Adventures of the ChibiScouts III Chapter 11 Bath Time for Bunny, 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 11 "Bath Time for Bunny"

"What's the matter, Serena?" Raye Hino asked as she looked up from the game board around which the girls were clustered. "You still got a chance to win. We just started." She gestured at the pieces.

"No, it's not that, Raye," her golden-haired friend replied while shaking her head. The two Anderson girls looked up at their princess. "It's just... Well, I hope Mina goes straight home like her daddy says. With the mood she's in..."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Serena. I don't know about yours but our Mina gets away with everything." As Lita nodded her agreement, the two "possessed" eight year olds blinked in surprise. She turned to her sister. "Lita, remember our last trip to Scoutland?"

"It's still open?" Serena interrupted.

"Only in the summer," Lita offered her friend, and then answered Amy, "Yeah, Sis, what a mess THAT was."

"Why?" Raye wondered.

"Mina got us all into trouble and she got off scot-free." Amy looked sour. "Everybody else though..." Amy then thought, 'It's not fair.' She, Lita, and Serena had borne the brunt of it although mainly because their parents were stricter than either Raye or Mina's.

Lita gave a wistful sort of sigh. "Yeah, I bet when you're a grownup, you can do all sorts of stuff, huh Serena?"

Serena, Raye noticed, didn't answer but instead picked up the dice and rolled them. She moved her piece forward and then, as the space she landed on instructed, she took a card from the center of the board and read it. She frowned, muttered something mildly acidic under her breath, and shifted her game piece back two squares.

It wasn't until Lita and Amy's turns had passed that Serena finally answered, "It's not so bad being big, but you got lots of responsibility too." She gave Lita a quick look before adding, "I mean I pretty much set my own bedtime and can do ALMOST anything. But... A lot of stuff is harder. Like I gotta go to high school." She shrugged.

"This is sorta like a vacation for us," Raye interjected.

Serena chewed her lip and thought, 'How do we get rid of Amy so we can talk to Lita?'

As if answering her prayers, the phone rang then a couple of minutes later, Chad walked into the room. "Amy, Lita, your mom's on the phone and wants to talk with one of you."

Amy glanced at her sister and then stood up. "I'll go, Sis. You take my turn." She passed the dice to her ponytailed sister and followed Chad out of the room.

"I hope everything's okay," Serena commented. Raye nodded while frowning at the doorway. Lita shrugged. Serena considered then decided to ask, "I was just wondering... Lita, do you remember anything about being a teenager?"

The brown-haired girl shook her head and then muttered, "Crud!" as she had to return Amy's piece back to the start. 'Amy's going to be mad.'

"Not even when we came before?" Raye asked.

"Nope," Lita replied after a moment, "Reenie told us 'bout it, and Mina says she sorta remembers you guys making her do weird stuff. Serena don't really remember but she liked it though."

"She did?" the blonde questioned.

"Oh sure, she said it felt like Mommy hugging her. Made Reenie mad."

Before either Raye or Serena could comment, Amy came in followed by Chad. "Mom has to work an extra shift at the hospital," she announced to her twin sister, "So she asked Chad if we could spend the night here." The blue-haired youngster gave Serena an apologetic look. "I gotta go back home and get our PJs and toothbrushes and stuff before it gets too late."

"I'll stay here, Sis," her sister volunteered. 'Maybe I can talk to Serena.'

"Can I come too, Daddy?" Raye requested.

"Okay. Come on then, Raye, Amy. Let's go get our coats. You two stay right here until we get back," Chad instructed and left the room followed by the two eight year olds.

"I hope you ain't mad," the brunette commented to her princess once the trio left the room.

"Like why would I be mad, Lita?" Serena wondered. "It's totally okay. 'Sides, I can't stay anyway. Molly's gonna babysit me and Reenie tonight." That got a grin out of her friend.

"Why did you wanna know if we remembered being big and stuff?" Lita asked her petite friend.

"I thought maybe you did is all," was the blonde's answer.

The brunette blew out her breath and flopped to the floor. "No, I don't remember anything about Queen Beryl or being a grownup or anything either. None of us can 'cept..." 'I think that's a good thing.' She sighed and sat back up hunching her shoulders. "I just keep having that same stupid bad dream." The ponytailed girl looked sour. "And I gotta go see Dr. Baloney tomorrow too." Serena watched as a ghost of a smile flitted across Lita's face. "She's okay I guess. It wouldn't be so bad but her and Mommy want me to tell her about it and I can't!"

