Chapter Seventeen

The following day, it was Saturday, December 22, 1990. Sylvia was then with Kiena and Mary, who had just been released from the hospital that morning. It was now just after 10:30 in the morning, and Sylvia was with them in the Athletic Club that she'd first knowingly met Kiena at about three months before. She then had gone there at their request with them, so as to monitor them while they tried to get back in shape after having to spend most of the last few days or so lying down in their hospital beds earlier. They started working out together with light weights and things, and then they eventually went swimming in a pool elsewhere in the Athletic Club, after they'd lifted things for a while. Of course, Sylvia monitored them very closely as they were with her there, for the obvious reasons.

The three of them worked out as they saw fit in the Athletic Club for at least an hour or two, if not longer. They only stopped working out once they were sufficiently hungry and thirsty again in their lives. And that happened only after about noon or so local time, in fact.

After they got that way, they soon took some showers near each other, and changed into more casual clothes for themselves. That done, they soon went to a cafeteria area elsewhere in the Athletic Club with each other. And they ordered themselves some lunch items there. It took them all about an hour, more or less, to have enough food and drink to satisfy them enough at the current time. After they did so, finally, they left the cafeteria and the Athletic Club behind in short order, when the need or desire arose for them in their lives.

As Sylvia was then bringing them both back to their respective residences in the area, Kiena said, "I think we might be able to fight in the next battle, Sylvia."

"You've just been released from the hospital, Kiena. I don't want to see you back in it or in the morgue in the near future, if I don't have to."

"When will you let us fight, then?" asked Kiena, with a bit of a frown then on her face.

"When I feel you're sufficiently able to do that again, Kiena. If you two can prove that you're sufficiently recovered from your last battle, then perhaps you can fight again."

"You seem to forget that we're Scouts, Sylvia." Mary said this in sort of a pouting manner, by the way.

"No, I haven't forgotten that, Mary. But I'm the leader, at least as of the present time, and I don't want to lose anyone under me in the group if I don't have to. Your various wounds could very well have each been much more serious than they were, you two. I'll see about setting up a training session or two today or tomorrow, if I can, and let you try to prove that you're both sufficiently healed and recovered from your latest battle as Scouts. But until you can both prove yourselves well enough to me and our animal allies, I'm going to have to say that you can't actively fight in any Scout battles, if it can possibly be avoided at all." She gave her a look which she hoped would show Mary and Kiena that she understood where they were both coming from in their lives here.

"But what if you need our help?" asked Kiena.

"Then you can try to aid us from our base in the cavern, I think. I'm sure you might be able to monitor things well enough from there, and send us things as needed, if situations might require you to. And besides, I want to keep you in reserve for a while, just in case something shows up that we can't handle well enough at any time. I have a feeling that there might soon be at least one or two more Scouts joining our group in the near future, as a matter of fact. I don't know why I do, at least not yet, but I still think that might prove to be the case for us all, Kiena."

"Okay, Sylvia. Do you know the identities yet of these Scouts well enough?"

"No, of course I don't, Kiena. But I still think that they'll have at least something to do with this nation, for some yet-unknown reason, just the same."

"And what of our enemies?" asked Mary.

"Hopefully, they'll decide to give us at least some peace and quiet for a while, so that we don't have to fight them again in the near future. But knowing assorted Arab terrorist groups, they might not want to do that here, of course. As for our Negaverse enemies, perhaps they'll leave us alone as well, considering that we've basically defeated them in any battle that we've fought against them and their monsters, Mary."

"If they all do so, how much time do you think we'll have to prepare for their next attacks before they act up again?" asked Kiena, as they pulled up outside Mary's building.

"Hopefully, they won't act up again for at least a week or two after New Year's Day. If not even longer than that, of course, Kiena." Mary soon began exiting Sylvia's van, so that she could go inside her apartment building again for the first time in at least a few days. She gathered up all her currently-available things, and soon left Sylvia's van behind again, after saying goodbye for a while to Kiena and Sylvia here well enough.

After Mary was out of sight enough, Sylvia soon took Kiena home, where the same sort of thing eventually happened for her as well. When Kiena was out of sight enough here for Sylvia, Sylvia then drove away from her residence, and began patrolling in the area all by herself. She wasn't actually expecting any trouble from anyone or anything in the near future, for all the obvious reasons. But she still remained quite cautious, whenever possible, as she patrolled by herself in the local area, in fact.

