and failed to hold in her tears, shaking as she lay the bouquet of flowers she had brought here for her mother. The white lilies that had father would bring home just because. The daffodils she used to braid into her hair, joking she at least should have some sort of yellow in her hair match her family. The tiny purple heliotrope flowers that she'd let Lyra grow in the garden even though they grew everywhere and took over the flowerbeds. The orange blossoms like the ones in the park that she'd always taken her to as a child. The poppy flowers like the ones she'd been buried with as was the family tradition.

'When's she coming home daddy?'

Blinking as her eyes leaked out drop after drop of water she moved her hand to her fathers grave, fingers grazing over his birth and death dates. The latter was the same day of the same month, three years previously. Marking the day she had been orphaned, the day when her world fell to pieces. Her hands were shaking so much that she could barely light the candles sticks that stood waiting for her along the grave. Every muscle was paralysed as she forced herself to read the words scattered across the stone before her.

Calvin Franklin

"If someone needs help, you give it to them, no questions asked, no debts to be repaid."

'This little menace gave my boy a concussion!' screeched the voice of a parent, in the office of Lyra's middle school principal.

'Maybe if he could take a punch it wouldn't be such an issue...' Lyra muttered under her breath.

'Do you even hear her?' the mother screamed, turning to face the principal who seemed to be shocked into a stunned silence.

That was when her father leaned forward and said in the deepest sincerity, 'I am sorry that you believe this of my daughter, though I'd like to offer you any assistance I can. Although you have no proof my daughter did anything I might point out, may I suggest that you give that boy of yours some counselling? If he's lashing out at younger students as my daughter described, then maybe he could use some help dealing with you and your husband's divorce. If there's a financial issue associated I'd be more than happy to lend a hand-'

'Who said anything about a divorce?!' the women demanded furiously, making Lyra and her father exchange glances.

Lyra raised her hand and with eloquence never to be expected from a twelve year old, yet so bluntly if she was any old she wouldn't have gotten away with it, 'We just thought it was blatantly obvious. But if you haven't realised yet, then I apologise for being the bearer of bad news.'

Her father instantly looked alarmed as the opposing parents face swelled like a volcano about to erupt, 'Lyra... I think we're both in trouble now.'

She knew the words carved on her father's tombstone wouldn't seem like much of a memento, but it had been the mantra he lived by. Something he'd tried to pass onto her, but Lyra knew given her actions concerning other people especially since he'd passed... It just proved how much unlike her father she'd turned out.

'Dad... why doesn't anyone at school like me?' the unsure looking eight year old questioned as her father stood behind her brushing out her ringlets, 'Is something wrong with me?'

'Sweetheart, if they don't like you then it's their problem, they're missing out on a great friend,' he said, 'But it might have something to do with the fact they can't beat you at scrabble.'

'Dad, you're the only one I play scrabble with,' the girl said confused.

'Then would you mind letting me win for once?' he offered, making the young girl burst into a gail of laughter.

Her head clouded with memories she couldn't shake, but even as she remembered the bittersweet moment, tears began streaming down her face. Images flashing through her mind, sounds pounding through her head, a feeling of grief so unshakable that it clasped at her heart and wouldn't release her from its clutches. Her entire body was shaking as the sounds of shocked voices, screams, hushed whispers and a long beep that pierced her skull, vibrated through her head. Even though her eyes were closed all she could see was the blood that seemed to coat the entire inside of her head. Hospital beds, all white, all dark, all nothingness, voices that couldn't quite seem to reach her, faces that she just didn't seem to recognise. She was hyperventilating, struggling to stay sitting upright, the tears clogging her throat, a puddle forming at her knees. And then for a moment everything went black again because in that moment she fainted.

It was only for a split second, but it was enough to make her collapse to the ground. Every molecule of her body froze for a long moment, and the mid-summers day just seemed to get colder, but as soon as she hit her head it shocked her out of her state. She suddenly sat up right, barely having completed her fall before she was back in her crouched position. She let loose a breath as the tears continued to overwhelm her but she remained as calm as her mind would let her.

'Don't go to that place,' she told herself, 'Don't let the fear, the sadness, the anger overtake you again. They'd want anything but that. They'd want anything but that.'

She repeated the mantra a few more times, nodding to herself, trying to keep herself grounded. She stared at the thin scars still present on her forearms. The ones which she covered up nearly every day with makeup as a reminder to herself that she shouldn't have let it happen. So she'd have to see the symbols of her pain every day, and remember that she was worth so much more then that. She was the only piece left of her family, she had to at least try to be everything they'd wanted to be as a child. She had to try. And for now, that was all she was capable of doing.

