Adventures of the ChibiScouts III Chapter 4 Beneath the Red Ribbon, a sailor moon fanfic

Adventures of the Chibi-Scouts III
Crossroads to the Future
By "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl and Doug "Candle Light Author" Helm

This story and our other stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction . com domain. Comments are encouraged!

Chapter 4 "Beneath the Red Ribbon"

The white lunar cat padded down the upstairs hallway of the Aino home then into his charge's room. His charge was sitting at her desk with her head bent over something in her hand. Leaping onto the bed, he crossed it silently. Once he reached the far side, he settled himself and observed his friend.

After several moments, Mina Aino turned slowly around apparently trying to figure out who was watching her. Her wary expression relaxed when she spotted Artemis. "Hey furry!" she greeted him, "How was supper?" Artemis made a rude remark, which made her giggle. "Such language, my delicate ears are all aflame!"

"Well, you'd be cranky too if you ate what I had to."

"Mom thinks you're overweight," the seventeen year old pointed out with a smirk, which grew as her feline friend rolled his eyes.

"So, what do you have there, Mina?" he asked.

"This?" She held up the small stack of paper in her hands.

"Yes, that," Artemis confirmed. He then hopped from the bed to the floor and then into Mina's lap. She obliged him by scooting the chair back a little so she wouldn't squish him against the desk. "So?" he prompted her after glancing over what appeared to be a contract of some sort.

"A film company wants me to do a picture in England."

Artemis twisted around. "When?"

"Sometime this summer, Artemis," the blue-eyed teen replied. "It's not a big part but it'd be nice to get back to the old stompin' grounds for a bit." Artemis grunted. "Well, it would."

"That'll leave the Princess awfully shorthanded."

"Oh please, Artemis. Raye's here and so's Molly. And if that ain't enough firepower, I'm majorly sure that Hotaru would lend a hand even if those two other Outer snobs wouldn't."

"Mina!" Artemis hissed. "I'm sure they'd help."

"Well maybe..." the perky teen conceded. "But if Amy gets to be a doctor, then why can't I pursue my career? I'm eighteen already. I've got to strike while the kettle is hot."

Artemis winced then squirmed upwards until he was sitting on the desk. "Mina, that wasn't meant as a criticism. I was just making an observation." He considered, "Luna might get her fur up for a bit. Sometimes I think she worries too much about Serena." He grinned then. "But then, that's part of her job."

Mina grinned back. "And what IS your job, Artemis?"

"Backing Luna up for one." He cocked his head and grinned. "And sneaking cream." The blonde laughed although it sounded thin. "Serena would be thrilled if you jetted off to England for a few weeks to work. You know that."

"What if it was more than just a few weeks, Artemis?" his charge asked quietly, looking worried.

"Mina?"

"I want to live my life for awhile before I'm stuck as Sailor Venus permanently, before the 'Big Sleep' comes, before I need to start being a guard twenty-four-seven and help run a kingdom." The teen rocked back in her chair and sighed. "I... I just want to be me, Mina Aino."

"So what's stopping you?" the white cat questioned, "The others know..."

"They don't know anything," Mina disagreed softly but tersely. Artemis blinked. "Molly and Raye and Serena are all close. I'm more of an outsider now than I was before I first met them."

"That's not true," he chided gently.

"Well, it sure damn well feels like it," she complained. "I hung out with Li... with Lita most of the time. Sure, I've gone shopping with Raye and Serena a few times but since... well since we came back from the Chibiverse that last time, me 'n' Amy have been on the outside looking in."

"Things change. Amy's busy studying for her premed exams," the white cat pointed out. "You just got back into full-time modeling."

"You act like I wasn't supposed to," the teen almost demanded.

"Mina..." Artemis began but halted as he heard footsteps coming down the hall.

Mrs. Aino knocked and stuck her head into the bedroom. "Everything okay, Mina?" she wondered. "I thought I heard voices."

