Chapter 83

"WAKE UP SERENA! YOU'RE LATE!" Luna screamed.

"Wha...how?" Serena muttered rising from her bed.

"You set your alarm for PM not AM!"

"Oh...that would do it," Serena muttered and stood slowly up and moved to get dressed.

"Aren't you going to even try to make it on time?" Luna asked surprised.

"And what be three minutes late? Three minutes, thirty minutes...it's not much difference really," Serena muttered as she put her uniform on.

"But it's the principle of it?" Luna said.

"Luna, I'm not about to run down the street like a fool. I'd rather sit in detention."

"Well..I guess that's the tradeoff...you just seem so relaxed," Luna said.

"I guess I am," Serena said.

"Any reason why?"

"None that I know of," Serena said grabbing her book bag and walking to the stairs.

"That worries me, but I don't know why yet," Luna said to herself.

Serena took her time walking to school, she just wasn't afraid of Miss Haruna's wrath. It was quite sunny out, the air was clear.

And we spend all this time in school, on days like this...there has to be something wrong about that. Serena thought. Maybe not in this world...but...on a higher level..if it existed.

And yet I keep going..I guess I do have some sense of responsibility...but why does it always show up when I least want it to? Of course..that's what responsibility is...isn't it? Why am I talking to myself about this kind of stuff...boy I've changed.

A truck drove by her quickly, and a few oranges flew off the back of it, and hit her right in the head.

"I could have predicted that!" She shouted. "I am in complete understanding of my life!"

"Good for you! Now get to school you slacker!" someone shouted.

"Hey! That wasn't nice at all!" Serena snapped and moved on.

When she finally walked in the door of her classroom, she found the entire class staring at her and then glancing at their watches.

"Thirty Two Minutes Fourteen Seconds," Melvin was the first to say.

"The one day we decide to time her, she takes her time," Haruna snapped.

"We could have stopped at anytime..." Amy said.

"It's the principle of the thing!" Haruna yelled.

"Wait a minute...you guys spent the last 32 minutes just sitting there waiting for me?" Serena asked.

"Yeah...." The entire class mumbled back.

Serena paused a second before breaking into hysterical laughter.

"You find it funny! You're going to get such a huge detention!" Haruna shouted.

"It was worth it!" Serena said and sat down with a grin on her face.

"I'm sorry guys, but it was just so funny..all of you just sitting there," Serena said hours later at lunch.

"Glad you enjoyed it, the rest of us actually got here on time," Raye muttered.

"Oh come on Raye, I usually make it too. Just today things were a little different, and for once I decided not to go running down the street like a madwoman," Serena said.

"Serena's argument is quite logical," Amy said. "Aside from the subject matter of course."

"Logic has nothing to do with it," Raye said.

"Why not Raye?" Mina asked.

"Because it's the principle of the thing!" Raye said.

"How many times am I going to hear that today?" Serena muttered.

"So..what has everyone got planned for later?" Mina asked changing the subject quickly.

"Well obviously Serena has plans," Lita said. The girls smiled.

"Yep," Serena said.

"I thought I'd go down to the arcade and leer at Andrew for a while...I meant..play a game..for a while..." Lita said.

"That was an awfully long Freudian slip Lita," Amy said.

"Well..I'm a very Freudian person..." Lita said.

"You can't handle how Freudian she is," Serena said.

"What?" The other four girls asked.

"Uh..made you look," Serena said.

The other four sighed.

"I think I'll come to the arcade too..there this guy..game...I want to try.." Mina said.

"Why is it that you two can't seem to remember that you have boyfriends?" Raye asked.

"Flirting is still all right no matter what one's romantic status is," Lita replied quickly.

"Right...according to rule is it eleven?" Mina said.

"Right..eleven," Lita said.

"What rulebook are you reading from?" Serena asked.

"Honestly, does it really matter?" Raye said. "Anyway..unlike you two potential two-timers...I've got to finish fixing one of my walls," Raye said. "Anyone want to help?"

"I've got a lot of studying Raye, but I'll lend a hand," Amy said.

"Knew I could count on you Amy," Raye said.

"Uh..well..I'm no good with my hands," Lita said.

"Me neither," Mina said.

"We'd just be in the way..." the two added in unison.

"I'm so glad you're looking out for my convenience," Raye said with her eyes narrowed. "After all, you are just a cook and a gymnast you two."

The two smiled nervously in reply.

"I'd help ya...Raye..." Serena said stuffing most of a chicken leg in her mouth and chewing.. "But detention and all."

"And I bet if it wasn't Detention is would be something else that starts with a D, namely Darrien," Raye said.

"Or Desserts," Lita said.

"Wow..you've guys have that D theme down don't you?" Serena snapped.

