As Phoebe and Rose walked out of the building, Rose slapped herself on the forehead. "Phoebe! I can’t meet Serena and the others after school! I have karate and martial arts practice!" Phoebe groaned. "I can’t believe we forgot about that. This is very important tho..." "Hey, Rose, want to walk with me to martial arts practice?" Rose turned and saw Sonny. She gestured to Phoebe, trying to indicate that Phoebe should tell Serena that Rose couldn’t make it. Phoebe shook her head, not understanding. Rose sighed and looked at Sonny: "Hang on." She spun back to Phoebe. "Tell Serena that I can’t make it to the arcade and such because of my practice. Tell her maybe tonight would be appropriate because we can study instead." Phoebe got the message. "All right, Rose, I’ll meet up with Lita." Rose and Sonny walked away from the redhead. Rose’s eyes trailed about the street as she swung her book bag unconsciously, making sure not to hit the gold-blonde boy beside her. Sonny ran his fingers along the cold metal fence as they walked away from the school towards the martial arts center. When they got there, Sonny politely opened the door. Rose stepped in...and was nearly sent against the wall by someone rushing past. She quickly slid away, collapsing on the padded floor. Some girls in a corner, moaning about their "awful" practice robes, giggled at the sight of the uniformed girl skidding across the mats. "Rose!" Sonny rushed over to her. "Are you all right?" "Yeah..." Rose steadily got to her feet. "Just surprised. That person was awfully fast." "Really? I received a compliment from the amazing Rose Opal, huh?" Rose and Sonny turned their heads to look at the person who had spoken those words. She was tall, with midnight black hair in two pigtails and tan skin. Her eyes were dark brown, but surprisingly, Rose caught a quick flash of red. The girl looked peeved. "Be sure to look where you’re going, especially in a martial arts center. This isn’t a place for carelessness," the girl growled coldly. Sonny scowled. "This isn’t a place for running around like mad, either," he replied coolly. The girl snorted in discontent. "Who are you, anyway? Rosie’s boyfriend, hmm? You must have to be as perfect and smart and talented as she supposedly is to fit her tastes." "For your information, I have flaws like every other human being," Rose snapped, her face growing red. The pigtailed girl was about to say something else when the sound of Master Shin’s hands being clapped together stopped her. Master Shin looked weary and dismayed. "Sarah, do not be angry. Apologize to Miss Opal and let her go and change." The girl frowned and mumbled, "Sorry" in a cruel tone. She spun around and stalked off, Sonny glaring after her. "Who does that witch think she is?" he snarled as Rose’s hazel eyes followed the girl’s retreating form. "I think she’s from Juban Senior High," Rose answered softly, feeling tears well up in her eyes. Sonny gazed at the coming tears. He brought his hand down to her cheek and quickly caught a trailing drop. Rose’s lip quivered. "No, no, Rose, don’t be upset," Sonny shushed. "Shhh...she’s just envious"and cruel. Don’t let her bring you down." "I’m sorry..." Rose sniffled, laughing a bit as Sonny brushed the tears off her cheeks with a gentle hand. "You’re right...I shouldn’t be upset over her insults." "Go and change. I’ll change too. Let’s forget about that..." Sonny cut himself off. "Well, let’s go." Rose, clutching her book bag, hurried off to the girl’s room to change. When she emerged, she saw Sonny, sitting with the boys, glare at Sarah, who was against the wall on the girl’s side coldly watching Rose enter. Rose haughtily held her head up high, pretending not to notice Sarah, and sat down next to a group of chatting girls. Rose did not notice the red glint in Sarah’s irises. "What is that aura I sense around her?" Rose wondered to herself. "But she can’t be the one with the blue transformation pen...she’s too rough, too...strong. She could possibly be the Senshi of storms! But maybe she isn’t. She’s not kind...not at all." A young girl stood at the entrance to her after-school doctor class. Whispering students bustled about her, pushing and shoving as they made their ways down the halls. Juban Junior High School got crowded in the hallways when the final bell rang. Luckily the girl was already at her classroom; she couldn’t walk very strongly, for she had been sick with bronchitis for quite some time, making her pale and weak. "Hey, Tracey!" a cheerful voice called. The girl turned as her best friend bounded up to her. The classmate was quite different from Tracey. She had a strong, perfect weight body, with normal looking skin and green hair that was cut in a "sailor style" (which was when your hair length