Author's note: I'm sorry for the delay in updating. I finally have some time off work and it took some time to get back in the groove of writing the next chapter! Rest assured that I haven't forgotten my stories! Thank you so much to my reviewers - you really keep my stories going. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a little more relaxed. The next chapters will have some plot turning events so stay tuned for that! Please leave me reviews and let me know what you think!

Chapter 20

Raye pulled out her antiseptic wash and cotton pads from her bathroom cabinet and gently pressed the pads against the graze on her cheek. It was healing well now, and the bruise had, thankfully, yellowed and was now on its way out. She winced as the antiseptic made her scrape sting a little, but she'd suffered worse. She noted how the angry red wound had started to fade to sharp pink scratches across her cheek which made her face look better than it was. She sighed as she awkwardly tipped a little more antiseptic onto a cotton pad, cursing her broken arm. She could feel the fibres in her broken bone knitting together to repair the bone and she thanked the goddess Selene for her accelerated healing abilities. She looked down and lifted up her shirt to examine her stitched up wound, nodding to herself when she noted how well it was healing. Not that she would admit it, but she was glad that she was refused to participate in their sailor training. She found that she was healing quicker than she expected and she was feeling much more like herself, with the exception of the healing bones in her arm. She narrowed her eyes at the offending cast with a sigh. She put everything away and pulled her Shinto priestess robes on.

She left her room and turned down the hall to take up her broom, mop, and bucket. She entered the kitchen and started to fill up her bucket with hot, soapy water. She held her mop and broom under her arm and lifted up the bucket and carefully walked out. She kept her eyes firmly trained on the bucket in her hand and walked out into the corridor, suddenly aware of a tall figure approaching her. She looked up and gasped as she immediately came to a stand still as Chad stopped abruptly, one inch from banging into her. She stared up at him in shock, feeling the strain in her hand as she gripped the handle harder.

"Sorry," he apologised, bowing to her before passing her and continuing down the corridor.

She watched his retreating back and sighed. It had been two days since they'd last spoken. He disappeared when she appeared, and he had avoided speaking to her in situations when they could have conversed. It was uncomfortable for her and truthfully, she didn't know how to approach him.

She got to work in the entrance of the shrine and started to sweep up the floors, then turned to her mop to clean up. The strong fragrant of citrus lemon overwhelmed her senses as she worked, and she smiled at the shine that was left in the mop's wake. She gathered her things and backtracked into the depths of the shrine and put them away, taking up her rake to clear all the leaves at the front of the shrine. Phobos and Deimos flew down from the large tree that stood to the side of the shrine and landed next to her.

"Hello, Deimos, Phobos," Raye greeted them, crouching down at their sides, petting the side of Phobos' neck with the back of her fingers. They cawed at her, Phobos nudging into her hand. "You guys never fail to make me smile."

They both cawed at her again, Deimos walked closer to her, nibbling on her fingers at her right hand. Raye looked down.

"Yeah, the sling is no more," she grinned. "It makes me life a little easier, I admit."

She glanced up in the direction of the entrance to the shrine and subconsciously sighed. Phobos stared at her with those intelligent eyes that she was so familiar with. Deimos nibbled her fingers gently again.

"What do I do about him?" she wondered aloud.

At that moment, the aforementioned Chad strolled out of the shrine and made his way to the stall at the front of the temple where they sold talismans, charms, amulets, and a variety of other trinkets. She watched him reach over the counter, stretching for something and she stood, approaching him.

"Chad," she said shortly.

He stood up straight and turned to look at her with a deadpan expression on his face. He folded his arms silently and looked at her with his eyebrows slightly raised.

"So, have you just gone mute now?" she frowned.

Ignoring her, he asked, "what do you want, Raye?"

"Why have you been avoiding me for days?" she demanded.

"I've been doing my job, Raye," he replied, "helping Grandpa, like I usually do."

"Don't you want to talk about it?" she asked impatiently, her hand on her hip.

"What is there to talk about, Raye?" he challenged, raising an eyebrow, pressing his lips together.

"Whatever your problem is," she countered.

"I don't have a problem," he shrugged.

"Really? So, going for coffee with another guy didn't set you off?" she retorted.

"It irked me," he answered. "I care for you, Raye. I cared for you and you just tossed me aside… in favour of some guy with some bruising that captured your attention. After you returned from the hospital, I worried for you. I tried to get you to slow down, let me help you and you just didn't see me, Raye. Do you know how that feels, to be tossed aside without a thought?"

Raye stared at him, her face devoid of expression. She thought about her life before meeting her fellow sailor scouts and the loneliness she felt, the isolation she experienced, all because she was different, and no one understood her. Yes, she knew how it felt to be tossed aside. She recalled her father's secretary who married in a political move, as encouraged by her father and how she'd been tossed aside in favour of that. She felt that he understood her views on marriage, relationships, and love. His betrayal still burned her because she knew she was the only option for him. Then there was her father and that was another story. She considered Chad.

