A.N: Hi! I hope this chapter clears some things up. I realized that it
was a bit weird that Serena's mom would just let her stay at some strangers
house, and thought I should explain why she did. Anyway, that's only for
the beginning. The rest of the chapter is better (I think).
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Mina paced around her room nervously. She was worried about Serena. Molly had been her best friend, and now she was lying six feet under the ground because of a youma attack that had caught them all by surprise. Deciding she would feel better if she talked to Serena about it, she picked up the phone and dialled the Tsukino residence. There were three rings before it picked up.
Hello? It was Sere's mother.
"Hi Mrs.Tsukino, is Serena there please?"
I'm sorry dear, she isn't home. Who's calling?
Mina made a face and her shoulders slumped in defeat. "It's Mina. Do you know when she'll be home?"
I'm afraid not. I gave her permission to stay with a friend for a while until she feels better about…what happened.
"Oh. Was it with one of the girls?" Mrs. Tsukino knew Serena's friends well enough to know who Mina was referring to, so she didn't need to say them by name.
No dear, it was with her boyfriend.
Mina's eyes widened in shock. "You mean Darien?"
Yes, that's him.
"You let her stay with Darien? Alone?" She was shocked by the news. She had always heard Serena's dad would shoot a guy just for looking at his daughter, and now it turns out she was staying with her boyfriend, who lived alone and was three years older then her.
There was a sigh on the other line. Yes, I did. I met him at Molly's funeral. A rather polite and friendly young man, actually. Anyway, the reason is, I'm much to busy with my new job and I'm hardly home before dinner anymore. Serena can't really have a heartfelt talk with her father, who also works late, seeing as how he isn't really equipped to handle a grieving girl, and finding comfort in Sammy is out of the question. You know how those two fight. Molly was Serena's best friend. She's hurting inside and needs to be close to someone right now.
"Why didn't you tell her to stay with one of us?" Mina interrupted.
Mina, you have a big heart, but could you really handle a grieving teen all day and all night? I mean, I know you mean well, but how would you handle the situation? You yourself knew Molly, in fact, so did Rei, Ami, and Lita. I don't think any of you are in any condition to offer comfort when you yourselves are in need of it. You four may not have been close, but the death of a friend is the death of a friend. Do you understand?
Mina's face grew sad and she nodded, but then remembered she was on the phone. "Yes, I see what you mean."
Darien wasn't connected at all with Molly, and that's why he's the best person to comfort Serena. He'll be there for her when she needs him. Besides, Serena's a big girl and I trust her. If she needs to, she can take care of herself. I'm also a good judge of character, and Darien is quite a nice young man.
Mina stood and got a pen and a piece of paper. "Yea, I guess you're right. Do you have his number? I really need to talk to her."
Certainly dear.
Mina wrote down the number and once she had finished, she thanked her and said goodbye. Hanging up quickly, she ran up to her room to get Artimis and her communicator.
"What's up Mina?" Artimis yawned sleepily as she scooped him up and headed for the door.
"I think we should have a scout meeting. Obviously, the Negaverse now knows who we are regardless of if we are transformed or not, and I'm afraid I think I have an idea of why Molly was attacked." Artimis was now fully awake riding on her shoulder as she pressed a button on her communicator, signalling to the other three Sailors.
Three voices answered her call at the same time, waiting for her to speak. "Scout meeting at Rei's temple. A.S.A.P!" Before anyone could object, she cut the link and began the semi-long walk to Sendai Hill.
"Shouldn't you call Sailor Moon?" Artimis asked, wondering why she had forgotten.
Mina looked at him sadly, patting his head affectionately as she turned the corner. "I think we should give her some time alone Artimis, I doubt she would want to talk about Sailor business right now and it's not important she comes. We can do this without her for once. She needs a break." Artimis just nodded.
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"Alright, why did you call this meeting?" Rei demanded. She was a bit peeved that Mina had just automatically assumed it was okay for her to come over and call a meeting without asking if they could use the temple first. Sure she would have said yes anyway, but it's still rude not to ask.
