Chapter 2

The Scouts Reunited

Four pizzas showed up at the temple, thankfully taking the attention away from Serena. She strategically sat herself between Amara and Lita, if only to avoid talking directly to Darien. Already he had attempted, twice, to say something to her. Serena wasn't about to let him make a third.

She never gave him the chance to get his words out. She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to listen to what he had to say. For all she knew, he was going to rub his new girlfriend or fiancé or wife into her face. She wouldn't give him the pleasure. She was still bitter… and despite her best efforts over the past few years, she still felt something for him.

"So what's up in America?" Amara asked between bites of pizza.

"Nothing much. There's a Starbucks on every other corner and a McDonald's on all the rest. Those people love yoga though. I teach a class three days a week and I've run out of spots for people." Serena responded.

"And a man?" Lita inquired. Her eyebrows jumped playfully as she nudged Serena in the side.

Serena felt her cheeks grow warm.

Darien's eyebrows lifted in mild surprise. Serena didn't miss it.

Mina's chatter with Michelle died away instantly. She dropped her pizza and rushed to Serena. "Oh my gosh! Tell me who is he?"

Serena's face grew warmer and warmer as the girls directed their attention towards her. Well, this was unexpected. "His name is Blake Kingsley."

"Hot name." Lita sighed.

Darien snorted.

"How long have you been seeing each other?" Mina asked.

"Well… not too long—" Serena began.

"Three years, four months, eleven days" Trista responded without even batting an eyelash.

Goosebumps traveled along Serena's skin. No matter how often she did it, Trista's knowledge of time always sent chills down her spine.

"What have you seen?" Serena asked.

Trista's gaze intensified. "Your destiny is blocked. A shadow looms. I know not what lies before you Sailor Moon… or for us all. A rift in time has occurred, the ripples are vast. We must wait."

"Somehow, I don't like the sound of that." Amara muttered aloud.

"All of this is unknown." Michelle said. "I believe our problem just became even more dangerous."

"The most important thing is to stay together now. We need to always be with someone. Amy, Trista, and Raye will be staying at the temple. Lita, can Serena and Mina stay with you?" Luna asked.

Lita nodded.

"Great. Amara and Michelle have their house. Darien, will you be okay on your own?" Artemis asked.

Darien shrugged. "I think I can manage. Just let me know when you guys are going out to check out Raye's attack site. I want to be there."

"No problem." Raye said. "We begin scouting tomorrow."

"Everyone, be at the temple by six A.M." Amara added. "A lot of us have been out of activity for a while. We need to train."

There was a chorus of groans, protests, and angry yelps.

Amara merely held up her hands, shaking her head with a half-smile. "We're returning to duty girls… and Darien. We need to make sure we're in top shape. Be ready to sweat."

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Six A.M. came much too quickly for Serena's liking. After the meeting she and Mina went to their homes, packed up their bags, and settled in with Lita in her three bedroom apartment. The girls chatted and gossiped well into the night, just as they used to.

When dawn came they rose slowly, dressed, and walked over to the temple. Serena's hair was up in a high ponytail. She wore her regular yoga clothes: gray yoga pants with a dark pink racer back tank top. It would just have to do for their unexpected training. Though no one looked particularly out of shape, Serena feared that when it came down to it, she wouldn't be as powerful as she once was. She only hoped she wouldn't embarrass herself in front of everyone.

"Right on time!" Amara called as the girls passed through the entryway to the temple. "Start warming up!"

Mina grumbled as she dropped her bag down along the side of the temple's doors. Serena followed, shaking her arms loose as she walked.

"Can you believe this?" Mina whined as she stretched her legs. "I hope she doesn't expect us to run a marathon."

Serena laughed nervously. Amara wasn't known for going easy on anyone. But then again that was her job, she was the best personal trainer in all of Tokyo. Serena had little faith that Mina's wish would come true.

"Hey! You two! Get over here!" Amara called to Mina and Serena. The other scouts had gathered around her already. Serena could just make out the top of Darien's head. She quickly looked away.

"At least the rain stopped." Amy commented to Raye.

"It will return." Raye said simply. "The sun won't come out today; the clouds will grow darker before we leave."

"How do you know these things?" Mina whispered, irritated.

"Alright, today is day one. Be prepared to arrive every morning at six and we will conclude by eight. We will start every day with a three mile run. Try to keep it under thirty minutes, we have more work to do. You'll follow the street to the theatre, go left until you hit the bus terminal, then another left until you're back here. Alright? Let's go!" Amara took off running down the stone steps of the temple to the bustling sidewalk.

Michelle, Trista, and Darien quickly followed her while the rest of the scouts hesitated.

"Oh my gosh, she's serious." Lita said.

"Come on." Amy brushed back her hair with her fingers. "Maybe it won't be so bad."

Raye snorted but took off, glaring at the back of Amara's head. Lita and Amy quickly followed.

Mina nodded to Serena. "We can do it…" She took off. "WAIT!" She called to Lita and Raye.

Serena gave her a friend an encouraging smile and took a few moments to finish stretching her legs. She still had jet lag, and even though she had been in town for a few days her muscles still felt sore and tired.

Luna scampered over. "Serena! You cannot be serious! Now is not the time to be lazy! Your friends are counting on you!" She hissed.

"Relax Luna, I just need to stretch some more. It won't do for me to get hurt now." Serena replied with a shake of her head.

"Go!" Luna screeched.

Serena winked at Luna and took off down the steps. She jogged easily at an even pace. The air was cool being so early in the morning, but Raye was right, dark clouds were closing in. More rain was due soon. Tokyo desperately needed a break from the weather. She passed flooded streets and those that weren't had plenty of standing water, waiting to seep through the overwhelmed drains.