"I was just... like talking with Artemis about this contract, Mom."

Her mother glanced at the feline and then smiled a little. "Careful, daughter dear, you'll start sounding as ditzy as Serena." Artemis mentally winced.

"She's got a big heart."

"Big hearts don't pay the bills," her mother pointed out. "You keep your feet firmly planted on the ground, Mina. You likely find a man and get married in a few years but if he ever leaves you, you'll know how to look after yourself." She dearly hoped her daughter would not follow the Tsukino girl's example, i.e. engaged to an older man out of the country while she's still in high school. 'Poor Ellen's lucky her little girl's not pregnant right now.' Mina's mother shook her head a little bit then exited her daughter's bedroom. The teen stood up and quietly closed her door.

"Whoa, I can't believe she said that," Mina complained.

"Your mom thinks you've stopped being friends with Serena."

"What?! That's ridiculous."

"I heard your parents talking, Mina. It's amazing what a cat can pick up when people don't think they understand."

"Artemis, what were they saying?" she prodded while coming back and settling herself onto the edge of her bed.

He shrugged. "Not much really. Just that it was about time you got back to modeling and stuff and that it was nice to see you weren't wasting your time with Serena anymore." 'I won't tell her she disapproves of Darien.'

"We're not in the same class, Artemis," Mina began hotly. "I've been busy! I wanted to..."

"I know, Mina," the lunar cat said gently, "I know. Serena knows. She'd never forgive herself if she thought that she was preventing you from following your dreams."

"I always thought they liked Serena."

"They could see you liked her but now..." He shrugged again.

"Damn," Mina grumbled and closed her eyes. After several seconds, she asked again, "So what do you think of me taking a break?"

"I think," Artemis began slowly, "That you going on a sabbatical to Europe is your decision." The teenager opened her eyes and glowered at him. "You're a big girl, Mina. One that I've had the privilege to watch grow up from a child to a young woman on the cusp of adulthood. What I think shouldn't change what you decide."

"But you're my advisor."

"My advice then, 'Miss Charge', is to go talk with Serena." The blonde sighed and flopped backwards in such a way that she sprawled across her bed. "Mind telling me what brought all this on?" Mina was still for a long time. So long in fact that the white cat began to worry that she might not have heard him.

"Artemis, Amy is quitting."

"What?" Artemis squawked, not able to restrain his sharp tone.

The teenager lifted her head up and brushed the hair out of her eyes. She gazed at him with her sad blue eyes for a long moment and then sighed. "She phoned me the other day before Reenie showed." He blinked but waited for his friend to continue. Mina lowered her head and stared up at the ceiling. "She's miserable, Artemis. But then she called me last night, she wanted to know I if I was like going with them to the Nega... er, Chibiverse. Then we got to talking."

Artemis gathered himself and sprang from the desk to the bed in one graceful leap, which unfortunately, ended with a thump. It took a moment to gather himself again.

"You okay?"

"Just getting old," Artemis admitted quietly.

Mina gave him a worried look and then sighed. She covered her eyes with an arm. "You know, it was so much easier being Sailor V. It was just me and you and no Negaverse. Just catching crooks for the bobbies."

"You regret returning to Japan, Mina?"

"No," the ribbon-wearing girl said at once. "The Princess needed us but these past months have just been... hard. Hardest I think on Amy." The pair was silent for a long time. "She cried, Artemis," Mina finally whispered. "She bawled her eyes out because she couldn't bring herself to go and see Lita. To see her sister." She lowered her arm and turned her face to stare at Artemis. "Do you know why?"

"What?" the white cat asked. He was still trying to process what Mina had told him.

"Do you know why Amy can't go with us to see Lita, Artemis?"

"Besides the fact she's in Germany?"

She rolled to her side and stared at the cat with hard burning eyes. "She can't go with us," the blonde explained, "Because she knows that she'd stay!"

"Stay?" he questioned. 'Would Amy really do that and leave us even more shorthanded?'