"Why not?" Serena asked, idly toying with the dice of their forgotten game.

"I can't tell her 'cause it's Scout business and stuff. Reenie says we ain't allowed to talk 'bout Scout business to nobody ever." 'Reenie would blow a gasket and Serena would be sad.'

"Oh... hmm..." The little pigtailed girl tapped her chin, frowned down at the game board, and then looked up at her friend. "So, Lita, let me get this straight. You dream about being outside in the snow, it's cold, and majorly windy, and hard to see?" Her tall friend nodded. "And then something happens."

"Yeah, I know I'm Jupiter and I'm big... Then it's like these vines wrap around me and I can't move. I can hear someone calling me... and whoever it is sounds so sad. I try to get to her and I can't so I get really mad."

Serena prodded very softly, "Then what?"

"There's a flash..." Lita at this point hesitated and glanced at the door and then explained softly, "After the flash, it gets really cold and I wake up and I... Serena... The bed's... I..." 'I'm not a baby!'

"You wet the bed?" Her friend nodded looking ashamed and glum. "You don't do it on purpose, do you Lita?"

"No!" Lita almost shouted.

"Well, then don't worry about it. It happens." When her Jovian friend gave her a mulish look, she admitted, "I'll tell you a secret, Lita. Reenie wet the bed once." 'More than once.' That startled a shocked look out of the young brunette. "She came in to sleep with me and... Well, I got really mad at her, which was wrong. You're mommy doesn't get mad at you, does she?"

"No." 'Mommy says it's not my fault. Even Amy doesn't tease me.'

The meatball-headed blonde smiled. "It happens to the best of us." She gave her friend a long look as if taking a deep drink of water and declared, "Lita, you're the best."

Lita shifted around and hugged Serena who returned it with a giggle. "Go ahead and talk about the nightmare as much as you want. And even if you say you're Sailor Jupiter, they'll think it's just pretend. Just don't say too much." She winked. 'Probably lots of little girls here dream they're Chibi-Scouts, so it should be okay,' she reassured herself.

'Wow! Serena's really smart.' Lita looked as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders but even so, she asked nervously, "Serena, what if Reenie finds out?" 'She'd be really mad. Maybe Serena too.'

Serena stood up to her full three foot-eleven inch height and then she began wagging her finger. "Gosh, Lita, I'm her mommy. Reenie might be bigger than me now but I think when she gets home, I'll be having a very serious talk with that child." This display set Lita off into giggles.

"What's your Reenie like?" 'I bet she ain't as bossy there.'

Serena sighed. "She's a good kid but she can be very confusing. We also didn't get off to a great start either."

"How come?"

"Well, when we first met..."

- - - - -

After supper, Raye and Serena were standing outside the Raye's bathroom a few feet away from the closed door. The raven-haired girl kept glancing at the door anxiously but didn't comment on the length of time that Amy was taking. Serena was simply stuffed. Lita was in the kitchen. Raye had granted her permission to rummage through her mother's old cookbooks. She was delightedly doing so while waiting for the others to complete their business.

"I don't think she remembers, Raye," Serena whispered while rubbing her full tummy. Raye glanced at her and then at the closed door again.

"Amy?" the raven-haired child asked in a puzzled tone.

"No, Lita. I don't think she remembers being a teenager at all."

"Are you sure?"

Serena nodded. "I asked her 'bout our last trip here, even about Beryl and stuff and there wasn't anything. She doesn't 'member at all."

"Well, is that good or bad?" the raven-haired child asked and then sighed. Then she shifted, and muttered, "Dang, I wish she'd hurry up."

"It ain't been that long, Raye."

"Switch body parts with me and then tell me that, Meatball Head," her fiery friend grumbled. 'Besides, it's MY bathroom!'

"If it's that bad, knock."

"She's a friend, not a brother," the little priestess protested, which got an eye roll out of her pigtailed friend. 'I'll give Amy another minute.' "Anyway, is it good or bad?"

"Good," Serena answered promptly, "Except for some nightmares, she's a happy little girl. And we know the Chibi-Scouts need all the help they can get."

"Really?"

"They're gonna REALLY need it if Galaxia shows up." Raye shivered and glanced nervously around. "I'll let Luna take another look just to be sure..."

