In the last chapter, Serena and several other girls discussed their
expectations about the future. And they did so for a while in Serena's
Imperial Palace chambers in Moon City on the Moon, in fact. They
wondered what the future held for each of them, to at least some
degree, if not to a great deal, in the last chapter of this story.
In the next chapter, Serena and Raye will have a rather private discussion with each other about some very important things and people. And they will have this discussion in Raye's own Imperial Palace chambers, before they both go to a ball in the Imperial Palace's main ballroom. This discussion will be the main part, if not the only part, of this next chapter, people.
After this chapter-like section, there will be only three more such sections to put up as needed here. This section is what you might call Chapter 23, if you could call each section of this story a chapter, in fact, people. So the story will have 26 sections in it, once I finish putting it up here, by logical extension.
Now, without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here,
if that's all right with you all here, readers. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers!
First Kisses?
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story
Inside Raye's Chambers In The Imperial Palace
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon
December 24, 986 - December 25, 986
On her way there, she nearly collided with Raye and Bridget, who were also heading toward the main ballroom. She just barely avoided colliding with them as they were both exiting Raye's Imperial Palace chambers.
Raye and Bridget avoided colliding with Serena when they ducked back into Raye's chambers as she passed them. Then, as soon as Raye realized that Serena was safely past them, she shouted,
"Serena, you Meatball Head, you could have run us over!"
That stopped Serena, about five to ten feet past Raye's door, if not more. Serena turned back,
and came back to where Raye and Bridget were still near Raye's door. Raye told B.B. to go to the main ballroom by herself, for she was going to have a word with Serena for a little while, at least. B.B. asked, "Is that really necessary, Raye?"
"I'm afraid so, Bridget. We can't have Serena nearly run us over like she almost did just now,
can we?"
"I suppose not, Raye. But, somehow, I don't think that Serena was trying to run us both over."
"Maybe so, but she might still have been going too fast in these halls, just the same."
"Perhaps. But if you have a word with her, please try to be fair, okay, Raye? You may be mad at her, but is that any reason you can't be fair with her, just the same?"
"I suppose you're right. But I'm still rather hot about her nearly running us over like she almost did."
"Understood." Then B.B. rather reluctantly left the area, and headed off toward the main ballroom. As soon as she was out of sight, Raye then pulled Serena by the arm into her chambers, and secured the door of them rather securely behind them both, when they were both in them.
"First off, Serena, whatever we say in here stays in here, if at all possible. Is that clear,
Serena?"
"Understood, Raye." Serena soon said.
Then Raye shouted rather loudly, "Serena, what was the big idea of running so fast in the halls near my chambers? Did your feet catch on fire? I don't normally see you run so fast, Serena!"
"There's a ball I was trying to hurry to, Raye. You know which ball I'm talking about, I know. And I took longer than expected with my bath. I was trying to make sure I got there before its planned start time."
"Maybe so, but are you sure that's all it is?"
"What do you mean, Raye?"
"You know Darien is often near the main ballroom of whatever palace we're currently in residence at on Christmas Eve, whenever he's on the Moon, at this time of the day, I'm sure, Serena, for he's done it at least six or seven times since your first birthday, when we first met you."
"So what of it?"
"Are you sure that you didn't just want to be with him instead, and possibly even get kissed by him, Serena?"
"I'm too young to get kissed by him, considering he's so much older than we both are, Raye." Raye began lowering her voice, if she'd not already done so, just after Serena said that.
"Serena, we all know you've been dreaming of getting kissed by him, and of you kissing him back as well. For you've told us any number of times that you've often dreamed of such things happening, Serena, as you very well know by now. You're angling for a kiss, I'm sure, from him."
"I'm not yet eleven years old, Raye! And what's this I heard about you and Chad wanting to go back to Mars for a vacation sometime in the next few weeks, if at all possible?"
"Rumors, Serena. That's all they are, Serena!"
"Oh, really? Sure, Raye! You can't fool me, Raye. You've been wanting to go back to Mars for quite a while, and you've not been able to hide it from me very well. Sure, you might be able to hide it from all the other Princesses and B.B., but you can't hide it from me, Raye! You don't want to be here on the Moon when they come to wipe us out on it."
"Serena, you must be kidding! And leave all the cute guys here on the Moon to you? No way,
Serena, am I going to do that, if I can avoid it, even if I might want to go back to Mars as you say that I do! Meatball Head, who told you all these rumors?"
