Hey, another chapter. Thanks to all those still reading:)
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"Serena!" Luna yelled the next morning. It was the daily ritual. Serena would oversleep. Luna would end up yelling in her ear until she finally got up, but by then she was late. So she would madly rush around trying to get ready, then run out the door to get to school more or less on time. This morning was a bit different however. Serena didn't have school, since they wanted to wait and find out how the schools handle this. She did, however, have to call the others to get a plan of action together. "Serena! Would you just WAKE UP!"
"Luna," Rini said, appearing in the doorway. "You won't get her up like that. Leave it to me, I'm a pro." A smile appeared on her face as she walked over to Serena's bed. Luna jumped off, and sat on the floor to watch.
"Serena," Rini said in a singsong type voice, barely 2 inches from Serena's ear. "Darien's here."
"What!" Serena said, jumping out of bed. "Darien's here?! When did he get here? Has Daddy seen him? Ohhh, did I forget we had a date? I'm going to be soo late!" She finally slowed down enough to let reality catch up to her. That's when she noticed Rini laughing hysterically, and Luna trying her best to not to laugh quite as hard. Serena stopped and turned to face both of them.
"Rini," she said in her best I'm-your-mother-so-I-won't-get-to-mad-but-you-should-know-that-I'm-incredibly-ticked-off voice. "That wasn't very nice. And the next time you do that, I'm taking you home myself."
Rini stopped laughing immediately. Her mother only used that voice when Rini had done something *really* wrong and she was extremely angry. It was a bit scary to think that Serena was able to do that too, even though they are the same person. "You wouldn't dare." Rini said. "And anyway, we had to get you up *somehow*." After saying that, Rini dashed downstairs.
Serena smiled slightly and shook her head. 'Rini *is* just like me.' She thought to herself. She grabbed her communicator and ran down the stairs after her.
"Morning baby." Ikuko said to Serena when she appeared in the kitchen. Rini was already seated at the table eating a huge stack of pancakes. Serena sat down and started eating hers right away.
"So, girls, what's the plan?" Kenji asked. "What should we be telling the reporters?"
"Well," Serena said, putting down her fork. "We want to keep as much a secret as possible. All the newspapers know is who the scouts are, and our enemies and attacks – fairly basic stuff. So when answering questions, say *nothing* about royalty, the Moon Kingdom, or anything else that they don't already know. If you don't know how to answer a question, just saw 'No comment.'
That works for your friends too." Serena said that last sentence looking at Sammy and Rini. She trusted them with the world, but they were the two most likely to let something slip.
"I agree Serena." Luna said, jumping onto a chair. "That is the best way to handle everything right now."
"Alright." Kenji said, getting up from the table. "Since that's taken care of, I had better get going. Sammy, I'm dropping you off at school, so you should go and gather what you'll need. It's too dangerous for *you* to be walking to school."
Kanji and Sammy departed soon after, and Serena, Rini, Ikuko, and Luna were able to have a quiet breakfast, if you ignore the reporters outside the front door.
"So, Rini." Serena said, breaking the silence. "I meant to ask you, have you to Melissa yet? I already talked to Molly last night."
Rini nodded. "Uh-huh. I called her while waiting for the letter from Mom and Dad. She understood. And she can't wait for me to come to school."
"That's wonderful honey." Ikuko said, smiling at her granddaughter. 'I can't believe that little girl is my granddaughter, and a crown princess. Now I feel old.' Ikuko chuckled. "I'm glad that you both have your friends to help you out."
"Me too." Serena stated. "Now, school-wise, me and the scouts–"
"The scouts and I" Luna corrected. Serena glared at her for interrupting.
"Should probably go back to school tomorrow. We're in high school, so we can't miss too many days before we fall more behind. Since Raye's at a private school, she should be safe. They won't let in reporters. Amy, Lita Mina, and me" Luna decided to keep quite about that mistake. She had *almost* gotten it right. "all go to the same school, so we can protect each other. Rini, you on the other hand, don't have these advantages, so we will have to set up some sort of a system to keep you safe. Either way, Rini shouldn't go back until Wednesday. Alright?"
"Okay." Rini replied, a bit less then cheerful. The concept of having two days off would be fun, normally. But in this case, she wasn't allowed to go outside, Luna would be making her work, and it would be two more days before she saw Melissa.
"Well, I think that that plan sounds good." Ikuko said, rising from the table. "Why don't you girls get an early start on your homework. I'll be in the living room if you need anything."