"Ya what's this about?" Lita asked, chewing some bubblegum and handing everyone else a piece as well.
"The Negaverse. I think I know why Molly was attacked."
Amy immediately put the book she had been reading down, giving Mina her undivided attention. "Really? Why?"
Mina took a deep breath and began to voice her thoughts. "Well, since Serena turned into Serenity, everyone from the Silver Millennium now has their memories. That means the Negaverse knows too." She paused. "That thing went after Molly instead of Sailor Moon because it probably remembered her from that era and confused her as a scout. I think the Negaverse wants to get rid of us first so that taking care of Sailor Moon would be no problem." She waited for them to speak, wanting to know what they thought.
After a moment, Amy slammed her hand on the table before her, surprising everyone. "Of course! Why didn't I see it before?" She took out her mini computer and began to furiously type, talking at the same time. "Molly was Serena's best friend from that time. Someone who she relied on for emotional support. I doubt Beryl would be stupid enough to kill one of Sailor Moon's friends, that's bad strategy. So instead, some youma probably took it upon themselves to destroy us, thinking they could impress the queen, thus they attacked Serena's closest friend." She stopped typing and cried out in triumph, turning her computer screen so everyone could see it. "This graph has recorded events of the times youma's have made an appearance. It usually happens during the time between dinner and midnight, so I've come to the conclusion that that's the best time they can use their portals. Queen Beryl will most likely assume Sailor Moon will only fight harder to avenge the death of Molly, so she is most likely planning a direct attack as we speak." She glanced at her watch. "It's only two hours before the time an attack can occur, if my theory proves true."
"So we have to be ready to fight Beryl in two hours?" Lita questioned.
Amy shook her head and frowned. "I'm not psychic so I don't know if the attack would come from her directly, or someone else. I'm just saying that we should be ready for something big to happen. Beryl won't want to lose the advantage she had when we were always caught by surprise, so she'll want to attack as soon as she could." She hesitated before speaking again. "That's if I'm right."
Mina smiled at her friend encouragingly. "Amy, you're the brains of the group. We have faith in your theory's and they haven't proven wrong yet." Amy blushed and murmured a thank you.
Lita turned to Rei, putting her arms behind her head and leaning back on them. "What do you think Rei? Could you do a fire reading and try to find out who we're gonna have to face?"
Rei nodded in determination. "I could try."
"Lets get to it then." Mina said, trying to smile, though she wasn't feeling very cheerful.
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Serena's eyes opened sleepily as the afternoon light shone across her face, trying to shake off the foggy state she was in. As her mind cleared, she sighed happily, lifting her head off of Darien's chest to look at him, but still staying cuddled against him. She smiled as she watched him sleep. His hair was messy and he looked so peaceful at the moment, his breathing steady and his heartbeat beating under her hand. Hesitantly, she lifted her hand and brushed a lock of hair away that had fallen into his eyes, enjoying the silky feel of it on her fingertips. His eyes opened groggily and he smiled at her, not yet fully awake.
"Hey." He murmured.
"Hey yourself."
"Hungry?"
"A bit." She smiled warmly, sitting up slowly and flipping her loose hair away from her face. She glanced at the clock and sighed, wishing she could sleep forever and never get up. Darien sat up and hugged her from behind.
"If everyone could hide away from the pains of reality in their dreams, there would be lots of people in a coma." She laughed at the last part, not expecting the joke but thankful that he wanted to cheer her up.
"I guess. Do you wanna go to the arcade?" There were a lot of good memories of the time her and Molly had spent there, and Serena felt like she needed to be somewhere Molly and her had enjoyed. She wanted to remember Molly through the good times they spent together, not through her death.
"Sure." Darien replied, instinctively knowing what she was thinking.
They headed out of the apartment and to the arcade, hand in hand.
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A.N: Not long, I know, but I've been having writers block. I'm trying to fill in the spaces so I can use the ideas I have for later in the story and plus I have to admit I've been working on my other story more lately. Sorry bout that. Anyway, I wanted to say thanks for your reviews! I'm glad to see people are actually interested in this story, especially since I didn't think I was doing all that great with it, but your reviews are a big boost in confidence. Please, please read and review!!