"A certain Martian Prince from somewhere in the area of Flame Canyon told me so, I think. I don't know his name, exactly, but he was wearing a sash with the seal of Flame Canyon's local government on it."
"Describe him, if you can, Serena."
"I didn't see much of him, other than his sash, but I could tell that he had a little brown beard and a handlebar moustache. His hair was about chin-length, I think on him, and he had on a mostly purple and gold robe that fell to just above his sandals. This robe had a primarily blue and white sash on it, and it ran from his right shoulder to his left hip, with a little bit of an arc to that sash as he wore it. His voice sounded old, but his face, what I saw of it, looked rather young. A scar ran just above his eyebrows, and just below his hairline."
"A jagged scar, or a straight scar, and in what direction was it basically running?"
"A three-zigzag scar just above his nose, running mainly toward his left temple. The scar ran from just about an inch above his right eyebrow's middle to about two or three inches above the outside end of his left eyebrow, Raye."
"Prince Caliterios, then, told you all those rumors, Serena. He's had it in for me and my family since my Dad's Dad told him not to come to our home anymore for any reason whatsoever, not even on government-related business, and my Dad and Mom backed him up when he did so. He's had a thing for Bridget and other members of my family since he was about Darien's age. He's now about Queen Serenity's age, and always opposes us whenever he can back on Mars. He hates the fact that Bridget and I have been off Mars so much of late, especially me. He'd do almost anything to see us disgraced and forced to return to Mars for the rest of our mortal lives. He must be searching for us now on the Moon. Because why else would he be here, when he's normally on Mars?"
"He hates you Hinos?"
"Yes. And his father was much the same way that he is now."
"He wants to ruin you all?"
"If possible, yes."
"And how would you and Chad figure into his plans, then, Raye?"
"If he can get enough of our people to believe that Chad and I are secretly planning to go back to Mars for a certain kind of vacation, it could mean serious damage to both our reputations."
"What kind of vacation?"
"An illicit affair kind of vacation, I figure."
"And you're not planning that kind of vacation."
"Right. You should know me better than that. Sure, I do like Chad at least a little, and I'm reasonably certain that he likes me at least a little too. But do you think that we'd needlessly ruin our reputations by having such a kind of vacation, Serena? Especially since both of us aren't yet teenagers in our lives, if we'll ever be?"
"No, of course not. I do know you better than that, Raye. But how are we going to stop him from spreading these rumors, if we can, Raye, if that's what he's trying to do with you and Chad and a whole lot of other people? And does B.B. also know well enough about him yet, Raye?"
"More than she'd like to, Serena. She wishes that she'd never have to worry about him at all anymore in her life, and I don't blame her, of course, Serena. I feel the same way, or at least as much as I can, about him as well, Serena."
"Would you be surprised if he's working against our Moon Kingdom, and trying to make sure that it's ruined by the Negaverse when they come here?"
"No, I'd not be surprised at all. I've heard him numerous times speaking against Queen Serenity and a whole lot of other people in our Moon Kingdom. As a matter of fact, he thinks,
apparently, that your sisters are dumb, and can't do anything for themselves at all. He wishes, I believe, that they'd just disappear to somewhere else entirely, and never come back to us anywhere in the known Universe. I'd not be surprised, even, if he wishes that they were both dead once and for all."
"What else?"
"He hopes, I believe, that your mother loses the babies she's now carrying inside her."
"Who told you about them?"
"Your mother told everyone else who didn't know about them before yesterday about them last night, just before we left the Double Earth Palace in Crescent not much later, so that we could all come here. She told us all in private, just before she met up with you, Darien, Daniel, and your twin sisters in the South Garden of that palace. We now know that she's expecting to 'Shoot The Comet' sometime in the next three to five months, if things go sufficiently well for her and those babies that she's now carrying."
"So we have to hope that she and them all remain in good health for at least as long as she's carrying them, of course."
"Yes, we do. If all goes according to plan, you'll have at least two baby brothers, as you thought might happen, Serena."
"That's good."
"But in the meantime, we'll have to probably do what we can to help your mother before it's time for her to deliver those babies."
"Yes, I suppose so."
"Even if that means getting after the bully Caliterios, I believe."
"How would we do that?"
"I haven't yet figured that out yet. But if he can force Bridget and I, at least, to stay on Mars for the rest of our lives, then you know what that might mean for our Moon Kingdom, Serena."
"We'd not be together at all."