Some length of time later, then, Kiena and Mary went to the cavern with each other, after both having slept in their respective beds for a while. Kiena drove to Mary's in "Spiritseeker," and Mary soon stashed her bike in it as needed. They arrived at the cavern sometime around 6 or so in the evening, while they were still together with each other. And they soon found Sylvia sitting behind one of the computers there, studying some video recordings of certain recent battles that at least one of the Scouts had participated in elsewhere in the local area. She was also with Isaiah, Serenade, Tatiana, and Vladephrad when they showed up near enough to her in the cavern, in fact.

As they came into the part of the cavern that everyone else was in at the current time, Kiena heard Tatiana ask Sylvia, "Do you think Selena, Amy, Rachel, Etana, and Andrea, at least, will eventually join our group as Scouts, somehow?"

"I'd not be very surprised if that ever was the case for any or all of them. I think I can also sort of recognize the face of Andrea's manager at least a little bit better now, for that matter. She seems to be someone I once knew at great length some time long ago. My dreams were much clearer than they normally have been since I first became a Scout. While I can't yet identify the person from the Silver Millennium who might have had a face sort of like the one of Andrea's manager, I think I have a better idea of who she might have been. I've narrowed down the possibilities to about half a dozen or so, I believe, out of maybe several thousand women and girls, at least, if not more than that in either respect."

Kiena and Mary then chose that moment to appear to their fellow Scouts and their allies. Kiena said, "I see. And I wonder if you expect to identify her by your next birthday in the next month or so, Sylvia."

"God willing, I might just do that, Kiena," said Sylvia, just as soon as she recognized the speaker's voice and had turned to face them well enough. Even as she also paused the particular currently-playing battle record's playback here as she did that.

"By that time, do you expect the other Scouts you mentioned to start to appear well enough, then, Sylvia?" asked Mary, now quite curious about the current subject of discussion here.

"I'd not be very surprised, Mary, to tell you the truth." Sylvia sipped some apple juice in a cup near her, just after answering Mary's question.

"And if they do, do you think you'll have to give up overall command of the Scouts in time, Sylvia?" asked Tatiana.

"Only time will tell, Tatiana. Only time will tell. If that's how things will have to be, then so be it. But if not, then so be that instead."

Around 6:30 or so in the evening, then, the Scouts went to another part of the cavern in which they sometimes trained in with each other. And so did their animal allies, for that matter. When they were all ready to do whatever they then wanted or needed to do here, Sylvia and the rest of the Scouts powered up, under the quite watchful eyes of their animal allies. First, Sylvia powered up. Second, Kiena did. Third, Mary did. And last, Tatiana did. After Tatiana became Mir, then, that meant that Skyhorse, Renaissance, Trinity, and Mir were present where Sylvia, Kiena, Mary, and Tatiana had been mere moments before.

They all trained with each other for a while, until Skyhorse and their animal allies had thought they'd seen enough at the current time. After that happened, Skyhorse said, "You and Trinity will both need to train some more before you can fight our actual enemies as Scouts again, it seems, Ren. You didn't do quite as well at avoiding being hit by automated attacks as you both often do in our training sessions. You'll have to do better before I can clear you both for active fighting against our enemies, it seems. I don't want to have to keep you on the sidelines, if I don't have to. But you're both still rusty and not fully recovered from your recent battle injuries. Or at least not enough, as far as I can currently tell here, you two. Perhaps in a few days or so, I can clear you for active combat again. But at the moment, at least, I can't, for the obvious reasons, girls. I wish I could. But I can't, and won't. At least not right now, anyway."

"That's not fair, Skyhorse," said Trinity.

"I'm sorry if you both think that's the case right now. But until I see otherwise, I have no choice but to keep you out of the active fight, in terms of your front-line presence against our enemies, whoever they might be, girls. Mir, our animal allies, and anyone else who finds themselves on our side of things will have to shoulder more of the load, when it comes to dealing with our enemies. As will I, at least until you both are back to your full combat strengths."

"That might leave you short-handed for a while, you know," said Renaissance.

"I realize that, Ren. But that's just how things apparently are for us here and now. Whether we might like things to be that way or not, that's how things seem to be for us now, just the same. Don't worry, girls. You'll get your chances to actively fight again as Scouts, soon enough, I think. God willing, of course."

