This is going to be a short chapter, but hopefully it will help with continuing to set up the rest of the story and its immediate sequel fairly well. We will see Darien conversing with three Moon girls for a little while, especially Serena. To see what they discuss, you'll all just have to continue reading on, though, folks.

Seeing as this is going to be a short chapter, I'll close this now. Hope you enjoy it. TUS out.

Rising Sun Garden In The Imperial Palace

Kyoto, Japan, Earth

June 12, 987

While Darien was attending to his animals, Serena, Destiny, and Bethany had discovered another garden on the Imperial Palace's grounds. The garden in question was located exactly two gardens to the east of the New Moon Garden. It was roughly ninety degrees of the palace away from where Darien would normally keep all his animals that weren't completely tamed in their lives. The Rising Sun Garden was directly to the southeast of where those animals would be located on the palace's grounds. And it was at least a few hundred feet or so away from the nearest part of the area on the palace's grounds where he'd normally keep most, if not all, of the rest of his current animals, in fact.

Serena, Destiny, and Bethany soon had found that particular garden, after they'd all gotten at least some food and drink for themselves a little while before then. Shortly after they'd then done so, they began walking through it to at least some degree, if not to a great degree, here. They were walking around it, in fact, when Darien finally found them all in it.

He chose not to throw a rose toward them at this time, as well. Instead, when they came upon each other, he said, "I hope you all slept quite peacefully, in fact, Serena." He signed this just as he said it, due to Bethany's current presence with Serena, Destiny, and himself, of course.

"As a matter of fact, honey, we all did so. You seem to be quite the gardener around here, if I'm not too mistaken here. But this garden isn't apparently the same garden that you get most, if not all, of your roses from, is it?" Serena signed this as well, for all the obvious reasons.

"No, it isn't. I get most of my roses from the New Moon Garden, in fact, Serena. Most of the flowers I am responsible for in that garden are roses of various kinds. I've also been known to grow other types of flowers, such as tulips, irises, and others most likely too numerous to mention right now. I prefer, though, to work on my roses, whenever possible. Fortunately, however, I'm not the only one with the proverbial green thumb who normally resides here in the Imperial Palace, whenever possible. My mother, for instance, does some gardening herself, whenever she possibly can." Darien would continue to sign for at least as long as the four of them, at least, were all still together with each other on the Imperial Palace's grounds, as would Serena.

"And she likes what kind of flowers the most, Darien?" asked Destiny.

"Carnations and buttercups, whenever she can have them, Destiny."

Bethany thought for a moment, after seeing Darien translate that for her benefit at the same time. Then she asked Darien, "Does your mother like chrysanthemums, Darien?"

"As a matter of fact, mums are among her favorite flowers, though not her most favorite ones, Bethany."

The four of them conversed for at least a little while longer with each other. And they did so here until Destiny and Bethany then decided to leave Serena and Darien alone again for a while, and go look for their special friends Solomon and Renaldo. Serena asked them why they didn't want to stay with her and Darien for a while longer. Destiny said, "Because we both think that you two actually need to discuss certain things that might relate to our current joint project. Besides, we have this feeling that Solomon and Renaldo are now looking for us both here. You two have a lot to discuss, we feel. Such things shouldn't be discussed in our presence, Serena. We're sure that you can understand why here well enough. Or at least we hope that you can do so here, Serena."

"Fine, girls. Go look for your boys again, if you feel you must do so, then. But I'll still want to see you again, if at all possible, before we all retire to our respective beds again."

"Fair enough, I suppose, Serena," said Bethany.

Then the twins left Darien and Serena alone again, even though Serena really didn't want them to do so again, here. After they did so, Darien said, "Let's go for a walk, Serena. It seems that we have a lot to discuss since the last time that we got to do so at sufficient enough length. I wonder how long it's been, then, Serena." Darien began walking with Serena not too much later, in fact.

"Since right after the quintuplets' christenings, and just before you most recently left us back on the Moon for a while, Darien, I believe. It seems like it's been more than four or five weeks of linear time since I've last been able to spend enough time alone with you like this, Darien." They both then left the Rising Sun Garden again. And he began showing her all around the Imperial Palace's grounds as much as he currently could show her around them. They did this even as the Moon then rose in the skies above their heads, as well.

Serena said, as they watched the Moon pass through the skies above, "Sometimes I wish that we could marry in this time period, Darien, and live on both our inhabited worlds whenever we wanted to do so."

"In this time period, Serena, I'm now almost 26 Terran years old, and you're about to turn 11 years of age as well. We currently have an apparent 15-year difference in our ages. Don't you think our peoples wouldn't like it very much if we married too soon, considering our current age differences in relation to each other?"

"Maybe so, but still, I expect to eventually be able to marry you someday, and have at least one child with you in the future. It may not be in this time period, Darien. But we'll be together someday in our lives as husband and wife, I'm reasonably certain enough about such things, I'm sure."

"And this child of ours, if we ever are able to have it?"

"I think she'll be a lot like me, of course, Darien. Supposing that we both live at least long enough to make it possible for us to marry and have them, quite naturally. I saw Rini, in fact."

"When, if I may ask you this, Serena?"

"During our last adventure as Sailor Scouts, Darien." As they passed the main dining hall in the palace, she said this. After they got far enough away from anywhere else any other people might be in the palace, she then continued to converse with him. Serena eventually told him all that she could currently tell him here about the Sailor Scouts' most recent adventure, in fact. Darien was quite glad all the Sailor Scouts that'd been sufficiently a part of that particular adventure of theirs had eventually been able to return to each of their respective time periods in the Moon Kingdom's very own history, at least, if not from any other time at all in the Universe's very own history as well. And most especially as that adventure actually related well enough to at least Serena, the rest of her current crowd, and Rini, quite naturally.

After they both discussed the Scouts' most recent adventure with each other as much as they possibly could discuss it at the current time, he then brought her back to the New Moon Garden again for a while. He made as sure as he possibly could that they'd not be disturbed by anyone else there while they were then discussing various things that pertained to at least some degree to their peoples' joint project, of course.

Little did they yet know that Rolando and Sylvia might also possibly show up near there in the exact same way that Serena and the rest of her group had earlier done, some length of time before, while they were still both there. But as of the current time, at least, they were both still quite alone in that particular garden of Kyoto's own Imperial Palace, if they wouldn't always be here, just the same.

They spent at least a little while longer with each other. And they periodically conversed with each other, as they did so. But they didn't do so past about 11 pm local time. Both of them soon retired to each of their respective chambers, as well.

There are still some set-up chapters to be posted here, as of this chapter. The real adventure for everyone should begin not long after they arrive in Edo, and after they unexpectedly encounter Sylvia and Rolando while exploring the Edo area for a while, I think. But those events are still a few chapters away, if I remember correctly here.

Until the next chapter, then, I'll close this. TUS out.