The day progressed similar to the day before. Luna acted like an army drill sergeant, but the girls managed to get caught up in their work and understand exactly what they were supposed to be doing in class. They had a quick conversation with the girls – gossiped a bit, talked about what the media was saying, gossiped some more, and talked about what they were going to do about the reporters and people at school. After that conversation, Serena had a much longer conversation with Darien. Rini decided that for once, she wasn't going to bother Serena when she was talking to Darien, so Rini retreated to her room with Diana and Luna in tow. When Sammy came home, smile on his face, he made a beeline for his sister's room.
"Thanks sis." Sammy said sticking his head in her room. "Your secret has made me the most popular kid at school."
Serena glared at him, both because she was still on the phone, and because Sammy was using her problems to his advantage. Sammy just laughed slightly and headed back to his room.
The next day, however, proved to be far more difficult.
*****
"Serena!" Luna screamed into her ear the next morning. Rini was still asleep, so she couldn't help, and if Serena didn't wake up soon, she would be late for school. Since no other option was available, Luna used her last weapon.
"YEEOOWW!!!!!!!" Serena screamed, jumping out of bed. She looked in the mirror, and could see a scratch mark along her back. Luna meanwhile was seated near the door, examining her claws.
"If you don't want me to do that, wake up on time." Luna walked out the door after she said that. She could here Serena's grumbling as she walked away.
Serena took only a few moments before she saw what time it was. "I'm gonna be late!" she screamed, and started her daily routine. Panic about time, grab clothes, get dressed in an amount of time that is impossible to most, brush teeth, wash face, apply make-up, panic some more, do hair, and dash downstairs. Serena quickly sat down at the table and started her breakfast.
"Serena," her mother said, watching her eat. "I know that you need to hurry up or else you'll be late, but please, don't choke."
"It's okay." Serena said, standing up. "I'm done."
"That's good," Kenji said, "because we have to get going."
"Alright," Serena said, starting towards the car. "I call shotgun."
"No way!" Sammy exclaimed, and ran after his sister.
Naturally, all those years of chasing monsters and running to school paid off, and Serena settled herself comfortably in the front seat.
Driving to the school was a rather eventful experience. They had the reporters on them the second they pulled out of the garage. Her dad managed to get out of the driveway without hitting any of them, much to Serena's suggestions. "It wouldn't hurt to get rid of a few of them." She said, luckily they all knew that she was joking.
For the first time, Serena realized, she was actually early to school. She managed to get inside, and to her classroom where the other girls were waiting without problems. That ended up putting her in an extremely cheerful and optimistic mood.
"Hey girls. Glad you got here okay. I can't believe I'm-" Serena stopped when she noticed that her teacher, Mrs. Hilton, was in the room.
(A.N. – I know that her teacher was Ms. Haruna, but that was Junior High. She's at high school now.)
"Good morning Mrs. Hilton." Serena said.
"Good morning Serena. We were just discussing the situation."
Serena sat down on top of on of the desks. "Okay. Fill me in."
"Well," Amy said. "First off, we have permission to stay in here during lunch. It isn't safe to go outside. Also, we were talking about what the school…thought about this. Apparently, this is what *everyone* was talking about yesterday. The teachers also, thankfully, told the students to not pester us and treat us like they normally do."
"Good," Serena said. "At least that's taken care of."
"Unfortunately," Mina said. "That probably won't stop the students from pestering us anyway."
'Ohhh boy,' Serena thought 'this is going to be a *long* day.'
*****
"Where is everybody?" Rini asked, coming into the kitchen. Ikuko was at the table, drinking a cup of coffee.
"Serena and Sammy are at school, and your…grandpa," Ikuko was about to say 'uncle' but she decided that since it wasn't really true, she shouldn't use it. "is at work."
Rini smiled, glad that her grandma was okay with all this. Then she walked over to the table to have her breakfast.
"So Rini," Ikuko said, putting down her coffee cup. "What would you like to do today?"
"Ummm," Rini said, trying to think. "Ohhh, could you teach me how to make a lemon pie. Pretty please! Jupi's tried, and she's super close, but they don't taste exactly the same. I really want to learn, then I'll be able to teach Jupiter something, instead of the other way around." Rini decided that when she was referring to the future scouts, it would be less confusing to call them by their scout names, that way they wouldn't get mixed up with the present scout's.
Ikuko smiled. "Of course I'll teach you Rini. It'll be nice to teach someone to cook. Serena was never exactly…coordinated enough for cooking."
