Lita's New Year's Cookie Scramble Chapter 10 Snow, Play, and Interventio, a sailor moon fanfic

Lita's New Year's Cookie Scramble
By Douglas Helm and "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl

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

Chapter 10 - Snow, Play, and Interventions

Sunlight from the crystal blue sky glinted blinding white off of the drifts of soft fluffy snow that had accumulated in the Cherry Hill Temple's backyard. While Raye Hino helped her grandfather with the visitors to the temple that cold New Year's Day, her regressed friends played behind the private quarters with much exuberance and happiness.

Most of them played anyway. After a while, the lone adult of the group retreated to the porch and settled herself there. She had fun at first. She twirled Amy and then Lita about until their feet left the ground while they giggled and squealed with delight. It was over all too fast for the pair of little girls. So now, they pouted.

Reenie, apparently trying to distract the former eighth-graders from such childish behavior, suggested they make snow angels. This seemed safe enough so Serena allowed herself to be coaxed into participating in this new activity. She quickly realized her mistake after somehow, making snow angels turned into Mina and Amy deciding to use Serena as a model for a snowwoman by packing snow about her.

While this was going on, Reenie and Lita retreated a short distance away. Reenie faced the former tall teen in such a way such that she could still watch Amy out of the corner of her eye. "That was a great breakfast," Lita began while patting her stomach, "I can't wait to see what Mommy makes us for lunch."

"Yeah, I like Serena's pancakes." 'Almost as good as Mommy's.' The pink-haired girl licked her lips in remembrance. "I didn't think she'd give me any."

The brunette blinked. "Serena wouldn't... no, couldn't refuse you that. She'd see it as unfair." Lita saw a fair amount of similarity between Reenie and what she guessed Serena must have been like as a child. She doubted her pigtailed blond friend would agree. 'Could they actually be related?'

"What about you?" Reenie asked, turning her attention away momentarily from the girls who had secured Serena's boots in the freshly fallen snow.

The other seven year old shrugged. "I was the one who thought we shouldn't get all bent out of shape." Lita frowned. "Was your aunt really that ticked?" Mrs. Tsukino had called her daughter after breakfast for a status report. Thankfully, Raye had answered the phone. After a few minutes in which Serena had had a quiet but rather intense looking conversation, Reenie had been called to the phone. "It looked pretty bad."

"It was, Lita," Reenie remarked unhappily, "She said I was gonna..." The pink-haired girl stopped talking abruptly and her cheeks turned pink. Lita gave her a sympathetic look. "I figured Serena'd be madder." The little girl heaved a heavy sigh and then checked on Amy.

Lita smiled and then her grin blossomed into an even larger smile. In a hushed tone, she suggested, "You know... you could use Luna Ball on Serena and her mom so you wouldn't get into trouble. I betcha Mina and Amy would go along with it."

"Luna Ball... don't work on Serena." The pink-haired youngster shuddered. "I don't even wanna think what Serena would do if I even thought about it." When she saw that her friend looking disappointed, she pleaded, "Please, Lita, don't even mention it. If Serena gets it into her meatball head that I even thought something like that, she'd turn me over to the Negaverse."

"Yeah... maybe you're right." Although Lita sounded doubtful, Reenie didn't hear any such doubts. They turned their attention to where Amy had just squealed in protest. Her expression smoothed into lines of relaxation from its tenseness when she saw that Serena was retaliating by finding the ticklish spots that Amy and Mina had. She smiled slightly, regarded Lita, and then abruptly frowned.

"Wanna go help?" Lita asked. She knew her fellow seven year old wanted to.

'They're acting like babies.' She sighed. "I guess I should help Amy," Reenie decided while nodding at Lita's suggestion. "It's what sisters do."

She smiled. "You'd make a great big sister, Reenie."

Reenie smiled momentarily then glanced over to Serena and bit her lip. Then she asked the ponytailed girl in a soft whisper, "Do ya think Serena would actually let Raye spank me?" Lita shrugged. Reenie apparently stopped worrying because she hurried over to Amy and the others when three year old demanded that her "cousin" come and save her. Grinning, Lita followed her although ostensively to assist Serena. She couldn't let her princess have all of the fun.

