Serena dragged her feet as she headed towards the Cherry Hill Temple. It was the day after the scene in the arcade and so far it hadn't been going well. She had run out of the arcade in pursuit of Darien, but it was as if he had disappeared into thin air. She had run to the park in hopes of finding him there, desperate for an explanation, but to no avail. Discouraged, she had gone home. Throughout the night she had dreamed of warm arms and tender embraces. At school, Serena had been more distracted than usual. Not wanting to have to put up with the teasing she knew would come from the scouts, she had instead chosen to eat lunch at a fast food place with Molly. While they talked and ate, Serena had begun to realize just how much she had actually missed her friend. Molly hadn't outright said anything, but she had hinted that she'd also felt the gap.

*Flashback*

"I can't believe Melvin! The nerve of that guy, thinking I had a crush on him!" Molly scowled as she sat down at a booth with her food. Serena giggled and sat across from her. "Don't laugh Serena! It's not funny. Remember when he had a crush on you? And said that you only pretended not to like him because you didn't think he would date you?" Serena's smile fell and she glared at her friend.

"You know that was a lie Molly!" she huffed in annoyance. "You got it all backwards. The day I like Melvin is the day I stop eating food." To make her point she took a dramatic bite of her cheeseburger. "Mmmmm, good," she said with her mouth full.

Now it was Molly's turn to giggle. "Serena..." she burst out laughing again. Finally, heaving a sigh, she calmed down enough to try again. "Serena, I sure have missed this. It's been a while since we've spent time together. Ever since you helped me through..." She chose not to finish the sentence and instead started eating her fries.

Serena's eyes grew sad. She knew what Molly was referring to; Nephlite's death. Oh Molly. I know you loved him, but some things just don't work out. I wish I could tell you how much he loved you too, but to do that I would have to explain how he went against Beryl. I'm sorry Molly. I can't tell you I'm Sailor Moon. Not to keep a secret, but to keep you safe. She watched her friend take a sip of her drink and compose herself.

"I've missed you too Molly. More than you could possibly know. You'll always be my best friend." Molly looked at Serena doubtfully. "No one will ever replace you!" Serena promised, as she reached over and hugged her friend. Molly smiled brightly.

"We better hurry and eat Serena, or we'll be late for class."

*End Flashback*

After school, Luna had told Serena there was a scout meeting at Rei's temple. That's where she now headed. Luna had gone ahead to tell the scouts Serena would be there shortly. Turning the corner, Serena soon came to the temple steps. For a moment, she just stood still and gazed at the flowers planted around the temple grounds. Clearing her mind and pasting a fake smile on her face, she headed up and into the temple.

"Hey girl." Lita smiled as Serena entered. "Did you have a good lunch with Molly?"

"Yeah, it was great. Sorry I didn't eat with you guys." She smiled apologetically.

"It's okay Serena." Amy smiled at her friend. "We know you have other friends besides us. It wouldn't be very fair to hog all of your time."

Mina stood and walked to the window near Serena, where Artimis sat with Luna. Silently she picked him up and began to pat his head, something she only did when she was really nervous. "Yeah Sere, we wouldn't expect you not to live your own life as well as a scout's," she said distractedly. Serena sat down beside Rei at the low table in the room.

"Alright, what's going on?" She narrowed her eyes, waiting for an explanation.

Mina sighed and sat by Amy. "They're smarter than we planned. With Jedite and Nephlite, things were almost always predictable. Then when Malachite and Zoisite entered the picture, we figured they would only go after people they thought would have the Rainbow Crystals. Last night, that man had absolutely nothing to do with a crystal."

Lita nodded and sat across from Rei. "We think it was a distraction. To get our attention away from whatever they were doing. We think they have another crystal." She shook her head sadly.

Serena closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. "How many is that now?"

"We aren't sure it..." Luna started.

"How many?"

"Tuxedo Mask has one, and if what we think is true, the Negeverse now has five," Luna answered.

Six. Six of them are lost to us. Only one crystal left. Serena hung her head in thought. I have to drop this ditz act. There's no time for it. I'm their leader, and now I have to take that job seriously. If the Negeverse gets all of the crystals, the world is doomed. Raising her head, Serena stood and faced all four scouts. They looked up at her, curious about her change in demeanor.

"We must find the last crystal holder. When we get the seventh crystal, I think we should draw Zoisite into a trap. She's the one with the biggest temper and the easiest of the two generals to fool. Somehow we need to trick her into giving us the five crystals they have, or take them." The group stared at her in shock, caught off guard that these words were coming out of her mouth. This was not the Serena they knew. "As for Tuxedo Mask's crystal... we'll just have to make a plan later." Serena was staring out the window at the trees, deep in thought.

Luna finally shook off her surprise and smiled up at her charge. "Serena I'm so proud of you! Finally, you've decided to take your scout duties seriously!" Serena looked at Luna sadly. No Luna, I've decided to stop hiding how seriously I take them.

Rei looked up at Serena and caught the sadness haunting her eyes. Deciding it was just worry over the situation at hand, she dismissed it and stood alongside her leader. She had always been grateful for Serena's friendship, but now she truly respected her as a leader of the Sailor Scouts. "Do you have a plan Serena?"

"Rei, do you think you could do a fire reading to find the holder of the seventh Rainbow Crystal?"

"I can try," Rei nodded.

An hour after she had left, Rei walked into the main room she had left the scouts in. They all turned to her and were about to ask what she had seen, when they saw her face. Mina stood and rushed over to her friend, worried.

"Rei? What's wrong? What did you see?"