Another short chapter, but it won't be too much longer before things start heating up for many in the Moon Kingdom and/or on Earth. After this chapter, we'll be cutting back to the Moon for a couple of chapters, to see what is happening there while several Scouts and their companions are visiting Earth for a while.
Tragic events will soon start to hit a number of people in this story, and hit very close to home for at least one or two of them. I still won't say who those people are, so you'll all still have to continue to read on, and see how they react to certain tragic events that will happen very soon in this story, of course, folks.
Seeing as this chapter is short, I'll close this now, and get back to the story here. TUS out.
Various Places In The Edo Area
Edo, Japan, Earth
June 20, 987
The following day, then, after all of their traveling party's members had consumed their respective morning meals, they split up into groups by planet or moon, whenever possible. This meant that Amy and Greg went to one specific part of the area with each other, as did Mina and Steven, Rolando and Sylvia, Chad and Raye, and the three Jupiterians, at the very least. Bethany, Destiny, and Serena went with each other as well, without being accompanied by anyone else at the current time. Solomon and Renaldo took yet another part of the area for their own investigating, while Darien and Isaiah took an eighth part of the area for themselves. They all agreed to try to meet back at the inn by local nightfall, at the very latest, if at all possible, of course.
Amy and Greg rode on separate horses near each other, as they headed toward where Crossroads Junior High School might later be located in their part of the future Tokyo local area. Raye and Chad went elsewhere in the area, also on different horses. And where they went might eventually be the future location of Raye's future church or temple, if she was somehow able to be saved by Queen Serenity when Queen Serenity sacrificed her Kingdom and her life in an attempt to save as many of her Kingdom's sentient beings as possible. Mina and Steven rode to the approximate location of the future neighborhood's Athletic Club. And they investigated the area quite well.
Rolando and Sylvia investigated with each other quite near the local docks, hoping to pick up useful enough information that they could then share with the rest of their current traveling party. They also wanted to spend some time looking at Edo Bay, if at all possible, on the current day. That was if they didn't want or need to do anything else at the same time, of course.
While Rolando and Sylvia were with each other near or on Edo's docks, they eventually began discussing matters of a more personal nature to them both, whenever possible. Sylvia asked, "Rolando, do you really think that we'll be able to get married before the Moon Kingdom's eventual end, in actual reality?"
"I really don't know. I mean, you're still only 13 years of age, and I'm about a year older than you are. I really don't know if we'll be able to marry each other before the Moon Kingdom's end. Perhaps if we were both at least five or so more years older than we both are here, we might be able to do that in our lives. I don't really think that the Moon Kingdom will last for more than about another three or four years, in any case at all, Sylvia. I also suspect that when the Moon Kingdom's end comes, we'll be on the Moon, and our enemies will come after us. I really don't know if we'll somehow be able to survive their attacks without God and Queen Serenity's help, either."
"If we do, then what?"
"I really don't know, Sylvia. And sometimes, I wish I did, of course. I can't imagine loving another girl in my life besides you. Or at least I can't do that right now in it, Sylvia, if I'll ever actually be able to do that somehow, in my life."
"What would you like to do now, Rolando, if you can?"
"I'd just like to be with you for a little while, if at all possible, Sylvia."
"Are you in the mood to do some kissing for a while, by any chance, right now, Rolando?"
"Not really. But maybe later on, I might be. Like when we're heading back toward the inn, for instance. However, I'm not opposed currently to us hugging each other every once in a while, if you're not, Sylvia."
"We'll see, Rolando. We'll see." The two of them periodically spied on the activities of the Edo-based dockworkers, whenever they either wanted or needed to do so at the current time.
Eventually, though, they had to return to the inn. They took a rather isolated route they'd found on the way to the local docks back to the inn. And while they were doing so, they also stopped for at least a little while to have a bit of a picnic with each other alongside the route they were taking. They soon found a rather secluded place to have that picnic in. And they conversed for a little while with each other as they had that picnic.
About an hour or two before local nightfall would begin to arrive in the Edo area, they finally finished their picnic. Or at least the edible part of it, anyway. They then sat near each other in that place. And they soon enough decided to kiss each other for a while. Only appropriately, of course. But they still decided to do so for a while.
They kissed each other periodically, and they also wondered what the future might actually hold for either or both of them in their lives. They kissed each other for only about twenty or thirty minutes, at most, before they realized that they'd need to continue returning to the inn. They then quite quickly cleaned up the place where they'd just had their little picnic as needed, quite naturally, before they got back on their horses and resumed their travels back toward the inn.