'I don't think Galaxia's coming.' "Why bother if Lita's happy here," her friend remarked. 'I know Amy misses her but it wouldn't be fair to ask Lita to leave now.'

"That she's happy is what counts, Raye," the petite blonde agreed. 'At least, I can tell Amy that when we get back.' "Once I sort out Reenie, we're history."

Raye turned to better regard her small friend. "What about the Gate of Time?"

Serena was silent for a few heartbeats and then sighed in a weary sort of way. "I bet Pluto's keeping it closed 'cause Reenie's 'supposed' to be here, just like last time. She has bigger fish to fry than not getting home."

Raye opened her mouth but at that moment, the door swung open and Amy exited the bathroom. The priestess gave Serena a look that said their discussion wasn't finished and then an annoyed look at her blue-haired before literally dashing into the bathroom and shutting the door.

"Gee, what's with her?" Serena shrugged. "By the way, thanks for helping Lita, Princess," Amy offered as she settled beside her petite friend. 'Serena won't mind that the grownup one came.' Serena raised an eyebrow. "I don't know what you said but... I mean, my Serena would do anything for Lita... for either of us but... she thought Lita just needed more hugs."

"Everybody needs more hugs, Amy," Serena countered and then laughed at the look on her friend's face. "I love her."

Amy smiled. "So what were you and Raye talking about?" When Serena didn't immediately answer, Amy continued, "I didn't catch a lot but..." She chewed her bottom lip. "When Reenie said she was going over the grownup universe, I thought maybe she knew something about Lita that I didn't and..." Serena looked startled and then slowly blinked. Amy looked toward the kitchen nervously. "She'll be okay, right?"

"Of course, she will be, Amy. Reenie might not tell you but I would!" Amy seemed relieved by that. "Me and Lita were just talking about being grownup that's all. And about Reenie." There was silence between the two girls for a moment and then the little blonde asked, "Can I ask you something, Amy?" The girl nodded. "Promise not to tell Reenie?" There was a pause but the little blue-haired girl nodded again. "Would you be Leader of the Chibi-Scouts?"

Serena could tell that this particular thought had never really crossed Amy's mind; either that or she was a very good actress. Her eyes enlarged, and she sucked air into her mouth as if she were about to whistle. After a few seconds of looking like a fish, she asked, "Why?"

"Reenie told me that when she goes back home to the future, she's gonna give you Sailor Moon's broach with the Silver Crystal." That garnered a frown out of her fellow eight year old. "And of course, take hers home." Serena touched the pink heart-shaped broach she wore on her chest.

"But... But you couldn't transform then!" Amy squeaked before clamping her hands over her mouth. Then realizing the implication. "You couldn't be a Chibi-Scout no more."

"Reenie doesn't want me to be one," Serena explained.

"Mina might but I don't want to do something like that," Amy said seriously. 'That would be really mean of Reenie.' "And if she gives it to me, I promise I'll just wait until she goes home and then gives it back to you. I mean the other you." 'It belongs to Serena.'

- - - - -

Molly Baker smiled as she saw two familiar children entering the Tsukino's front yard. She opened the door and her smile grew even larger as Serena let out a squeal of delight and rushed towards her. Bending down, the eleventh-grader scooped up the little girl and hugged her tightly. For her part, Serena giggled and hugged her much larger friend back.

"Oh you are so adorable!" the redhead cooed while stepping back to let Reenie into the house. 'Reenie too.' They made quite the pair.

"And you ain't so bad looking yourself!" Serena quipped which made her best friend laugh.

"Hello Molly," Reenie said curtly.

"Did you two have fun?"

"I did," the eight year old answered first and pouted slightly as Molly let her down to the ground. The pout didn't last long as she started taking off her jacket. "Lita and Amy get to sleep over at Raye's tonight 'cause their mommy's working late."

"Did you want to spend the night there too, Serena?" the seventeen year old asked dejectedly.

"Why?" Serena wondered, pausing in her effort to remove one of her Mary Jane's, "I wouldn't get to see you if I did, Molly, and I majorly wanted to see you!"

"And what about me?" Reenie interjected.

"I saw you at school, Big Sister," her little cousin countered but then softened it by adding, "But I'd miss you lots too!" Serena gave the ten year old a large hug and then smiled up at Molly.