"Nope. We'd not be able to train as Sailor Scouts together, Serena. We'd not be able to have fun together. You might get all the cute guys, and not just Darien. I'd not be able to be with the rest of you from elsewhere in our solar system, probably. It'd be like being in a bottomless pit of fire,
Serena, for a very long time, if not forever. Believe me, Serena, we may not always get along well with each other. But I'd certainly miss being with the only Meatball Head I've ever known in my life, and all my friends from elsewhere in this solar system, at least."
"Meatball Head in a good sense or a bad sense?"
"Both, I suppose, Serena. You really grow on people, Serena. Either they hate you or they love you. There's rarely any middle ground when it comes to being with you at all, Serena. Except for those of us who are fortunate to know you well enough, I suppose, of course. Like me and several other people, at least, if not many people, in both our lives, Serena, of course."
"Is that so, Raye?"
"Yes, it most definitely is, Serena. Sometimes, you're really a problem to deal with, and at other times, you're really a wonderful person to be with."
"I suppose so, Raye. I suppose I've called you a hothead or similar enough things often enough. Just as you've often called me a Meatball Head or similar enough things before as well."
"You've never cursed at me, thankfully."
"No, I've not, Raye. But I have to admit, while we're still both having this private conversation with each other, I've come close, I think, to doing that. And I've probably come rather close to cursing at a number of other people in my life, Raye. Probably not as close with them as I have with you, but I still have to admit, I've nearly done it at least once before in my life."
"But you didn't?"
"No, I didn't. Not even with you, Raye, in fact. I still consider you to be sort of the older sister I've never actually had in my own life."
About five months before, Serena and Raye had discussed several things with each other, and while they did so, Serena had suggested that Raye was like a sister to her. In fact, she suggested that Raye was like the older sister that she'd never have in her own life. And since that time, Serena still hadn't suggested otherwise to Raye.
"You still do that, Serena?"
"Yes. And just like biological sisters may often do, we often disagree with each other, Raye. And we often disagree with a lot of other people in both our lives, of course."
"Especially when one of us may not be doing the right thing at all in their life?"
"Like me running in the halls like I did earlier?"
"Exactly, Serena."
"I suppose I could have slowed down at least a little bit, Raye, when I got near your chambers in this palace."
"But you didn't, and you might have run us over if B.B. and I hadn't been fortunate enough to duck back in here before you collided with us."
"I suppose I might have, Raye. But it really wouldn't have been intentional on my part, if I'd actually done so. I hope you realize that."
"Now I do, I suppose, Serena."
"Do you still consider me to be a Meatball Head right now?"
"I'm not so mad at you now, Serena, as I was then. But I still have to say that might have been an MBH kind of thing to do, at least on your part, Serena."
"Perhaps. I'm sorry if I made you so mad, Raye. It was never actually my intention to do so,
by running in the halls near your chambers here in the Imperial Palace. I was just trying to get to the main ballroom rather quickly, for I felt that I was running rather late, instead of running right on time, for the start of the ball."
"I forgive you, I suppose, Serena. But, please, if you can, do try to be more careful when you're near other people's chambers in all our palaces here on the Moon, Serena. It'd not do for any of us to get hurt needlessly, if it can possibly be avoided at all, would it?"
"No. If we did, we might lose training time with each other, I suppose, Raye."
"Right. And if we're going to have even the slightest chance of surviving at least long enough for your mother to try to save us all, then we might need all the training time that we can possibly get as Sailor Scouts. Sure, we may not actually be able to beat the Negaverse when they come here. But we still have to try to hold them off long enough to allow your mother to try to save us all, if she possibly can, no matter what the cost to us and to our dear Moon Kingdom."
"Agreed, Raye. Now, if I'm not mistaken, there is a ball we were going to go to, Raye. I suggest we make all possible haste to get to it before it's due to start anytime very soon."
"All right, Serena. I suppose we can do that now, but let's not run as we do it, if we can possibly avoid it."
"Understood, Raye. And you won't hold this little episode of mine against me?"
"I'll try not to, Serena, but don't be surprised if I can't manage to not hold it against you at all. I wish that you'd not be so impulsive most, if not all, the time in your life, though. It might cause you to find more trouble than you'll ever want to have in it, whether it's anywhere here in the Moon Kingdom, or whether it's elsewhere in this Universe of ours. Trouble that you'd likely best avoid, if at all possible, Serena, in your own life. No matter where you go, and no matter what you do, in it, you'd likely best avoid trouble like that, if at all possible, Serena."
"Okay, Raye. I see your point, then, Raye. Now is there anything else you want to discuss with me before we go to the ball together?"