Rini giggled. Then she stood up and carried her dishes to the sink.
"Rini," Ikuko said, "how about you get dressed, then I'll teach you to make the pie. Okay?"
"Okay," Rini said skipping towards the stairs, "Thanks, Grandma."
*****
'I never realized just how mind numbingly boring this class was.' Serena thought. She was in her social studies class, and her teacher had spent the last half-hour droning on about Roman Empire. A quick glance at Mina, who was sitting next to her, told her that she was just as bored. Unfortunately, they had both been lectured by their guardians that they had to pay attention in class, and not get in trouble. That meant no daydreaming, note writing, sleeping, or whispering during class. 'This is so not fun.'
"Serena," her teacher said, snapping Serena back to reality. "Which Roman emperor had an affair with Cleopatra?"
"Ummm," 'Think, Serena, think! Just guess!' She could only remember one name, so figured that it was better then just saying she didn't know. "Caesar…Julius Caesar."
"That's…correct." Her teacher said, rather surprised. "Glad to see that you're paying attention. Now Mina…"
And Serena resumed her daydream.
*****
"So Rini," Ikuko said. She and Rini were standing at the counter, juicing the lemons. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but…how is your life in Crystal Tokyo?"
Ikuko was doing her best to sidestep the question that she really wanted the answer to, but Rini saw right through it. "Mommy and Daddy *are* happy. We all are. I mean, they miss having normal lives, but I don't think that they would give up being Queen and King for anything. It's fun for them. They spent years training to be rulers, then lost it, now they finally get to. Plus everyone loves them."
"I'm glad. You know, if someone had come up to me and told me that Serena would be the ruling Queen of a Utopia, I would have sent them to a psychiatrist. It's just so hard to believe that my klutzy, whiney Serena could be a powerful Queen." Ikuko said, chuckling slightly.
"It's hard to believe that klutzy Serena is my graceful Mom too. But I think that Serena is really starting to grow up." Rini added.
"I've noticed that too. I do wish that I could have kept her as my little girl for longer, but," Ikuko said, turning to face Rini "I am glad that she is going to grow up alright and have a precious little girl." Rini smiled. She had always missed the fact that she didn't have grandparents in Crystal Tokyo. But now she could get the grandparent-granddaughter treatment whenever she was in the past.
*****
It was beginning to feel like time had literally stopped when the lunch bell finally rang. Serena snapped out of her daze quickly, and dashed out the door. As she walked down the hall, the students parted, giving her a clear path, and gazed at her. It had been like this all day. Serena also noticed that she had a group of both guys and girls following her; it was her own personnel fan club. Luckily the class where she would be having her lunch was coming up, so she wouldn't have to put up with this much longer. As soon as she was in the classroom, she closed the door behind her, leaned against it for a moment, and went to join the other girls.
"Tough day with the fans?" Lita questioned jokingly.
Serena picked up on it pretty quickly. "Oh, it's awful. I can't go five minutes without signing my name, and people are willing to give me extremely large sums of money to be in a commercial for a product I've never heard of. I when I walk down the halls, people actually form a path. My life is horrible." Serena, Lita, and Mina all collapsed into fits of laughter.
"Umm, am I interrupting something?"
Serena recovered in time to see who was standing at the door. In a split second she was off the floor and had the person at the door in a hug. "Molly!" she cried, about ten times happier then would be thought possible. "Oh, I've missed you! I haven't gotten to talk to you all day! I'm soo happy you're here!"
"Serena…can't…breathe!" Molly managed to get out. Serena had here in an extremely tight hug, and although she was happy to see her, breathing was a necessity.
"Opps." Serena said, giggling. "Sorry."
"So anyway Molly," Lita said, as Molly and Serena sat down on top of desks to eat. "have the reporters been giving you any trouble?"
"Not really, but man, can they ask a lot of questions!"
"Like what?" Amy asked.
"Oh, the usually – 'Did you know before who the scouts were? It has come to our attention that you're a close friend to Sailor Moon. Do you feel betrayed how she kept such a large secret from her? Do you feel that your life is endangered because of your friendship with Sailor Moon?' etcetera. Really, those reporters talk faster then you, Serena."
The girls all laughed at that. It was hard to imagine *anyone* being able to talk faster then Serena. Unfortunately, none of them noticed the reporter.
"Excuse me," the voice said. Amy was the first to notice her.
"You're not supposed to be here." Amy said.