They were the third group of their friends to return to those grounds, getting back there no more than about ten minutes before local nightfall would finish arriving near and around the aforementioned inn. Mina and Steven had returned first. And then Lita, Andrew, and Ken had arrived later. But still before Rolando and Sylvia did so as well. When they arrived back at the inn currently in question, all the other groups were still unaccounted for.
Serena and her twin sisters arrived next outside the inn, about five minutes after Rolando and Sylvia. Amy and Greg followed no more than about two or so minutes later. Raye and Chad arrived about ten or so minutes after Amy and Greg had. For they'd decided to walk beside their horses the rest of the way to the inn, about fifteen minutes or so beforehand. Darien and Isaiah showed up about another minute or two later, with them both still on their horses. That meant only Solomon and Renaldo had yet to be accounted for outside the inn, once Darien and Isaiah got close enough to it to be seen there well enough by everyone else who was now waiting for them there.
Solomon and Renaldo arrived outside the inn about twenty minutes after Darien and Isaiah had. And when they did so, they were met by quite a few questions, for all the obvious reasons, of course.
They said that they'd encountered an unexpected series of obstacles between the places where they'd been earlier in the day and the inn. Those obstacles had forced them to either go around, or move, any or all of them, as needed, on the way back to the inn now in question here. They didn't like it, of course. But they still dealt with those obstacles to the best of their respective abilities to do so at the required time or times on that day.
Eventually, then, everyone had their suppers with each other before retiring for the rest of the night to their respective rooms. No matter who they might be here, they still did so.
Serena did so last of all of them, once Sylvia had finally retired for the rest of the night as well. Serena and Sylvia had conversed with each other for at least a little while after they'd consumed their suppers with the rest of their current companions. Mainly about boys and men, if nothing or nobody else as well, in fact.
Serena had eventually asked Sylvia how things were going for her and Rolando, quite naturally, for instance, shortly after everyone had completed their meals well enough here. And Sylvia had eventually said to Serena, "Quite well, I think, Serena."
"Did you kiss today, if I may ask you this here?"
"My, aren't we curious tonight, Serena? Yes, if you really must know, we did kiss each other for at least a little while today."
"I see. And I suppose that you both enjoyed it quite a bit."
"Yes, I believe that we did. We settled for some kissing and hugging today, Serena. As I'm sure that we'll continue to do for at least a little while longer in our lives, if at all possible."
"How were your siblings when you last were with them?"
"They were fine, Serena."
"Do they yet know about your romantic relationship with Rolando?"
"I don't know. I don't think they do. But I could be wrong about that, just the same. Ulysses, Rebecca, and Martha have been asking if there are any boys I might know that I might be interested in possibly marrying someday, if I had the chance to do so well enough."
"And what have you told them, for sure?"
"I've told them there are some possibly some boys like that, Serena, in my life. But who they are, and how many there are, I haven't yet told them at all, I think, well enough. They know, at least, that Rolando is one of my friends. But I don't yet know if they actually know more than that about us both, in fact."
"Sometimes I wish that I were at least twice the age that I am now, Sylvia. That way, I could be Darien's girlfriend here. And nobody would probably mind as much, I think."
"Because he's almost 26, and you're almost 11, at least in this time period, Serena?"
"Of course, Sylvia. I can't be his girlfriend here, at least while there's so much difference in our ages, I think. Or at least not right now, I can't, if I'm not too mistaken about such things here."
"And you being his girlfriend might lead to you being his wife?"
"Yes, if things work out well enough for us in our lives, it might. But if so, I really don't think that'll happen at least in this time period, if not also in any other time periods as well, Sylvia."
"And without you actually marrying him, there'll certainly be no Rini?"
"Right, Sylvia. For I won't mess around with him, in any case at all."
"I was hoping that I could marry Rolando by the Moon Kingdom's end. But I really don't think that we'll be able to get married to each other soon enough before then, Serena. We'll just be too young to do so, of course, if I'm not too mistaken here about such things in our lives. So if your mother's somehow able to save those of us who are still on the Moon when the Negaverse comes to either conquer or destroy it, I suspect that we'd have to wait for at least another millennium to get married to each other, if not even longer, Serena."
"I see. And what do you both think of that idea, by any chance at all, Sylvia?"
"We don't like it, of course. But if that's the way things have to be for us, for at least a little while, then so be it. It's not like we're going to be able to do anything at all about it well enough, I think, Serena. Supposing, of course, that your mother's somehow able to save us for at least one future time period, if not more than one."
