Here is the final chapter of the fanfiction series.  
E-mail SlrUnico@aol.com and tell me what you think.  
I need notes on how I used character development and if 
I did all right with descriptions.  This has been what I 
think a pretty fun story to write, but I need your 
opinions on if it is really good to read too.

"Flight 104 bound for Paris France is on time and will be 
arriving shortly."
     Amy turned to her friends.  Serena, Mina, Raye, and 
Lita were waiting with her at the airport.  Dr. Anderson 
was further away, talking to a few personnel members about 
the flight.  
     "This is it," Serena said.  "You won't forget us, you 
promised."
     "I won't."  Amy smiled.  "I'll write every one of you, 
I promise."
     Her mother hurried over to their group.  "All right 
dear," she said to Amy.  "Now, who did you say is going to 
be picking you up at the airport?"
     "Two good friends of mine, Haruka and Michiru."
     "All right, just how credible are these people?"
     "You know them, Mom.  Michi beat me in the swimming 
meet we had a few years back, remember?" 
     "Ah, yes.  And will you be able to pick out their mode 
of transportation easily?  Have they told you yet what they'll 
be receiving you in so you'll know?"
     Amy blushed.  "Weeeelll...I think Haruka's dirt bike....
or her race car..."
     Serena laughed at the expression on the doctor's face.  
"WHAT???"
     Then Amy laughed.  "Don't worry Mom, they're coming in 
a limo.  Michiru said something about an aspiring doctor 
should travel in style.  Anyway, they're rich, they can 
afford it."
     Dr. Anderson relaxed and the other girls giggled.
     "Flight 104 bound for Paris, Franc is now boarding.  
Final call for Flight 104 to Paris."  The loudspeaker 
announced this latest bulletin with a nasal sounding 
unconcerned voice.
     Amy looked at her friends.  Dr. Anderson rushed off to 
talk to some other passengers, or maybe just to let her 
daughter have the last few moments alone with the other girls.
     "This is it," repeated Serena.
     Lita helped Amy hoist her carry on bag onto her shoulder.  
"Remember to write."
     "You all have to write back though," laughed Amy.
     "Luna will see to that," commented Serena.  Then she 
snapped her fingers.  "Oh yeah, she wanted me to give you 
this.  She said she was sorry she couldn't come too."  Serena 
felt in her pocket and withdrew a slightly crumpled envelope 
addressed to "Amy ~ Sailor Mercury".  Then she handed it over 
to Amy.  "Read it on the plane."
     Amy nodded, took the note, and slipped it into her bag.  
A flood of passengers moved past them to the gate and she 
looked at them and then at her friends.  "It's time."
     They all hugged Amy, willing each not to cry, though 
their blue haired friend already was.  "Do you have your pen 
and com?" asked Mina.
     "Yes, Luna said for us to keep them."  Amy pulled away, 
tears making shiny trails on her cheeks.  "I better go...I'll
 miss you all...we'll be together in out hearts."
     "Good bye," said Serena hoarsely. "Good bye Sailor Mercury."
     This made Amy break down even harder and she moved to 
the line to go to the gate.  It was all Serena could do to 
run after her.  Instead, stifling a sob, she ran to the window, 
where the plane was, dragging the other three girls with her.  
Amy called good-bye to them, still crying.  She hugged her 
mother who was there, and who whispered something encouraging 
to her.  Then she walked silently to the plane.       
After a few minutes the plane started off.  Serena watched 
it glide down the runway, then pick up the wheels and jet 
off.  She waved enthusiastically, and tried to stop her 
tears which threatened to continue to stream down her face.  
"Goodbye Mercury," she said softly.  Lita patted her shoulder 
and Serena remembered.  One was gone...the Sailor Scouts 
were breaking up for real.