"Say...why is it that the guys haven't been participating in our conversation one bit and for that matter..why are we all sitting at one end of the table?" Raye asked. The five girls looked. Greg and Rick were sitting on the opposite side of the table from Steve and Mike. Each of them had a little toy warrior resting over the tips of one finger. Patterson sat with his head bowed towards the table.

"Fight," he said. The four started trying to hit each other's warriors with their own. Mike's fell off first.

"Aw...geez...." he said. The five girls all looked at each other and sighed.

"Rule eleven doesn't seem that improper anymore," Raye said.

That afternoon.

"So what inclined you to take your time today?" Haruna asked.

"Thought there was no point in rushing as I was going to be late anyway," Serena said.

"Well...that makes sense," Haruna said in surprise. "Though it's still irresponsible."

"Maybe Miss H, but when I'm barreling down the street at high speed I could crash into someone and hurt them."

"That's true...but the solution is to your problem is to get here on time."

"Well...I usually am..it's just my alarm clock is possessed...besides if I hadn't taken my time you wouldn't have had the opportunity to all stare at the door...."

"You weren't doing us any favors," Haruna said. "By the way Serena..if I may ask...what are you doing here anyway?"

"What?" Haruna asked.

"Well..in high school...how'd you get here."

"I passed the examination with ten points to spare...I nearly aced the math portion," Serena said.

"Well..I would have guessed that your English grade didn't help you."

"No, no it didn't," Serena said.

"Why are you kids so nutty anyway?" Haruna said with frustration.

"Well don't you know Miss H..you must have been our age once.."

"You speak of it like I'm old," Haruna snapped.

"No..uh...I didn't mean it...you know..um...embarrassment...hmm..."

"Well...Serena..when I was a teenager I know I saw things differently then I do now, but I wasn't as completely far gone as you all are...and for some reason fate has decided to put you and all your cohorts in the same class for me to deal with. It was all Melvin's fault wasn't it? He could have rigged the class setup," Haruna said.

"Uh..I wouldn't know," Serena said.

"And those three idiots in the back..what's their problem?"

"You mean Rick, Steve, and Mike."

"Yes."

"They're sharing one brain."

Haruna grinned slightly and then started laughing. Serena began laughing too. They carried on for about a minute.

"Stop..you're not supposed to be enjoying this," Haruna said sternly.

"Sorry," Serena said.

"How's the wall coming Raye?" Serena said poking her head in the door to Raye's room. She found Raye and Amy sitting there leafing through a comic book.

"I fixed the wall a week ago. Mina and Lita wanted to see this comic book the minute it came in the mail. I decided to make them wait a while..and knew the thought of doing housework would scare them away," Raye said.

"Pretty devious isn't it?" Amy asked.

"Uh..yeah..can I have a look?" Serena said.

"Fortunately..we were just finishing," Raye said. "As I had planned it."

"Well..you've just got us all figured out don't you?" Serena replied.

"It has it's uses," Raye said.

"Well..I'll see you two later..I've got studying to do," Amy said.

"Studying....what would we do without that?" Serena said.

"Fail," Amy said bluntly and walked out.

"Raye..can I ask you something?" Serena asked.

"I guess," Raye said.

"I'm asking you because I know you're the most critical of me."

"Okay..."

"Do you think I'm responsible...I mean in any way?" Serena asked.

Raye put down the comic book and thought about her answer.

"Well...occasionally..you are," Raye said.

"That's all I needed to here..thanks..." Serena said and dashed out.

"She still managed to twist my words..." Raye said in annoyance and sighed.

"She forgot about the comic book," she added.

Serena rang the doorbell of Darrien's apartment. Darrien answered the door.

"Yes," Serena said.

"Oh..hey Serena," Darrien said.

"Hi Darrien," Serena said.

"I only have a few minutes..but you're welcome to come in," Darrien said.

"It's always that way now isn't it?" Serena muttered as she walked in the door.

"Well..Serena..college is tough..I can't just slack off."

"Couldn't you slack off just enough to see me more?"

Darrien grinned.

"Fraid not..but in a few weeks I'll be past mid terms and the project I'm working on and we can spend more time together," Darrien said.

"But is this how it's going to be for a while."

"Well..Serena...we have spent a lot of time together before, and next summer will be all ours."

"Like it was last summer?" Serena asked.

"Serena..you know things can't be perfect all the time."

"I am the world's foremost expert on things being un-perfect. I should know that," Serena said.

"Foremost expert huh?"Darrien asked.

"Yeah..I don't know what foremost means but it sounds important."

Darrien laughed.

"So how's school?" Darrien asked.

"I got a detention today," Serena said.

"So what else is new?" Darrien asked.

"Heh...I've been better..anyway...for some reason my math grade is still at the top of my class, third...behind Amy and Greg that is..of course they have to work for it."

"You're a math prodigy. Yet you have no idea what to do with it do you?"