ends at your chin). Tracey was small for her age, thin, pale, and had long, an-inch-past-the-shoulders length blond hair that was caught up in a low ponytail with a blue bow. "Hi, Irene," Tracey greeted softly. Irene frowned. "Hey, don’t feel down! So you stayed home for a month...big deal! We missed you all the while!" "Doesn’t seem like it," Tracey argued sadly. "Myra’s moved, and Kendall’s gone and went with that new girl who hates me and isn’t our friend anymore. You’re the only one who acknowledges my existence in this school." Irene rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Trace, do you think I’d ever be like Kendall? And besides, Myra writes. She’s written you three letters already, and I’ve received two!" "I guess everything’s ok...but we have to stick together," Tracey replied. Irene put her arm around the smaller girl’s shoulders. "You bet. Not one evil being will ever set us apart!" "Especially not boys," Tracey laughed. Irene nodded solemnly. "Especially not boys." The late bell rang. "Well, my after-school-doctor class is going to begin. See you tomorrow, Irene," Tracey called. "Bye, Tracey!" yelled Irene as she skipped off. Later" Rose left the center feeling hurt and confused. Sarah did not seem to have any heart. After Rose had gotten the move before Sarah did, the dark-eyed girl had scoffed and said, "Ha, the perfect child’s gotten the move later than I thought. Don’t you guys think she would have mastered it first?" Rose was only comforted by the evil looks the girls were giving Sarah and the disbelieving eye rolls from Sonny and the other boys. Rose didn’t walk very far; she sat on a bench, rubbing her sore arm, for during the practice she had hit the wooden plank she was practicing on too hard, straining a muscle. Sarah had ignored it, for once seeing that Rose did make mistakes. Rose whimpered as another wave of pain shot through her arm as she moved it. Sonny had run off, telling her that he had to get home and make dinner for himself (his father and mother both worked late), leaving Rose to walk home by herself. She got up from the bench and, swinging her book bag over her shoulder, gave her uniform a brush. Her necklace shone in the late afternoon sunlight as she began walking down the sidewalk, passing shoppers and children. She stalled at her garden, giving her plants some water and tending to the thorny roses that were dying. It was, after all, still hot, early September. Rose walked up, stuck the key in her lock, and opened the door. She stepped in, feeling the warmth of the house engulf her. She locked the door behind her and rushed up the stairs. Comet was stretched out on Rose’s bed, sleeping. Rose smiled and set her book bag by her desk, walking over and sitting down next to the sleeping, chocolate colored cat. Comet purred as she rubbed his soft belly and scratched him behind the ears. "Aaaaah..." Comet purred in a relaxed tone, stretching out. "A little more to the right..." Rose laughed and moved her head to the side of Comet’s belly. He mewed as she scratched him behind the ears harder and meowed in protest when she pulled away. "I do need belly rubs sometimes," he complained as she began taking her homework out of her book bag. Rose giggled, "Hey, I know, but I have to do homework." Comet meowed. "Every time you say that, the phone rings or something distracts you." "Not this time," Rose laughed, seating herself at her desk and pushing her math homework in front of her. She groaned at the sight of the math problems. "Then again...I wish something would distract me. This is a lot of work!" Even so, she picked up her pencil, pulled out a fresh sheet of binder paper, and labeled it. As she began working, Comet leaped off the bed and stood beside her chair, watching her solve the problems and flicking his tail. Rose peered at her paper, scrawled down another answer, and did not notice Comet stalk down the stairs, his tail in the air. Rose smiled, knowing that he had finally realized that she wasn’t going to be swayed from her work. All she had to do was finish the assignment and she would be free for the rest of the evening. Once she got stuck on a problem and she threw down her pencil in a fit of frustration. Rose stared at the paper, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, as she stared at the paper. The algebra equation she was supposed to solve filled her mind and eyes. She started feeling embarrassed, discovering how she was making a big deal out of a little problem. She had faced a flaming youma and a storm dragon! Rose quickly rushed downstairs, clutching her papers and pencil to her chest. She shoved them onto the kitchen table, rushed to the phone, and pulled out the phone book. "Anderson...Anderson..." Rose found three Andersons in