~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~

The screeching wheels of a train on the tracks were heard as 
the huge locomotive pulled up to the station.  Serena was 
slumped on a bench, trying to get over the fact that Amy was 
gone and they they were about to lose another Scout.
     Chad, who had been at the window, began to wave 
enthusiastically at the girls, who were crowded around 
Raye and Serena on the wooden seat.  "Hey, hey, the train 
is, like, here!" he called out.
     "As if we didn't know," Raye said sarcastically, but 
her heart wasn't in it.  She sighed and picked up her luggage.  
Chad of course almost tripped over another going-to-be passenger 
on the train to the mountain town of Kartoho to help her with 
them.  He grabbed all five pieces and held them in a towering 
pile in his arms.  
     "I've got them!" he said jovially.  "Don't you worry about 
a thing, Raye."
     "Oh don't worry, I won't."
     Lita opened the door for the group and they all stepped 
outside, Mina helping Chad out since he could not see.  Raye 
and Serena were last.  Serena, for one, had spent the entire 
time from the airport where they had seen Amy leave to the 
train station to drop off Raye, thinking about how she would 
say good-bye to her dark haired friend.  Raye was unlike any 
of the other Scouts to her.  Even though they had bickered 
constantly, she was really her closest friend of all of them.
     The porter hopped off the train and took the luggage from 
Chad, with a polite, "Let me help you with those, sir."  Chad 
obliged.  Then he turned to Raye.  
     "Be careful," he said to her in a shy and humble tone.  
"You know, you'll be there by yourself...and in the mountains 
some of those spiritual gurus are, like, whack."
     Raye blushed.  "I will."  Then, as if having a second thought 
about something, she leaned towards him and kissed him lightly 
on the lips.  Then it was Chad's turn to turn bright red.  She 
smiled and said, "Look after Granpa for me.  He's getting on 
in years and I won't be there..."  Raye trailed off and Chad 
nodded silently, with understanding.  Even Serena knew the 
old man did not have many years left, and that Raye felt bad 
about leaving him.  But it was his wish and she wanted to make 
him happy.  As it was Granpa had almost insisted on going to 
see Raye off but she ordered him to stay behind because his 
heart had been hurting him for the past few days.  All it took 
were some harsh words and then some soft ones, to result in his 
staying home.
     The porter had loaded the bags onto the train and was waiting 
for Raye to finish her good byes patiently.  I wonder, thought 
Serena, how many other people today he's had to watch say farewell 
to their loved ones?  It must be so sad...fathers leaving sons, 
brothers leaving sisters, wives leaving husbands, friends 
leaving friends...
     There was no time to complete the thought, as the train 
whistle sounded and the porter gave Raye a nod that clearly said 
she had to board.  She nodded in return and looked at Lita, 
Mina, and Serena.  Chad stepped back to give them some space.  
     "What can I say?" asked Raye.  "The mountains of Japan 
are calling to me, and I had better answer unless I want to 
come back in the next life as an elephant or something."  She 
took a deep breath.  "I wonder what would happen if I tried 
to become Mars in their temple?"
     The other three laughed, but it was a forced laugh, the 
kind you let loose when you're not sure what else to do and 
you want to avoid what you know you have to.  Mina hugged Raye,
and then Lita.  The girls by now had tears in their eyes.
     Finally there was the chore of saying good bye to Serena.  
The two stood facing each other.  "Well..." said Raye.  
"I better get going."
     Serena nodded, mute.
     "You'll write me, okay?"
     Another nod.
     "Promise."
     "I promise, Raye."
     "Good."  The dark haired Sailor smiled.  "While I'm gone, 
try not to be too much of a klutz then you already are, okay?"
     Serena cracked a smile.  "K."
     "And listen," Raye lowered her tone of voice.  "Promise 
me something else, too."
     "What?"
     "If there's a problem, ya' know, Scout business, make 
sure to call me.  I still have my com.  I'm not sure Luna 
would approve of you interrupting my schooling, but I want 
you to promise to call me first, before anyone else."  She 
shook Serena's hand.  "We're a great team, I have to admit."
     "Raye..." Serena whispered.  I will not cry, I will not 
cry, I will not cry...
     "Oh shoot, Serena, I didn't mean to make you cry."
     The train whistle blew.  Raye looked at it and then back 
to Serena.  "Listen, and remember that Darien cares for you, 
more than you can imagine.  No matter what happens.  I never 
really cared for him, you know that, right?"
     Serena nodded, a tear trickling down her cheek.
     "Okay, anyway...I kinda..."  Raye looked at Chad and blushed.  
     "Miss," called the porter.  "The train, you need to go 
ahead and get on."
     "I'M COMING!" Raye said indignantly.  She winked at 
Serena and proudly, holding her head high, got onto the train.  
Chad called good bye after her and Lita and Mina waved.  All 
Serea could do was stare.  Then something happened that shook 
her out of her shock.  The train began to move.
     "No!" hollered Serena.  There's still too much I have to 
tell Raye, I never told her, no no no!  It can't go yet, I still 
have to tell her!  She broke into a run, chasing the train.  Raye 
was leaning out of the window.  Serena reached out her hand.  
"Raye!"  she screamed.  "I never told you..."
     The roar of the engine was too loud, and Raye couldn't hear.  
She yelled something to Serena that sounded vaguely like, "What?"
     Lita and Mina and Chad were calling after Serena, but she 
ignored them and continued to chase the train.  "RAYE!" she 
screamed.  "RAYE, I'M SORRY FOR ALL THE STUFF I ALWAYS SAID 
TO YOU, I DIDN'T MEAN THEM!"
     Raye nodded, but Serena could tell she couldn't hear.  
It didn't matter, there were years and years of things Serena 
wanted to apologize for but she didn't get the chance.  It had 
been taken from her, like Raye and Amy.  Her feet unwillingly 
skidded to a stop and the end of the plank, and she screamed 
after Raye, that she was sorry, for everything that she'd 
ever been made about, her klutziness, her piggyness.  "NO!"  
Her hand reached out to the train, which was getting smaller 
and smaller.  It was taking away her best friend.
     "I hate good-byes," Serena whispered, and walked 
steadily back to Lita and Mina.

