Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Chronicles of Later Years ❯ A New Beginning... ( Prologue )

A/N: I said that I'd start posting this, but it will be confusing so I'll explain that Amanda died and was reincarnated by Maige and Olivia (reformed Olivius, Maige's half-sister). Keep an open mind when reading this please, I know people who are mortally opposed in changing the original plot line of the story will flip when they read this, but it is ALTERNATE UNIVERSE!!!! Quoteth the Neo-Queen Serenity of Mercury Mask: "In the future there will be a question that will mean the difference between this world and another, if you say no to that question, this will be your future. It is a great and wonderful future for you Serena, but if you say yes...you will discover joys beyond what I have known, and if I could choose again, I would say yes. But it is up to you, and not me." By the way, keep in mind that Amanda does not know she is adopted and I am sooo not gonna type adoptive mother over and over...so cannon fans--GET OVER IT!

Claimer: Yes, can you believe it? I own Sailor Moon! *total sarcasm--"wait, stop, that's right, it's opposite day...so I guess I don't own it after all..."* oh and I also don't own "Time of your Life" GreenDay does and I don't own Tooi ko machide (the lyrics are translated and changed so that they fit the beats of the song even though it is in English...)

Prelude to The Chronicles of Later Years

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road.

Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go.

So make the best of this test and don't ask why--

It's not a question but a lesson learned in time...

It's something unpredictable but in the end it's right

I hope you have the time of your life...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Serena sits on the couch of her cozy little house (situated in the Azabu Juuban area of Tokyo) with soft music playing in the background. On the table in front of her is a spread of scrapbooks and photo albums, a small hobby she had started after high school. She seems to be adding pictures to the latest one, simply titled with the year, "2003."

"Since it's been so long since we last saw each other, maybe you should know what has happened in the last six years...I'll start from the beginning..."

Serena picks up one of the photo albums on the table and opens to the first page. There are several baby pictures of a little girl.

"Well, you all know that Darien and I sort of adopted the baby, Amanda. You remember, everyone was so skeptical of my maternal skills after the baby Michael babysitting incident. But, now I can't imagine life without her, she's growing up to be a perfect young lady and is in her second year of grade school.

"Back to the beginning...

Serena picks up another of the books and opens partway through it to a picture of a crabby-looking, rosy-cheeked, four-year-old Amanda.

"I remember this summer so well...I felt so bad because Amanda had strep throat...and it was three weeks until Darien's and my wedding."

Serena smiles remembering that summer so clearly.

~*FLASHBACK*~

The girls were siting around a table in Mina's living room. Little Masimo (3 years old) is poking Amanda in the back and she was swatting at his hand to make him stop. She had the same feverish-rosy cheeks she had in the picture, and she was looking just about as crabby with the way she was being treated.

"Masimo! Leave her alone!" Mina scolded her young son.

Serena held out her arms to Amanda and said, "Come here, sweetie." Amanda climbed into her mother's lap and curled up. "I'm so sorry I had to bring you with sweetie, but I couldn't leave you home alone."

"Three weeks..." Raye sighed.

"I wish I could be a bridesmaid too...but how much you wanna bet I pop by then," Lita said with a laugh. She was referring to the fact she was pregnant.

"If you get much bigger you just might," Serena said smiling.

"You're gonna have twins," Amanda said quietly peeking over the top of the table. She's laying down in Serena's lap.

"Oh yeah, you think so, I'm definitely big enough for twins, but my Gods, I don't think Ken and I have room in our house for two babies!" Lita said. Everyone laughed. "I'm getting so excited though, after seeing you and Mina mothering kids it seems like it can't be happening. It seems like just yesterday we were in junior high and just finding out we were Sailor Soldiers..."

"But it wasn't, it was eight years ago. After going through so much, Serena and Darien are finally getting married," Amy said.

"Are you inviting everyone from our old group in high school?" Mina asked picking up her meddling son who was starting to dig in the dirt of a potted plant.

"Yeah...Molly and Melvin, and a few others, and of course all of you guys, half of you are my bridesmaids! An then there's Andrew, Rita, and Lizzy, Andrew's the best man though, so he has to be there," Serena paused at the look on Mina's face.

"She gets to walk down the aisle and dance with Andrew?! She, who has never had a crush on him!?" Mina said pointing at Raye.

"Geeze, girl, get over it, have you forgotten that diamond ring on your finger? And the son that is...Masimo, your mother told you to stop bothering Amanda!" Lita told Masimo when she spotted him pulling the near-sleeping Amanda's hair.