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Mina paced around her room nervously. She was worried about Serena. Molly had been her best friend, and now she was lying six feet under the ground because of a youma attack that had caught them all by surprise. Deciding she would feel better if she talked to Serena about it, she picked up the phone and dialled the Tsukino residence. There were three rings before it picked up.
Hello? It was Sere's mother.
"Hi Mrs.Tsukino, is Serena there please?"
I'm sorry dear, she isn't home. Who's calling?
Mina made a face and her shoulders slumped in defeat. "It's Mina. Do you know when she'll be home?"
I'm afraid not. I gave her permission to stay with a friend for a while until she feels better about…what happened.
"Oh. Was it with one of the girls?" Mrs. Tsukino knew Serena's friends well enough to know who Mina was referring to, so she didn't need to say them by name.
No dear, it was with her boyfriend.
Mina's eyes widened in shock. "You mean Darien?"
Yes, that's him.
"You let her stay with Darien? Alone?" She was shocked by the news. She had always heard Serena's dad would shoot a guy just for looking at his daughter, and now it turns out she was staying with her boyfriend, who lived alone and was three years older then her.
There was a sigh on the other line. Yes, I did. I met him at Molly's funeral. A rather polite and friendly young man, actually. Anyway, the reason is, I'm much to busy with my new job and I'm hardly home before dinner anymore. Serena can't really have a heartfelt talk with her father, who also works late, seeing as how he isn't really equipped to handle a grieving girl, and finding comfort in Sammy is out of the question. You know how those two fight. Molly was Serena's best friend. She's hurting inside and needs to be close to someone right now.
"Why didn't you tell her to stay with one of us?" Mina interrupted.
Mina, you have a big heart, but could you really handle a grieving teen all day and all night? I mean, I know you mean well, but how would you handle the situation? You yourself knew Molly, in fact, so did Rei, Ami, and Lita. I don't think any of you are in any condition to offer comfort when you yourselves are in need of it. You four may not have been close, but the death of a friend is the death of a friend. Do you understand?
Mina's face grew sad and she nodded, but then remembered she was on the phone. "Yes, I see what you mean."
Darien wasn't connected at all with Molly, and that's why he's the best person to comfort Serena. He'll be there for her when she needs him. Besides, Serena's a big girl and I trust her. If she needs to, she can take care of herself. I'm also a good judge of character, and Darien is quite a nice young man.
Mina stood and got a pen and a piece of paper. "Yea, I guess you're right. Do you have his number? I really need to talk to her."
Certainly dear.
Mina wrote down the number and once she had finished, she thanked her and said goodbye. Hanging up quickly, she ran up to her room to get Artimis and her communicator.
"What's up Mina?" Artimis yawned sleepily as she scooped him up and headed for the door.
"I think we should have a scout meeting. Obviously, the Negaverse now knows who we are regardless of if we are transformed or not, and I'm afraid I think I have an idea of why Molly was attacked." Artimis was now fully awake riding on her shoulder as she pressed a button on her communicator, signalling to the other three Sailors.
Three voices answered her call at the same time, waiting for her to speak. "Scout meeting at Rei's temple. A.S.A.P!" Before anyone could object, she cut the link and began the semi-long walk to Sendai Hill.
"Shouldn't you call Sailor Moon?" Artimis asked, wondering why she had forgotten.
Mina looked at him sadly, patting his head affectionately as she turned the corner. "I think we should give her some time alone Artimis, I doubt she would want to talk about Sailor business right now and it's not important she comes. We can do this without her for once. She needs a break." Artimis just nodded.
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"Alright, why did you call this meeting?" Rei demanded. She was a bit peeved that Mina had just automatically assumed it was okay for her to come over and call a meeting without asking if they could use the temple first. Sure she would have said yes anyway, but it's still rude not to ask.
"Ya what's this about?" Lita asked, chewing some bubblegum and handing everyone else a piece as well.
"The Negaverse. I think I know why Molly was attacked."