- - - - -

What started out as a tickling competition morphed into a game of tag with Serena being designated "Home Base" because she pointedly refused to run around after anybody while Reenie was available. Lita was a little annoyed by this turn of events but she quickly got over it when Mina daringly, or stupidly depending on whom you asked, zoomed in, gave Lita's rump a rather hard tag, and zoomed out again. Soon, Lita was off in hot pursuit. Both children ran through the trees calling out to each other. Amy, who at times seemed as if she wanted to be tagged and at other times wanted to avoid being tagged, added to the chase by introducing herself at random points. Mina could always keep ahead of Lita, though she did slow at times.

Reenie kept after Amy managing somehow to draw her out of Mina's path before the beribboned girl could bowl the toddler over with her greater mass. After a while though, Lita, realizing she couldn't catch the bigger girl, decided to tag an easier target, i.e. she tapped Amy gently on the head. Amy, deciding to try her luck, immediately sprinted off after Mina. Serena watched this scene with a bemused expression on her face.

"Amy, you ain't gonna catch me!" the little blonde exclaimed at one point as she darted away from the preschooler who was quickly getting frustrated. Given Amy's relatively size, it was extremely unlikely that she could catch any of her older friends.

"Amy," Reenie said while putting a hand on the toddler to halt the younger girl's continued pursuit, "I have an idea."

"What?!" Amy demanded in a hard tone while glaring at the taunting blonde out of reach a few yards away. The dark expression vanished was being replaced by a happy grin. She turned, tapped Reenie on the nose, and cried, "TAG! YOU'RE IT!"

Slowly the pink-haired seven year old stood and gave Mina an evil look. 'I'll teach her to tease a baby!' The little blonde gulped and started backing away as Reenie shot after her. With a squeak, she was off again. Lita Kino started to laugh because Reenie was actually gaining on the fleet-footed Sailor Scout of Venus. Mina might have the advantage in a sprint but Reenie could run for longer and keep her pace up.

Amy for her part toddled over to Serena and flopped herself down in the snow completely drained. "You ready to go inside, Ames?" Serena asked. She was starting to feel stiff and cold.

"No," the little girl replied while shaking her had. Lita came over still watching as the two combatants circled warily; both looked determined. Just as she neared Serena and Amy, Mina suddenly pivoted and dove for the tress with Reenie in hot pursuit.

"Girls!" Serena called out, "Don't go too far!" There was a muffled response from the pair. She slowly shook her head. "Well then, what now?"

"Let's make a snowman!" Lita suggested, "A real one." Dropping to her knees, she started rolling a ball of snow. Amy, with Serena's help, began rolling another (if somewhat smaller) ball as well.

- - - - -

Some distance into the trees, the morning sunlight made a speckled carpet of light and shadow on the snow-covered ground. Panting, Mina held up a hand. "Truce... I give..." Reenie frowned but stopped and watched as the eight year old thudded onto the ground and drew her feet up so she was sitting cross-legged. "Man oh man, I didn't think running in snow would be harder than just plain old running." She grinned then. "But Tokyo doesn't get much snow. Neither did London."

Reenie sat too. 'Boy, Mina's quick.' She tried to catch her breath as the second-grader gazed about the small clearing. "Um, Mina... Think we went too far?"

"Nah... But we should get back before Serena spazzes out."

"I bet she wouldn't even worry about me," the pink-haired girl grumbled.

"Reenie, that's majorly harsh. Why are you always so hard on Serena?" Reenie shrugged. "Well, why did you put the stuff into the cookies?"

"Like I said, I wanted us to have fun," the girl repeated while crunching some snowing her gloved hands. "It just didn't work out... and with me sneaking off to Lita's yesterday... Well, things just got worse."

Mina remained silent for a few seconds. "I guess you didn't really mean any harm." She grinned as Reenie glanced up at her. She then took a quick look over her shoulder. "Look Reenie... Thanks for this morning. I mean with Raye and all."

The seven year old blushed a little and shifted. "Not a problem. It really ain't your fault. Raye should've known that, 'specially with the way Serena goes on 'bout me..." Here the youngster's cheeks took on a darker pink, which could not be explained by the cold crisp air.

The ribbon-wearing blonde shook her head slightly. "You must think that Serena keeps a diary about you or something."