"No, I suppose not. So I suppose we can go now to the main ballroom, so that we don't miss all the fun, in a manner of speaking, Serena."
Then Serena and Raye soon left Raye's chambers, and they went as safely, yet as quickly, as they could to the necessary main ballroom for that same ball that they were wanting to go to. And they discussed a few more things with each other as they did so. Nothing of major importance, to either of them, but they still discussed at least a few things as they went to the Imperial Palace's main ballroom, of course.
After Serena and Raye showed up there, the ball soon began, and it then lasted at least until about two or three hours past local midnight. It finally ended about two or three hours past local midnight when Serena finally left the main ballroom with Amy, Bethany, Destiny, Lita, Mina, Raye, and Sylvia. Brief bits of conversation were shared among all of the Princesses before they each arrived at their chambers in the Imperial Palace. First they went to Amy's chambers, then to Raye's, Lita's, Mina's, Destiny's, and Bethany's, chambers in that order. After dropping Bethany off at her chambers, Serena and Sylvia were alone again.
As they headed off toward Sylvia's chambers, Serena and Sylvia continued chatting with each other for at least a bit longer. Of course, Rolando and Darien were often mentioned by them in the conversation that they were still sharing with each other.
Sylvia asked, "Serena, if and when Rolando and I return to Earth with my siblings, will you miss us all?"
"Yes, of course I will. But if you go back to Earth, how are you going to see Rolando again?"
"I don't know yet. I don't think that I could teleport to his primary place of residence, and I don't think he could teleport to my primary place of residence. If we go back, I don't think that we'll be there long, before we come here again in some manner. And I think that when we go back, Darien might come back to Earth with us. Which, of course, would mean that he'd not be on the Moon with all of you at all."
"And I hate being away from him, if I don't have to be, Sylvia."
"Well, I suspect that he'll have to make sure that some supplies for the future get to at least one place on Earth, if not more, just in case you and others have to be transferred to Earth later on."
"You mean, of course, when the Negaverse likely forces Mom to sacrifice our Moon Kingdom to ensure futures for as many of us as possible, I believe."
"Yes. And just in case people back on Earth are working somehow against your joint project with his Terran nation, he has to make sure that enough things are potentially available to people working on that joint project during the necessary related construction operations for it."
"So if certain things aren't available for various things, for any reason whatsoever, other things can possibly be used in their place, whether those things are the same kinds of things that aren't available or they're not."
"Correct." Then the two of them talked only a bit longer, until they arrived at Sylvia's Imperial Palace chambers. They then soon parted, and Sylvia went into her own chambers, and retired for the rest of the night. When Serena realized that Sylvia wouldn't likely exit her chambers again, if she didn't have to, before at least a few more hours had passed for everyone, she then returned to her own chambers, and retired about ten to fifteen minutes after she did so. And then she slept in until at least local noon, if not longer. For she'd actually been more tired than she'd originally thought, once she'd retired in her chambers some time before.
There are two more chapters to this story after the next one. In the next chapter, or what might pass for Chapter 24, Serena will have an unexpected vision in which she'll see four strange Terran girls in it. And those girls will have a discussion with her about the future, and what it might entail for her and others close enough to her in her life. This discussion will take place in Serena's chambers, on Christmas Day 986. What she and the other girls will say when they have that discussion there, though, you'll all just have to wait and see, until that chapter gets put up as needed on , in fact. Rest assured, though, people, that this vision of Serena's will hint at the Sailor Scouts' next adventure. Or at least the next adventure of those Scouts who are close enough to each other in Serena's life, that is. This particular story here will have a total of 26 chapter-like sections in it, readers.
I will brief you all more, as this story's end comes even closer, as needed, in fact. But the rest of this story and its related series will still take at least some time to put up here, just the same,
readers. For I have not yet completed the series, even though I've written at least partly into the seventh volume of this series, if not totally into it. Six volumes are complete. The seventh volume in this series is in progress, as of the current time. And the Moon Kingdom hasn't yet fallen at the point that I am now at in its series. When I finish getting the first six volumes of this story series up, I will start to upload the seventh one. And then we can go from there, once you have seen all that I'll have by that time for "The Chrysanthemum Chronicles" story series, readers. I don't expect to be able to start uploading the seventh volume in the series for at least a few weeks or months, though,however. For each volume in this particular story series of mine here is generally of good size, whenever possible, in fact, readers. There are many more things yet to come in this series. But if I say too much more than that right now and right here, you might choose not to continue reading this series, I think. For I might then be spoiling it for you all here, obviously enough, of course. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out!