"Yeah, stay." The normally perky teen grit her teeth as her lips drew back in a snarl. "You 'n' me, we operated alone. We can be independent. But Ames... Amy only came back because of Serena and when Lita stayed... it broke her heart. She knows she can't stay over there so she isn't going and it's killing her and it's the Sailor Scouts that did it to her."

"Mina, blaming it entirely on Serena is a bit unfair but..." Artemis began very softly after a long minute, "What if Lita came back?" His charge blinked. "I mean if she came back, would it fix everything?"

The teenager sat silently for a long moment and then sighed as she closed her eyes. "No," she eventually admitted. "No, I don't think it would. Lita stayed. It was her decision... If she came back..." She trailed off.

'Well,' Artemis considered as he regarded the young woman before him, 'That makes two against the plan.' The two felines had decided discretely to poll Raye and Mina to gauge if they would support bringing Lita back from the Chibiverse. They decided not to confide in Amy because they weren't sure it was even possible. Molly was not invested enough in their opinion. And neither was brave enough to approach Serena. 'She'd probably skin Luna AND me alive and sell our guts for violin strings.' He smiled slightly. 'And now Mina.' He supported Luna's idea but not enthusiastically. He wasn't about to tell his fellow lunar cat that though. 'Maybe she'll get over there and find it's a fantasy.'

"What?" Mina asked, seeing the cat smiling at her.

"Nothing," the white cat said. "Mina, if you're going on a sabbatical, go tell Serena as soon as possible. I doubt Amy will tell her she's quitting until she gets back from Germany next week. Amy might not want to face things at the moment but she isn't the type of person not to tell Serena directly to her face."

"And you think if I tell her before Ames, she won't think I'm bailing out on her too." The white cat nodded. The beribboned blonde chewed her lip and then nodded. "Okay, furry, I'll talk to her tomorrow."

- - - - -

"I'm home!" Reenie Tsukino called out Tuesday afternoon as the young girl entered the Tsukino home. Ellen popped her head out of the kitchen and smiled. "Hi Aunt Ellen!"

"Hello Reenie. How was your day at school?"

"Great!" the pink-haired girl chirped. 'I can't wait to tell Big Sis.' Then she took off her shoes and walked down the hall to give her aunt a hug. "Is Serena home?"

"Yes." The woman's smile faltered slightly. "Reenie, don't bother your cousin right now." The youngster blinked. "She and Mina are visiting up in her room and I don't want you barging in on them."

"I wouldn't do that," Reenie protested sincerely. She paused and mentally frowned. 'They're awful quiet though. I wonder if it's Scout business?'

"I want your word that you won't bother them, Reenie, or you can just stay down here to do your homework."

The ten year old struggled internally for a moment. 'I'm a Sailor Scout,' Reenie reasoned, 'They might need my help.' This thought was countered by the fact that Serena would tell her if she was needed. 'But I'm the leader!' she rationalized and then mentally added, 'Well at least in one universe.' "Aunt Ellen, can't I at least say hello to Mina?"

"If that's all you do," the middle-aged mother warned in a stern tone, "But if you make mischief..."

"Gee, you make it sound like I'm a baby," Reenie whined.

"No, I just know that you think you need to be included in all of the 'girl talk' despite being younger than Serena and her friends."

"Come on, Aunt Ellen. I'm ten now!" What was lost on Reenie was how much she sounded like little Serena when older Rachel or Melissa came over to visit Reenie.

"All right," Ellen reluctantly agreed. "But don't expect me to save you from Serena if you cause her any trouble." The pink-haired girl gave her future grandmother a sour look before turning and grabbing her stuff off the table.

Reaching the second floor, she padded down the hallway in her socked feet pausing for a few moments outside of her mother's closed bedroom door. She heard mumbling but couldn't make anything out clearly. She decided to drop her homework off in her room first before knocking at Serena's door. An answer was a long time in coming and when it finally did come, Reenie was completely surprised.