...

The starlet pulled the bright orange bow out of her hair, nodding to herself as she checked her skin in the mirror. It was as clear as always, but she'd been paranoid ever since her publicist started making a habit of checking for blackheads. She smiled to herself, slipping out of her robe, stepping into the shower. But the hot water had enveloped her for all of a few seconds, before the creature struck.

The TV star was pushed to the tub hard, and she instantly knew she was hurt. She screamed for her bodyguard but no sound came out, as the creature stuck her mouth together with something sticky and cold, almost like some kind of web. She stared at the turquoise monster above her, feeling the fear pulse through her system. She began to kick and flail, bare limbs doing nothing to interfere with the creature, as it stuck her to the floor of the hotel bathtub. The cocoon of string kept her pinned down, even as she made muffled sounds through the web over her mouth, she knew it was useless.

A blonde man was hovering over her, with a sick amusement that was truly vile to behold, as he said in an angelic like purr, 'Now Miss Saffron, you're fame is about to become my asset. Now, Derella, time to replace her.'

Each of our heroines look at their pasts with unease, knowing how hard their lives have become due to them. Mina's trying to grow past her wild days. Lyra's trying to come to grip with the tragedies of years ago. And Serena is beginning to face the reality of just what she's gotten herself into. And with Jadeite launching yet another attack, and this time on a very public figure, how much longer will the Sailor Scouts be able to operate under the radar?

Hello, my lovely readers, I apologise for the wait... 50 days according to the document thingy here. Unfortunately as I am in my HSC year the chapter updates are going to become more and more infrequent, but the moment November 5th hits, they'll be flying at you from all angles... so please be patient with me I have a trial exam block in six weeks, two major works and then the four weeks of the biggest exams of my life. i'll do my best but unfortunately my education comes first. But, the important thing is that I have updated. For those of you confused by the fact that I've changed the Silver Millennium to millions of years ago rather then just a thousand, its to fit with a few ideas that I came up with that will be unpacked when the Sailor Scouts begin to regain their memories.

A huge thank you to all 6 reviewers on this chapter, as well as all of the other readers who have successfully gotten this story up to two and a half thousand views. Which is a pretty great part of the now 80,000 views I have received since I began posting stories online three and a bit years ago! So here come the thank yous!

Natashasurgurl: Well, the copyright on that song ended a while ago, the guy who composed its dead, I checked. But until they go after the glee fandom and the ones entitled "a song fic" I'll assume I'm safe. Unfortunately I can't do this showcase thing without lyrics here and there, but trust me I'll be careful not to make them overwhelming, besides, I integrate them into the story properly rather then just take them straight of a website and just post all of them in one huge chunk. I'm glad you like the poem! And Toby is just so much fun to write, who knows what's his involvement is anyway, I mean I'm planning to have quite a few OC's who aren't connected to the past at all, and as for the shipping? Who knows? And I'm glad your having fun reading Lyra's interactions with everyone. That was one of my main intentions in the story, to bring in real consequences of life and death means making the bad guys a threat, and the only one i was ever really that scared of as a kid was Malachite, and that's only when Zoisite's dead. I felt that they should have enough begrudging respect to work with one another, it was important to me to embrace their potential as characters.

Anon: I'm so glad to hear that your enjoying this new version and I'm honored to be your favourite, I hope I continue to hear from you,

xxNarielxx: Thank you so much!

Abeytu: And it's been a wait but I've repeated that magic trick.

Atsirk Enoh: Well I often co-author with someone who has an unfortunate habit of torturing her characters, so its a viable possibility Lyra will get injured.

Superotakufan: This is the kind of review that I look forward to getting, thanks so much for your kind words and I really hope you keep checking back in to let me know what you think of the story as it progresses. The characterization and flow is something I work really hard on to achieve so I'm really glad that you appreciate it. And I wouldn't mind lending it, but the only way I know how to transfer these sort of things with involve human sacrifice so maybe for now we better hold off at that idea. Also thanks for favoriting and following!

A big thanks also goes to the people who have followed since the last update White Owl, Atsirk Enoh and Midoll 12!

Now as I explained above, I will update as soon as I possibly can, I'm trying to alternate between this story and another (Our Shattered World go check it out if you like Pokemon) so as soon as my schedule permits another chapter will be up.

So read, review, favourite and follow, show your author some love, weigh in on anything you think is interesting, random, or just want to talk about, who knows maybe you could think of something I hadn't even considered. Much love as always!

xxo

Princess Selina