"She doesn't," the pink-haired girl remarked while pushing herself up, "I looked." She gave a guilty sort of look at Mina who only giggled. Mina pushed herself up too. "She treats me like a baby though."

"Not for my money, Reenie. Serena doesn't blab everything to us. She complains about you sure. I won't lie about that. But the way you talk, you'd think Serena says you wet the bed every night."

"I don't!" Reenie denied hotly.

"Calm down, girlfriend," Mina said while making shushing motions, "I just said you ACT like that. You're all prickly about it. It's not true though. She's only mentioned it once and I think she was more annoyed 'cause Luna had thought she had been responsible for it than anything else." 'I should've put a stop to it then.'

"Oh..." Reenie wasn't quite sure what to say about that.

"Come on, girlfriend," Mina prodded while started back towards the others, "Let's get back before Serena starts hunting for us." Reenie nodded and fell into step. After a little bit in which the pair walked in silence, Mina mused, "I s'ppose I could've stood up for you against Serena more than I have. Sorry."

Reenie shrugged. "You're HER friend, Mina." Regardless of how Mina looked now, she could not be a best friend for life like Melissa.

The little blonde threw an arm about Reenie and corrected, "I'm yours too... if you'll give me a chance." She smiled as the pink-haired girl gave a hopeful grin.

- - - - -

Lita, her light brown hair occasionally blowing in her face, was trying to make the base of the snowman larger so it would support the second large snowball when Mina and Reenie came out of the trees and glanced around.

"Where's Amy?" Reenie asked in a worried tone.

"Where's Serena?" Mina wondered while coming over to inspect her ponytailed friend's handiwork.

"Amy needed to use the facilities," Lita answered, brushed her ponytail out of the way, and then looked critically at her work.

"That sounds like a good idea," the little blonde agreed. "Be back in a few..." She skipped toward the private quarters.

"Maybe I should go find Amy," Reenie ventured but stopped as Lita shook her head.

"Don't worry. Serena's with her... You know, kiddo, this is lots harder to do than the last time I did this." She giggled.

"Oh... need some help?" the pink-haired girl asked after a moment. When her companion nodded, Reenie moved to help the smaller girl lift the second ball that would form the snowman's midsection onto its base. "Was Serena sore with me?"

"What?" Lita asked puzzled, "Oh..." She continued after a moment, "Nah, she wasn't sore. Ames needed to go and we weren't gonna wait 'til you and Mina got back." Seeing the worried expression on Reenie's face. "Don't stress out about it." Once they had the ball settled in place, she commanded, "That's it... Reenie, hold it steady while I pack some more snow around it."

"Okay," Reenie agreed.

A short time later, Mina came back out and announced that she was going to stroll around front and check on Raye. Also, that Amy and Serena should be out in a little bit. Soon, the only sounds filling the backyard were the crunching of snow and the distant buzzing of voices at the front of the temple.

"I'm glad Serena's lettin' me play in the snow. It don't snow like this much," Reenie commented.

"Yeah... Y'know, Mommy was saying how maybe after this, I might get to use the Disguise Pen so I could hang out with you a little." The brunette looked up and winked cutely. "That's if I'm a 'good little girl'." The pink-haired girl was staring at her counterpart in disbelief. "What?"

"You can't be serious!"

"Oh sure I can, cousin." Lita grinned.

"But... but... What about the cookies?" Reenie was confused. "I thought you didn't like... but..." She frowned and gave Lita a hard look. "You mean you REALLY LIKE being a kid?"

Lita laughed and then laughed even more at her friend's annoyed look. "Reenie, I was annoyed that you messed with my cookies. It's like somebody scribbling all over your pictures. You wouldn't like that would you?"

"No," the seven year old admitted.

"Well, my cookies are like your pictures. It's my art."

"Oh..." Reenie sounded less puzzled.

Lita packed more snow about the second ball and stood up to give it a critical look before kneeling down to make more adjustment. "And I did say yesterday -- was it yesterday? Seems like a long time ago -- Anyway yesterday, I told you I wouldn't mind being little."

The other seven year old was quiet for a few seconds and then countered, "But you act like you'll be mad when it's over... and you keep calling Serena 'Mommy'."