'Wow.' Molly observed that Reenie was nearly a foot taller than her pigtailed friend was. She chuckled. "And how was your day at Southside, Serena?" 'I would've loved to have seen it.'

"Okay... except 'somebody' forgot to tell me I was a class rep."

"Uh..." Reenie began and then frowned, "Well, it didn't matter. I mean you didn't come to the meeting anyway." 'Not that little kids were supposed to.'

"Yeah well..."

"Serena, please don't fight with Reenie," the redhead directed. The youngster frowned but nodded then. 'Serena? Class rep?'

"I forgive you, Big Sister." Then she hugged the preteen again.

"I don't need your help," Reenie snapped at Molly, released Serena's hug, and stalked upstairs to put her bookbag away.

Molly knelt down and suggested, "Why don't you go put your stuff away too?" 'I still can't believe how tiny you are.' "And say hello to Artemis and Luna."

"Artemis is here?" Serena asked.

"Yes, he looks pretty unhappy. I tried to get him to tell me why but all he did was mew."

"Huh..." Serena commented and dashed upstairs. The third-grader found both lunar cats sitting on her bed. "Hi Luna! Hi Artemis!" she called out cheerfully upon entering the room. Thumping across the floor, she dropped her bookbag on her desk and then went over to her bed and sat down. "Why so glum, Artemis?"

"Mina kicked me out!" the white cat declared miserably. He had clearly been crying but now only looked as if his world had come to its end.

"What?" Serena asked, her heart going out to him. She knew he cared about Mina a great deal, just as her own Artemis did.

"I don't know. She said I was too much trouble, said she doesn't wanna have to take care of me no more," the feline explained in a mournful tone looking as if tears might begin anew. "When her dad got mad, she tossed my litter box in the trashcan and said I could go in there too!"

"But why, Artemis?" Serena wondered earnestly. Sure, Mina and Artemis sometimes had arguments but they usually made up quickly. Likely, this was the case here too. She glanced up to see Reenie coming into the room, a frown on her face. "Why would Mina kick you out?"

"She has a new pet," the lunar cat stated and groaning started to sniffle. 'Evil little beast.' Luna immediately pressed gently against his side, her purr sounding soothing, and she said something that neither girl could catch but Artemis clearly did. He sniffled, nodded, and looked sadly up at the two Tsukino girls.

'Oh brother.' "What's this new pet?" Serena asked.

"Whatever it is," Reenie offered trying to take the lead, "Mina will miss you soon, Artemis, and want you to come back." 'At least, it's not a new doll.' The pink-haired girl then turned to Serena and demanded, "Did you get your homework done?"

"Yes."

"Well, show me."

"Chill out, Reenie. It's done," Serena repeated and put her hands on her hips continued, "You'll just have to believe me." 'Gee, doesn't she care about Artemis?'

"I don't want my Serena to look bad." 'And turn into a girl like that other Reenie.'

"She won't, because I'm here," her juvenile mother assured her. She turned and walked back over to her bookbag. Hefting it over her shoulder, she turned and started for the door.

"Where are you going, Serena?"

"To talk to Molly."

"Then why are you taking your bookbag?"

"'Cause I don't want you snooping though it, Reenie," the little blonde indicated and pointedly ignored the stricken look the older girl got. Artemis temporarily forgetting his troubles openly gaped at the two Tsukino girls.

"You weren't kidding," he muttered to Luna.

"About what?" Reenie wondered.

"I just told Artemis that my Serena wasn't going to be a creampuff." Reenie gritted her teeth but before she could think of anything to retort, Luna gracefully leapt from the bed and scampered after her regressed charge, Artemis hot on her heels.

- - - - -

Reenie found her little sister and Molly sitting silently at the kitchen table. Serena had a scowl on her face while their seventeen year old babysitter was looking over some papers. "I told you I did my homework!" Serena complained.

"It never hurts to check," Molly commented, "And I majorly know how you are with homework, Serena."

"Hey, I haven't tried gettin' my way out of it for ages!" the eight year blonde protested.

"Even still," Molly began. "I'm almost done." 'Kids.' Serena scowled which grew even deeper as Reenie grinned.

"See I told you so," Reenie told the younger girl haughtily, "I could've checked it over, Little Sis, and you'd be all set to play right now." Serena stuck her tongue out.

"Don't be rude, Serena," the redhead chided, "Act like a guest." Both Molly and Reenie were startled when the normally cute girl made a rude sound. "Serena..."