In the next chapter, Serena and Raye will have a rather private discussion with each other about some very important things and people. And they will have this discussion in Raye's own Imperial Palace chambers, before they both go to a ball in the Imperial Palace's main ballroom. This discussion will be the main part, if not the only part, of this next chapter, people.
After this chapter-like section, there will be only three more such sections to put up as needed here. This section is what you might call Chapter 23, if you could call each section of this story a chapter, in fact, people. So the story will have 26 sections in it, once I finish putting it up here, by logical extension.
Now, without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here,
if that's all right with you all here, readers. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers!
First Kisses?
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story
Inside Raye's Chambers In The Imperial Palace
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon
December 24, 986 - December 25, 986
On her way there, she nearly collided with Raye and Bridget, who were also heading toward the main ballroom. She just barely avoided colliding with them as they were both exiting Raye's Imperial Palace chambers.
Raye and Bridget avoided colliding with Serena when they ducked back into Raye's chambers as she passed them. Then, as soon as Raye realized that Serena was safely past them, she shouted,
"Serena, you Meatball Head, you could have run us over!"
That stopped Serena, about five to ten feet past Raye's door, if not more. Serena turned back,
and came back to where Raye and Bridget were still near Raye's door. Raye told B.B. to go to the main ballroom by herself, for she was going to have a word with Serena for a little while, at least. B.B. asked, "Is that really necessary, Raye?"
"I'm afraid so, Bridget. We can't have Serena nearly run us over like she almost did just now,
can we?"
"I suppose not, Raye. But, somehow, I don't think that Serena was trying to run us both over."
"Maybe so, but she might still have been going too fast in these halls, just the same."
"Perhaps. But if you have a word with her, please try to be fair, okay, Raye? You may be mad at her, but is that any reason you can't be fair with her, just the same?"
"I suppose you're right. But I'm still rather hot about her nearly running us over like she almost did."
"Understood." Then B.B. rather reluctantly left the area, and headed off toward the main ballroom. As soon as she was out of sight, Raye then pulled Serena by the arm into her chambers, and secured the door of them rather securely behind them both, when they were both in them.
"First off, Serena, whatever we say in here stays in here, if at all possible. Is that clear,
Serena?"
"Understood, Raye." Serena soon said.
Then Raye shouted rather loudly, "Serena, what was the big idea of running so fast in the halls near my chambers? Did your feet catch on fire? I don't normally see you run so fast, Serena!"
"There's a ball I was trying to hurry to, Raye. You know which ball I'm talking about, I know. And I took longer than expected with my bath. I was trying to make sure I got there before its planned start time."
"Maybe so, but are you sure that's all it is?"
"What do you mean, Raye?"
"You know Darien is often near the main ballroom of whatever palace we're currently in residence at on Christmas Eve, whenever he's on the Moon, at this time of the day, I'm sure, Serena, for he's done it at least six or seven times since your first birthday, when we first met you."
"So what of it?"
"Are you sure that you didn't just want to be with him instead, and possibly even get kissed by him, Serena?"
"I'm too young to get kissed by him, considering he's so much older than we both are, Raye." Raye began lowering her voice, if she'd not already done so, just after Serena said that.
"Serena, we all know you've been dreaming of getting kissed by him, and of you kissing him back as well. For you've told us any number of times that you've often dreamed of such things happening, Serena, as you very well know by now. You're angling for a kiss, I'm sure, from him."
"I'm not yet eleven years old, Raye! And what's this I heard about you and Chad wanting to go back to Mars for a vacation sometime in the next few weeks, if at all possible?"
"Rumors, Serena. That's all they are, Serena!"
"Oh, really? Sure, Raye! You can't fool me, Raye. You've been wanting to go back to Mars for quite a while, and you've not been able to hide it from me very well. Sure, you might be able to hide it from all the other Princesses and B.B., but you can't hide it from me, Raye! You don't want to be here on the Moon when they come to wipe us out on it."
"Serena, you must be kidding! And leave all the cute guys here on the Moon to you? No way,
Serena, am I going to do that, if I can avoid it, even if I might want to go back to Mars as you say that I do! Meatball Head, who told you all these rumors?"
"A certain Martian Prince from somewhere in the area of Flame Canyon told me so, I think. I don't know his name, exactly, but he was wearing a sash with the seal of Flame Canyon's local government on it."