the book and dialed the first one. "Hello?" a familiar voice asked on the other line. "Is this the residence of Amy Anderson and her family?" Rose asked timidly. "This is Amy speaking. Who’s this?" Rose heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Hey, Amy, it’s me, Rose." "Oh! Hi, Rose! We heard from Phoebe that you couldn’t come see us after school," Amy replied. "Yeah," Rose answered simply. "We’re going to meet at Rei’s house tonight. You know where it is?" "Nope. I don’t know," Rose responded, looking upset. "Oh, don’t worry! My mother can take us both. Where do you live?" Rose explained her location and then said, "Oh, Amy, the reason why I called is to ask you about a math problem, but since we’re going to Rei’s, how about you help me there?" "Sounds good. Skip the problem for now, ok?" "Gotcha. Bye, Amy. Pick me up around 7:00." "I will," Amy agreed. "Bye." Rose set down the phone, rushed back upstairs, and began working on the other problems. Before she knew it, every problem except the one she was stuck on was done. She looked out the window, setting down her pencil and sliding her homework into her math folder. Her light brown eyes took in the sight of her garden and the clouds high in the sky, and her ears absorbed the sounds of birds chirping and the breeze rushing by. She got out of her school uniform and changed into a short-sleeved red shirt, a pair of black leggings, and black sandals. For a finishing touch, she fastened her Transformation Necklace around her neck. Then she grabbed her book bag and rushed downstairs, ready to fix a meal. She looked at the clock. <6:02> she thought to herself. As she started to boil some pasta, Comet strolled in and batted at the front door. Rose giggled. "You could say please," she laughed. "All right...please let me out," Comet growled. "Very good, Comet!" And Rose opened the door, letting Comet rush outside, swinging his tail. Rose went back, waited for the pasta to boil, stirred it, and left the pasta in a sieve in the sink in order for it to drain. She set herself a plate and a glass along with a fork, a knife, and a napkin, and she poured herself a glass of milk. She sighed, setting her book bag down and checking the clock again. It was 6:25. Five minutes later, Rose put some pasta on her plate, sat back down, and murmured a silent grace. She quickly ate, wiping her mouth after huge mouthfuls and feeling anxious to get going to Rei’s. Time didn’t seem to go fast enough for her. As she finished washing her dishes, the doorbell rang. Rose jumped. It was only 6:55! But nonetheless, she grabbed up her book bag, wiped her face off, and opened the door. The blue haired girl was standing there, a smile on her face and books under her arm. "Hello, Amy," Rose greeted. "Hi, Rose. Nice outfit," Amy complimented. "Thank you," Rose grinned. "Well, let’s get moving." She called, "Bye, Comet!" and heard a responding meow from the bushes. Both girls giggled as they got into Dr. Anderson’s car. The ride to Rei’s house was uncomfortably silent; Amy later explained that it was because one of Dr. Mizuno’s patients had gotten sicker and she could do nothing about it. So Rose spent the time gazing out the window and daydreaming about many different things, including the upcoming dance. Amy tried to start a light chitchat with her mother, but only got "Honey, I’m driving" from her. Amy sighed and leaned her head against the window. When the car screeched to a halt in front of Rei’s house, Rose was only too happy to leap out of the car with her book bag, wave to Dr. Mizuno, and rush to the house side by side with Amy. Amy rapped on the door three times, and Mina opened it. She grinned at Rose. "Glad you could make it," Mina greeted, moving to the side so Rose and Amy could enter the house. "Everyone’s here except for Lita, but I expect Lita will be here any minute now." Rose smiled at the blond haired girl. "Glad to hear it." Mina shut the door and the three entered the room. Rei was trying to stop Serena from reading her manga (while Serena was wailing loudly and clutching onto one of the comic books) while Phoebe, sitting in a corner, was plugging her ears and had a book on her lap. Rose went over to Serena and snatched the manga away. The waterfalls of tears suddenly ceased at Serena stared in surprise. "Sorry, I’m not trying to be mean, but I thought we were here to talk," Rose explained, handing the book to Rei. "And study," Amy added, "once Lita gets here." Rose nodded. Rei, who was sliding her manga onto a bookshelf, motioned for Rose to sit down on the floor by the table. Rose did so, gracefully folding her legs underneath her and setting her pencil and math homework on the table. "So all we have is math, correct? I have one problem," Rose rushed