She quickly reached the group who were already huffing and puffing with each step. She passed Mina, Lita, Raye, Amy, Trista, Michelle, Darien and finally Amara.

"Whoa! Princess! Go slow! We have three miles to cover!" Amara shouted at a rapidly disappearing Serena.

Serena turned her head and gave her a smile. Her breathing was still even. The scouts were already beginning to sweat but Serena showed no signs of weariness. "I run five miles every day!" She called and took off.

Thirty minutes later the majority of the scouts arrived back at the temple. Serena was on the grass, in a warrior three position. She swiftly moved to down dog, stretching her aching muscles. She had returned to the temple a full ten minutes ahead of her friends.

"That can't be Serena." Lita panted as she collapsed onto the ground.

"No joke, are you sure that's the meatball head? She couldn't run more than a hundred feet much less three miles." Raye groaned and fell beside Lita. Her chest rose and fell quickly as she tried to catch her breath. "Are my legs supposed to feel like lead?"

Amy sat down beside her. "It's because you aren't used to it." She was panting heavily too but struggled to keep herself upright.

Behind her, Mina painstakingly crawled up the steps one at a time. She was drenched in sweat and her face was so red she resembled a tomato. "W…w…wa….water."

"Great job princess." Amara said admiringly to Serena. "You're in great shape and much better than anyone else."

"Thanks." Serena grinned. "As are you." She took a glance around them. "Maybe you should lighten up a bit though, they're not doing too well."

"Alright!" Amara called with a nod to Serena. "Next up, hand to hand combat!"

Several low groans were heard. Mina hadn't even picked herself up off of the steps yet. "You are a slave driver!" She screeched.

Amara ignored her and moved around, getting everyone to their feet.

Serena sighed and went to help Mina up with a fair amount of difficulty. "Up you get… seriously Mina, you didn't join a gym or anything?"

"For your information, the life of a news reporter is very busy! I work long hours and I don't have time." She whined. "I make up for it by eating lots of salad."

Meanwhile, Amara was busy pairing up the scouts so that they could get started. "Raye and Lita you're together! Michelle and Trista, you'll do great. Amy, if you can, get Mina to stand up long enough and try to get her to do something… and Serena… I suppose you'll have to make do with Darien."

"Wait… um… I don't think that's such a good idea." Serena attempted to protest.

Amara merely shook her head. "Don't worry, he won't kill you. You're goal is to get your opponent down. Make sure your hits have some power but not enough to seriously injure anyone. Save that for our enemies. Alright, ladies and Darien, let's get started!"

Serena reluctantly left Mina and wandered over to where Darien was standing. She felt herself growing uneasy as Darien strolled over closer to her. They met just before the tree line. Darien was sweaty but he'd finished the run easily. He wore a pair of black shorts and his running shoes. His shirt, drenched with sweat, had been discarded. Of everyone there, he was the most in shape apart from Amara. The outline of a six pack was easily visible and his biceps were sizable. Serena found herself staring.

"I'll go easy." Darien assured her. His lips curled into a smile.

Serena's eyes narrowed. Any pain she had been feeling earlier on account of his betrayal was long gone. His tone said it all. He expected to overpower her. She felt herself smile.

"I won't." She replied and sent a swift kick at his head.

Darien yelped as he fell to the ground in order to avoid the blow. "Ouch!" He shouted. "Watch it!"

She sent another blow at him but he blocked her with his arm. This time he didn't hesitate. He sent a hit towards her torso but she was too fast. She twisted away from him and struck his shoulder with the edge of her palm.

He caught her wrist as she spun out but she yanked away, dancing just out of his grasp. He charged at her but she darted to his left at the last second. As he passed her she sent a kick at his back, connecting with his spine.

Darien growled as he hit the ground. He didn't stay down for long. Within moments he was once again on his feet and coming for her. Serena attempted to dodge him at the last second again but this time he was expecting it. He grabbed her around the waist, lifting her up.

She kicked and jabbed at him but he held her firmly against him. Both of them were panting heavily.

Behind them, Amara clapped, followed by the others.

"Now that we can work with! Great job Serena and Darien. I hope you were all watching them. They both moved quickly, kept light on their feet and made sure each hit was hard and strong…."

Amara's voice faded away as she moved to critique the rest of the scouts, most notably Amy who refused to strike an already tired Mina. Behind them Lita and Raye were throwing half-hearted kicks and hits. Trista and Michelle were easily dodging each other's hits but when some did land, they weren't very strong.

"Um… Darien." Serena was still against his sweaty chest and found that her breathing was becoming more and more labored in his grip.

"Sorry." He gently released her.

Serena rubbed her back tenderly. A white mark was visible around her back where Darien had gripped her so tightly. "I see you're strong as ever."

"I kept in shape you know, just in case." He informed her. "And it appears you got into shape."

She smiled. "It was a good outlet. Blake runs with me every morning."

Darien quieted some as he and Serena took a break and sat on the soggy grass. A roll of thunder was heard in the distance. "What did you tell him?" He asked. "About coming here?"

"I told him my friends needed me. I may have played up the attack on Raye but he understood why I needed to come." Serena wasn't sure of how she felt about telling Darien about Blake. It felt slightly odd. She began to wonder if Darien had moved on as well.

"Won't he notice when a few weeks go by and you haven't come home? You know our fight will take weeks if not months for us to combat." Darien said.

She nodded grimly. "Yes, I know. I know he plans on joining me once his case is settled in Chicago. I'll have a lot of explaining to do then."

"You're going to tell him the truth?" Darien sounded surprised.

Serena nodded. "I love him Darien. If he truly loves me, he'll have to accept that I'm more than just Serena Tsukino. I'm also Sailor Moon."