This will be the last chapter before the appearance of both Rolando and Sylvia in this story. The Scouts and their companions will begin investigating various parts of the Edo area in smaller groups, to gain more information about how things might actually be in relation to the joint project between the Moon Kingdom and the Nipponese Empire, for starters, if not also exploring the area for other reasons as well. They will find out any number of things, and find at least a few places in the Edo area where they could possibly go at various times, while still on Earth and still in Japan.

With no further ado, then, let's get back to the story. TUS out.

Various Places In The Edo Area

Edo, Japan, Earth

June 18, 987 - June 19, 987

The following morning, then, after they'd all had their respective breakfasts, they eventually spread out all over the local area to do whatever they felt they either needed or wanted to do there. They generally did so by their respective planets, whenever possible. But if they did that, they made sure that they'd not be staying in the same tent with each other, of course.

Chad and Raye went to one part of the local area. While Lita and her fellow Jupiterians went to another. Destiny and Bethany went with their special friends to a third part of the area, while Amy and Greg took a fourth, and Mina and Steven took a fifth. That then left Serena and the two Terran Princes to investigate a sixth part of the area as well.

Of course, when they each chose to investigate all those areas, they did so on horseback, whenever possible, for all the obvious reasons. For it wasn't very likely that they'd be able to do so well enough at the current time if they didn't. Doing so on foot might take quite a bit longer for them than if they did so on horseback, due to the fact that they'd most likely take a lot more time to travel to a certain part of the area on foot than if they rode to that area.

Horses could generally travel faster than most people could on foot, given enough time and distance, normally. And that actually would be the case here, most likely, for all people concerned here, of course.

As they all investigated in the Edo local area of Japan on the current day, they all tried not to get too far away from the inn that they were all staying at, as well. For they didn't want to lose track of each other, at least, if they didn't really have to do so at all, for at least the time being, if not for the rest of their trip to Japan. Supposing, of course, that they weren't native to Japan, of course, like Darien and Isaiah were actually here.

Later that night, they reunited with each other for a while. And they ate their evening meals with each other, as well. They all did this in the main cafeteria of the inn, in fact. They all shared whatever information they'd happened to gather on that day when they'd all gone elsewhere in the local area. And Amy and Greg then began to organize it all together.

Destiny and Bethany told the others besides Solomon and Renaldo that the four of them had found a place where the Sailor Scouts might be able to train with each other well enough while they were still in Japan this time. When Serena asked where that place was, Destiny said, "It's a few miles away from here, and it consists of several large underground caverns, from what Solomon and Renaldo have told me and Bethany, as of the current time."

"How isolated is it from anywhere else in the area?" asked Darien.

"I would say, based on what Solomon and Renaldo have told us both, that it's a rather secluded place, as of the current time. We found that place after finding an unexpected tunnel of some sort leading underground to it. This tunnel was in the side of a large hill. It was hidden from view by a large pile of variously-sized rocks. While we were passing by that hill, we suddenly heard in all our minds, just as if God was then speaking to all four of us, 'Move the rocks you find, and then you'll all find a place where you and your people can all hide, if the need arises for you all to do so while you're in this land.' So we did so, just as soon as we could do so at that particular time, in fact."

Serena thought that over for a moment. Then she asked, "Destiny, did you move any rocks yourself, while you were still blind?"

"No, of course not, Serena. But Bethany and the boys did, while I kept my ears open, in a manner of speaking, so that nobody would probably be able to sneak up on us without us knowing that they were trying to do so here, Serena. Nobody else showed up. After a while longer had passed for each of us, we eventually found that tunnel and those underground caverns that were sufficiently nearby. As soon as we all entered the tunnel, then, all the rocks suddenly blocked up the tunnel again from anyone's outside view. After they did so, several dozen, if not several hundred, lights of various kinds then came to life. We followed the necessary tunnel leading from there, for at least a little while, until it led to a quite large open area. Also attached to that quite large open area were several other tunnels leading to nearby caverns that were located around it at various angles and distances."

Amy said, "I suppose you all investigated just as many of those underground caverns as you could then find well enough, Destiny."

"Yes. It seems to all four of us, at least, that each of those caverns have an average diameter of about 600 or so feet, at the very minimum, if not even more than that, here. And the heights of those caverns quite often are at least sixty feet high from their ceilings to the main levels of themselves, as well, if they aren't always at least that height for each of them here, Amy."

Amy and Greg quite soon took that information down as well, if they'd not already done so by then, of course. And they continued to converse with the rest of their current traveling party. Even as they continued to organize the information their fellow travelers were still providing to them as they all ate in the inn's main cafeteria area.

Later on, then, after they'd all finished eating their evening meals, they began parting from each other as needed for at least a little while, if not for the rest of the night.

Serena, however, eventually decided to sit outside the inn for a little while, so she could watch the nearby skies for a while. She stayed outside it for at least a little while alone as she sat on a stone bench that was carved with crowns and chrysanthemums. The legs of the bench were shaped like castle towers, and on them were the aforementioned carvings. The very top of the bench, however, was completely undecorated, and it was also about twenty feet or so long.

