mChapter 2
Saying Goodbye and Moving On
We didn't want to do it. We wanted to fight with Serena to let us go with her, knowing that we would rather go to hell and back than face the hatred of the outside world. In one glance, those words were all that we needed to say between the three of us. But one look at Serena and we knew that as much as we wanted to protest and make her let us go with her, we would do what she asked.
We said good bye to Serena, our hearts breaking because we didn't know when we would see her again. Our good-byes were as quick as we could make them, none of us wanted to linger in our tears more than necessary, and ended with a group hug, leaving an open space for our fallen sister-in-arms.
Outside in the hallway, we paused. As Mina dried her tears, the realization of what Serena had asked to do hit.
"Me? Become Serena Tsukino? Guys, I know I agreed but I don't think I can do it. Even if I look at it as an acting challenge, I'm still not sure."
"Mina, you can and you will." Darien had followed us out. "For Serena, for the Sailor Senshi, for Crystal Tokyo, for the world."
"That's a heavy burden for someone to bear, even the leader of the Senshi. Are you sure I can do it?"
Darien smiled. "I have every confidence in you that you will be able to play the part magnificently."
I studied his face. "You're going with her." It was less a question than a statement which I already knew.
"Yes. There are things to be done and she can't do them alone. I wouldn't let her."
Ami, who'd been quiet during this time touched Darien's arm. "It's getting late. We need to go." She hugged him gently. "Thank you
for all that you've done. I hope to see you soon."
Darien nodded. "You too, Ami. Don't study too hard without me. I want you to come back so I can beat you at chess."
"Darien," Mina began as she hugged him, "I'm going to miss you. Make sure you come back to us soon."
"I will, Mina. And, Mina? Serena's counting on you to help her. Just don't forget that inside you're Mina Aino, be true to that as best as you can."
Darien let go of Mina and turned to me. His sad smile broke my heart and I began to cry again.
"Hey, no more tears, Raye. This isn't goodbye, not for good."
I cried on his shoulder and nodded. He let me stay, in his arms, for as long as I needed. When I pulled away and moved to go, I whispered, "You take care of her."
We took our time going to the police station and walked in silence. It was late and the air was cold. Few cars were on the road and the sound of our feet on the sidewalk echoed. We'd grabbed a few things before we left and I was carrying Mina's bag as she fixed her hair into buns and made sure Serena's ID was near. As we walked, I thought about my life. I thought about the past, how empty my life had felt before I became Sailor Mars; I thought about Lita, about how much I missed her and how much we needed her there to say the one thing that would comfort us instead of an akward attempt by myself or Mina or Ami. But mostly I thought about the future. I was going to give up Sailor Mars, the one thing I truly loved, go through whatever it was going to be that going to the police was going to cause and hope that after a while I would be able to go about my life as normally as possible and wait for the day Serena and Darien came for me.
We were immediately split up and taken into custody and remained under police surveillance for six weeks, after which time we were turned over to a scientific institute for six months. There we underwent a barrage of testing. I told the story of the Silver Millenium and it's ending to countless psychologists who determined that I was in fact neither lying nor insane. Then I was sent to other scientists who drew blood every other day just to make sure I was still human, gave me physicals before and after transforming, and other scientists who made me transform and detransform and then studied the physics of my powers. I went through every test they could think of.
During this time, I had no communication with Ami or Mina, though I suspect they too had to go through the same as I. There were times, I know, that we had been close to each other, perhaps as I was being escorted back to my room, one was being taken in for tests. We couldn't have been too far apart. I never worried about their safety because I knew that while I couldn't tell if they were happy, I would feel it if there was something wrong. As for Chad and Grandpa, they had been unaffected by Malachite's actions but I only saw them twice. The first time I saw them I cried and begged for them to take me with them, though I knew they could do nothing, and the second time was Chad telling that my grandfather was ill and that he, Chad, had met someone else and was leaving the temple to marry her.
Exactly one year after turning myself into the police, I was let go. With money I had in a spare savings account - Luna had created accounts in our names after finding all the Inner Senshi and we'd fill them with whatever spare cash we had at various times - it was one of the many reasons Serena never seemed to have any spending money - for the future in case something like this ever happened, and took myself to San Fransisco, California, USA. There I rented a cheap flat and enrolled myself in the local high school, using Lita's experiences as a learning tool. I was alone in a new country, speaking a language I barely knew, and I was scared. I turned 16 one month after I arrived. It was the loneliest birthday I'd ever had.