"Go away!" Serena's voice shouted. It was the anguish in the mother's voice that made Reenie instead open the door and peer inside. She saw Mina in the room, still dressed in her high school uniform sitting facing the door. Artemis and Luna were on a squashy green pillow to the right beside the low table while Serena, who was wearing a pink sweater and blue jeans, had her back to the door.

"Hey Reenie," Mina greeted. Serena, who'd been slouched over with her head lowered, straightened and but did not turn around. "How are you?"

"Okay," the pink-haired girl replied. She immediately picked up on the somber mood. "What's wrong?"

"Go away," Serena insisted again, softer this time. She didn't turn around though.

"Big Sister?"

"Now isn't a good time, Reenie," Luna chimed in. "Maybe later."

"Tell me!" Reenie demanded.

"Out," Serena ordered in a deadly calm. "Right now, young lady." The pink-haired girl wavered but then retreated closing the door behind her.

'What the heck is going on?' Reenie wondered as she entered the guestroom and settled at the desk to do her homework. 'If she were my Serena, I'd almost say she's pouting.' By the time she was done with her assignments, she still hadn't figured it out.

- - - - -

Mina left shortly before supper but not before stopping to see Reenie first. "Got a sec?" she asked, tapping at the youngster's door. Reenie looked up and nodded. She came in and crossed to the desk. Crouching down with her red ribbon almost at eye level, she declared, "It isn't anything you did, Reenie."

"Then what is it, Mina?"

The perky blonde closed her eyes then mused, "You know, I always found being Sailor V lonely. Nobody to back you up."

"Yeah but you were famous."

'I remember when Carrie said she'd never heard of me.' "I'm more famous as Sailor Venus even though I don't get any of the royalties." She chuckled as the preteen gave her a puzzled look. "But I didn't agree to become Sailor Scout because I wanted fame."

"Why'd you want to be one then?"

"Serena," Mina stated simply. "Serena can and has made the hard decisions. They might not be the most popular but she knows deep inside her heart that it's right. She's the glue that binds us." She smiled. "You're a lot like her, Reenie. You have a big heart too and won't give up no matter what."

"Yep!" Reenie agreed heartily. "I mean thanks."

"Sometimes though being a leader can be lonely."

"Yeah," Reenie agreed far more subdued. "Sometimes..."

"Sometimes?" the blonde prompted, shifting so she was a little more comfortable.

The ten year old chewed her lip and then elaborated, "It's like the other Scouts don't trust me, Mina. You... The other Mina is fine but..." When she noticed the eighteen year old gazing at her calmly, she continued, "If I make a decision, they ask me why." She grimaced. "A lot sometimes."

"And you just wish they'd trust you like they use to?" Reenie nodded. "You know, Reenie, I don't think it's because they don't trust you. Maybe they're getting too big for a car seat." 'I know I wonder that about Carrie sometimes.'

'Car seat?' "What?" Reenie asked, her brow wrinkling.

"Well, let see... The other Scouts are what? Eight?" The younger girl nodded. "So the girls have grown up some and gotten some experience. Maybe when they ask you why, they just want to understand better." Mina cocked her head. "But sometimes, they might feel like they can do stuff own their own. They're still just little girls." 'And so are you.' "You know, Reenie, a good leader has to know when allow it and when not to."

"It's hard though!" 'I don't want them to get hurt.'

"It's tougher on you because you don't have anybody you can really talk to, isn't it?" 'Not even the other me.' The ten year old nodded sadly. 'I owe her.' Mina garnered a new level of respect for this little girl, especially given her own experience mentoring now eight year old Carrie Sayama. "Well, it's the same way with Serena. She can talk to us and we're there for her no matter what. But sometimes what's happening is just really difficult to handle and the people she loves can't do anything about it to make it easier."

"What happened, Mina?" the youngster asked, her eyes widening wit concern.

