A hill of grey steps lead up to the large Cherry Hill Temple. Off to the side, at the arched entrance, a sign stood giving the name and other friendly symbols. The temple itself was set on spacious grounds, filled with hundred year old trees and other priceless treasures. Cherry trees lay erect around the main building; it was with a raised floor and various outer rooms connected to it.

        Serena raced up the stairs, hurrying to get out of the rain. Passing through a second arch before reaching level ground, she stopped to catch her breath. Voices came from a room off to the side, lit up brightly in the dreary afternoon. Adjusting her shoulder bag, Serena ran over to the raised floor that was covered with a large overhanging and headed for the bright room.

        Sliding open the door, four faces met her eyes. "Hey, we thought you'd gotten drowned out there," a tall girl with a long brown ponytail said, smiling.

        "Almost," Serena replied, slipping her shoes off before entering the room. Another girl, with blue hair that was cut to her chin, looked up from a book she was reading. A third with black hair that reached her upper thigh and was dressed in a red and white kimono gave Serena a reproving glance. The last girl also had hair that reached to her legs, but it was colored a silky blonde.

        The four teenagers watched as Serena sat down on a cushion, reaching for a plate of brownies in the middle of a low table.

        "Did you make these, Lita?" she asked the girl with the brown ponytail. Lita Kino smiled, her bright green eyes sparkling.

        "Yep. I hope you like them." She was at least a head taller than the other four present, and looked about seventeen rather than her age of fifteen. Her face still held onto last summer's tan, bringing out how pretty she was. Lita was wearing a short dress that had a red top and bottom with a purple mid-section, black belt, and boots that came up to the middle of her upper-leg. With her long hair pulled back, her pink rose earrings were visible, shining in the light.

       "Hey, Amy, what's this word mean?" the other blonde girl asked, leaning over to show the blue-haired girl a book. The blonde girl had light watercolor blue eyes and pale skin. She had an athletic frame and long legs. Mina Aino looked like the Greek goddess Aphrodite: tall, beautiful, and thin. Dressed in a short blue dress with an orange turtleneck, she had pulled back part of her long blonde hair with a large red bow. The blue-haired girl leaned across the table.

        "In loco parentis means in the place of parents." She smiled, returning to the book she was reading. Amy Anderson was brilliant and pretty. She had sparkling deep blue eyes and blue hair, pale skin, and was tall. Amy was quiet and shy. She wore a short orange skirt, white blouse, and blue vest, along with ankle-high hiking boots.

       "Serena!" the girl with black hair yelled, her deep purple eyes glinting with anger. Raye Hino was dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono, her long black hair hanging down against her back. She was pretty as well, with pale skin and a grace and dignity about her. Raye's grandfather owned and ran the Cherry Hill Temple, and the five girls studied almost every day in her room.

      "What?" Serena asked, stuffing a third brownie into her mouth.

      "We might want some, you know," Raye shot back.

      "Then ask!"

       Before a large argument could get started between the two, Lita cut in with, "I have some cookies in my bag. Don't worry; have as many as you like. I'm just glad that someone likes my cooking that much."

       A loud yawn came from Raye's bed as a black cat woke up. She had large red eyes and a crescent moon pointed upward on her forehead.

      "You would think that they could be quiet for just a moment," the cat said, shaking her head as she jumped onto the floor. Another cat, this one white with large sky blue eyes and an upturned crescent moon on his forehead also, sighed.

       "Luna, stop complaining," he muttered, sauntering over to Mina and jumping into her arms.

       "You know, Artemis, at least I don't whine." The black cat pounced into Amy's arms, climbing comfortably onto her shoulders. The girls were used to the two cats fighting; their talking was nothing out of the ordinary. The five were the Sailor Scouts, Champions of Justice, Truth, and Love. Luna and Artemis were their guardians, descended from the Moon Kingdom to guide the girls through their battles with the Negaverse.

       Serena was Super Sailor Moon, Princess Serena of the Moon Kingdom, and also Neo-Queen Serenity of the thirtieth century, the leader of the Sailor Scouts. Lita was Sailor Jupiter, the Princess of Jupiter, and the strongest warrior of them all. Mina was Sailor Venus, the Princess of Venus, and also the most experienced of the five because she had been fighting the Negaverse alone in England as Sailor V before teaming up with the others. Amy was Sailor Mercury, the Princess of Mercury, and also the technical genius because of her data computer and the technology that came with her Mercury Power. Raye was Sailor Mars, the Princess of Mars, and was able to control the Great Fire at the Cherry Hill Temple. They made the Sailor Scouts, defenders of Earth for three years.

        Their first war had been waged against Queen Beryl of the Negaverse, who had originally destroyed the Moon Kingdom and killed Serena's mother, Queen Serenity. The second war had been against Anne, Alan, and the Doom Tree; third had been against the evil thirtieth-century Negamoon Warriors. The fourth war had been against the Heart Snatchers, who were trying to control the Purity Force and destroy the world. All four times the Sailor Scouts had won thanks to Tuxedo Mask, the Moonlight Knight, and the Sailor Soldiers of the Outer Solar System, Sailors Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

       Lita looked at her watch, gasping slightly. "Did you know that we've been studying for six hours?"Amy, Mina, and Raye turned to look at her, Raye letting go of Serena's pigtails.

       "Really?" they said together.

        "Let's go get some burgers, okay?" Mina decided, standing up. Artemis jumped onto her shoulders, clinging tightly as she headed for the door. The other four followed.

       "Wait a sec. Let me change," Raye said, turning to her room and closing the door. A moment later she reappeared, dressed in a purple turtleneck with a red jumper over it and black heels. Red star earrings dangled from her ears, visible as she tucked her long hair behind her ears. The five girls grabbed umbrellas, heading out into the rain.