out. Rei rolled her eyes. "I only had science, so I tried to help Serena, but she refused to do her work because she was tired." Rose frowned at Serena and then softened her expression. "Really, Serena, you should work on this assignment." "I am," Serena growled, showing her a half-filled paper. "After hours of griping," a voice snapped. Rose and Phoebe watched as a black cat entered the room, its tail swishing. A bright symbol shaped like a crescent moon was on her forehead. The cat was a she, and she looked kindly at the redhead and the girl with the long brown braid. "Hello, Rose and Phoebe. I am Luna, Serena’s cat and," Luna glared at Serena, as if daring her mistress to contradict, "advisor." "Nice to meet you," Rose replied gently. "Yes, it’s truly a pleasure," Phoebe joined in. Luna smiled, her whiskers twitching. "Well, before we get started on schoolwork, we better have our talk." She looked around. "Where’s Lita?" "Coming, I hope," Mina answered. Rose heard the sound of knocking, leaped to her feet, and ran to the door. She quickly opened it, revealing the tall brunette. "Hello, Rose," Lita grinned, stepping in. "I hope I’m not late." "No, you’re on time," Rose responded cheerfully, leading Lita in. Lita, after exchanging hellos with the others, sat down and watched as Luna, joined by Artemis, jumped on the table. Phoebe scooted next to Rose and both girls listened in interest as Luna began speaking in a soft voice. "You know mostly everything about the Sol Scouts. I have heard that Serena and the others told you about their powers and how they represent their planets. But what is really important is that we talk about whom you are and your past. I would also like to tell you that there are 28 Sailor Scouts, including the Starlights." "28? You said 27!" Rei informed. "We did? We apologize. Miscalculation," Luna added quickly. "Now would you mind letting me continue?" Rei scowled as Luna continued talking. "As you know, Rose is Darien’s sister, and therefore second heir to the throne of Elysion and Crystal Tokyo once it emerges. Nobody thought that a baby girl would be born, but in order for the cycle of the Sailor Scouts to work, you were brought into the world. At first, you were chosen to be your brother’s guardian and protector. Neither you nor your brother liked the idea. Rose, your destiny changed when four scouts from the planet Iris, the planet of elements, came to your mother and asked for union against the Negaverse forces rising towards the planet. Phoebe, you were one of those scouts." Artemis took up where Luna had left off. "Not only did the Lunarians give Iris their protection, so did the citizens of the Earth. Even though the kingdoms of the Moon and Elysion were at war, both agreed to give Iris their union. In fact, Princess Rosemary’s mother decided that she would allow Rosemary to lead a group of these four new scouts. They were known as the Gaea scouts. Once the Lunarians and Elysion citizens were at peace, Rosemary and Endymion were allowed into the Moon Kingdom for one visit. There, Rosemary met Phaethon, prince of the sun, but that is a whole different story. "Now let’s fast forward. Pearl, a separate unit of the Negaverse, is the villain you are looking for. She has many allies, including youmas, Negaverse warriors, and her own brother. They are searching for the Sol Scouts and once they get their hands on the Silver Crystal...if they get their hands on the Silver Crystal, they will be able to find the Dark Shard, a piece of a ruby you (indicating Rose) sent from the future to the past. However even without the crystal, they could still get the Dark Shard." Rose was staring. "So let me guess...I have to find my scouts and the Dark Shard?" "Yes," Luna and Artemis chorused. Amy looked to be in deep thought. "But Pearl’s forces are incredibly strong. I see that she injects sufficient energy into her youmas, including elements and sources of wind and fire and maybe even other effective positive and negative segments of power." "And once she finds the Dark Shard, we’re done for," Rei added grimly. Serena looked up from the scrawls on her math paper. "If she gets the Dark Shard," she said in a quiet, solemn voice that made everyone listen, "we’re in a bad situation. And I, as future queen of Crystal Tokyo, aim to stop Pearl." She turned to Rose. "Will you find these scouts of yours and join with us to stop the force?" Rose immediately replied, "Yes, princess." Then she laughed. "I mean, Serena. You just sounded very regal." Mina responded, "She will make a fine queen." Serena blushed and giggled. "But..." Everyone whirled around to look at the worried face of Phoebe. "But what if they find the Dark Shard before we find them?" "Even worse," Lita attached, "what if they find us?"