Deciding whether the Crystal Palace nor Crystal Tokyo was safe, the Neo-Sailor Senshi and Dark Kingdom Senshi risked their lives everywhere. But, first, Neo-Queen Serenity planned a camping trip, "That is if Christen does not feel the urge to burn the entire woods down!"
"Provided no monsters are around, who needs a good torching? Then I won't do that." Mars's brown-eyed child replied as politely as she possibly could.
"A camping trip could be fun!" Chibiusa chirped.
While most girls did not mind roughing it for a few days, Crystal knew her minicomputer, which she utilized so much, would be useless outdoors. So she looked at it with her pretty blue eyes, longingly and sad.
"Don't fret, Crystal. Mercury's water will be a much more beneficial ability on this trip." Gracie put her arm around Crystal's shoulders.
"Are we going to hike there or...?" Jewel was not one for roughing it completely; her gold eyes showed that.
"Well...you girls will be hiking with your parents. King Endymion and I will bring an RV for things nature can't naturally give you." Neo-Queen Serenity smiled, embarrassed she and her husband would be taking the easy way up. Meanwhile, her friends and their offspring would have to shuffle.
"Like what?" Ariel asked curiously. She thought you could live off any land if the necessities were covered.
"Bathrooms." King Endymion replied as if this were obvious.
"Thank, Neo Queen Serenity. I don't have to hug a tree and use leaves for toilet paper," Christen thundered.
"Reducing you to doing that might give you a greater sense of respect." Rei joked.
"Or poison ivy." Christen clapped back.
"When do we leave?" Holly questioned.
"This weekend." Neo-Queen Serenity declared.
It is Thursday, so having enough time to pack and use vacation time off work for those with jobs, Ariel and Holly planned what everyone would need. Sleeping bags, clothes, dental care, and hygiene products. As a deodorant, medical supplies and bug spray would be it, as everything else would be fishing, hunting, supplied by their powers, or in the RV. All the girls shared a common issue with this lifestyle in their respective rooms.
"Most of us are going to have a problem eating meat..." Emily had seen her friends' excited smiles crumble. They quickly realized they could not access their favorite foods in the wild.
"We better get used to it. I doubt Neo-Queen Serenity will let us eat food from the RV unless we need it." Trisha spoke as she started folding her clothes into her backpack.
In the room of Uranus and Neptune's adopted girls...
"Remember what Melaine used to feed us? I'm sure we can find some fruits along the way." Alexis suggested, her sapphire blue eyes hopeful.
"That's the spirit! At least breakfast is solved!" Holly whooped as she did not fancy having meat first thing in the morning.
Friday night could not come soon enough. It was just getting dark when the Neo-Sailor Senshi hauled outside to meet up with their parents for the hike, all in light, breathable clothing and boots! Also, it was the first time they saw the RV! Smaller than other RVs. Yet still significant and durable enough for off-road. As expected, it had only a table, chairs, wash basket, clotheslines, fridge, bed, and bathroom, mainly for the king and queen!
"Is it just me, or does everyone else think this is unfair?" Christen said derisively as she gestured to the RV.
"Usagi and Mamarou have already dealt with being out in the unknown. They deserve it. You girls have to earn it." Makoto explained.
"How do we earn it?" Mars raven-haired daughter only asked this so she could do whatever was needed to get in first. However, the other girls did look as interested.
"Work...hard." Haruka smiled smugly. The girls barely contain their collective groans. They had not even started walking, and things were already going to prove to be complicated.
Layering on bug spray and taking out snacks and a drink each, the group set off. While the walk there was not problematic, the hike was grueling as now, it is dark, and they only had a handful of lanterns!
Careful, the path will get bumpy, and watch out for snakes." Makoto warned.
"Oh, that's a relief! I thought I only had to worry about bugs and the other wildlife that can eat me." Christen joked, contempt lacing every syllable of her sentence.
Up winding paths, over large rocks, and climbing steep hills made for a safer camping spot as only an insane person would go through all that trouble to get here! Now, the girls understood why they had to wear light, breathable clothing and boots. Still, that did not make the soreness in their muscles any more bearable! Crystal and Alexis had tried to use their water to cool everyone off during the hike, but they were struggling too!
"We're here!" Minako called out cheerily.
"It's...beautiful?" Of course, Ivy was lying, but she tried to sound respectful.
Looking around, the campsite needed to be... cleaned up a little, for lack of a better word. Garbage littered the area, so that was cleared out first. Branches and downed trees covered the ground too, but that was valuable firewood. Thankfully, the girls rested as their parents set up camp. It is not like the girls did not try to help, but their bodies just refused to work from exhaustion!
"Look!" Gracie pointed: The RV had arrived!
By now, the girls felt they had earned it, though deep down, they knew they had not even begun.
"Get a good night's rest, girls. Tomorrow will be your first true test roughing it." Michiru advised.
"Oh, good, school..." Christen mumbled, but then she crawled into her sleeping bag and slept like the dead.
No bad weather was reported for tonight, so the group camped under the stars. The following day the girls were starving, so they set off in pairs to gather food, even before their parents woke up! Gracie and Christen hunted small game using their powers, Crystal and Ariel fished, and the Outer Senshi collected fruit. Then, as Gracie was chasing a rabbit, which she lost sight of, she noticed a tangled clump of black...something... hanging in a bramble.
Kneeling to untangle the bramble, Gracie noticed that something seemed to be hair.
"Gracie?! Where are-Oh, there you are. Where's the rabbit?" Christen questioned.
"Sorry, lost sight of it." Gracie straightened up and stroked the hair to feel its texture.
Christen noticed, "What's that? Bear fur?"
Gracie's green eyes widened in disbelief, "No, it's hair...Human hair."