The ribbon-wearing girl seemed to hesitate and then she blew out a breath. 'In for a nickel, in for a pound.' "Word of honor you don't tell a soul I told you?" The child nodded and crossed her heart with her right hand. "Amy's quitting." The blonde watched with sadness as shock washed over the younger girl's face. 'Man, Amy thought I told Serena. She went completely ballistic! I couldn't even tell her that I never said a thing!'

It wasn't like Amy to go off half-cocked but Mina suspected the apparent betrayal of her trust had pushed the normally introverted teen over the edge. It annoyed her to be accused of tattling like a little kid, especially because the Venusian Scout understood Amy's reasons all too well, but she wasn't going to hold it against her fellow Sailor Scout.

Reenie sat stone still for nearly a full minute before venturing, "Quitting? As in no more Sailor Mercury?" Mina slowly nodded. "Why?" The teen suddenly looked reluctant, almost frightened to answer. "Mina, tell me... please?"

"She misses Lita too much," Mina whispered and without another word, she turned and left the room.

Reenie sat gazing into the distance thinking about what the Scout of Venus had confided to her until supper; one that Serena didn't grace with her presence. During it, the ten year old cast anxious looks at Serena's empty chair. Her aunt, however, didn't seem to blame the child, which she was thankful for.

Sammy for his part only gave Serena's chair a cursory glance occasionally. Nevertheless, Reenie could tell that he was worried too. Ken Tsukino only shared a concerned look with his wife but all spent the remainder of the meal ignoring the fact that their daughter wasn't there.

Supper was nearly over when the group heard someone plodding down the stairs. Ellen got up and looked down the hall. "I'm going to Raye's!" the pigtailed teen called out over her shoulder to her mother's unspoken question.

"Are you alright, Serena?" her mother asked.

"I'm a mushroom!" was the girl's terse response and then left the house without another word.

"A what?" the father of two questioned.

"A mushroom, Dad," Sammy replied.

"What does that mean?"

"She's feels like she's a mushroom," the thirteen year old repeated.

Reenie rolled her eyes. "And?" Ken prodded.

"And..." 'Jeez Dad!' "Serena feels like she's kept in the dark and fed shit."

"Sammy!" his father hissed reprovingly.

'Man, now I'm really worried!' Reenie thought. 'I need to talk to her.' She briefly considered following her future mother but almost as quickly dismissed the idea. She could tell that Serena was not in the mood to have either her cousin (or daughter) following her. 'I'll ask Luna.'

- - - - -

"I can go to the store, Raye... if you want," Chad offered as his pretty companion pulled on her shoes.

Raye Hino smiled up at him then gently chided, "Chad, I'm seventeen, not seven. I can look after myself." She did appreciate the gesture.

"I know, I just..." The acolyte stopped as she placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder. "You worry too much, Da-Chad. Sometimes you're like a parent." She giggled at his expression. "What? You don't want kids?"

"I just, I mean I never thought..." He blinked hard enough for her to here it and then the young man shook his head. "You need a wife for that."

"Chad," the raven-haired priestess began in a pained voice.

"I didn't mean it like that, Raye," Chad protested. "Who'd want me for a husband, let alone a father?" 'Grandpa Hino says I still have a long way to journey.'

"You're a good man. When you find somebody who's right, you'll know," Raye offered gently.

"But that somebody's not you," Chad supplied. He didn't sound unhappy, just disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Chad," the teen confirmed after a long silence. "I thought I did but..." She shrugged.

"Thanks for telling me, Raye," the young man said with a soft smile. "I thought I knew how you felt but I wasn't sure."

"You wanna walk with me to the store?" the priestess asked as she pulled on her jacket.

"No," Chad answered simply, "I have the feeling that I'd be in the way."

She wasn't quite sure how to respond to that so Raye left the private living quarters of the Cherry Hill Temple and out into the dark November night. The air was cold and crisp with the faintest hint of possible rain, or snow if it got cold enough. She crossed the deserted temple grounds to the steps and started down them only to come up short upon seeing someone.