Amy immediately put the book she had been reading down, giving Mina her undivided attention. "Really? Why?"
Mina took a deep breath and began to voice her thoughts. "Well, since Serena turned into Serenity, everyone from the Silver Millennium now has their memories. That means the Negaverse knows too." She paused. "That thing went after Molly instead of Sailor Moon because it probably remembered her from that era and confused her as a scout. I think the Negaverse wants to get rid of us first so that taking care of Sailor Moon would be no problem." She waited for them to speak, wanting to know what they thought.
After a moment, Amy slammed her hand on the table before her, surprising everyone. "Of course! Why didn't I see it before?" She took out her mini computer and began to furiously type, talking at the same time. "Molly was Serena's best friend from that time. Someone who she relied on for emotional support. I doubt Beryl would be stupid enough to kill one of Sailor Moon's friends, that's bad strategy. So instead, some youma probably took it upon themselves to destroy us, thinking they could impress the queen, thus they attacked Serena's closest friend." She stopped typing and cried out in triumph, turning her computer screen so everyone could see it. "This graph has recorded events of the times youma's have made an appearance. It usually happens during the time between dinner and midnight, so I've come to the conclusion that that's the best time they can use their portals. Queen Beryl will most likely assume Sailor Moon will only fight harder to avenge the death of Molly, so she is most likely planning a direct attack as we speak." She glanced at her watch. "It's only two hours before the time an attack can occur, if my theory proves true."
"So we have to be ready to fight Beryl in two hours?" Lita questioned.
Amy shook her head and frowned. "I'm not psychic so I don't know if the attack would come from her directly, or someone else. I'm just saying that we should be ready for something big to happen. Beryl won't want to lose the advantage she had when we were always caught by surprise, so she'll want to attack as soon as she could." She hesitated before speaking again. "That's if I'm right."
Mina smiled at her friend encouragingly. "Amy, you're the brains of the group. We have faith in your theory's and they haven't proven wrong yet." Amy blushed and murmured a thank you.
Lita turned to Rei, putting her arms behind her head and leaning back on them. "What do you think Rei? Could you do a fire reading and try to find out who we're gonna have to face?"
Rei nodded in determination. "I could try."
"Lets get to it then." Mina said, trying to smile, though she wasn't feeling very cheerful.
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Serena's eyes opened sleepily as the afternoon light shone across her face, trying to shake off the foggy state she was in. As her mind cleared, she sighed happily, lifting her head off of Darien's chest to look at him, but still staying cuddled against him. She smiled as she watched him sleep. His hair was messy and he looked so peaceful at the moment, his breathing steady and his heartbeat beating under her hand. Hesitantly, she lifted her hand and brushed a lock of hair away that had fallen into his eyes, enjoying the silky feel of it on her fingertips. His eyes opened groggily and he smiled at her, not yet fully awake.
"Hey." He murmured.
"Hey yourself."
"Hungry?"
"A bit." She smiled warmly, sitting up slowly and flipping her loose hair away from her face. She glanced at the clock and sighed, wishing she could sleep forever and never get up. Darien sat up and hugged her from behind.
"If everyone could hide away from the pains of reality in their dreams, there would be lots of people in a coma." She laughed at the last part, not expecting the joke but thankful that he wanted to cheer her up.
"I guess. Do you wanna go to the arcade?" There were a lot of good memories of the time her and Molly had spent there, and Serena felt like she needed to be somewhere Molly and her had enjoyed. She wanted to remember Molly through the good times they spent together, not through her death.
"Sure." Darien replied, instinctively knowing what she was thinking.
They headed out of the apartment and to the arcade, hand in hand.
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A.N: Not long, I know, but I've been having writers block. I'm trying to fill in the spaces so I can use the ideas I have for later in the story and plus I have to admit I've been working on my other story more lately. Sorry bout that. Anyway, I wanted to say thanks for your reviews! I'm glad to see people are actually interested in this story, especially since I didn't think I was doing all that great with it, but your reviews are a big boost in confidence. Please, please read and review!!