Rather reluctantly, at least on both Trinity and Ren's parts, in fact, they soon acceded to her wishes about the current situation. But they both didn't like the idea of even having to do that here, for all the obvious reasons, of course. And just to make sure that they did so, Skyhorse had them give her their power lockets briefly, once they'd all powered down to their respective civilian states. When they gave her their lockets briefly, she drained some energy from both of them and put it in her own locket for the time being. She took just enough energy from both power lockets to make it temporarily impossible for them to power up into their Scout states whenever they weren't training as such with anyone else. Such as herself, for example.

She would store that energy for future retrieval and possible use while they were both sufficiently unable to use it well enough under normal enough circumstances. And when she finally felt they were sufficiently able to train and/or fight well enough as Scouts, she would again return sufficient amounts of energy to their respective power lockets later, if and whenever possible. Sylvia hoped that she'd not have to hold their energy long inside her locket, of course, for all the obvious reasons. But if she had to do so, in order to keep them both from powering up too easily before they were able to fight well enough, then she'd do so in the future, if and whenever possible. At least while she was still in overall command of their Scout group, if she'd not always be in overall command of it, anyway.

Eventually, everyone, including the animals, left the cavern behind in the necessary manners for elsewhere in the local area. The area in and around the cavern was completely empty again by 8:45 pm local time, in fact. Kiena took Mary back to her residence, sometime after that time, and certainly by 9:15 pm, at the very latest. Then Kiena returned to her own family's residence for the rest of the night, for that matter, arriving back there by no later than about 9:30 pm, with no unnecessary stops after she'd dropped Mary off where needed.

Kiena was in her room by 10, and asleep again by no later than 11, in any case at all. She didn't arise from her bed again for at least nine or ten hours after that. She woke up sometime after her other family members had gone to church in the morning, in fact. They all tried to get her up at least once apiece, of course. But when she wouldn't wake up, they finally went to church without her, hoping that she was all right, for the obvious reasons.

As for Sylvia and everyone else from their group, they eventually returned to each of their respective lodgings, wherever they might be in the local area. Even if it meant such lodgings were in a stall on a farm's complex called "Sweet Musicalisti," of course. And after they parted from each other for the rest of the night, they didn't see each other for at least the next six to eight hours, in any case at all. No matter who they were, that was still the case for each of them in their lives at the present time. All of them were in their respective lodgings for the rest of the night by no later than about 11 pm local time, for that matter. And they were all asleep in those respective lodgings of theirs by local midnight, as well.

After Sylvia and the rest of her family returned from their attending of church on Sunday, elsewhere in the city, they all found themselves at home with each other. They spent most of the time between 12:30 and 2 pm local time with each other, but not all of it. For sometime around 1:35 pm or so, Rolando called Sylvia, and asked her to let her friends know that certain boys he knew were probably going to start picking them up by 6 pm local time, at the very latest. After he told her that, Sylvia soon told her parents and siblings that she was going out again. And that she'd most likely be with her friends for most, if not all, of the rest of the day and/or upcoming night. She also told them not to wait up for her for any reason. Especially because of the facts being that there was no school scheduled for her on the following day, and that there were at least one or two holiday-related dances and things that she was expecting to go to on the current day and/or night to come, for that matter.

They agreed not to wait up for her if they could possibly avoid it at all. With that then said, Sylvia soon gathered up several things of hers, including a dress she'd picked out for herself sometime earlier, and left Wakefield Castle behind here. She patrolled in the area for a while, both as Sylvia and as Skyhorse, before she made her way to several people's residences as needed or desired here. She helped them all get ready to attend at least one, if not more than one, dance with certain people, if she needed to do that at all, by the way. Whether her friends knew those people yet or not, she still did so. After doing that until about 5 pm, she changed into the dress she'd brought along with her from Wakefield Castle. She changed into it at Selena Moon's residence, in fact.

