Another short chapter, but it'll still help move the story along, just the same. This may be one of the first times, if not the very first time, that any of the Scouts ever travel on a sailing ship in their lives, or at least it might be so for a few of them, due to the natures of their own respective worlds in the Solar System. Raye, for instance, may have never actually been on a sailing ship before due to her being from Mars, after all.

They will be sailing to Edo on said ship, and then things should start to pick up rather considerably for them and their companions, once they arrive in Edo easily enough. How much and how quickly, though, you'll all just have to keep reading to find out, for sure, folks.

With no further ado, seeing as this next chapter is going to be short, I'll close this. TUS out.

Kyoto Area Spaceport

Kyoto, Japan, Earth

June 13, 987

The following morning, after everyone in Serena's current group had gotten something for each of their breakfasts, and they'd consumed them all, Darien soon suggested that Amy, at least, if nobody else at all, consider dyeing her hair so that it appeared to be all one color that Terrans might actually have for their hair. Solomon and Renaldo wouldn't necessarily have to dye their hair, however. For they both had hair colors that were quite commonly seen on Terrans. Solomon's hair was all solid black, as was his younger twin Renaldo's hair. Both of them wore their hair in the exact same hairstyle their twin was then wearing, as well. They currently had mostly shoulder-length black hair with some waves in it for either or both of them. The way that many people might be able to most easily tell Princes Solomon and Renaldo apart in their lives was by the scar that was still on Solomon's left cheek. Solomon's scar was mainly, if not entirely, of a purplish-red color in its own nature, in fact.

Greg had all black hair. As did Ken and Chad, at least, if nobody else as well among the males in their current traveling party. Besides Darien, of course. Unlike Greg at the current time, Ken, Darien, and Chad weren't currently wearing their black hair in a near-crewcut hairstyle. Chad was currently wearing his black hair just past his shoulders. And it was currently quite bushy in its nature, in fact. Darien's hair was in its normal hairstyle, as was Ken's. Darien and Ken normally, if not always, wore their hair no longer than about chin-length in each of their respective lives, as well. Steven and Andrew both actually had blond hair. But unlike Andrew, Steven wore his hair at about shoulder-length, in actual reality. Andrew generally wore his own hair at about chin-length, and reasonably short, whenever it was at all possible for him to do so in his own life.

Amy considered this somewhat briefly. Then she said, "That's logical enough, I suppose, Darien. But I don't have any hair dye with me at the current time, I believe."

"Maybe Caroline does, Amy. Maybe not. If not, then I think that you'll have to keep your hair covered as much as possible, while we're elsewhere in this nation of mine. For if any unnecessary people see your actual hair color, they might think that several of you aren't actually from Earth. And then that might make things more difficult for us all, quite naturally, Amy."

"And trouble isn't what we really need right now, is it?"

"No, of course not, Amy. So I think it'd be best for all of us if you'd either dye your hair or wear a wig whenever you're not in your Sailor Scout state of being, Amy."

"We're still not Cadet Sailor Scouts, Darien."

"I figured as much, when you showed up as you did earlier. How much longer do you think it'll be before you can all actually get promoted to such a rank, Amy?"

"Not as soon as we might have been able to do if Serena and Raye hadn't acted up with each other some time ago, for sure, Darien. I strongly suspect that it'll be at least another six months or so before we can all become Sailor Scouts of that particular kind now, because of that fact here."

"How did they both act up with each other, if I may ask you this here, Amy?" asked Darien.

Amy, Lita, Mina, Destiny, and Bethany, at least, told him and the rest of their companions that didn't already know of it about what Serena and Raye had earlier done to get themselves in big enough trouble with Queen Serenity. Or at least as much about it as they could then tell everyone else who didn't already know of it, anyway. Darien had already received the message from Queen Serenity telling him at least a little bit about it. But not everything about it, of course. He learned more about it when Amy and others told the rest of their party about the incident that was in question her, in fact.

Then they all went to where Caroline's Imperial Palace chambers were, for the simple enough reason that something would have to be done about Amy's hair, at the very least, if nobody else's as well. Amy soon entered Caroline's chambers by herself after getting permission from Caroline to do so here. Amy then spent at least the next twenty or thirty minutes alone with Darien's sister Princess Caroline, who then helped her with her hair, of course. When Amy came out of Caroline's chambers again, she had completely black hair, except where there were a few brownish highlights in it. Those particular brownish highlights in her hair had been put just over her ears, in fact, so as to suggest that Amy was actually willing enough to live a little in her life, quite possibly. Maybe not as much as other people might do so. But still enough to suggest that she was willing to try unconventional things every once in a while, if the need or desire arose for her to do so in her own life.

Amy asked Caroline, while they were both still alone in Caroline's chambers, "Why are we now actually putting a few brownish highlights in my hair here, Caroline?"