"Yes, I know how that feels," she replied flatly, turning away, and taking up her rake again to continue gathering the leaves into piles.

Chad watched her tidy up from across the court and pressed his lips together. The pain in her eyes hadn't gone by unnoticed by him.

Lita swore under her breath as Sailor V was killed in the game by a youma. Immediately, she started up a new game and began to work her way through each level. She barely took note of the whir of noise coming from the other game machines around her and the fellow gamers with friends who were playing them. Subconsciously, her tongue was sticking out as she concentrated hard as she advanced through the game, then she reached the level where her character died. She felt her hand cramping as she moved the console to control her character.

"Oh, damn it!" she cried, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration as she watched the words 'GAME OVER' flash up on her screen.

She heard a hearty chuckle from behind her and she turned her head to the sight of a tall figure with thick, wavy maroon hair hanging loose around the broad shoulders that was instantly familiar to her. Around the dark blue eyes, she spied the telling crinkles that indicated amusement and a deep smile.

"Neal?" she gasped. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to witness your failure," he grinned, taking up a seat next to her. "You been here since school ended?"

Lita's eyes flickered to the clock on the wall to see that it was already 4:30pm. She hadn't noticed the time fly by since she swung by here for some stress relief.

"I certainly have," she nodded. She glanced at the game machine. "It didn't quite go to plan."

"I don't know," he replied seriously. "I think you were really motoring there."

She frowned at him, noting the twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"You're teasing me, aren't you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't do such a thing," he smirked.

"So…" she hesitated, "what's up?"

"I was passing by and saw you," he answered honestly. "How's Mina?"

"She's doing well," she smiled. "She had me doing yoga on Tuesday."

"I would look ridiculous doing that," he laughed.

"And you think I look anymore elegant?"

"On the contrary!" he argued. "I believe you once told me that you're quite the dancer on the ice."

"That's different!" she protested. "In yoga, you have to have this sense of awareness and control."

"And you don't on the ice?" he poked her playfully.

"It's not that," she shook her head. "On the ice, I don't have to hold myself in a single position and breathe through the pose. I can just let myself go. It's really freeing."

Neal smiled at her, the light of the arcade dancing in his eyes.

"I want to ask you out," he announced.

Lita blinked at him in surprise.

"Seriously?" she checked.

"Seriously," he repeated.

She looked at him, and a moment passed.

"So…"

"Will you go out with me?" he asked, amusement crossing his face.

She considered him for a moment. This was the first time he had asked her out on a date. She wasn't sure what to make of him if she was really honest with herself. He was good fun after they got past their initial meeting, but she wasn't sure if he really made her heart flutter. He irked her so much on the first day they met, and she wasn't positive that she'd got past that yet. She got to her feet.

"I'll think about it," she replied with a small smile, leaving him staring after her in her wake.

Amy walked out of the changing rooms and entered the swimming pool by jumping in with a splash in the deep end. She dived down to the bottom of the pool and then swam back up to the surface, flicking her hair back from her face. She exhaled in great satisfaction at feeling the chlorinated water fill up her senses. The chlorine invaded her nostrils, overwhelming her sense of smell with the clean, chemical smell that she missed when she wasn't able to visit the pool. Her skin sang with the feeling of the water lapping at the contours of her body, the water running over her effortlessly.

"Hey, Amy!"

She turned around to see Zane strolling over to the pool's edge, beads of water on his skin as evidence of his pre-swim shower. He dived into the pool, cutting through the water expertly and he swam under water towards her, coming to the surface at her side. He ran his fingers over his face and back over his hair, grinning at her.

"Hi," she greeted him, treading water.

"Been here long?" he asked.

"I just got in actually," she smiled.

"Can I steal half an hour of your time?"

"I've got an hour," she offered. "What do you need?"

"Well, we have a swim meet tomorrow, as you know," he reminded her. "Would you mind training with me?"

"I'm not competing," she mused.

"No, you're just my special guest," he winked. "Want to be my special coach for an hour?"

Amy felt a flutter of butterflies in her stomach, which she knew had nothing to do with the thrill of being in the pool.

"Sure," she answered breathlessly. She looked across the pool at the empty swimming lane. "Let's head over there while no one's about."

"I'll take your lead, Ames," he nodded, diving under the water, following her under the lane divide and into the empty lane.

They both gasped for air upon breaking the water's surface, facing each other. Amy turned away when she felt the blush rising in her cheeks. She paddled over to the pool's edge and jumped out so that she sat on the side, her legs dangling in the water.

"So, I'm going to suggest 200 meters freestyle to start with," she told him. "Just warm up. I won't time you. Then you'll rest."

"Want to join me on the warm-up then?" he asked.

She considered him for a moment and shifted forward so that she fell back into the pool. She stood on her feet as they were in the shallow end of the pool and she looked at him with her lips pressed together as she nodded. She kicked off from the wall, her arms slicing through the water as she kicked hard to propel herself forward. She was acutely aware of Zane on her tail and she reached the end of the pool, pushing her hips up and over as she turned and kicked against the wall, sending her back down the lane. They did this another three times and reached the shallow end for the last time. She breathed heavily as Zane appeared at her side.