By the time that she was sufficiently ready for the dance she'd be going to with Rolando and others, she had on a dress almost exactly, if not entirely, like a dress that she'd worn to a ball before on the Moon, long before the present time. This dress was mostly pink, gold, and navy blue. It had a mostly light brown and cardinal red sash on it running from her left shoulder to her right hip. There were also thin white and dark green fringes of lace both on the dress and the sash, wherever Sylvia had wanted them to be on those things. Especially on her sash, in fact. And her hair was in two braids once she was sufficiently satisfied with how she then looked in it. As for her power locket, she stored it away in a pocket of a small handbag she'd bought at the same time as the dress in question here that matched her nearly-floor-length dress quite well.

It wasn't identical to the exact dress that she'd worn the night that she'd been first kissed by Rolando at a ball during the Silver Millennium. But it was nearly identical, if not completely identical, to one that she'd worn at a ball no more than a few hours or so after she'd first become a Sailor Scout during it. And both dresses she'd worn at those balls had been made by or with the help of Queen Serenity then, for that matter.

When Selena saw that dress on her, she said, "You look great, Miss Wakefield. Where did you get that dress?"

"I got it primarily at a dress shop elsewhere in the area. And I had some other unused things that I decided to use with it as well, if I could do that here well enough. I added those things, if and whenever possible, to this dress. And the result of my modifications to the dress is what you're now seeing me in here. I have another dress prepared for another occasion which you'll just have to wait to see. For I'm not wearing it tonight, in any case at all."

The two girls talked for a while, until just before Selena and Sylvia's dates arrived at Selena's house to pick them up for the dance that they were going to with each other. About 6 o'clock, then, Rolando arrived at Selena's residence with the young man who'd be her date on the current evening.

After the four young people were in Rolando's vehicle here, Rolando introduced the girls to Selena's blind date. He told them, "Miss Moon, your date tonight at the dance is Darius Raymond. He is about 20 years old, and I know him from playing basketball with him often at the Athletic Club. We're often on the same team as each other, and he attends college at one of the local colleges."

Sylvia looked over Darius, and asked him, "Mr. Raymond, haven't I often seen you in the college library with Tatiana Tereshkova?"

"I know of her, but what makes you think I know her personally?"

"Just a feeling, I suppose you might say. I don't know why I might be thinking this, but I just know that I do." Sylvia, in fact, had just gotten a feeling that she might have once known this same young man a long time ago. But she didn't yet realize that well enough, if she ever would, in her life.

Darius indeed had been present during the Silver Millennium. But never as someone by that name. He had another name then which nobody from this time period could yet remember well enough, for the obvious reasons. He then had been, as a matter of fact, a Japanese Prince by the name of Prince Darien. He actually had been saved somehow by Queen Serenity when the Moon Kingdom fell. But he didn't yet know that in his life. For his memories of that time were still unrevealed to him or to anyone else, for that matter.

He wouldn't begin to remember them, most likely, at least until Sailor Moon finally appeared as a Scout in the local area. Supposing, of course, that he'd not already begun to do so in his life. If he hadn't yet begun to do so in it, that was still at least a few weeks away from happening for him, maybe. If not even longer than that.

"How can that be, Sylvia? You only just met him today, in fact," said Selena.

"As I just said here, Selena, 'I don't know why I might be thinking this, but I just know that I do.' If I knew why, then maybe I could tell you. Maybe I couldn't. I just don't know."

Some time later, then, the four of them arrived at the dance that they were going to with each other. When they got there, at least eleven other couples were present at it with people that any or all of them knew in their lives at least a little bit, if not a lot. Liz was dancing with her boyfriend Thomas. Leila and James were also dancing. Sonja was dancing with a fellow Austrian, and Ashley with a fellow American. As for Kiena, she was with Matthew Jotibular. Mary was then with a boy born in Israel to parents born in the Philippines. Tatiana was, of course, with Sergei. Amy Meredith was present, and she was dancing with a blind date of her own by the name of Gregory Merkinel. Rachel Aaron was dancing with a blind date by the name of Chadwick Martuzalo. Etana Warren was with Kenneth Zumehai. And Andrea Kelly was with someone by the name of Stephanos Korikupheras. As was currently the case with Selena here, Mary, Amy, Rachel, Etana, and Andrea's dates were all blind dates, in fact.

Little did they all know, though, that those dates of theirs might be people that they'd often see in their respective lives for a good deal of time into the future. But that was still unknown, mainly, if not entirely, due to the fact that five or six of the girls now in the couples, at least, were largely unaware of their Silver Millennium pasts. That was if they had any at all in the first place, of course. Kiena, however, had never had such a past, as far as anyone currently knew, in it. Nor had Liz, Leila, Sonja, and Ashley.