The reporter ignored Amy's comment. "I'm Ashley Leosa of the Rising Sun newspaper. I have just a few questions. Ms. Tsukino, how do you feel being entrusted with the world's safety? Do you ever feel like giving up your power? How did you become Sailor Scouts?" Leosa had her tape recorder out and was ready to record what ever was said.
They all stood frozen for a second, until Lita moved in front of Serena. "Remember," Lita whispered to Serena. "We don't have to tell them anything. Don't say anything, just stay quiet."
Mina and Amy realized what Lita was doing and joined her, creating a wall, so that the reporter couldn't get to Serena. Molly moved to stand next to Serena.
"So," Leosa said, realizing that she would be able to get to Serena. "Ms. Kino, you seem fairly protective of Sailor Moon, is their any real reason why? Do feel that your strength makes you more important then the other scouts? You're an orphan correct? Do you think that your parents would have been proud of you?" You could see the thunder flashing in Lita's eyes, but still, she remained silent. "Ms. Mizuno, you seem to be the smartest of all the scouts, what position does that put you in during battles? Your intelligence is in fact incredible, is that part of your powers as Sailor Mercury? Do you think that you should be leader instead because your I.Q. is higher?" Amy looked like she wanted to respond and set the record straight, but remained silent as well, and just stared at Ms. Leosa. "Ms. Aino, what exactly is your position as Sailor Venus? The others, excluding Sailor Moon, seem to represent different elements, but you have never shown attacks specific to any certain element. What do you represent? You were the last scout to join for quite a while, do you ever feel excluded from the group because of it?" Mina had to bite her lip to keep from answering. Right now, Mina would have given anything to have permission to transform and that woman right out the room. Luckily, Lita took care of it for her.
"None of us," Lita said, looking straight at the reporter. "are going to answer *any* of your questions. I suggest that you leave now, before we have to have you removed."
Leosa seemed intimidated by Lita for a moment before she resumed. "What about Sailor V? she hasn't been seen or heard from in over two years? Do you know why that is? Was she ever supposed to join up with this team, or was she not a real scout at all? What about Tuxedo Mask; who is he? There seems to be a bit of a romance between him and Sailor Moon, what are your comments about that Ms. Tsukino? Your supposed boyfriend, Darien Chiba, how does he feel about this? And what about the other scouts, what are their identities? And don't you think that Sailor Mini Moon is a bit young to fight? Don't you feel bad about risking an eight year old's life? Why is she *Mini* Moon? We understand that you two are cousins, but is there another connection? Why doesn't she live with her parents all the time?"
Leosa didn't get a chance to finish. Lita and Mina each held one arm and carried her out of the room. "That's quite enough." Lita said. they put her down outside the door. "And don't bother us again." Mina added. Then they both shut the door, and this time, locked it. when they turned around the expression on Serena's face made them gasp.
Pure, utter, depression was the expression she wore. "She's right." Serena whispered.
"Serena," Molly said quietly. "What do you mean? Right about what?"
The girls had been over this discussion countless numbers of times, usually after every single major battle. Serena would state that that battle had put Rini's life in too much danger. Then Rini would say that it was in no more danger then the rest of their lives, and her fighting skills are almost just as good as the rest of them. Serena would then agree that Rini had fought well, but she still had her whole life ahead of her, and Serena didn't want her to lose it because a fight went wrong. Then Rini would say how if she didn't fight, they might lose and all of them would be killed, and she wouldn't exist at all. Usually Darien would have to break them up, and would just explain to Rini that she has to be extra careful, since she is so young. Although the others didn't say anything, they all agreed with Serena. An eight year old shouldn't be fighting, but there wasn't really anything that they could do, exact make sure that she was always protected.
"She's just upset about how the reporter said that we're allowing an eight-year-old to fight. Serena still thinks that Rini should have waited until she's older to fight in the battles. She should normally have maybe just begun her training now, and hold off on the battles for a year or two. But it wasn't our decision on when she became a scout." Lita said, answering for Serena. "In the meantime, lunch is over in about 10 minutes, so I think that we had better hurry and eat."
The girls all pulled out their lunches and started in on them right away.
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Done another chapter!!! Truely happy, can't wait to start on my next story, just gotta wait for this one to finish. Oh, does anyone know places where i can download subtitled Japenese Sailor Moon (hopefully for free). I only need the R, S, and SuperS seasons. Does anybody know where to get them?