"Describe him, if you can, Serena."
"I didn't see much of him, other than his sash, but I could tell that he had a little brown beard and a handlebar moustache. His hair was about chin-length, I think on him, and he had on a mostly purple and gold robe that fell to just above his sandals. This robe had a primarily blue and white sash on it, and it ran from his right shoulder to his left hip, with a little bit of an arc to that sash as he wore it. His voice sounded old, but his face, what I saw of it, looked rather young. A scar ran just above his eyebrows, and just below his hairline."
"A jagged scar, or a straight scar, and in what direction was it basically running?"
"A three-zigzag scar just above his nose, running mainly toward his left temple. The scar ran from just about an inch above his right eyebrow's middle to about two or three inches above the outside end of his left eyebrow, Raye."
"Prince Caliterios, then, told you all those rumors, Serena. He's had it in for me and my family since my Dad's Dad told him not to come to our home anymore for any reason whatsoever, not even on government-related business, and my Dad and Mom backed him up when he did so. He's had a thing for Bridget and other members of my family since he was about Darien's age. He's now about Queen Serenity's age, and always opposes us whenever he can back on Mars. He hates the fact that Bridget and I have been off Mars so much of late, especially me. He'd do almost anything to see us disgraced and forced to return to Mars for the rest of our mortal lives. He must be searching for us now on the Moon. Because why else would he be here, when he's normally on Mars?"
"He hates you Hinos?"
"Yes. And his father was much the same way that he is now."
"He wants to ruin you all?"
"If possible, yes."
"And how would you and Chad figure into his plans, then, Raye?"
"If he can get enough of our people to believe that Chad and I are secretly planning to go back to Mars for a certain kind of vacation, it could mean serious damage to both our reputations."
"What kind of vacation?"
"An illicit affair kind of vacation, I figure."
"And you're not planning that kind of vacation."
"Right. You should know me better than that. Sure, I do like Chad at least a little, and I'm reasonably certain that he likes me at least a little too. But do you think that we'd needlessly ruin our reputations by having such a kind of vacation, Serena? Especially since both of us aren't yet teenagers in our lives, if we'll ever be?"
"No, of course not. I do know you better than that, Raye. But how are we going to stop him from spreading these rumors, if we can, Raye, if that's what he's trying to do with you and Chad and a whole lot of other people? And does B.B. also know well enough about him yet, Raye?"
"More than she'd like to, Serena. She wishes that she'd never have to worry about him at all anymore in her life, and I don't blame her, of course, Serena. I feel the same way, or at least as much as I can, about him as well, Serena."
"Would you be surprised if he's working against our Moon Kingdom, and trying to make sure that it's ruined by the Negaverse when they come here?"
"No, I'd not be surprised at all. I've heard him numerous times speaking against Queen Serenity and a whole lot of other people in our Moon Kingdom. As a matter of fact, he thinks,
apparently, that your sisters are dumb, and can't do anything for themselves at all. He wishes, I believe, that they'd just disappear to somewhere else entirely, and never come back to us anywhere in the known Universe. I'd not be surprised, even, if he wishes that they were both dead once and for all."
"What else?"
"He hopes, I believe, that your mother loses the babies she's now carrying inside her."
"Who told you about them?"
"Your mother told everyone else who didn't know about them before yesterday about them last night, just before we left the Double Earth Palace in Crescent not much later, so that we could all come here. She told us all in private, just before she met up with you, Darien, Daniel, and your twin sisters in the South Garden of that palace. We now know that she's expecting to 'Shoot The Comet' sometime in the next three to five months, if things go sufficiently well for her and those babies that she's now carrying."
"So we have to hope that she and them all remain in good health for at least as long as she's carrying them, of course."
"Yes, we do. If all goes according to plan, you'll have at least two baby brothers, as you thought might happen, Serena."
"That's good."
"But in the meantime, we'll have to probably do what we can to help your mother before it's time for her to deliver those babies."
"Yes, I suppose so."
"Even if that means getting after the bully Caliterios, I believe."
"How would we do that?"
"I haven't yet figured that out yet. But if he can force Bridget and I, at least, to stay on Mars for the rest of our lives, then you know what that might mean for our Moon Kingdom, Serena."
"We'd not be together at all."
"Nope. We'd not be able to train as Sailor Scouts together, Serena. We'd not be able to have fun together. You might get all the cute guys, and not just Darien. I'd not be able to be with the rest of you from elsewhere in our solar system, probably. It'd be like being in a bottomless pit of fire,
Serena, for a very long time, if not forever. Believe me, Serena, we may not always get along well with each other. But I'd certainly miss being with the only Meatball Head I've ever known in my life, and all my friends from elsewhere in this solar system, at least."