"Oh," Lita chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't mind being little for a SHORT time, Reenie. And don't tell the others but I did ask Serena if I could borrow the pen so we could play together occasionally. On the other hand, I wouldn't wanna grow up again for real." The little brunette looked about and then lowering her voice, she continued, "See, I do it to razz Mina. Our blond friend was so sure she was going to get a date last night. She got it in her head that Serena 'stole' him from her because Serena was 'more mature' than her."

Reenie blinked once, twice, and then started to snicker. "So is that why you call Serena 'Mommy' too?"

"Of course, kiddo," the brunette admitted, "But also I think she makes a great mom. She's different than my mom but when she hugs me, I feel nice and safe." Reenie didn't respond to that although she did look wistful. "Come on, let's get another ball going."

The two little girls had been working on making the snowman's head a few moments when Reenie said, "You think Serena makes a good mommy?"

"Oh sure," Lita answered without hesitation, "Or well she WILL. She's really been a real good sport about me calling her Mommy 'n' stuff... I don't think my mom would've minded." Lita smiled sadly. 'I wish my mom could've known Serena and the others.' "There is only one teensy-weensy problem though, Reenie."

"What's that?" the pink-haired seven year old asked.

The brunette paused in her work, rocked back on her heels, and stated soberly, "See I kinda figure it goes both ways."

"Huh?"

Lita shrugged. "Think about it, Reenie. I can get all sorts of cuddle time and hugs and stuff by basically acting like a kid. It's kinda awkward otherwise." She grinned at her friend's dubious look. "Then again, I figure I'm open to any consequences of me being naughty."

"No way!" Reenie exclaimed, "That's just silly, Lita."

"Nah," Lita countered. "If Serena... or Mommy's gonna put up with me pretending to be her kid, then I figure I'm in for all of it. In for a penny, in for a pound they say. I can't just pick and choose. You can't, right?" The slightly larger seven year old shook her head. "You might think I'm nuts but like Amy told us... she's acting in loco parentis."

"Loco par...?" 'There's that weird word again.' "So what does that mean?"

Lita went back to creating the head and explained, "I asked Ames. She said it's legal term in Latin, which basically means in place of your parent."

"Serena does sorta remind me of my mommy," Reenie mused softly. Then realizing what she said, she pleaded, "Please don't tell her, Lita."

'Serena would love to hear you say that.' The brunette stopped her work and gave the pink-haired girl an awkward hug. "We'll help you make sure your mommy's okay."

"Thanks... you might need to rescue me after we rescue her."

"Oh?"

"I think I did something she wouldn't like."

After a few seconds, Lita realized Reenie wasn't going to say anymore so set to the task of attaching the snowman's head to its body. Lita was holding the head still while Reenie packed snow about it to keep it in place when the little girl asked, "Lita?"

"Hmm?"

"What would your mommy do if you lost something that was REALLY important?"

Lita frowned in thought, her eyes narrowing as something seemed to fall into place. She smoothed her expression before her friend regarded her though. "Gosh, I dunno. That never really happened?"

"Would she be mad if you did?"

"Probably," the little brunette speculated. "I know when I accidentally broke something she liked, Mom would get mad, usually 'cause I was bouncing a ball in the house or something." The little girl giggled then, which made Reenie look up. "I know one time, I totaled a brand-new lamp and just missed a... real ugly looking bowl." She paused. "As Mom was picking up the pieces of the lamp, she kept sayin' why I couldn't have broken the bowl instead." Seeing the questioning look, she elaborated, "You see, Reenie, Mom hated that bowl but couldn't get rid of it 'cause it was a gift." Lita's eyes glimmered in reminiscence. "Most parents love you lots and sometimes scold you for stuff you shouldn't've done. That's why I say if I did something wrong as a kid, I wouldn't really fuss if Serena wanted to scold me."

Reenie considered that. "I broke a vase once too." Lita gave her an interested look. "I had a complete Serena attack."

"Klutzed out, huh?"

"Yeah..." Reenie grinned and blushed at the same time. "I was running down a hallway and..." The pink-haired youngster dropped her chin to her chest. She tried to make her voice deeper and snooty sounding while wagging her finger. "Said it's something princesses just don't do..." She smiled as Lita laughed. In a more normal tone, she added, "Said I should be more like my mommy -- a grand lady."