Oh, and does anyone know a site that has Japenese baby names. If you do, please email me n tell me. Thankz:)
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"Serena!" Luna yelled the next morning. It was the daily ritual. Serena would oversleep. Luna would end up yelling in her ear until she finally got up, but by then she was late. So she would madly rush around trying to get ready, then run out the door to get to school more or less on time. This morning was a bit different however. Serena didn't have school, since they wanted to wait and find out how the schools handle this. She did, however, have to call the others to get a plan of action together. "Serena! Would you just WAKE UP!"
"Luna," Rini said, appearing in the doorway. "You won't get her up like that. Leave it to me, I'm a pro." A smile appeared on her face as she walked over to Serena's bed. Luna jumped off, and sat on the floor to watch.
"Serena," Rini said in a singsong type voice, barely 2 inches from Serena's ear. "Darien's here."
"What!" Serena said, jumping out of bed. "Darien's here?! When did he get here? Has Daddy seen him? Ohhh, did I forget we had a date? I'm going to be soo late!" She finally slowed down enough to let reality catch up to her. That's when she noticed Rini laughing hysterically, and Luna trying her best to not to laugh quite as hard. Serena stopped and turned to face both of them.
"Rini," she said in her best I'm-your-mother-so-I-won't-get-to-mad-but-you-should-know-that-I'm-incredibly-ticked-off voice. "That wasn't very nice. And the next time you do that, I'm taking you home myself."
Rini stopped laughing immediately. Her mother only used that voice when Rini had done something *really* wrong and she was extremely angry. It was a bit scary to think that Serena was able to do that too, even though they are the same person. "You wouldn't dare." Rini said. "And anyway, we had to get you up *somehow*." After saying that, Rini dashed downstairs.
Serena smiled slightly and shook her head. 'Rini *is* just like me.' She thought to herself. She grabbed her communicator and ran down the stairs after her.
"Morning baby." Ikuko said to Serena when she appeared in the kitchen. Rini was already seated at the table eating a huge stack of pancakes. Serena sat down and started eating hers right away.
"So, girls, what's the plan?" Kenji asked. "What should we be telling the reporters?"
"Well," Serena said, putting down her fork. "We want to keep as much a secret as possible. All the newspapers know is who the scouts are, and our enemies and attacks – fairly basic stuff. So when answering questions, say *nothing* about royalty, the Moon Kingdom, or anything else that they don't already know. If you don't know how to answer a question, just saw 'No comment.'
That works for your friends too." Serena said that last sentence looking at Sammy and Rini. She trusted them with the world, but they were the two most likely to let something slip.
"I agree Serena." Luna said, jumping onto a chair. "That is the best way to handle everything right now."
"Alright." Kenji said, getting up from the table. "Since that's taken care of, I had better get going. Sammy, I'm dropping you off at school, so you should go and gather what you'll need. It's too dangerous for *you* to be walking to school."
Kanji and Sammy departed soon after, and Serena, Rini, Ikuko, and Luna were able to have a quiet breakfast, if you ignore the reporters outside the front door.
"So, Rini." Serena said, breaking the silence. "I meant to ask you, have you to Melissa yet? I already talked to Molly last night."
Rini nodded. "Uh-huh. I called her while waiting for the letter from Mom and Dad. She understood. And she can't wait for me to come to school."
"That's wonderful honey." Ikuko said, smiling at her granddaughter. 'I can't believe that little girl is my granddaughter, and a crown princess. Now I feel old.' Ikuko chuckled. "I'm glad that you both have your friends to help you out."
"Me too." Serena stated. "Now, school-wise, me and the scouts–"
"The scouts and I" Luna corrected. Serena glared at her for interrupting.
"Should probably go back to school tomorrow. We're in high school, so we can't miss too many days before we fall more behind. Since Raye's at a private school, she should be safe. They won't let in reporters. Amy, Lita Mina, and me" Luna decided to keep quite about that mistake. She had *almost* gotten it right. "all go to the same school, so we can protect each other. Rini, you on the other hand, don't have these advantages, so we will have to set up some sort of a system to keep you safe. Either way, Rini shouldn't go back until Wednesday. Alright?"
"Okay." Rini replied, a bit less then cheerful. The concept of having two days off would be fun, normally. But in this case, she wasn't allowed to go outside, Luna would be making her work, and it would be two more days before she saw Melissa.
"Well, I think that that plan sounds good." Ikuko said, rising from the table. "Why don't you girls get an early start on your homework. I'll be in the living room if you need anything."