~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~

"Life stinks."
     Luna looked up from the letter she was typing at the 
typewriter.  "What?"
     Serena, from where she was laying on the bed, grunted 
and repeated her sentence.  "I'm not in a good mood."
     "Oh really?" asked Luna sarcastically.  "Why?"
     "Everyone is gone."
     "I'm still here."
     Serena was still very drained.  It had been a week since 
her friends, Lita, Mina and Darien included, left for their 
destinations, and she could hardly believe it.  "What are 
you doing over there anyway?"
     The sounds of keys clicking ensued again.  "Hm?  Oh, 
I am writing a letter to Mina.  You're not the only one 
under obligation to write to them all you know.  Besides, 
I'm sure they'd love to know more about what's happening 
in Tokyo besides the new cute boys and the new ice 
cream parlor."
     "I don't JUST write about those things."
     "Maybe you don't, but I'm making the gesture just the 
same."
     Serena sighed thoughtfully.  "You know, I'm kind of proud 
of them all."
     Click click.  "What for?"
     "Well, they're all out there pursuing their dreams.  
I wish I could do the same."
     "What do you want to do with your life?"
     Serena's brow furrowed.  "I don't know what I'm good at, 
so I can't really say.  I'm can't cook, I don't know the first 
thing about being a doctor, I'm just not the model type, and 
I definatly don't want to become a priestess."
     Luna stopped typing and looked at Serena.  "What are you 
good at that you know for sure?"
     "Didn't I just say I didn't know?"
     The black cat hopped down from the desk and made her way 
over to an envelope on the dresser.  She took it to her mouth 
and delivered it to Serena on the bed.  "Maybe it's time you 
start finding out."
     Serena curiously opened the envelope and dozens of glossy 
pamphlets spilled onto the bed.  "What are these, Luna?"
     Luna smiled.  "They came for you yesterday in the mail, 
you were napping and I guess I forgot to mention it.  They're 
college advertisements.  Your mother and father already told 
you they have a tidy sum packed away for you to go to university 
with, and you're grades were decent enough at the end of the 
year...you passed cram school with honors in a few subjects, 
after you put your mind to it of course."
     "What are you saying?"  She picked up one of the more 
colorful ads and browsed through it.
     "I'm saying very plainly that all you have to do is 
pick a college.  Maybe you can even apply for a scholarship.  
The world is yours, and if you set your mind to it you can 
do anything.  You've improved so much since your middle 
school days, Serena, and I just know you could be successful 
at anything you want to do.  Whatever you choose I'll be 
behind you one hundred percent, and I'm sure the other Scouts 
and Darien will be too."
     "So I just pick a major?"
     Luna nodded.  "Simply put, yes."
     As Serena looked through the pamphlets she didn't just 
see paper with words of encouragement for the future student.  
She felt a feeling that each was an opportunity for her to take.  
If her friends could do something with their lives, she was sure 
she most certainly could.  "The world is mine," she said 
thoughtfully, quoting Luna.
     "Yes, and who knows?  Maybe one day the Scouts can have a 
huge reunion and there you can show them just what a fantastic 
scholar you have become."
     Serena smiled.  "Yeah...you're right, Luna."  She picked 
up a few of the pamphlets that seemed interesting and got off 
the bed.  "I'm going to show some of these to Mom and Dad.  
Who knows?"  She walked to the bed room door and just before she 
went out, continued, "I just might become someone you can be proud 
of." She giggled and bolted out of the room.
     Luna beamed.  "You are, Serena," she whispered to herself. 
"You already are."

~~~The End~~~