"You must be part dolphin," he commented.

"You're not the first to tell me this," she smiled.

"You're mesmerising to watch while you swim," he revealed. "You should compete. You glide through the water like no one I've ever met."

"I don't know about that," she replied bashfully.

"Look, just think about it, alright?" he asked. She bit her lip. "After the swim meet, let me know. You're a natural."

"You have no idea," she said wryly. Before he could reply, she nodded her head in the direction of the length of the lane. "Enough. 800 meters freestyle, 30 seconds rest between each 100 meters. I'll time you to see how you're faring. Then you're doing 100 meters freestyle and another 100 backstroke. 15 seconds rest between each 25 meters and then a 100 meters easy swim in a style of your choice."

"Sounds good to me, biscuit," he twinkled at her.

"Go," she urged, rolling her eyes, trying her best to ignore the butterflies flying free in her stomach. She pushed his shoulder, making a point as she eyed the swimmers clock at the deep end. He dived into the water and she exhaled steadily.

It seemed he set her aflame in a way that the water couldn't extinguish.

Serena ran out of school, narrowly avoiding a group of pedestrians walking along the street. All she knew was that she wasn't just hungry. She was starving. Her stomach was grumbling, and it was screaming out for her to get food pronto. She was supposed to meet Raye after school, but she ended up with detention because she was caught sneaking food from her lunchbox as she skipped breakfast this morning as she was running late to school. She had already sent Raye a quick message over their sailor communicators to tell her she'd see her in an hour and a half as she had to get food. Raye simply replied with a short but sweet 'okay', which spoke volumes that Raye expected her tardiness.

Serena careered around the corner and crashed hard into a tall figure which sent her flying backwards, landing on the pavement with a thud.

"Ouch!" she cried out.

"Oh my God," the figure exclaimed. "Are you okay?" There was a pause. "Serena?"

Serena looked up, squinting slightly in the sunlight, and realised that Darien was peering down at her. He offered his hand to her which she accepted. He pulled her to her feet, and she brushed herself off.

"I'm so sorry, Darien," she apologised. "I didn't see you."

"Yeah, I gathered that," he replied with a small smile, rubbing his arm. "Are you alright?"

Serena looked down at herself.

"I think I'll live," she mumbled.

Darien's eyes flickered to his hand where he saw some blood on the palm of his hand. He frowned at her.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he checked. He gestured to his hand. "You're bleeding."

Serena glanced at her hands and shrugged it off.

"It's nothing I haven't done before," she laughed, shaking her right hand in an attempt to shake out the numbing sensation that was tingling underneath the surface pain.

"You'll need some ice before your hand balloons up," he told her. You hit me with some force. What are you late for?"

"Raye, technically," Serena answered. "I was supposed to meet her after school, but I got detention. I'm grabbing food before I go up to the temple."

"Well, in that case, would you like to come with me?" he invited. "I need to grab food and I guess it'd be good to go somewhere besides the Fruits Parlor Crown."

Serena gaped at him and a faint frown appeared between his eyebrows as he watched her. She mentally shook herself and smiled.

"I'd love to," she accepted.

He led her to a café around the corner which was French chic. Serena flicked her eyes around it, appreciating the sweet ambience and she smiled at Darien.

"I've never been here before," she told him. "I don't think I've ever noticed it before now."

"A lot of people pass it by," Darien responded, raising two fingers at a waiter who led them to a table for two. "Thank you." They sat down and the waiter handed them both a menu each. "Can you give us a minute, please to decide? And can you bring me an ice pack and a plaster for the lady? She had a fall on the pavement." The waiter nodded with a promise to be right back. Serena smiled at the waiter as he left them to it. "I stumbled across it when I wanted a quiet place to study. Sometimes the Crown isn't the best place for that."

"That's certainly true," Serena giggled. Her eyes wandered past Darien's shoulder and out over the rest of the café and her mouth dropped in surprise. "Oh my God. That's Mina!"

Darien turned around and spotted the familiar blonde, then his eyebrows raised when he noticed who was with her: Killian.

"It seems someone has a date," he noted.

A wide smile spread across Serena's face.

"I'm happy for her," she declared. "Mina usually dates and ditches, so it's exciting that she's giving him another go."

"I know Killian from my physic class," Darien told her. "He's a good guy."

Serena smiled at Darien's approval and ran her eyes over the menu.

"So, do you want to study over the weekend?" Darien asked, his eyes still boring into the menu as he chose from his options.

Serena looked at him from over the top of her menu.

"Sure," she replied. "That would be great."

He peered at her face, his midnight blue eyes fixed on her.

"Wow," he commented. "You surprise me, Meatball Head. You didn't even cringe."

"I would have thought that would earn me the chance to relinquish that title," she said drily.

"When you get an A+," he teased her.