"Well Darrien, I know for one thing that I should stay out of math. It may be easy, but It's so drab and boring."

"Hmm...good thing I'm not majoring in mathematics then," Darrien said.

"Yes it is, because if you were I would have to leave you," Serena said so disarmingly serious that Darrien wasn't sure how to take it.

"What about physics?" he asked.

"Oh..that's fine, but isn't teaching gym shooting a little low," Serena said.

"You didn't just say that," Darrien said in surprise.

"Of course I know what Physics really is..it's shooting things around in one of those amusement park rides and measuring how much their face gets smushed..."

"Well..sort of," Darrien said. "But I do want to work for the space program."

"What space program?" Serena asked.

Both of them looked at each other for a minute or so.

"We can start one," Darrien added somewhat more meekly then he would have liked.

Serena grinned.

"We all have dreams I guess," Serena said. "I guess I should let you work and all, since you'll be paying the bills when we get married and I want you to have a job that can give me everything I want."

"Uh....yeah...good plan," Darrien said managing a nervous grinned.

"Bye Darrien," Serena said and walked out.

"She's in a good mood....wonder why," Darrien said.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Mina shouted.

"Why don't you!" Lita shouted back. The two were occupying the two player racing game set up in the arcade.

"You were looking at Andrew again, weren't you?" Mina said.

"So were you," Lita said.

"How do you know that?" Mina snapped.

"Well...if you'll look at the screen...both of our cars are sitting several hundred feet off the track in rubble which meant we both veered off and crashed into each other after we had left the track. If you hadn't been distracted you couldn't possibly have hit me," Lita said.

Mina grinned nervously.

"Maybe I was just drunk," she said.

"Hey guys! How's the leering going!" Serena said popping up behind the two startling both of them.

"Serena, don't do that again," Mina said.

"I second that motion," Lita said.

"Now I know how Melvin feels..." Serena said. "Not that's it any of my business, but I've never seen two cars so far off the track like that.....How'd you pull that off..and it seems like it happened in almost perfect unison."

"We..were drunk," The two answered in unison.

"Oh..I see," Serena said.

"How'd detention go?" Mina asked.

"Fine," Serena said. "And actually I feel quite refreshed."

"Is that a warning?" Lita asked.

"Hey girls...wow..got yourself quite a crash there," Andrew said walking up.

"They were drunk," Serena said.

"Oh..." Andrew said. "Hey..I didn't tell you all the good news yet..despite the fact that those monsters trashed my sister's performance, she's still be offered a chance to work with one of the best violinists in the country at the music college," Andrew said.

"That is good news...we should congratulate her later," Serena said.

"You know it seems that evil's everywhere these days, but the Sailor Scouts did the job like they always do," Andrew said.

"We..ahem..they..have a knack for it," Serena said.

"Say Andrew...if you could..would you date a Sailor Scout?" Mina asked.

"Presuming of course you didn't already date Rita," Lita said.

"Of course," Mina added.

"I don't know, I'm sure they're nice girls, I mean you'd have to be to do what they do. I guess any of them would probably make a good girlfriend I'd bet," Andrew said. To his surprise, Serena, Lita, and Mina all fell to the ground in happiness.

"Girls?" Andrew said.

"We're fine..we'll be back up in a minute," Serena said.

"Oh..well...I'll just let you do your thing then," Andrew said and walked off.

"Did you hear that?" Lita said.

"I did," Mina said.

"So did I," Serena said.

"He's mine," Mina said.

"No way," Lita said.

"What the..."they all heard Andrew say excitedly and then something crash to the floor. They heard a large hiss. Andrew backed towards them.

"Everyone get out!" he shouted. Something leapt and knocked him to the ground.

The three girls scrambled to get up only to tangle themselves up in each other, and only seconds later were able to join the panicked group running out the door.

Standing over Andrew was a creature that had no right eye, but instead a star. With the star it began to draw Andrew's heart out from his body.

Serena, Mina, and Lita, hurried into the street and began to look for a place to change amidst the crowd of about twenty people who had fled the arcade.

"Where's my mommy?" they heard a voice said and looked down to see a young girl standing there.

"I'll take care of here..you handle that thing," Mina said quickly and hurried to the girl amidst the chaos.

"Come on, we'll find your mommy," Mina said and lead the girl out of the conflict.

"We can transform in the alley," Lita said.

"We always transform in the alley," Serena said.

"Does it matter?"

"Well it is a bit boring."

"Serena! That doesn't matter."

"I know, I know," Serena said. "Moon Crystal Power!"

"Jupiter Star Power!"

The two transformed.

"What do we do when we get in there?" Jupiter asked.

"How about beat the monster," Sailor Moon replied.

"Without doing heavy damage to the arcade?" Jupiter said.

"How about doing heavy damage..no one knows who we are we don't have to pay for it."