Selena had once been the Moon Princess. Amy, Rachel, Etana, and Andrea had been part of her royal Court during it. But they had been known under different names than they went by now, at least in terms of their last names, if not also their first ones. Selena had once been the Moon Princess Serena, with the same last name. Amy had been known as Amy Anderson back in the days of the Silver Millennium. Rachel, Raye Hino. Etana, Lita McKinley. Andrea, Mina Abernathy. But those days were long gone, and long forgotten as well. At least as of the current time, anyway.

And that was how Queen Serenity had wanted it to be for as long as possible in the future, when they were sent into the future from the Moon. Their memories of the Silver Millennium were to remain unrevealed for as long as possible. However, there would come a time, most likely in the near future, where such memories would have to start to surface, if they hadn't already begun to do that for any or all of them.

In fact, through an unexpected occurrence of some sort, at least one version of Queen Serenity had unknowingly made itself to Earth as well, if not more than one. And it, or they, landed in at least one of the eight designated Zones on its surface. They did this sometime after their being sent there through Queen Serenity's use of the Imperium Silver Crystal in conjunction with her Kingdom's Crescent Moon Wand. Nobody who'd been sent forward in time to the future yet knew that well enough, if they ever would, of course. But they might eventually learn it later, if and whenever possible, just the same. Irene Shekovinski was the version of Queen Serenity that'd been sent unknowingly with many others to the future and that'd landed long before in the Jerusalem Zone of Earth. Or at least one of them, anyway. She didn't yet know this, however, if she ever would, in her new life on Earth in the future.

The girls began to get acquainted with each other at least a little bit, if not a lot. Supposing that they'd not already done so by then, of course. And their dates began to do the same thing as they were doing, if that was also true for them as well. Little did many of them know or realize, if at all, that they might just see each other quite often in the futures of their lives. Especially for those of them who were going to be significant enough parts of the Scouts' battles in the future, in fact. But that was yet to be learned by many, if not all, of them, as they were all at a dance together.

During the dance, when Sylvia could get enough time alone with Rolando somewhere, where they might not have to worry about anyone seeing, hearing, and/or detecting, et cetera, them easily enough, she asked him, "What do you think will happen for the Scouts in the near future?"

"Well, given what we know so far about them and their battles, it seems that they've been quite busy since Sailor Skyhorse showed up about four months ago. Not just with strange alien monsters, but also with assorted Arab terrorists. From what I heard, the Sailors Renaissance and Trinity missed the last battle or two that the Scouts appeared at, if I remember things well enough here. I wonder if and when they might fight again as such, Sylvia."

"I have a feeling that if they have enough time to heal from the injuries in their last battle well enough, they might just be able to fight in the next battle for the Scouts. I can't explain this feeling well enough to you at the present time, if I'll ever be able to. I just know I have this feeling, though, Rolando." Of course, she knew at least a bit more about things related to the Scouts than she was telling him here. But she didn't want him to be in any unnecessary danger, for the obvious reasons. So Sylvia didn't tell him stuff she shouldn't here.

They soon returned to wherever the other dancers were, after conversing with each other at least a little bit more. Eventually, they were with them again, when the need and/or desire arose for them both here. And they danced several dances. Not just fast ones, but slow ones as well. In time, like by 11 pm or so, at the very latest, couples began leaving the dance to return to their respective residences anywhere at all in the local area. Even several of Sylvia's friends and still-present acquaintances did so.

By midnight, local time, only about a dozen couples were still present at the dance, at most. Those couples included Sylvia and Rolando, Tatiana and Sergei, Selena and Darius, and Irene and her husband Hezekiah Shekovinski, in fact. Others couldn't be identified well enough at the current time by any of the aforementioned couples. Meaning Sylvia, Tatiana, Selena, or Irene's couples, by the way. At 12:15, Selena asked, "I need to go home now, Prince. Do you mind if we leave, by any chance?" She asked this of Darius, in Sylvia's hearing, at least.

"Prince? Where did that come from, Miss Selena Moon?" asked Darius, obviously quite surprised she'd called him that here, for the obvious reasons.