At first, the pretty brunette wasn't sure who it was because the figure was in the shadows and seemed to be hunched up. Thinking it was a vagrant, she went down the stairs more cautiously. As she drew closer, she called out, "Hello?" The figure jumped as if shot with a gun and nearly fell down the stairs. "Are you..." Raye started down towards the figure to help and then stopped again as she recognized the person. "Serena?"

"Hi Raye," Serena greeted listlessly.

The raven-haired priestess frowned, her best friend sounded odd; not her normal chipper self. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Serena responded flatly, "Just thinking."

"You? Meatball Head?" the teenager joked.

The golden-haired teen's response startled her. "I am pretty stupid, aren't I?" She sighed and her long pigtails seemed to sag as she sank onto the nearest step.

Raye came to stand beside her dearest friend. "I'm walking to the store. Come along and keep me company."

"No thanks. I'll just sit here for a couple more minutes and then go home."

"No, Serena," Raye insisted, "You are coming with me, right NOW." She held out her hand. "It's cold and if you sit against that step long enough, the cold'll get into your kidneys and that won't be any fun."

Serena seemed reluctant but when the raven-haired teen took her by the hand and pulled her up, she relented. They moved down the remaining stone steps of the temple together and paused at the bottom beneath a streetlamp. This was the first good look Raye could get at her friend's face. It was tear-streaked and miserable. Her normally bright blue eyes were bloodshot. "Now I know something's really bugging you." Serena shuffled her feet noncommittally. "Come on, girlfriend, out with it," Raye directed and started walking down the street. The pigtailed teen followed reluctantly.

The duo walked in silence for a solid minute before Serena asked softly, "Raye, do you ever think of quitting?"

"Quitting?"

"Being Sailor Mars," Serena clarified, not looking at her friend.

Raye stopped in surprise while her friend walked on for a couple of steps before turning back to her. The blonde kept her blue eyes locked on Raye's right shoulder and seemed at once nervous, and resigned.

"No, I never thought of quitting. She's part of who I am."

"Doesn't it... I mean wouldn't it get in the way of what you want to do with your life?" the golden-haired teen asked. "I mean get in the way of your dreams?"

Raye stared at the petite young woman next to her. 'Whoa! What the heck is this?' she wondered, 'That's a pretty profound question coming from Serena.' She tried to answer it honestly. "What I want and what I can get are two different things. If it came right down to having a career or being a Sailor Scout, I know which I'd choose."

"Oh," Serena said. She turned dejectedly and continued walking down the sidewalk.

Raye hurried to catch up with her. "Look, Serena, what's going on?"

"Mina dropped by my place to tell me she's gonna live in England for a while after we get back from our trip tomorrow night."

"So Amy came through with the calculations?"

Serena nodded, her eyes going dim at the mere mention of Amy's name. "I dunno. Ames just called to see if Mina was going... Something about needing an exact mass. Then things took a major nosedive."

"And you're mad at Mina?"

"No, I like get it... I guess." The Princess of the Moon sighed. "Man, it was so simple when we were younger. Kick Negaverse butt and go home or just hang out at the Crown Arcade." She sighed again. "Now we need to worry about what we're gonna do after we graduate and if being Sailor Scouts conflicts with that."

"But you said Mina is just going for a while. It isn't permanent, right?"

"No."

"So..." Raye paused. "Is that why you're so bummed out?"

"Damn it! I'm MAD," Serena shouted, suddenly stopping and turning to face her normally fiery friend. She took several deep breaths before continuing, "I'm mad because Amy is quitting!"

'Amy's...' "What?!"

"Amy is quit-ting," Serena repeated.

"Quitting as never doing it again?" Raye stated trying to grasp what she had just heard.