"Now that was way harsh!" the shorter seven year old quipped. "Want me to beat 'em up?"

"Thanks Lita. You can help Serena," Reenie offered. "I think she'd do that too." Lita nodded. "IF she knew."

"You didn't tell her?"

"I didn't wanna seem like a baby," the pink-haired girl countered defensively.

Lita rolled her eyes. "Everybody has accidents and Serena is pretty accident-prone at times. She'd likely admit that herself." Reenie grunted. "I think she'd side with you. It's not like you did it on purpose, right?"

"I didn't... I was in a hurry and tripped and..." Reenie made flailing motions with her arms. She ended up knocking the snowman's head off in the process.

Before the girl could react, her friend commented, "You were right, Reenie. It DOES need to be bigger." As the pair went to retrieve the snowman's head from the ground, she asked, "So what happened when your mom found out about the vase?"

"She doesn't know..." Reenie admitted softly and for a few seconds seemed to stare into space. "But that ain't the real thing that's gonna get me into trouble."

"Oh?" Lita asked, trying not to sound too interested. "You didn't get Luna Ball to make a Cutie Moon Rod or something to blast the people who were picking on you, did you?"

"Man!" Reenie complained, "I should've done that!" She looked annoyed with herself. "I used Luna Ball but it was for something completely stupid and it got..." Here, she stopped and glanced away.

Lita frowned then prodded gently, "You think whatever you did got your mom hurt, right?" The little girl beside her whipped her head around and stared at her, eyes shimmering, and lip quivering. "Am I right?"

"I... How..."

"How did I know?" Reenie nodded. Lita shrugged and sighed. "I've been there, kiddo. My parents died in a plane crash. I cried 'cause I didn't tell them I loved them before they left 'cause I was mad at 'em. And worse, I was still young enough to think that maybe I had something to do with what happened. I didn't, but it took me a long time to figure that out." 'I love you, Mom. I love you, Dad.'

"Sorry Lita..." Reenie snuffled a little and rubbed her eyes. "Mommy's gonna to be so ticked at me."

"Normally, I wouldn't say this but I think that would actually be a good thing."

"What?!" the little girl squawked, staring at the ponytailed brunette in disbelief.

"Listen, I didn't mean it like that but look... for your mom to be ticked at you, she's gonna have to be okay. Right?" Reenie nodded. "She's probably thinking 'Just wait until I get my hands on Reenie.'" Reenie appeared unhappy. "Of course, you might spend then next gazillion years being hugged to death because she's was worried about you."

"That would be nice," the youngster admitted. "I bet I'll lose Luna Ball forever though." 'Maybe Sailor Moon can calm Mommy down first.'

"How come?"

"Serena will probably send home a note when I finally go so she'll know about yesterday and today." Lita tried not to grin. "And then, Mommy'll wanna know how I unlocked the case where the Silver Crystal was and..." She trailed off because Lita's eyes had gone wide. Glumly, she nodded. "It just vanished. I didn't even touch it!"

"Ouch..." was the little brunette's only comment before she amended, "Well... maybe it ain't as bad as you think."

"Huh? How could the Imperium Silver Crystal missing NOT be bad?! Mommy says it's the most 'portant thing we got!" Reenie glared as her companion girl began to snicker.

"Oh man, it'd just be like that to happen."

"What?!"

Lita was trying hard not to break out into laughter. Taking a few deep breaths, she settled herself and began, "I won't tell you the whole story since I wasn't around for all of it. You'll have to get Serena to do that... or Luna. Anyway, we were running around all over the place for weeks looking for the Rainbow Crystals so we could find the Silver Crystal. Luna was having kittens most of the time 'cause we couldn't find it and the Negaverse seemed to be getting ahead of us on the search."

"And?" Reenie prompted as Lita paused.

"And... Well, it turned out it was hiding out INSIDE Serena all the time. It came out in one of her tears." Lita shook her head. "I don't know what got up Luna's nose more: The fact that we'd been worrying sick the Negaverse would get the Crystal before us and it was right under our nose all the time, or the fact that the Silver Crystal only showed up when it chose to."