"So that we can hopefully suggest to others that you're quite willing to try something out of the ordinary every once in a while in your life, Amy. Your bluish-black hair might not seem to suggest that. But black hair highlighted with some brown highlights might, I believe. Believe me, I'd prefer your hair to be its natural hair color here, Amy. But seeing as you're not actually from Earth, some changes do have to be made here, so that you don't find more trouble than you need to while you're here on Earth with the rest of your party. Amy, you all aren't from Earth, if I'm not mistaken here. Darien, of course, I do know about quite well. I definitely know he's from Earth. As for all of you from the Moon Kingdom, I can't say that for a fact, for all the obvious reasons. Serena and her sisters may be from the Moon. And so might Solomon and Renaldo be. But the rest of you aren't from our own mini-system, I believe. Rolando and Sylvia may eventually show up here in Japan later on. And I know they're from elsewhere on Earth, but the rest of you aren't."

"And what if they show up here while we're elsewhere in Japan, Caroline?" asked Amy.

"Then we'll tell them where we think your people may be, if the need actually arises for us to do so. I know you're going to the Kyoto Area Spaceport near here, Amy. And from there, you'll be using a shuttle of some sort to get to various other places in Japan, I'm quite sure. Such as Osaka, for example. You'll land at the spaceport there, if needed. And then change to other modes of transport later on, of course."

"Like what, Caroline?"

"Like your Sailor Teleport power, for example. Yes, I know that several, if not all, of you girls are Sailor Scouts of at least one sort, Amy. I know this because I've seen at least several, if not all, of you in at least a few of my own dreams in the past. Mainly since you first came to the Moon to be with Serena several years ago, if not earlier or later than that here, Amy, I've often seen several of you, if not all of you, in at least a few of my dreams since the first time I saw any of you at all in them, in fact."

"Do you have any idea what might happen if Darien and Serena keep seeing each other quite frequently, whenever possible, in each of their lives, Caroline?"

"Darien and Serena will be hurt, or even killed, by your enemies. I really don't like the thought of Darien being hurt or killed by them, of course. But if that's what'll happen, then it'll happen no matter what I can or can't do to prevent it. I don't think that there'll be any possible way for me to prevent it, in fact, Amy. If something happens to him of a significant nature, I don't think that I'd ever see him again in my life, in actual reality. I don't want to lose him, if I don't have to. And neither do my parents or my brother, for all the obvious enough reasons here, of course, Amy."

"What do you think of Serena?"

"I don't know her very well, I believe. But if she really cares for Darien, she'll unquestionably do all that she possibly can do to be with him whenever possible in either or both of their lives. No matter what the cost might be to her or to anyone else who might be close enough to her in her life, I think she'd do whatever she possibly could in order to be with him in her life, whenever possible."

Then the both of them finally finished with Amy's hair to a sufficient enough degree. Amy soon enough afterward looked at her hair, of course, and she soon said, "This isn't my usual look, in fact. But I guess that it might actually somehow serve our purposes better than my usual look might do here, Princess Caroline."

"That's what we'll all be hoping, quite naturally, Amy."

"How long will this hair coloring of mine last, most likely?"

"I believe that it'll somehow be able to last through at least five or six showers, if not more, before you'd actually have to use it at least once again wherever else you might be at such times here on Earth, Amy. Though I could be wrong about that here, for all the obvious reasons, I really don't think that I am here."

Then both of them soon left Caroline's chambers again, and they rejoined the other people who were still outside them here. Caroline briefly conversed a little more with Darien before she then went back into her chambers to resume whatever she'd been doing when Darien had earlier knocked on her door. Which, in fact, was painting a certain scene that she'd then been seeing through one of the various windows in her chambers.

Not too much later, then, Prince Darien and the rest of all his current companions were all on horses. And they were all soon riding toward the Kyoto Area Spaceport that was located elsewhere in the Kyoto area of Japan. Destiny rode right behind Solomon, while Bethany rode right behind Renaldo. Before it was too late in the particular day then, they all arrived at that particular place. Soon afterward, they were all on a sufficiently large shuttle with their required things and horses, heading toward Osaka, in fact.

Their shuttle arrived just north of the current, if not also the future, main part of Osaka near enough to, if not on, Osaka Bay. They landed quite safely wherever they had to when the need then arose for them to do so. Then they disembarked from the shuttle as needed. As they were doing so, Darien engaged a program of sorts on it to make it go to an undisclosed location, automatically, until further notice. As soon as they were all off it to a sufficient enough degree, the shuttle began going to that particular location. As it did so, it also seemed to vanish quite suddenly into thin air, as a matter of fact.

Darien and his current companions soon came to the nearest docks to them on Osaka Bay. They all eventually boarded a sea-going ship that was bound for Edo. Which would, of course, some length of time later become known as Tokyo, in due time.

That ship would bring them there eventually, God willing. Then they'd eventually disembark from it as well, of course. How long they'd have to be aboard the ship yet, none of them yet knew. But they all still suspected that they'd have to be on it for at least a day, if not more than that, just the same.

In the next chapter, the Scouts and their companions meet up with Darien's cousin, and they come to an inn somewhere in Edo, where they will base themselves out of while they're in the Edo area of Japan. Things will begin picking up more and more the longer they remain in that part of Japan, and eventually, they will encounter Sylvia and Rolando again while there. They will encounter them in a few chapters and a little while after arriving in Edo, while exploring the area as the need or desire might arise for them all to do so then.

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