Title:  Welcome To Reality

Chapter Title: Never turn your back on Nega-Scum

Summary: Serena Warren, now fifteen, graduates the tenth grade with honours and is offered a chance to go to Japan on a student exchange program. Here, she realizes that the reason her dreams seemed so real is that they were.

Author: Silver Sparklze

Reason For Writing: This story was written as a challenge set by Sage: The Dark Dryad.

Author's Notes: I have tried to translate the Japanese next to the words, but even so, anything written in bold will be translated at the end of the chapter if not already translated.

~ The Kitchen, Apartment 20A,Ryoori Gakkou Apartoo, Tokyo~

"Wow…what was it like? Living in an orphanage? Didn't you miss your parents?" Lita asked, dumping a pile of carrots on the kitchen bench. Lita had invited Mina, Rei, and Amara around for dinner, but she hadn't told them that Serena was here. Apparently, they'd given her a big lecture about not being at school that day, and Lita had promised to explain tonight.

"Well…I didn't miss my parents, per se…more like the idea of parents. You see; I never knew them, so I don't really miss them. I was left on the doorstep of the orphanage the day after I was born." Serena said, peeling and chopping the carrots deftly, before throwing them into the stew.

"Poor thing," Lita said sympathetically. "I didn't know my parents that well, either, they died. But at least I have some memories of them. And Darien-kun doesn't have parents either."

"I know; they died in a car-crash."

"Did he tell you that?" Lita said. "He never told anyone that. I heard it from Sere-ko."

"How d'you think I heard about it?" Serena teased. "Lita-chan, baka da!" Lita giggled, and threw some marshmallows at her. While Serena was making the main course, Irish stew, Lita was making the hot chocolate with marshmallows, which was going to be dessert.

"Then he must understand what you're going through better than anyone." Serena had admitted to Lita that she was often terribly hurt her parents hadn't kept her. Didn't they love her? Was she so abhorrent a person that they would dump her on a doorstep rather than bring her up.

"Not really," Serena sighed. "He knew his parents. Like you, he knew they loved him." Lita was silent for a moment, obviously thinking.

"Well," she began only to be interrupted by the door. "Huso! They're here. Is everything ready?" Serena tasted the stew.

"Yeah, this'll be done in a few seconds. Why don't you put the sushi on the table? And some drinks."

"What? I mean, what drinks?"

"White wine for the sushi, I'll get some red for the stew. Be back soon." She crossed to the window, and jumped out, landing neatly on her feet five stories below.

~The street…Tokyo~

Serena strolled happily down the street, swinging her purse around one arm, thinking about…well…nothing, really. At least, she was until she saw the Nega-Monster in front of her.

"Oh, great," she groaned. The monster walked towards her, a look of anticipation in its eyes. "Look," she said, "I really don't have time. I'm getting wine for dinner, and I'm expected back soon. How about I meet you in the park at sunset tomorrow, and I kill you then? It'll give you a bit of time to get your affairs in order."

"I don't think that's going to happen." The monster said; its red eyes gleaming by the light of the streetlamp, an evil smile spreading across its slimy green face, making the pocked surface even more hideous.

"Ok, fine." Serena took out her transformation brooch. "ETERNAL MOON POWER!" She transformed right in front of the surprised monster's eyes.

"What?" The monster gasped.

"I am Sailor Moon, champion of love in justice. In the name of the Moon, I shall punish you. Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" The monster exploded into dust, and Sailor Moon shook her head, chuckling as she detransformed. They never learnt.

Suddenly, she was hit in the back by a bolt of pure black energy. She gasped, suspended in motion for a moment, before she fell to the ground. And everything went black…

*Lita Kino*

~The Kitchen, Apartment 20A,Ryoori Gakkou Apartoo, Tokyo~

Lita hummed as she set the table, waiting for Sere-chan to get back with the drinks. She couldn't believe how good it felt to have a new friend. Especially Sere-chan. She was warm, and funny, and smart. Same as Sere-ko.

It didn't hurt as much to think about Sere-ko anymore. Now the first sting of grief had passed, she could think about all the good times they'd had together. It was nice to be able to remember. Nice to think about the first friend she'd ever had at Juuban Junior High. Nice to think about the girl who went gaga for one of Lita's baking expeditions.

She went to the door, ushering Rei-chan, Trista-san, Mina-chan, Artemis-kun, Amara-san, and Michelle-san in. Somehow, she wasn't surprised. She'd been rather surprised that Michelle-san hadn't followed Amara-san to the park, and wondered how the blonde woman had stopped her girlfriend.

Lita sighed, as her conscience twinged. She'd known it was wrong, watching those nega-scum beating Sere-chan up, and not doing a thing about it. It was against everything she stood for as a Scout. And yet she'd stayed stock still, surveying the scene dispassionately, while Sere-chan implored them with her large eyes to help her.

"Lita-chan, atashi to anata no nani o ikimasuka?" {Lita, why are we here?} Trista-san asked.

"Hai, nandesuka." {Yeah, why?}The other Scouts agreed.

"You're here," Lita replied in English, "because you wanted an explanation for why Sere-chan and I weren't in school today. We're going to give it to you as soon as she gets back."

"Yoroshi," {Ok,} Amara-san settled down to wait, a cynical smile on her face, "Atashi no kufuku imasu. Tabemono wa nani o arimasuka?" {I'm hungry. Is there any food I can eat?}

"Ama-chan, gehin janai da!" (Amara, don't be rude!) Michelle-san scolded. "Sumimasen, Lita-chan. Ama-chan no okatta ni kyoo desu." {I'm so sorry, Lita. Amara's really cranky today.}

"That's all right, Michelle-san. And I have got some sushi. And some white wine, if you'd like some." Lita passed around the first course, and glanced surreptitiously at her watch. Sere-chan had better be back soon.

Hai: yes

Soba-Yas: Noodle Shops (Noodle Shops are the places most Japanese teens hang out after school, like we would hang out at a fish-and-chips shop, or Mickey-D's – McDonald's. They serve hot noodles in different flavours in under two minutes – like Maggi ^.^)

Iie: no

Ooki: big/large/enormous

"Oh, no, Lita-chan." Serena said, pleased. "I can't cook as well as you can.": The reason I highlighted this sentence is that in Japan, you don't say 'thank you' when you receive a compliment, you deny it, and sometimes return the compliment, as Serena did. This can go on for hours ^.^

Lita-chan, baka da!: stupid Lita!

Huso: fuck