"Meatball Head in a good sense or a bad sense?"
"Both, I suppose, Serena. You really grow on people, Serena. Either they hate you or they love you. There's rarely any middle ground when it comes to being with you at all, Serena. Except for those of us who are fortunate to know you well enough, I suppose, of course. Like me and several other people, at least, if not many people, in both our lives, Serena, of course."
"Is that so, Raye?"
"Yes, it most definitely is, Serena. Sometimes, you're really a problem to deal with, and at other times, you're really a wonderful person to be with."
"I suppose so, Raye. I suppose I've called you a hothead or similar enough things often enough. Just as you've often called me a Meatball Head or similar enough things before as well."
"You've never cursed at me, thankfully."
"No, I've not, Raye. But I have to admit, while we're still both having this private conversation with each other, I've come close, I think, to doing that. And I've probably come rather close to cursing at a number of other people in my life, Raye. Probably not as close with them as I have with you, but I still have to admit, I've nearly done it at least once before in my life."
"But you didn't?"
"No, I didn't. Not even with you, Raye, in fact. I still consider you to be sort of the older sister I've never actually had in my own life."
About five months before, Serena and Raye had discussed several things with each other, and while they did so, Serena had suggested that Raye was like a sister to her. In fact, she suggested that Raye was like the older sister that she'd never have in her own life. And since that time, Serena still hadn't suggested otherwise to Raye.
"You still do that, Serena?"
"Yes. And just like biological sisters may often do, we often disagree with each other, Raye. And we often disagree with a lot of other people in both our lives, of course."
"Especially when one of us may not be doing the right thing at all in their life?"
"Like me running in the halls like I did earlier?"
"Exactly, Serena."
"I suppose I could have slowed down at least a little bit, Raye, when I got near your chambers in this palace."
"But you didn't, and you might have run us over if B.B. and I hadn't been fortunate enough to duck back in here before you collided with us."
"I suppose I might have, Raye. But it really wouldn't have been intentional on my part, if I'd actually done so. I hope you realize that."
"Now I do, I suppose, Serena."
"Do you still consider me to be a Meatball Head right now?"
"I'm not so mad at you now, Serena, as I was then. But I still have to say that might have been an MBH kind of thing to do, at least on your part, Serena."
"Perhaps. I'm sorry if I made you so mad, Raye. It was never actually my intention to do so,
by running in the halls near your chambers here in the Imperial Palace. I was just trying to get to the main ballroom rather quickly, for I felt that I was running rather late, instead of running right on time, for the start of the ball."
"I forgive you, I suppose, Serena. But, please, if you can, do try to be more careful when you're near other people's chambers in all our palaces here on the Moon, Serena. It'd not do for any of us to get hurt needlessly, if it can possibly be avoided at all, would it?"
"No. If we did, we might lose training time with each other, I suppose, Raye."
"Right. And if we're going to have even the slightest chance of surviving at least long enough for your mother to try to save us all, then we might need all the training time that we can possibly get as Sailor Scouts. Sure, we may not actually be able to beat the Negaverse when they come here. But we still have to try to hold them off long enough to allow your mother to try to save us all, if she possibly can, no matter what the cost to us and to our dear Moon Kingdom."
"Agreed, Raye. Now, if I'm not mistaken, there is a ball we were going to go to, Raye. I suggest we make all possible haste to get to it before it's due to start anytime very soon."
"All right, Serena. I suppose we can do that now, but let's not run as we do it, if we can possibly avoid it."
"Understood, Raye. And you won't hold this little episode of mine against me?"
"I'll try not to, Serena, but don't be surprised if I can't manage to not hold it against you at all. I wish that you'd not be so impulsive most, if not all, the time in your life, though. It might cause you to find more trouble than you'll ever want to have in it, whether it's anywhere here in the Moon Kingdom, or whether it's elsewhere in this Universe of ours. Trouble that you'd likely best avoid, if at all possible, Serena, in your own life. No matter where you go, and no matter what you do, in it, you'd likely best avoid trouble like that, if at all possible, Serena."
"Okay, Raye. I see your point, then, Raye. Now is there anything else you want to discuss with me before we go to the ball together?"
"No, I suppose not. So I suppose we can go now to the main ballroom, so that we don't miss all the fun, in a manner of speaking, Serena."