She sat quite near to where the front entrance of the Crown Arcade might later be, as she sat on the bench now in question here. And she thought about various people in her life, at least, if nothing or nobody else as well, as she also watched the nearby skies all by herself, for at least a little while. She especially looked for the Moon when she was watching the nearby skies.

She thought, "I know that the Moon Kingdom will fall. Question is, will it fall before I have a chance to maybe date Darien, at least? I wish I knew, but I don't. I don't know what will happen. But I really do hope that if I'm somehow saved by Mother later on, I'll eventually be able to be with as many of my friends from here as possible."

She then looked around herself for a little while. And before she continued to think about various sentients and things in her life again, she briefly ran her fingers through her hair at least a little bit, if not a lot. She then continued her thinking. She thought, "This place seems to be strangely familiar to me for some yet-unknown reason here. And I really wish I knew why it does. I mean, before I came here to Japan with the rest of my traveling party, I'd never actually been here in real true physical reality, at least, if not in any other sense as well here. I wonder if I'll ever be here in the future, if Mother is somehow able to save enough of us after the Negaverse comes to conquer or destroy us eventually. I don't know why, of course, but I still am wondering that here."

She considered various sentients and things at some length for a while longer alone, before she was suddenly joined by Raye and Darien. They soon asked her what she was doing, and she said, "I was doing some thinking about various sentients and things in my life, you two."

"Mind if we ask who and what you were thinking about here for a while, Serena?" asked Raye.

"I was thinking about our potential future or futures, Raye. Whether or not Darien is a part of any potential future or all potential futures, I was doing so, as I felt the need to do that here."

"Any more ideas on how the Negaverse will try to ruin us, by any chance, Serena?" asked Darien.

"Not that I feel I either can, or care, to share, at least at the time being, Prince Darien. I wish that weren't the case here, but for right now, it seems to be the case for me, at least, here."

The three of them watched the Moon for at least a little while, if they could see it well enough outside the inn currently. After a while, Serena asked, "Prince Darien, is there a way that we can currently send a message canister back to the Moon at least once from here, if the need arises for us to do so?"

"I don't know, Serena. I think we'd have to go to the local docks in order to do that well enough here. But to do so right now, it might be very risky for us to do so. For Isaiah told me earlier, after supper, that he'd overheard some people talking about our arrival here in the local area while we were all shopping for various things today. He'd heard them while you were trying some outfits on earlier today. And he'd heard them while I was standing guard near you. I'd asked him to see if he could find some other items that we could possibly use while we were in this part of Japan, and he'd left me to seek for those things. That way, you could have more privacy to do what you felt you either wanted or needed to do today."

"Like check out some tunics and kimonos, for example?"

"Exactly, Serena. I didn't think that you really wanted us to be in the same exact areas that you were in while you were doing that there and then. True, we may someday marry each other in the future, whether it's in this time period, or in at least one other time period, if not more than one such time period. But we're not yet married to you, if either of us will ever be, in our own lives, Serena. So we had to allow you your privacy."

Raye asked, "Where are the clothes that you purchased today, Serena?"

"They're in my room near where I slept last night, Raye."

"Mind if I see any of them before we go to bed in our respective rooms, Serena?"

"Please let me think about that for a little while, before I answer you, Raye. I also got a few other things for certain other members of our party today. With some help from Darien and Isaiah, of course. But I still have to hide some of them."

"Do you think Destiny and Bethany know what you got for those people in our party yet?" asked Raye.

"If they do, they've promised me that they won't tell anyone yet, if they're not for themselves."

"So you did get things for them, Serena?"

"Of course, Raye. I got at least one thing for you as well. But I can't tell you what it is, or they are, yet, in fact. I think you'll like it, or them, at least a little bit, however, Raye, when you find out what it is, or they are."

"I got things for you and other members of our party as well, Serena. But I can't tell you either what I got for you all. Lita might know what some of them are, of course. But she's also promised not to tell what they might be, if they're not for her, quite naturally enough."

The three friends conversed for at least a little while longer with each other. And they even did so past local midnight, in fact. Eventually, however, sleep began to overtake them. And they had to retire to each of their respective rooms in the inn, before it was too late for them to do so then. Raye went to her room first, and then Darien did so, leaving Serena alone again outside the inn. Serena spent about another ten or so minutes outside after Darien went back in for the rest of the night. And then she too retired for the rest of the night as well.

All three of them were quite soon asleep, and lost in relative pleasant dreams, whenever possible, as they slept in their respective rooms in the inn. Just as the rest of their traveling party's members had already been for at least a while after supper had ended for them all here in the inn. By the time that Serena entered her room again, both of her twin sisters were quite soundly asleep again.

That's another chapter down. Sylvia and Rolando, at least, will show up in the next chapter. And once they do, things should start to really pick up for many in this story, I think. Hope you're all enjoying this story at least a little so far. It won't be pleasant all story long, however, as evidenced by the Tragedy tag I've placed on this story, for sure. Without saying too much at this point, later on in the story, at least one of the people now in Japan here will have to deal with the loss of at least one person close to them, if not more. Who they are, exactly, you'll all just have to keep reading and find out. This will cause them to power up another Scout level, and perhaps lead to others eventually being able to do the same as well.

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