Author notes: Ok, so Serena wasn't a model for very long. Don't worry; there will be information about her four months as a model supplied through the next couple of chapters. Thanks for the great reviews!
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"Mrs. Doan?" Serena asked as she entered the kitchen," do you know of any stores around here that sell manga?"
"What for, dear? Manga is a child's read. Go get yourself some nice novels," Mrs. Doan, her landlady, replied.
"I miss my manga," Serena said with a pout," I gave it up to come to America."
"Now, don't fret," Mrs. Doan said softly," there is a store two blocks away from the Goodwill."
"Thank you, Mrs. Doan!"
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Bright lights, and made up faces were surrounding her on all sides. She looked right to see another girl who was glaring in jealousy. To her left, reporters were sitting and taking pictures. No matter how much fun it once was, she wished that she could just have a normal life again. Celery and carrots made up her everyday lunch. None of the other girls even talked to her, they just talked about her. Every pound lost was a victory, but not for her. It was for them, it was ALL for THEM! That's when she knew that she needed to escape. For once, she took her leadership to heart. Sailor Moon is all over the news, I can survive with just being admired as a heroine. At least then, being admired is worth it.
Serena came out of her flashback to find herself standing in front of a store. There were posters of Superman and the X-men in the windows, and the door read Convenient Comic Store. "They'd better have my manga," she muttered as she pushed the door open. Walking into the store, she looked up to find a weird guy looking at her. He was about six feet tall, with a beer belly, and no shoes.
"How can I help you, darling?" he asked, in a slimy manner.
"Do you have any manga?" she asked as he eyed her from head to toe.
"For you, we have everything," he replied with what should have been a smile.
"That's great, I'll just go look then," she said as she slid past him and to the shelves that were marked.
About an hour later, Serena walked out of the store with a bag full of manga. As she stepped outside, she took a deep breath, and vowed to find a different store to shop at. Hopefully, she would never have to be leered at for that long, ever again. It took no more than ten minutes to reach the boardinghouse, and she stepped inside to an overly excited landlady. As she was being grabbed by Mrs. Doan for a hug, she dropped her bag and had to crouch down to pick everything up.
"What's going on, Mrs. Doan?" she asked curiously.
"My nephew is coming to visit!" Mrs. Doan answered. "He is the first relative to visit since Mr. Doan passed away. I miss them all so much. Oh, and he is bringing a friend that he met in Tokyo. They will be here in two days!"
"Oh, well that's great," Serena replied with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.
"I must go prepare the rooms. Dinner will be ready by seven."
As Serena walked up to her room, she couldn't help but be worried. With someone else staying in the boarding house, I'll surely be recognized. The only reason that Mrs. Doan didn't recognize me is because she doesn't do anything but gardening. I really hope that these glasses help, but I'll have to wear my hair in a braid. With that thought, she closed the door to her room and set down her bag. Then, she took down her hair and put her brooch on a chain. After tucking the brooch down the inside of her shirt, she braided her hair. Hoping that she might be needed, Serena checked the communicator. Unfortunately, there wasn't as much as a message from the girls. With a sigh, she sat down and opened her first manga in four months.
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"Prince Seiya, there is no trace of a girl that looks like your princess. We have searched all over. Maybe, it is time for us to call her to us? Like you once suggested?"
Seiya had finally reached America, but nothing was working as he had planned. Because he was using all of his resources to find his princess, he had left Earth alone and had kept all of the youmas at bay. But, with no leads to go off of, he knew that it would soon be time to unleash something horrible If nothing else, it would lead him to the Sailor Scouts. Through them, he would finally be able to find his princess. And so, he sat down to finalize a plan.
"Soon, my precious Serenity, I will find you soon."
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"Hey, Andrew, have you heard anything from Serena lately?" Lita asked, as she walked into the arcade.
"No, last that I heard from her, her agent was letting me know that she wouldn't be free until Christmas," Andrew replied with a shrug.
"Agents answering her phone calls, she hasn't sent letters, and she didn't even mention us when she was on that talk show. Some friend, that Serena," Rei muttered as she followed Lita in. Behind her came Ami and Mina.
"Well, I was offered a chance to go to America with a friend. He has an aunt over there that he is staying with. Maybe I can try to track her down?" Andrew replied.
"That would be great, Andrew. We really miss her," Mina said softly.
"Yeah, it isn't the same without Serena," Ami agreed.
"Well, it's also less whiney and klutzy too," Rei pointed out. "But, even I miss her sometimes."
"Does Darien still come by anymore?" Ami asked as she looked around. Ever since Serena had left to model, he hardly ever visited the arcade while they were there.
"Sure he does, he just has been caught up with school," Andrew replied with a smile. "It sure is different around her, though."
"Yeah, it is," Lita responded, as the other girls nodded in agreement.
"Well, I need to go help another customer. You girls need anything?"
"No, not right now," Mina replied.
"Okay, I'll catch up with you later."
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That night, Andrew sat in the arcade with Darien across from him. It was closed, but Andrew had let his best friend in for a cup of coffee. "My sister is sick, so it looks like I won't be able to go to America," Andrew stated.
"That's too bad, I know how much you were looking forward to a vacation," Darien replied.
"Yeah, so much for that. Sam is still looking for someone to go with him. You wouldn't want to go, would you?" Andrew asked excitedly.
"No, I can't."
"Why not, Darien? You have a break from classes for two weeks, and you have more than enough money to use. Go ahead, have some fun. Maybe you will meet some hot American girls," Andrew encouraged. He knew how much Darien needed a break from life.
"Andrew, I can't go. I need to be here. What if Chiba corporations have a meltdown? I need to be here, not in America."
"Darien, you have executives to deal with that. Why don't you go and have some fun with an old friend? You haven't even talked to Sam in months. You guys need to catch up, right?"
"Well, I guess when you put it that way," Darien agreed. "Maybe it would be nice to get away."
"While you're there, make sure that you look for Serena. I promised the girls that I would, but I won't be going. So, now it's up to you."
"Oh great, now I have a job on my vacation?" Darien replied. "So much for relaxing, and meeting hot girls in America."
"Oh come on, I know that you like Serena. Go find her, and tell her how you feel. Besides, it's too late to back out on your agreement now."
"Fine, I'll go. But, I don't like Serena. I mean, she's klutzy and always whining. Who wants that? I'll try to let her know that she needs to talk to her friends, though. If I can get through her bodyguards," Darien stated.
"Great! You leave tomorrow."
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"Don't forget, Rena, my nephew will be here the day after tomorrow," Mrs. Doan said as Serena was retiring to her room. "Sam is such a nice boy. I can't wait to meet one of his nice friends. Sleep well."
"Thanks, Mrs. Doan. I'll help finish the some cleaning tomorrow. Good night," Serena replied. Climbing up the stairs, Serena remembered a night from months ago. She had been looking up at the moon and wishing for her love. It seemed like such a long time ago. In fact, she hadn't wished for the love of her life since that night. Maybe it's just not time yet, she thought. As she lay down on her bed, and closed her eyes to sleep, a soft song played through her mind. It was a song that often visited her in her dreams, and along with it, a mysterious man in black.
Someday, her mind echoed, as she slowly fell into a deep sleep.
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Author notes: That's it for chapter four! Hope you are still enjoying my story! Please remember to review.