The day progressed similar to the day before. Luna acted like an army drill sergeant, but the girls managed to get caught up in their work and understand exactly what they were supposed to be doing in class. They had a quick conversation with the girls – gossiped a bit, talked about what the media was saying, gossiped some more, and talked about what they were going to do about the reporters and people at school. After that conversation, Serena had a much longer conversation with Darien. Rini decided that for once, she wasn't going to bother Serena when she was talking to Darien, so Rini retreated to her room with Diana and Luna in tow. When Sammy came home, smile on his face, he made a beeline for his sister's room.
"Thanks sis." Sammy said sticking his head in her room. "Your secret has made me the most popular kid at school."
Serena glared at him, both because she was still on the phone, and because Sammy was using her problems to his advantage. Sammy just laughed slightly and headed back to his room.
The next day, however, proved to be far more difficult.
*****
"Serena!" Luna screamed into her ear the next morning. Rini was still asleep, so she couldn't help, and if Serena didn't wake up soon, she would be late for school. Since no other option was available, Luna used her last weapon.
"YEEOOWW!!!!!!!" Serena screamed, jumping out of bed. She looked in the mirror, and could see a scratch mark along her back. Luna meanwhile was seated near the door, examining her claws.
"If you don't want me to do that, wake up on time." Luna walked out the door after she said that. She could here Serena's grumbling as she walked away.
Serena took only a few moments before she saw what time it was. "I'm gonna be late!" she screamed, and started her daily routine. Panic about time, grab clothes, get dressed in an amount of time that is impossible to most, brush teeth, wash face, apply make-up, panic some more, do hair, and dash downstairs. Serena quickly sat down at the table and started her breakfast.
"Serena," her mother said, watching her eat. "I know that you need to hurry up or else you'll be late, but please, don't choke."
"It's okay." Serena said, standing up. "I'm done."
"That's good," Kenji said, "because we have to get going."
"Alright," Serena said, starting towards the car. "I call shotgun."
"No way!" Sammy exclaimed, and ran after his sister.
Naturally, all those years of chasing monsters and running to school paid off, and Serena settled herself comfortably in the front seat.
Driving to the school was a rather eventful experience. They had the reporters on them the second they pulled out of the garage. Her dad managed to get out of the driveway without hitting any of them, much to Serena's suggestions. "It wouldn't hurt to get rid of a few of them." She said, luckily they all knew that she was joking.
For the first time, Serena realized, she was actually early to school. She managed to get inside, and to her classroom where the other girls were waiting without problems. That ended up putting her in an extremely cheerful and optimistic mood.
"Hey girls. Glad you got here okay. I can't believe I'm-" Serena stopped when she noticed that her teacher, Mrs. Hilton, was in the room.
(A.N. – I know that her teacher was Ms. Haruna, but that was Junior High. She's at high school now.)
"Good morning Mrs. Hilton." Serena said.
"Good morning Serena. We were just discussing the situation."
Serena sat down on top of on of the desks. "Okay. Fill me in."
"Well," Amy said. "First off, we have permission to stay in here during lunch. It isn't safe to go outside. Also, we were talking about what the school…thought about this. Apparently, this is what *everyone* was talking about yesterday. The teachers also, thankfully, told the students to not pester us and treat us like they normally do."
"Good," Serena said. "At least that's taken care of."
"Unfortunately," Mina said. "That probably won't stop the students from pestering us anyway."
'Ohhh boy,' Serena thought 'this is going to be a *long* day.'
*****
"Where is everybody?" Rini asked, coming into the kitchen. Ikuko was at the table, drinking a cup of coffee.
"Serena and Sammy are at school, and your…grandpa," Ikuko was about to say 'uncle' but she decided that since it wasn't really true, she shouldn't use it. "is at work."
Rini smiled, glad that her grandma was okay with all this. Then she walked over to the table to have her breakfast.
"So Rini," Ikuko said, putting down her coffee cup. "What would you like to do today?"
"Ummm," Rini said, trying to think. "Ohhh, could you teach me how to make a lemon pie. Pretty please! Jupi's tried, and she's super close, but they don't taste exactly the same. I really want to learn, then I'll be able to teach Jupiter something, instead of the other way around." Rini decided that when she was referring to the future scouts, it would be less confusing to call them by their scout names, that way they wouldn't get mixed up with the present scout's.
Ikuko smiled. "Of course I'll teach you Rini. It'll be nice to teach someone to cook. Serena was never exactly…coordinated enough for cooking."