"I don't know. I really don't know, Prince Darius. I wish I knew for sure where it came from. And why."

"If I'm a Prince, which I highly doubt, then what are you?"

"I don't know anymore, if I'm calling a relative stranger a Prince for some yet-unknown reason. Why am I calling you that?"

Irene looked at her husband as two more couples left the dance. Soon, there were only four couples remaining there, and the music producers had left it as well. Irene conversed silently with Hez, asking him, when Sylvia and Rolando couldn't see them do so easily enough, "Does it seem like they are starting to remember their past on the Moon, dear?"

"I think so, at least as it pertains to Selena, if not also Sylvia and Tatiana, as well as Rolando and Sergei. I wonder just how long it will be before our daughter awakens, and when her court will do the same." Hezekiah had been known under another name during the Silver Millennium. That name had been Daniel. He had been completely regenerated, through help from other entities, after being killed before the final battle on the Moon. When his wife/widow saved everyone she was able to save, she unknowingly sent at least one version of him to the future as well. In time, they met, and fell in love. On the day of their wedding, all their memories of their shared pasts on the Moon came back to them in full, if they'd not already done so by that time.

A family soon followed, just as soon as they could start one. It took them a while, but they soon had started one with each other in this time period. None of these children would be like the ones they had once produced about a millennium before, most likely. Which probably meant they might never fight as Scouts or male allies to them in the future.

Even though they weren't Selena's biological parents in this time, they still would consider her their daughter, in fact. And they hoped that her life would remain peaceful enough for at least a while longer, if not a long while longer, of course. They both knew, however, that she might eventually have to fight evil as well, just the same.

At the moment, neither of them yet know if Luna had been able to make it to Earth in the Jerusalem Zone well enough. They were both hoping that she had, obviously.

As a matter of fact, Luna was living on the streets most, if not all, of the time in her life. She often spent the days hiding from the majority of people and other animals wherever she went in it. During the nights, however, she was often fairly active. Especially close to or on Full-Moon nights, in actual reality. When there was a lot of moonlight, she was often much more energetic. When the opposite was true, she was often quite lethargic.

Luna had not yet encountered Selena, Irene, or anyone else who'd been sent forward to the future from the Silver Millennium on the Moon. And she still had no idea that she was from there, either, for that matter. The only thing that she could remember well enough at the present time, except for things she needed to know in order to survive well enough into the future, was that she was looking for someone or something. She didn't know who or what it was, but she knew she was doing that whenever possible in her life, just the same, in fact.

At the current time, Luna was prowling for what might essentially be her lunch, if it was about twelve hours earlier or later than it now was. She had caught and eaten some mice and rats, as well as scavenged up some left-over human food. Her mostly black fur was still matted in a few places from assorted injuries received during spats or battles with other animals she'd encountered of late. She was currently prowling in the Old City, primarily, in some hard-won territory she'd carved out for herself. She was always seeking to enlarge her territory, if and whenever possible, so as to ensure herself enough food, enough water, and enough shelter for her own survival. At times, she even stumbled on various signs of Artemis's presence in the local area. But she didn't yet realize that, for she'd not yet encountered him before in this time period.

Sometime later, she found a safe enough place to hide, and soon hid there, beginning to take a catnap almost immediately after doing so. She remained there until about four in the morning, and then she moved along to do whatever else crossed her mind.

Meanwhile, as Luna was prowling, Darius said, "I don't know, Miss Moon. But I do know that I haven't seen many, if any women or girls with a hairstyle like yours."

"Just take me home, please, Darius and Rolando," said Selena to them both when she realized that Rolando and Sylvia were near enough to her and Darius again.

"As you wish, Princess," said Rolando, with a mock bow at Selena, and a wink at Sylvia.

Five minutes later, at most, Irene and Hezekiah were the last people still in the dance's location. They took care of everything they then needed to take care of there, and soon left it as well.

As for Selena and Sylvia, they arrived back at Selena's place by 12:35, at the latest. Ten minutes later, Sylvia left Selena's, and briefly went to Sweet Musicalisti to brief Serenade on her night out with her friends. By 1, she was setting off for Wakefield Castle again. After a brief stop to pick up a few things for others in her family, she went home. By 1:30, she was there. By 1:45, in her bed. By 2, quite soundly asleep in her bed, dreaming more about the past without realizing it well enough.