Saying Goodbye and Moving On
We didn't want to do it. We wanted to fight with Serena to let us go with her, knowing that we would rather go to hell and back than face the hatred of the outside world. In one glance, those words were all that we needed to say between the three of us. But one look at Serena and we knew that as much as we wanted to protest and make her let us go with her, we would do what she asked.
We said good bye to Serena, our hearts breaking because we didn't know when we would see her again. Our good-byes were as quick as we could make them, none of us wanted to linger in our tears more than necessary, and ended with a group hug, leaving an open space for our fallen sister-in-arms.
Outside in the hallway, we paused. As Mina dried her tears, the realization of what Serena had asked to do hit.
"Me? Become Serena Tsukino? Guys, I know I agreed but I don't think I can do it. Even if I look at it as an acting challenge, I'm still not sure."
"Mina, you can and you will." Darien had followed us out. "For Serena, for the Sailor Senshi, for Crystal Tokyo, for the world."
"That's a heavy burden for someone to bear, even the leader of the Senshi. Are you sure I can do it?"
Darien smiled. "I have every confidence in you that you will be able to play the part magnificently."
I studied his face. "You're going with her." It was less a question than a statement which I already knew.
"Yes. There are things to be done and she can't do them alone. I wouldn't let her."
Ami, who'd been quiet during this time touched Darien's arm. "It's getting late. We need to go." She hugged him gently. "Thank you
for all that you've done. I hope to see you soon."
Darien nodded. "You too, Ami. Don't study too hard without me. I want you to come back so I can beat you at chess."
"Darien," Mina began as she hugged him, "I'm going to miss you. Make sure you come back to us soon."
"I will, Mina. And, Mina? Serena's counting on you to help her. Just don't forget that inside you're Mina Aino, be true to that as best as you can."
Darien let go of Mina and turned to me. His sad smile broke my heart and I began to cry again.
"Hey, no more tears, Raye. This isn't goodbye, not for good."
I cried on his shoulder and nodded. He let me stay, in his arms, for as long as I needed. When I pulled away and moved to go, I whispered, "You take care of her."
We took our time going to the police station and walked in silence. It was late and the air was cold. Few cars were on the road and the sound of our feet on the sidewalk echoed. We'd grabbed a few things before we left and I was carrying Mina's bag as she fixed her hair into buns and made sure Serena's ID was near. As we walked, I thought about my life. I thought about the past, how empty my life had felt before I became Sailor Mars; I thought about Lita, about how much I missed her and how much we needed her there to say the one thing that would comfort us instead of an akward attempt by myself or Mina or Ami. But mostly I thought about the future. I was going to give up Sailor Mars, the one thing I truly loved, go through whatever it was going to be that going to the police was going to cause and hope that after a while I would be able to go about my life as normally as possible and wait for the day Serena and Darien came for me.
We were immediately split up and taken into custody and remained under police surveillance for six weeks, after which time we were turned over to a scientific institute for six months. There we underwent a barrage of testing. I told the story of the Silver Millenium and it's ending to countless psychologists who determined that I was in fact neither lying nor insane. Then I was sent to other scientists who drew blood every other day just to make sure I was still human, gave me physicals before and after transforming, and other scientists who made me transform and detransform and then studied the physics of my powers. I went through every test they could think of.
During this time, I had no communication with Ami or Mina, though I suspect they too had to go through the same as I. There were times, I know, that we had been close to each other, perhaps as I was being escorted back to my room, one was being taken in for tests. We couldn't have been too far apart. I never worried about their safety because I knew that while I couldn't tell if they were happy, I would feel it if there was something wrong. As for Chad and Grandpa, they had been unaffected by Malachite's actions but I only saw them twice. The first time I saw them I cried and begged for them to take me with them, though I knew they could do nothing, and the second time was Chad telling that my grandfather was ill and that he, Chad, had met someone else and was leaving the temple to marry her.
Exactly one year after turning myself into the police, I was let go. With money I had in a spare savings account - Luna had created accounts in our names after finding all the Inner Senshi and we'd fill them with whatever spare cash we had at various times - it was one of the many reasons Serena never seemed to have any spending money - for the future in case something like this ever happened, and took myself to San Fransisco, California, USA. There I rented a cheap flat and enrolled myself in the local high school, using Lita's experiences as a learning tool. I was alone in a new country, speaking a language I barely knew, and I was scared. I turned 16 one month after I arrived. It was the loneliest birthday I'd ever had.