Then Serena and Raye soon left Raye's chambers, and they went as safely, yet as quickly, as they could to the necessary main ballroom for that same ball that they were wanting to go to. And they discussed a few more things with each other as they did so. Nothing of major importance, to either of them, but they still discussed at least a few things as they went to the Imperial Palace's main ballroom, of course.
After Serena and Raye showed up there, the ball soon began, and it then lasted at least until about two or three hours past local midnight. It finally ended about two or three hours past local midnight when Serena finally left the main ballroom with Amy, Bethany, Destiny, Lita, Mina, Raye, and Sylvia. Brief bits of conversation were shared among all of the Princesses before they each arrived at their chambers in the Imperial Palace. First they went to Amy's chambers, then to Raye's, Lita's, Mina's, Destiny's, and Bethany's, chambers in that order. After dropping Bethany off at her chambers, Serena and Sylvia were alone again.
As they headed off toward Sylvia's chambers, Serena and Sylvia continued chatting with each other for at least a bit longer. Of course, Rolando and Darien were often mentioned by them in the conversation that they were still sharing with each other.
Sylvia asked, "Serena, if and when Rolando and I return to Earth with my siblings, will you miss us all?"
"Yes, of course I will. But if you go back to Earth, how are you going to see Rolando again?"
"I don't know yet. I don't think that I could teleport to his primary place of residence, and I don't think he could teleport to my primary place of residence. If we go back, I don't think that we'll be there long, before we come here again in some manner. And I think that when we go back, Darien might come back to Earth with us. Which, of course, would mean that he'd not be on the Moon with all of you at all."
"And I hate being away from him, if I don't have to be, Sylvia."
"Well, I suspect that he'll have to make sure that some supplies for the future get to at least one place on Earth, if not more, just in case you and others have to be transferred to Earth later on."
"You mean, of course, when the Negaverse likely forces Mom to sacrifice our Moon Kingdom to ensure futures for as many of us as possible, I believe."
"Yes. And just in case people back on Earth are working somehow against your joint project with his Terran nation, he has to make sure that enough things are potentially available to people working on that joint project during the necessary related construction operations for it."
"So if certain things aren't available for various things, for any reason whatsoever, other things can possibly be used in their place, whether those things are the same kinds of things that aren't available or they're not."
"Correct." Then the two of them talked only a bit longer, until they arrived at Sylvia's Imperial Palace chambers. They then soon parted, and Sylvia went into her own chambers, and retired for the rest of the night. When Serena realized that Sylvia wouldn't likely exit her chambers again, if she didn't have to, before at least a few more hours had passed for everyone, she then returned to her own chambers, and retired about ten to fifteen minutes after she did so. And then she slept in until at least local noon, if not longer. For she'd actually been more tired than she'd originally thought, once she'd retired in her chambers some time before.
There are two more chapters to this story after the next one. In the next chapter, or what might pass for Chapter 24, Serena will have an unexpected vision in which she'll see four strange Terran girls in it. And those girls will have a discussion with her about the future, and what it might entail for her and others close enough to her in her life. This discussion will take place in Serena's chambers, on Christmas Day 986. What she and the other girls will say when they have that discussion there, though, you'll all just have to wait and see, until that chapter gets put up as needed on , in fact. Rest assured, though, people, that this vision of Serena's will hint at the Sailor Scouts' next adventure. Or at least the next adventure of those Scouts who are close enough to each other in Serena's life, that is. This particular story here will have a total of 26 chapter-like sections in it, readers.
I will brief you all more, as this story's end comes even closer, as needed, in fact. But the rest of this story and its related series will still take at least some time to put up here, just the same,
readers. For I have not yet completed the series, even though I've written at least partly into the seventh volume of this series, if not totally into it. Six volumes are complete. The seventh volume in this series is in progress, as of the current time. And the Moon Kingdom hasn't yet fallen at the point that I am now at in its series. When I finish getting the first six volumes of this story series up, I will start to upload the seventh one. And then we can go from there, once you have seen all that I'll have by that time for "The Chrysanthemum Chronicles" story series, readers. I don't expect to be able to start uploading the seventh volume in the series for at least a few weeks or months, though,however. For each volume in this particular story series of mine here is generally of good size, whenever possible, in fact, readers. There are many more things yet to come in this series. But if I say too much more than that right now and right here, you might choose not to continue reading this series, I think. For I might then be spoiling it for you all here, obviously enough, of course. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out!