"You're kidding, right Lita? The Imperium Silver Crystal was hiding from you guys?" Lita nodded. "And you think the one that vanished on me might be doing the same thing?"

"I'm no expert but if I had to bet a batch of cookies on it, I'd say it figured it could get a ride with you to wherever or whenever it's going." Reenie looked outraged. "Now you know how we felt. And it does goofy things to Serena too."

"Like what?"

"Not for me to say, cousin, but when she uses it directly things tend to get strange."

Further conversation was cut short as Amy and Serena finally made an appearance.

- - - - -

Raye Hino bowed as the latest person left the tent with their charm. She straightened and then gave a squeak of surprise when she saw Mina staring at her with a wide grin on her face. "What?" Raye demanded.

The little blonde smiled even more. "You seem really busy, Raye-Raye."

The raven-haired girl returned the smile and nodded slowly as she stretched. She was happy to use Mina as an excuse for a break. "You ain't kidding, Mina. I knew we were gonna be busy today but it's been non-stop." She sighed a little. Not that she really minded that. It was good for the temple. 'I just wish they'd quit telling me how cute I look.' "How are things going anyway?"

"We're having fun," Mina replied and then asked, "Raye, would you maybe do me a favor?"

The preteen blinked. "What?"

"Would you tell Serena you don't want Reenie's head on a platter?" The priestess scowled and shook her head firmly. "Why though? She didn't mean it."

"True, she didn't mean the side effect but she did want us to change. That's manipulation and it's wrong. That girl never thinks what might happen." 'Just like Serena.'

"She's a little kid, girlfriend. She's supposed to be irresponsible," the little eight year old pointed out.

"I might buy that if Serena wasn't more mature." The shrine maiden frowned. "Hey. Why are you suddenly being the kid's advocate?"

"Because I think Serena will let you spank her."

"Sometimes I wish her mom would," Raye commented, purposely misinterpreting what Mina meant. The eight year old gave her an annoyed look. "Listen, Mina, being responsible isn't killing Serena." 'I'm so proud of her.' "She had the right idea the first time that Reenie pulled this type of thing. Too bad Catsy interrupted her."

"So every little thing Reenie does Serena should stomp on?"

"No."

"I can't see why you're so ticked, Raye. You didn't get it as bad as the rest of us. Chad doesn't seem to be harassing you."

"He's just exhausted from keeping up with Gramps," the raven-haired girl countered, waving away Mina's remark. Seeing the girl wasn't going to give up so easily, she said firmly, "Look, Serena needs to be consistent and I'd rather have her be consistently firm with Reenie and relax a bit as a treat. It's harder to be all lenient and then try and enforce good behavior."

"Twue," a new voice commented. Both girls jumped and turned to see Amy and Reenie walking towards them. "Waye is cowwect."

"Hey you two, what's up?" the little blonde asked and then added, "Where's Lita?"

"Amy wanted to come and visit Raye," the pink-haired girl supplied.

"No, I didn't, Reenie," Amy disagreed, "I was having fun... You just wanted to be away when Serena blew up."

"Why would she blow up?"

"Um... No reason," Reenie replied nervously, then changing the subject, "So how's things going?"

"Lita called Sewena a meatball-headed Gwumpy Gus," the toddler offered.

"AMY! I was trying," the seven year old hissed tersely, "NOT to embarrass Lita."

"Sorry, Reenie, I forgot..." Amy looked perplexed before requesting, "Forget what I said."

"Why was Lita arguing with Serena?" Mina asked.

"She wanted... She was trying to get me out of the hole I dug." The pink-haired girl shook her head. "I tried to talk her out of it."

"You did?" Raye asked.

Reenie shrugged. "I got myself into this and Auntie Ellen knows and Serena wouldn't be real happy if I used Luna Ball to make her forget what happened." She regarded Raye. "Please, Raye, do you think I could get a super special good luck charm?"

"Me too!" Amy chirped.

- - - - -

When Raye entered the private quarters sometime later, it was nearly eleven in the morning. Her three younger companions had gone off with Lita. She appeared soon after their arrival at Raye's tent. The brunette had looked red-faced and annoyed. The priestess hadn't had much time to delve into what the issue was and had watched the group of children leave with some relief.