"Whether or not we're in our respective Sailor Scout states of being, in each of our lives, Sylvia?"
"Of course that's what I mean, Serena."
"What if we can't all fight our enemies on the last day or last few days of the Moon Kingdom?"
"Then so be it. I have a feeling, though I can't explain just why right now, if I'll ever be able to do so well enough, that you'll be forced to refrain from fighting for quite a while as a Sailor Scout, Serena. And if you'd try to fight after that, while you, at least, were still on the Moon, then you might not be able to fight well enough to keep the Negaverse from somehow destroying your Moon Kingdom as much as they possibly could do that here."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because you wouldn't be strong enough to fight our enemies somehow, Serena. You might not have as many of your current powers as you currently do, if any of them at all. And when Beryl comes to try to take over the Moon Kingdom, she might go after you and Darien, at least, if nobody else as well, Serena. This, of course, would be for all of the obvious reasons, in fact, Serena, if it was actually true here."
"And what if you're all unable to fight as well?"
"Then so be it. I hope that we're not, of course. But I realize that we very well could be. We all might even be asleep by the time that Beryl blasts both you and Darien, Serena. And if so, we'd not be able to protect you. If so, then it might be up to your mother to do what she can for those of us that she can possibly save somehow."
"If she's able to save enough of us, including you, of course, where do you think you'll wind up eventually?"
"At least in the Jerusalem Zone of Earth, for all the obvious reasons, of course, Serena. I don't know for sure about any of the rest of you, if she'll somehow be able to save any or all of the rest of you. But I still suspect that at least a few of us will be going to Japan for at least a little while, if not a long while, Serena. Meaning at least you and a few others, quite naturally, if not anyone else at all here."
"I believe that there might possibly be at least a few copies of each of us that are sent to Earth, if not a lot of copies of us. Certainly at least one copy, of course, for those that she's somehow able to save well enough from the Moon, Sylvia. I really hope that she's able to save somehow, not only me, but all the other members of my current crowd, at least, if nobody else as well, from the Moon. Which, quite naturally, means you and Rolando, too, of course. You're one of the most interesting people I know that I've ever met in my life, Sylvia. And I think that you and Rolando are quite fortunate to have each other for at least the time being here, if not forever."
"Do you think that any or all of your siblings will somehow be able to be saved by Queen Serenity?"
"I'm hoping that they can be. Even if I'll not be able to live with them in the same family in the future at least once more, Sylvia. I really hope this, even if we'll never meet again in our lives, somehow."
"Somehow, I think that you'll eventually reunite with at least a few, if not all, of them, Serena. It'll just be a matter of time before you can do so in your life, if you can ever reunite with them in the future. I sometimes do see how different timelines progress into the future, in fact, Serena. And in at least one of them, the Moon Kingdom survives. I don't know how, and I don't know why. But it does in at least one, if not more than one, of them. However, in the one that we're all actually in now, I really can't see that actually happening here. Or at least I can't yet do so, if I'll ever somehow be able to do so here, Serena."
"I see. And do you like that, Sylvia?"
"Of course not, Serena. But whatever happens to us, God will still be in control of our entire Universe, no matter what. He created all of it, contrary to what people might actually think, either now, or in the future, if they've not already done so before in the past. In the future, if they haven't already done so, and if they're not currently doing so, they'll think that God didn't actually create the Universe, but that it evolved without His help or His creation. They'll think that the Universe began with a Big Bang. And that, of course, we already know is incorrect, Serena."
The two of them talked with each other for a little while longer after Sylvia had said what she'd just said to Serena here. And then, before it got too late for them to do so and get enough sleep before they awoke in the morning, they both soon retired for the rest of the night.
We will be cutting back to the Moon for the next three chapters, it seems, before we return to seeing what is happening on Earth with Serena and her current companions. We will be meeting several other Scouts, when we do, and show a bit more of what goes on when Serenity isn't training Serena and the rest of her royal Court as Sailor Scouts, for instance, on the Moon. And we will share more than that in the next few chapters, as well, folks.
Many very dangerous things are about to happen that will begin severely testing Serena and her crowd of Scouts and friends and all, and start to strike hard at the lives that they currently know of in their respective existences, for sure. People and others close to them will be lost, and they will have to deal with the coming losses as best as they can, et cetera, in any case. Things they might have believed will probably be proven not to be certain ways, and certain enemies will become known in time, once certain other things happen, both in this volume and the next one, at the very least. Friendships may be tested, while others may be formed, as things happen, as well.
Until next time, then, I'll close this here, everyone. TUS out.