Rini giggled. Then she stood up and carried her dishes to the sink.
"Rini," Ikuko said, "how about you get dressed, then I'll teach you to make the pie. Okay?"
"Okay," Rini said skipping towards the stairs, "Thanks, Grandma."
*****
'I never realized just how mind numbingly boring this class was.' Serena thought. She was in her social studies class, and her teacher had spent the last half-hour droning on about Roman Empire. A quick glance at Mina, who was sitting next to her, told her that she was just as bored. Unfortunately, they had both been lectured by their guardians that they had to pay attention in class, and not get in trouble. That meant no daydreaming, note writing, sleeping, or whispering during class. 'This is so not fun.'
"Serena," her teacher said, snapping Serena back to reality. "Which Roman emperor had an affair with Cleopatra?"
"Ummm," 'Think, Serena, think! Just guess!' She could only remember one name, so figured that it was better then just saying she didn't know. "Caesar…Julius Caesar."
"That's…correct." Her teacher said, rather surprised. "Glad to see that you're paying attention. Now Mina…"
And Serena resumed her daydream.
*****
"So Rini," Ikuko said. She and Rini were standing at the counter, juicing the lemons. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but…how is your life in Crystal Tokyo?"
Ikuko was doing her best to sidestep the question that she really wanted the answer to, but Rini saw right through it. "Mommy and Daddy *are* happy. We all are. I mean, they miss having normal lives, but I don't think that they would give up being Queen and King for anything. It's fun for them. They spent years training to be rulers, then lost it, now they finally get to. Plus everyone loves them."
"I'm glad. You know, if someone had come up to me and told me that Serena would be the ruling Queen of a Utopia, I would have sent them to a psychiatrist. It's just so hard to believe that my klutzy, whiney Serena could be a powerful Queen." Ikuko said, chuckling slightly.
"It's hard to believe that klutzy Serena is my graceful Mom too. But I think that Serena is really starting to grow up." Rini added.
"I've noticed that too. I do wish that I could have kept her as my little girl for longer, but," Ikuko said, turning to face Rini "I am glad that she is going to grow up alright and have a precious little girl." Rini smiled. She had always missed the fact that she didn't have grandparents in Crystal Tokyo. But now she could get the grandparent-granddaughter treatment whenever she was in the past.
*****
It was beginning to feel like time had literally stopped when the lunch bell finally rang. Serena snapped out of her daze quickly, and dashed out the door. As she walked down the hall, the students parted, giving her a clear path, and gazed at her. It had been like this all day. Serena also noticed that she had a group of both guys and girls following her; it was her own personnel fan club. Luckily the class where she would be having her lunch was coming up, so she wouldn't have to put up with this much longer. As soon as she was in the classroom, she closed the door behind her, leaned against it for a moment, and went to join the other girls.
"Tough day with the fans?" Lita questioned jokingly.
Serena picked up on it pretty quickly. "Oh, it's awful. I can't go five minutes without signing my name, and people are willing to give me extremely large sums of money to be in a commercial for a product I've never heard of. I when I walk down the halls, people actually form a path. My life is horrible." Serena, Lita, and Mina all collapsed into fits of laughter.
"Umm, am I interrupting something?"
Serena recovered in time to see who was standing at the door. In a split second she was off the floor and had the person at the door in a hug. "Molly!" she cried, about ten times happier then would be thought possible. "Oh, I've missed you! I haven't gotten to talk to you all day! I'm soo happy you're here!"
"Serena…can't…breathe!" Molly managed to get out. Serena had here in an extremely tight hug, and although she was happy to see her, breathing was a necessity.
"Opps." Serena said, giggling. "Sorry."
"So anyway Molly," Lita said, as Molly and Serena sat down on top of desks to eat. "have the reporters been giving you any trouble?"
"Not really, but man, can they ask a lot of questions!"
"Like what?" Amy asked.
"Oh, the usually – 'Did you know before who the scouts were? It has come to our attention that you're a close friend to Sailor Moon. Do you feel betrayed how she kept such a large secret from her? Do you feel that your life is endangered because of your friendship with Sailor Moon?' etcetera. Really, those reporters talk faster then you, Serena."
The girls all laughed at that. It was hard to imagine *anyone* being able to talk faster then Serena. Unfortunately, none of them noticed the reporter.
"Excuse me," the voice said. Amy was the first to notice her.
"You're not supposed to be here." Amy said.