She stretched and winced as her joints cracked. After stopping in at the bathroom, she made her way to her room. There she found her friends. Amy, who was sprawled out on Raye's bed, appeared to be sound asleep. Reenie, Mina, and Lita were gathered about the low table listening attentively to a book that Serena was reading. Raye was mildly amused to see that Reenie was almost asleep. The remains of a mid-morning snack were scattered about the table.

Stepping into the room quietly, she declared softly, "I see things have calmed down now." Serena gave a little start at the interruption and then looked over at her and smiled.

"Hi Raye," the pigtailed adult greeted, "You hungry?" The Moon Princess glanced at the remains of the snack and gave the preteen an apologetic look. "Sorry... I can whip something up for you if you want."

"Um... okay," Raye agreed, 'I wonder what state the kitchen our in?' Serena collected the garbage and left the room with Raye in tow. "So how have things been? I heard there was some excitement with Lita."

"Me and Lita settled it." Serena smiled slightly. "She also apparently has decided to talk to me again." She glanced over at Raye. "'Though I think she just wants to cuddle." The blonde laughed at the irony as the Shinto priestess grimaced. As they entered the kitchen, Serena said, "Raye..."

"What?" the preteen asked distractedly. 'Well, it's not a mess. Maybe being older helped her dexterity.' She doubted it would be wise to ask Serena such a thing though.

"I am sorry about what happened with the cookies."

"Why? It's not your fault, Serena."

"I guess not but I do feel responsible. I brought her and I told Mom that she should come."

"Serena, Reenie not coming wouldn't have made much difference except we would have avoided a fight with the Negaverse." Her friend grimaced. "Grandpa still sees me as a little kid, even when I'm my normal age." She frowned a little more. "Has Mina asked you about lightening up on Reenie, Serena?" The middle-aged woman shook her head. "She was trying to soften me up."

Serena shrugged. "It's outta my hands, Raye. Mom knows."

Raye mentally frowned. 'Serena sounds disappointed for some reason.' "Is your mom mad at you?"

"No," Serena replied while rooting around in the refrigerator for something for Raye, "But I feel like me passing the buck to her is sorta copping out." She lifted her head and saw the priestess giving her a puzzled look. "See... Well, I don't know maybe you won't..." The adult's forehead wrinkled a little and then she elaborated, "I guess I feel like I should handle it completely." The blonde sighed, stood up, and closed the refrigerator door. "I guess I just don't want Mom to think I'm irresponsible."

Raye didn't really think about what she did next. She moved to her pigtailed friend and gave her a tight hug. Serena hugged her back and for a moment, there was silence in the room. When Raye pulled away, she smiled a little and said, "Thanks." Serena gave her a little puzzled look but let the hug go. "Serena... going to your mom for advice IS being responsible. You can't help what Reenie did beforehand."

"True, although me not watching her like a hawk kinda helped her get out of the house in the first place."

The raven-haired preteen waved that way. "If you watch kids like hawks, Serena, they do one of two things: They either rebel or go out of their way to violate rules just to tick you off."

"Oh?"

"Or they become afraid to do anything and can't cope when they get out into the real world on their own. Sure you try and protect them but watching out for every little danger isn't real helpful either."

"Raye, it sounds like you're talking from experience," Serena commented.

"Gramps can be annoying but he's got a lot of wisdom too," Raye replied with a shrug. She chewed her lip for a moment. "Look... let me give you a bit of advice, Serena. You don't have to say anything, just listen." Her princess nodded. "I think part of the problem with Reenie is that you're not consistent. One minute, you're very strict and the next minute, you're partying with her like you were seven too." She grinned as Serena gave her an annoyed look. "Sure, you can be her friend sometimes, even her big sister, but I think your mom's counting on you to also be the more mature one. That means occasionally playing the villain."

"I know..."

"I know you know... It's what you do with that knowledge that counts. Serena, I want Reenie's scalp and my opinion of her isn't very high at the moment. But my views are like a speck of dust next to yours." Her friend snorted. "For my money, if you really disapproved of something, Reenie'd be more inclined to listen to you than your mom."

Serena opened her mouth as if to argue but then, they heard a scream coming from the direction of Raye's room.

End of Chapter 10

Concluding next in Chapter 11 - Forgettable Memories