"Yes," her blond friend huffed in a falsetto tone. "She told me today when she called to say she had the numbers. 'Course, Mina knew WAY before I did and Amy thought Mina had blabbed it and got all pissy." Raye gaped. "So she like totally freaked out and tells me I'll have all her Scout stuff as soon as she gets home from Germany this weekend."

"And you thought I was gonna bail on you too," Raye speculated. 'Poor girl.' Her longtime friend looked as if she wanted to cry but only nodded and swallowed hard. "I won't, Serena. You are my princess and you are my friend. Before I met you..." She trailed off. 'I could never explain it.'

"Thank you, Raye. I just wasn't brave enough to ask you," Serena admitted in tears. "I don't want you to be tied down. You should become the best priestess in the world. I won't..."

Raye placed her hand on Serena's shoulder. "You never asked me whether I'd choose a career or being a Sailor Scout."

"It's your choice."

Raye gave her friend a soft smile and asked, "Oh Serena, what did I ever do to deserve a friend like you?" Her smile grew little more. "Thank Kami. I must've been exceptionally good in my past life." Raye gave her a big hug. Serena was staring in confusion at the normally fiery Shinto priestess. "Come on, girlfriend, let's go buy some chocolate ice cream and drown ourselves in it."

- - - - -

Serena Tsukino walked home later that night from Raye's feeling better about things than when she had left her house a few hours earlier. She'd been relieved to hear that Raye wasn't taking off on her. The raven-haired teen had made some sense about why Mina, and quite possibly Amy, wanted to stop for awhile. And as the future Queen of Crystal Tokyo thought about it, she could understand where Mina was coming from.

After Galaxia, Serena had held her breath waiting for the next enemy to appear, but as one month passed and then another, things seemed to calm. High school was going better than she would have believed thanks to Raye and Molly's encouragement. She and Darien had started making plans to get married. They even reserved a date soon after graduation at the Cherry Hill Temple. The thought of her upcoming wedding made the seventeen year old smile. Her parents had mixed reaction to the news of her engagement. Surprisingly, her mother was worse than her father was. Ken Tsukino had simply asked if she'd be finishing high school first -- Serena had nodded.

The teenager still really didn't like school but she'd realized that being married would be a lot more work; for one thing, she'd have to be more responsible. That was why she'd decided to go into the Chibiverse, help Reenie with her problems, make sure Galaxia wasn't lurking around, and then kickback for a bit (play) before coming back. Coming back was something Serena categorically planned on doing; she was too interested in seeing what being an adult would be like to let being a kid (even one with great friends and a big sister) tempt her for very long.

Raye had shown more understanding about Lita's decision to stay than the others had. And talking with her priestess friend had settled Serena some. Raye was still upset about Amy, although more because she was worried that if Amy did leave permanently, Serena would never see her again.

'Just like it was with Molly...' the blonde thought with a shake of her head. She felt a twinge of guilt. Lita's decision to stay in the Chibiverse had allowed Serena to reclaim Molly Baker as her best friend. Nevertheless, the teen only would begrudgingly admit that to herself but no one else.

Serena glanced at her watch and picked up her pace -- it was only 9:20. She had over half an hour before her curfew. 'Mom and Dad aren't too picky now,' Serena knew but she didn't want to press her luck. 'I'll just bet that Mom's waiting up.' She was mildly surprised to find that the only two things greeting her upon her arrival at home: the porch light by the front door, and Luna.

"Your mom's already gone up," the black cat told Serena, "Oh and Reenie's sleeping soundly on your bed."

"Jeez, Luna," Serena muttered as she removed shoes and jacket, "Is she at least in her PJs?" The teenager really did not want to try and wake Reenie up if she could avoid it.

"Yes," Luna said, her tone hinted at humor. "She was not pleased and wanted to go looking for you." Her charge only rolled her eyes. "Serena, are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," Serena admitted, bending down to lift the black lunar cat into her arms. She trotted down the hall to the dark kitchen and flipped on a light, "Man, I snarfed some ice cream at The Crown but I'm still hungry." The feline only sighed and then glanced nervously around as the girl set her on a counter.