"But Andrew might lose his job."

"All right..you've sold me..why don't you use your superstrength to hit it hard, then I'll try to stab it with the Moon Sword," Sailor Moon said.

"Good idea," Jupiter said.

"Moon Sword," Sailor Moon said and her light sword appeared.

"Let's go," Jupiter said and raced back in the automatic door. Sailor Moon followed.

The creature had just grabbed Andrew's heart and left him lying on the ground. Jupiter jumped forward and hit the creature in the face with a jab. It staggered back and hit the counter, but clutched the heart. Sailor Moon let out a battle cry and lunged forward with her sword. The creature dived out of the way. Sailor Moon screeched and flew over the counter crashing into a stack of game magazines behind it. Jupiter tackled the monster as it tried to stand up. The monster let out a hiss and began to glow. Jupiter felt very warm.

"Oh.no..that must be it's power!" she shouted and let go. The creature dashed for the door.

"Sailor Moon come on!" Jupiter shouted.

"Ehh.." Sailor Moon said climbing over the counter awkwardly. The creature ran out into the street and was immediately hit by a aquamarine wave of energy. It flew back several feet. Jupiter and Sailor Moon ran out the door, just in time to see the creature hit with a yellow attack. It began to wobble at the hits.

"Jupiter Thunderclap Zap!" Jupiter shouted unleashing her attack. It hit the creature and knocked it to the ground, but it still clutched the heart. They watched Sailor Uranus land beside it and kick the creature in the head.

"That wasn't very honorable," Sailor Moon said. "Even by our standards."

"Give me the heart," Uranus said and stepped on the creature's arm. It began to glow and grabbed her leg. Causing her to let out a shout.

"Uranus!" Neptune shouted and ran forward unable to use her energy attack because Uranus was in the way.

The creature sprang up, let go of the heart, and clutched her too sending energy shooting through both of them.

"Enough is enough!" Sailor Moon shouted and ran forward swinging her sword. It cut right into the monster's chest and caused it to drop the two Sailor Scouts. The three all lunged for the crystal heart. The creature let out a shriek and exploded spewing energy at them and knocking the three backwards. They hit the ground hard. Uranus stood up holding the heart.

"It's not a talisman," she said examining it. "Keep it," she muttered and flung it to Jupiter who caught it and hurried inside to give it to Andrew. The two scouts turned to jump away.

"What? No thank you," Sailor Moon said.

"For what?" Uranus replied and the two jumped off.

"Well..how do you like that," Sailor Moon muttered.

"Eudial, we're not doing to well are we?" Professor Tomoe asked.

"Well..some might say that Professor," Eudial said.

"Don't kid yourself, we've struck out, thrown a brick, dropped the pass, shot wide of the net, put our hands on the soccer ball, missed the putt, scrambled the scrum, used the field hockey stick for a nose picker..."

"Sir...you're just making up the last few," Eudial said.

"I do that...it's what kept me from getting my first doctoral thesis approved...made up the last half of my data..and it was important data too," Tomoe said.

"What was it about professor?" Eudial asked.

"The thesis. Something about rats and flying nuns...but it was iron clad..until they found out I was just a big liar! Hah hah!"

"Uh..professor...how did you ever get a doctorate though?" Eudial asked.

"Oh..that...long story...with many uninteresting subplots and very annoying characters."

"Then don't bother telling it," Eudial said.

"I won't. Come..we have plans to make."

"Yes Professor."

"Oh..and by the way...do you think I should start wearing underwear?" Tomoe asked.

"PROFESSOR!" Eudial said.

Later that night.

"You know Luna, the more I fight these battles, the more I get used to it," Serena said staring out the window.

"Well it's good that you can accept it," Luna said.

"Is it though?"

"Well..you might have a point, it's not exactly natural for girls your age to accept that they have to fight life and death decisions very frequently, and I'm sure it's not easy, but you have to play the hand you were dealt," Luna said.

"Well..that's all true, but Luna...why won't this war end. More and more people are getting drawn in...Rick died...over this...how long can we keep going?"

"I don't know Serena, but we have no choice."

"We should."

"I wish you did, I really do."

CHAPTER 66 CHAPTER 67 CHAPTER 68 CHAPTER 69 CHAPTER 70  CHAPTER 71 

CHAPTER 72 CHAPTER 73 CHAPTER 74 CHAPTER 75  CHAPTER 76 CHAPTER 77

 CHAPTER 78 CHAPTER 79 CHAPTER 80  CHAPTER 81  CHAPTER 82 CHAPTER 83

CHAPTER 84 CHAPTER 85  CHAPTER 86 CHAPTER 87 CHAPTER 88 CHAPTER 89

 CHAPTER 90 CHAPTER 91 CHAPTER 92 CHAPTER 93 CHAPTER 94 CHAPTER 95

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