"Hey everyone!" Lita scooted through the door to Serena's room, with several bento boxes and a baking pan clutched under one arm.

"I brought food!" Serena and Mina looked up from their video game, their blue eyes wider and shinier than usual.

"What'd you make Lita?" Serena edged closer, wiping saliva from the corner of her mouth. Lita sweatdropped and held the boxes out of Serena's reach.

"Just a few little things… cucumber rolls, rice balls… Oh! And a pen pal sent me a recipe for fudge brownies! I think they turned out pretty well!" Amy pulled her glasses off and closed her book, smiling.

"I think you two ought to quiet your stomachs for a bit, so we can get to work." The two eating machines sighed and plopped down on Serena's bed.

"Where's Raye?" Lita jerked her head in the direction of the sidewalk outside as she delicately deposited her burden on the desk.

"I saw her getting off the bus. I'm sure she's on her way up." On cue, Raye stepped through the door. She smiled, looking a bit tired, but enthusiastic.

"Good morning, everybody." Serena tilted her head, looking concerned.

"Have you been sleeping well, Raye?" Raye shrugged.

"I've been waking up a lot during the night. I think I'm just stressed. I'll manage."

She set down her bag and settled on the floor, smoothing her uniform skirt before asking, "So, what'd you want to talk about, Amy?" Amy stood up and started pacing, a practice that was very new for her.

"Well, it would seem that, even in our new, more powerful forms, we've retained our planet powers and our elemental alignments." She gesticulated excitedly as she continued speaking.

"And it seems we still have weapons as well! I was going to propose we do some more research to ascertain what each of us will use and what its capabilities will be. I'd also like to see if we can call upon this new form whenever we wish, or whether it will manifest in response to our situation. And training couldn't hurt!"

She paused to take a breath and stopped pacing before adding, "And I got an email from Haruka." The girls' eyes widened in disbelief, while Serena leaned forward.

"Are you sure it was her, Amy!" Amy nodded.

"I'm positive. I checked the source, and the address is one of Michiru's old ones." Raye narrowed her eyes.

"What did it say?" Amy wrung her hands worriedly.

"They're coming back. All of them. Even Hotaru." Lita frowned.

"Are they sure that's safe? What with Hotaru being Sailor Saturn and all that? Isn't she only supposed to appear when the world ends?" Amy bit her lip.

"That's what I'm worried about. Hotaru has grown, certainly, but that kind of power isn't easily contained." Serena leaned back and stared at the ceiling, her brow furrowed.

"Maybe they're going to try to release it instead of containing it. If Hotaru reaches her goddess form, it might act like venting pressure or something." Amy blinked for a moment, then smiled.

"Why, I'm so proud of you, Serena! You didn't sleep through your science class for once!" Serena sat back up, blushing sheepishly.

"Yeah, because my stomach was growling." Lita sweatdropped.

"I knew something like that was too good to be true." Serena folded her arms indignantly.

"Hey, I save the world on a regular basis. I deserve a little slack." Mina shook her head, grinning.

"You guys crack me up." Lita stood up and grabbed the bento boxes.

"I don't know about you ladies, but talking about food made me want food. Let's eat!" The girls nodded their agreement. Mina grabbed the TV remote and started flipping through the channels, occasionally stuffing a little food into her mouth, until she suddenly cried out and almost choked.

"Ohmigod!"

Everybody looked in her direction as she swallowed the food in her mouth and screeched, "They're coming here!"

Raye, annoyed with Mina's lack of manners, taunted, "I hope you're referring to someone other than Haruka and Michiru, or you've got some severe brain damage." Mina shook her head.

"It's Sun Worshipper!" When rewarded with a room full of blank looks, Mina dug up her celebrity diary and pointed to a picture of a couple of pop stars.

"These girls! They're coming to Japan! They're going to school next year, so this is going to be their one and only tour!" Raye snorted.

"You almost choked to death because of a pair of pop stars? Wow, Mina, that brain damage must be more severe than I thought!" Mina shook her head fervently.

"No, they're really cool!" Lita chuckled and reached over to pat Mina on the head.

"It's alright Mina. I'll go see the concert with you." Mina sniffed and pretended to wipe tears away.

"At least you're not a traitor!"

Raye strolled to school the next day, deep in thought. There were the usual cat-calls when she passed a boys' school, but she ignored them.

She was so engrossed in her musings that she didn't even detect the sound of a purring engine behind her until a deep voice called out, "Hey! You want want a ride?" Exasperated, Raye turned around and snapped, "Why the hell would I take a ride from some asinine…" And then she saw the driver. Short blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, with a devilish grin followed by a long, slender neck, and a wispy silhouette. Raye's eyes widened and she ran toward the sleek car.

"Haruka!" Haruka smirked and jerked her thumb at the passenger seat.

"Get in."

"So what's been goin' on?" Raye brushed a stray hair out of her eyes and sighed.

"I think it'd be less complicated if you asked what hasn't been going on." Haruka half-smiled.

"At least you haven't been bored while we were away." Raye chuckled.

"You're right… How is everybody?" Haruka shrugged.

"Michiru does well, as long as I'm around. When I have to travel, her spirits fall a bit. Setsuna is stoic as always. Hotaru misses her friends, though." Raye nodded, thoughtfully.

"I know how that is." Haruka's eyes, although focused ahead, softened.

"I heard a little bit of what happened… Are you coping?" Raye stared out the window for a moment.

"I don't sleep very well any more. I always have some sort of vision, or just plain old bad dreams. Being around couples is depressing beyond all reason, And… Everywhere I look, there's something that reminds me of him…" She felt her throat tighten.

"I wonder if I'll ever get him back…" Haruka's knuckles tightened on the steering wheel.

"You will. The kind of love you two feel can overpower anything. It's like the love between Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion. It can conquer anything. Even death. It's true love." Raye smiled a bit.

"Thank you Haruka…" She rolled the window down and allowed her hand to hang out, feeling the air toss her hair around.

"I feel better now." She felt pure and whole as she raced with the wind.