"I hope Amanda's feeling better tomorrow, she has a fitting for her dress. It's so adorable, she'll look so cute walking down the aisle with her little basket of rose petals," Serena said sweetly, brushing the little strands of hair away that had fallen in Amanda's face from Masimo's taunting.

"When do you leave for Germany, Amy?" Raye asked taking a sip from her tea.

"Hm, August, Greg and I were planning earlier, but we wouldn't miss the wedding for anything," Amy said smiling.

"How long are you going to be gone?" Mina asked.

"Four years, unless I cram and graduate early from medical school, or come back and do my internship here in Tokyo, then three," Amy said sadly.

"That's too bad. Oh, I have to get going, I have to get home and make dinner. And I think somebody needs to go to bed," Serena said gathering Amanda in her arms. And heading for the door.

~*END FLASHBACK*~

"Lita did 'pop'--at the reception. She did have twins, a boy and a girl--Kenny and Juliet."

Serena picks up another photo album, this one is white with little beads and ribbons on it, she opens to the second page. There is a picture of the entire wedding party. Serena and Darien in the center, Andrew, Antonio, and Greg off to Darien's left, and Raye, Mina, and Amy off to Serena's right. Amanda and Masimo were a little off to the right of Serena.

~*FLASHBACK*~

Serena was standing in front of a mirror in a room of the church. She was vaguely smiling at herself.

"How can you be so calm Serena? I was on the verge of tears just before I walked down the aisle, remember?" Mina asked as she straightened Serena's train.

"Yeah, but I'm so nervous I can't even look the part," Serena said quietly, reaching for her veil.

"Ah-ah-ah, I get to put that on you," Raye said grabbing before she could. Raye smiled at Serena on the mirror as she placed the misty veil on top of Serena's twisted and curled hair (she had lost the familiar odango style for the day). Raye pulled the top part in front of Serena's face and smiled.

~*END FLASHBACK*~

"We went to Italy for our honeymoon. That's an upside to a long engagement, you can save your money for a big wedding and honeymoon. Actually, this was sort of convenient because Mina and Antonio took the same flight as us to go see Antonio's family, and they took Amanda with them."

Serena looks up at the wall where a small painting of Amanda hangs. It was a picture of her from that summer sitting in a garden with grapevines behind her. Antonio had taken a snapshot of her and mailed it to JJ who had painted it and sent it to Serena.

"It's hard to believe that that's all that's happened in the past six years...I mean except for the fact that besides Mina and I getting married, Raye and Lita obviously did too. Amy has yet to tie the knot, but she's getting there, she promised she would next summer, when she comes back to Tokyo for her internship at Yoshida Memorial Hospital."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Amanda's voice singing)

I loved that old song-- on the tape I used to have.

Little scratches, and a faded title...and a blurry dawn.

Amanda was sleeping quietly in her bed, her clock reads "6:59."

And so the day comes again...

Accompanied by a summer breeze.

In a corner of the familiar day-by-day routine I suddenly feel loneliness...

Amanda alarm clock goes off and she swats at it to turn it off, it does, finally, and she goes back to sleep.

I will never forget how fast I could kick the wind on my bike, going as fast as I wanted!

Serena is now dragging Amanda out of bed and telling her to get her school uniform on and come down to breakfast...

La la la la-- I will sing looking up at the sky

La la la la--It's my life and I'll keep walking on...

I am using my own strength to go forward along this endless road.

Amanda runs out the front door and stops only to slip her rollerblades on. Then she speeds off down the street.

With so many crossroads, I am always lost...

But though sometimes I wander...and sometimes I fall off the path I'm living in the present...

Tai catches up to Amanda on his rollerblades and Azalea follows on her bike. They are Amanda's best friends. Tai lives next door to Amanda and Azalea lives across the street.

Clashing with others, but accepting them too...

Even when I get older, I will never forget...

Amanda, Tai, and Azalea see al of the Sailor Soldiers on their way to school...

La la la la--I will sing looking up at the sky.

La la la la--It's my life, I will keep walking on..

It's something that is mine alone, so I guess I can have some confidence.

Amanda sits through her classes all day and then rushes home to her magic lessons. This is her favorite part of the day.

In the part of town that we were born in, and grew up in--we dreamed...

Everytime I'm crushed, I remember that just like that song,

There's something I can do right now--step forward just a little...

Amanda helps make dinner, does her homework, and goes to bed--just like every other day...

La la la la--I will sing looking up at the sky...

La la la la--It's my life, I will keep walking on.

La la la la--I will sing looking up at the sky...

La la la la--It's my life, I will keep walking on.

I am using my own strength to go forward along this endless road...