"Serena, you know I'm not supposed to be up here."

"I've never seen you shed," was the airy reply.

Serena poked through the refrigerator and discovered the plate her mother had put aside for her. The teenager smiled and took it out. Unwrapping it so that she could heat it, she regarded Luna who was looking pensive. "What?"

"While you were out," Luna began carefully, "Amy called." Serena, who'd been putting the plate into the microwave, paused and raised an eyebrow in her advisor's direction. "She'll call back. She wanted to say she was sorry for blowing up."

"Did she apologize to Mina?" Serena asked after several long seconds of silence. Luna shrugged. "Well, that's between them." She turned and started pushing buttons on the microwave.

"Serena," Luna began, paused, and then sighed.

"Hmmm?"

"How do you feel about Amy and Mina?"

That, the teenager admitted to herself, was a good question. "Mina I get. She was a wet blanket when I mentioned going to the other place when Reenie first showed." She flashed Luna a look. "But I understand. She wants to have her career. I think everybody wants to spread their wings."

"But?" the black cat prompted.

"I haven't quite sorted out how I feel about Amy yet, Luna," the golden-haired teen admitted. "I get why she's mad but it's likely totally out of left field too."

"What's out of left field?" came a young sounding voice startling both Luna and Serena. The blonde whipped around to see who was behind her. Luna was so startled in fact that she fell off the counter and landed with a thud on the floor.

"Don't DO that!" Serena demanded, pressing a hand to her chest. She could feel the rapid thumping of her heart.

"Do what?" Reenie asked ingenuously. Serena's reaction to this innocent bit of playfulness was out of all proportion, i.e. the little girl's future mother burst into tears. The pink-haired girl stared dumbstruck at her. Before Reenie could react, Serena pulled her into a tight hug and continued to cry. Wrapping her arms about the teen, the little girl thought, 'Note to self, DO NOT sneak up on Big Sister!' The ten year old was only mildly thankful her mother hadn't reacted as her aunt had done the time she and Serena had snuck up on her although Ellen did have a freshly ruined lemon pie to motivate her.

- - - - -

Amy Anderson lay awake staring up at her ceiling of her the hotel room. She kept replaying the conversation that she had had with Mina only a few short hours before. 'I can't believe I thought Mina tattled like some little kid!' the blue-haired teen moaned as she pulled the blankets up to her chin. The ribbon-wearing blonde had been only mildly annoyed but had forgiven her friend quickly.

'What a mess,' Amy thought as she turned to her side, 'I wanted to sit down and tell Serena in person. Explain my reasoning simply and logically as adults.' Amy had called after she'd calmed down some only to find Serena was not home. She didn't want to call her oldest friend on her communicator or cell. 'Not after...'

The blue-haired girl sighed and closed her eyes as Raye's words came back to her. The fiery raven-haired teen had called almost the instant Amy had gotten off from talking to Mina. The priestess had been blunt. "I don't know what's worse," the raven-haired teen greeted the blue-haired girl, "The time I took over as leader, or you blaming Serena for something she had no control over."

"But she did!" Amy had shouted.

"Really?" Raye's voice had been soft, soothing. Amy didn't answer. "She loves us all, Amy, and she'd die to make us happy. Blame her for having us go back to the Chibiverse if you want. Blame her for letting Molly stay as Sailor Jupiter if you want. But don't blame her for something that Lita chose to do."

"She didn't have to stay, Raye," the teen had argued.

"So if you could only save one, you'd choose a teenager over a child?" That had been an unfair question and Amy's only response was to snap the communicator off and fling it across the room before bursting into tears.

But even now, several hours later, Amy Anderson lay awake going over and over her own choices, her decisions, her life.

And she didn't like the answers that she was getting back.

End of Chapter 4

Coming next in Chapter 5 "Chibi-Moon's Assignment"