The reporter ignored Amy's comment. "I'm Ashley Leosa of the Rising Sun newspaper. I have just a few questions. Ms. Tsukino, how do you feel being entrusted with the world's safety? Do you ever feel like giving up your power? How did you become Sailor Scouts?" Leosa had her tape recorder out and was ready to record what ever was said.
They all stood frozen for a second, until Lita moved in front of Serena. "Remember," Lita whispered to Serena. "We don't have to tell them anything. Don't say anything, just stay quiet."
Mina and Amy realized what Lita was doing and joined her, creating a wall, so that the reporter couldn't get to Serena. Molly moved to stand next to Serena.
"So," Leosa said, realizing that she would be able to get to Serena. "Ms. Kino, you seem fairly protective of Sailor Moon, is their any real reason why? Do feel that your strength makes you more important then the other scouts? You're an orphan correct? Do you think that your parents would have been proud of you?" You could see the thunder flashing in Lita's eyes, but still, she remained silent. "Ms. Mizuno, you seem to be the smartest of all the scouts, what position does that put you in during battles? Your intelligence is in fact incredible, is that part of your powers as Sailor Mercury? Do you think that you should be leader instead because your I.Q. is higher?" Amy looked like she wanted to respond and set the record straight, but remained silent as well, and just stared at Ms. Leosa. "Ms. Aino, what exactly is your position as Sailor Venus? The others, excluding Sailor Moon, seem to represent different elements, but you have never shown attacks specific to any certain element. What do you represent? You were the last scout to join for quite a while, do you ever feel excluded from the group because of it?" Mina had to bite her lip to keep from answering. Right now, Mina would have given anything to have permission to transform and that woman right out the room. Luckily, Lita took care of it for her.
"None of us," Lita said, looking straight at the reporter. "are going to answer *any* of your questions. I suggest that you leave now, before we have to have you removed."
Leosa seemed intimidated by Lita for a moment before she resumed. "What about Sailor V? she hasn't been seen or heard from in over two years? Do you know why that is? Was she ever supposed to join up with this team, or was she not a real scout at all? What about Tuxedo Mask; who is he? There seems to be a bit of a romance between him and Sailor Moon, what are your comments about that Ms. Tsukino? Your supposed boyfriend, Darien Chiba, how does he feel about this? And what about the other scouts, what are their identities? And don't you think that Sailor Mini Moon is a bit young to fight? Don't you feel bad about risking an eight year old's life? Why is she *Mini* Moon? We understand that you two are cousins, but is there another connection? Why doesn't she live with her parents all the time?"
Leosa didn't get a chance to finish. Lita and Mina each held one arm and carried her out of the room. "That's quite enough." Lita said. they put her down outside the door. "And don't bother us again." Mina added. Then they both shut the door, and this time, locked it. when they turned around the expression on Serena's face made them gasp.
Pure, utter, depression was the expression she wore. "She's right." Serena whispered.
"Serena," Molly said quietly. "What do you mean? Right about what?"
The girls had been over this discussion countless numbers of times, usually after every single major battle. Serena would state that that battle had put Rini's life in too much danger. Then Rini would say that it was in no more danger then the rest of their lives, and her fighting skills are almost just as good as the rest of them. Serena would then agree that Rini had fought well, but she still had her whole life ahead of her, and Serena didn't want her to lose it because a fight went wrong. Then Rini would say how if she didn't fight, they might lose and all of them would be killed, and she wouldn't exist at all. Usually Darien would have to break them up, and would just explain to Rini that she has to be extra careful, since she is so young. Although the others didn't say anything, they all agreed with Serena. An eight year old shouldn't be fighting, but there wasn't really anything that they could do, exact make sure that she was always protected.
"She's just upset about how the reporter said that we're allowing an eight-year-old to fight. Serena still thinks that Rini should have waited until she's older to fight in the battles. She should normally have maybe just begun her training now, and hold off on the battles for a year or two. But it wasn't our decision on when she became a scout." Lita said, answering for Serena. "In the meantime, lunch is over in about 10 minutes, so I think that we had better hurry and eat."
The girls all pulled out their lunches and started in on them right away.
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Done another chapter!!! Truely happy, can't wait to start on my next story, just gotta wait for this one to finish. Oh, does anyone know places where i can download subtitled Japenese Sailor Moon (hopefully for free). I only need the R, S, and SuperS seasons. Does anybody know where to get them?
Oh, and does anyone know a site that has Japenese baby names. If you do, please email me n tell me. Thankz:)