Chapter 11

TWO WEEKS LATER...

Claudia Kino's funeral had just ended. Both Elder and Youger Scouts were all gathered at Raye's temple. Sailor Pluto had called the Younger Scouts back to the future. It was time for them to go. Pluto had said that she would be opening the portal soon, in the time for them to go. In the past two weeks each of the girls had made their peace with Claudia's death.

Kirsten, Melanie, and Shantal hugged each of the Sailor Scouts good-bye and thanked them for their hospitality.
"Do you have it?" Lita asked when Kirsten hugged her.

Kirsten nodded. She had it.

Lita smiled sadly and said good-bye.

Kirsten nodded, then turned to Serena.
Serena had just gotten out of the hospital a few days earlier. She still had scars on her back from the burns but those would be fixed by skin graphs.
"Thank you for trying to help Claudia, Serena," Kirsten said.

Serena nodded, sadly. "I'm only sorry I couldn't help her more," she replied, thinking that she hadn't really helped Claudia at all.

Kirsten shrugged. "Some things just aren't meant to be," she said, quitely.

The group turned as a portal opened behind the three Younger Sailor Scouts.

"Bye," Raye, Serena, Lita, and Mina all said. The Scouts nodded and walked through the portal, back to the future, leaving the four girls standing there alone.

The sun was just beginning to set as three teenagers walked down the sidewalks in the graveyard. They knew where they were going. They had been there just a few hours before, although, it could also be counted as years. Slowly, the girls stopped as they reached the two tombstones.

Lita Kino
38 yrs old
Rest In Peace

Claudia Kino
15 yrs old
See you when we get there

Melanie and Shantal both looked to Kirsten, both of them wanting to know the same thing: Did you bring it?

Kirsten nodded and took it out of her pocket. The green emerald from the ring shone in the dimming sunlight. Three letters were carved in the emerald: YSJ. Kirsten had to love her mother's genius. When Kirsten had told her that she and the others had wanted to do something special for Claudia, Raye had been the one that suggested carving a tiny hole at the very top of the tombstone. The hole was just large enough to fit the ring in. They had gotten the hole shaped so that once the ring went in, it couldn't be taken out again. That way no one would ever be able to steal it. The ring was passed to each one of the girls, each giving it a kiss good-bye. Once all three had given it a kiss good-bye, Kirsten took the ring and put it in the little hole. They smiled as the emerald shone brightly in the dimming sunlight.
Melanie, Shantal, and Kirsten stood there in front of Lita's and Claudia's graves, just watching the sun go down. In a few minutes, the sky was lit up in pinks, oranges, and blues, each color bouncing off the Crystal Palace in the distance. The three girls smiled sadly, each thinking the same thing. . . Claudia would have loved this scenary.

Once the sun was completely set and the sky was dark, the girls turned around to head back home to the Crystal Palace, each one thinking the exact same thing:

Good-bye, Claudia. See ya when we get there.

The End