"Okay, I'm sorry, Mol." She turned to Reenie. "I'm sorry too, Big Sister."

"That's okay, Little Sister," the pink-haired girl replied, "I wonder what happened with Mina though?"

"Something happened to Mina?" Molly asked as she repacked Serena's completed homework. As the two girls explained, she frowned and then ventured, "You don't think it's the Negaverse, do you?"

"No way!" Reenie retorted. "There's no way it could be them. Her and Artemis get into fights sometimes. Besides, Mina's done stuff like this before. It's just worse than other ones. Mina'll calm down in a couple of days and come looking for him. Artemis can stay here until then."

Serena frowned as if trying to remember something and then shook her head. "I don't think so either, Molly. I mean Raye didn't sense anything at all." She frowned again. 'I think I ate too much.' Reenie pulled her away from that thought though.

"Then why..." the pink-haired preteen began and then stopped abruptly glancing at Molly with a frown.

"What about the Time Gate?" Serena asked and returned the sour look Reenie was giving her, "Oh give it up, Reenie. Molly's a Sailor Scout too!"

"You get suckered into that, huh?" All three girls craned their neck around and saw Sammy standing at the hallway entrance. "Glad it's you and not me." Her sister's Chibi-Scout game had a tendency to draw him in as Tuxedo Mask or some bad guy. It used to be fun but now his friends teased him about it.

"I don't mind, Sammy. It makes Serena happy," Molly offered. The young man only shook his head. He walked over to the television, rifled through a drawer, got a game out, and retreating out of the room.

"Be more careful!" Reenie hissed.

"Oh come on, Reenie. So like what you were gonna say about the Time Gate?"

"It's sealed. So I think Raye's detector needs to be taken in for repair!"

"I dunno... Raye's pretty sensitive," Molly commented. She had come to trust the priestess' psychic sense since she became a Sailor Scout.

"She thinks she is," the ten year old grumbled, "But she's not picking anything up and there's gotta be something."

"Did you ever think," Serena speculated, "That maybe Pluto has her own reasons for not opening it?"

The pink-haired girl looked startled then demanded, "Like what?"

"Like the fact that you ain't done nothing important yet?" The older girl looked stumped and unbent far enough to glance questioningly at Molly who shrugged. "Like the time you had to figure out that I was Sailor Moon and tell us what was actually happening in Crystal Tokyo." Serena frowned and continued, "Or it might have been because we had to defeat Emerald."

"Maybe so, Little Sis. So then I need to defeat somebody and Mars DOES need her detector checked."

Molly, deciding to distract at least one of her charges, suggested, "Serena, why don't you go take your bath?

"Okay!" Serena agreed happily.

- - - - -

Mina Aino sat in the tub crooning to her new pet. 'What a great pet!' the little blonde thought, 'She loves me and doesn't complain or talkback or anything.' Like a certain cat she knew. Her father had not wanted Mina taking her newfound friend into the bathtub but the little girl had insisted, had even thrown something of a tantrum, until her mother had simply told her father to let their child do as she wanted. Mina smiled at the memory. 'It's nice being able to do what I want.' She looked into the sad red eyes of her new best friend in the world and smiled in contentment.

- - - - -

"Why are you being so mean to me?" Reenie whined to Serena as they sat in their large tub.

"What?" the pigtailed child asked.

"Why are you being so mean? I thought you were my best little sister, Serena." 'I thought the grownup Serena would...'

"I am!" Serena argued, her blue eyes going wide.

"Then why are you taking Molly's side?"

"I wasn't!" Serena protested. "I just wanted some company and we didn't get to spend a lot of time together yesterday." When the pink-haired girl failed to look mollified, she added, "Reenie, I love you lots! You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah," Reenie sighed. 'Me too, Mommy.'

"Well, I wanna be with you lots and I missed you at Raye's."

"I wanted... I had a school project to work on with Missy." 'No little kids.' Serena nodded. "I guess I should've told you about the class rep stuff. Sorry."

"I got through it with Lita's help," her future mother said with a shrug.

"How did Raye make out, Little Sis?"

"Okay, I think she had trouble with a test but..." Serena shrugged.

Reenie frowned at the water. "I wish she'd hurry up and find something. I wonder if she's trying right now..." She gave a disgusted look as her little sister shifted and a stream of bubbles erupted into the water. "Eew!"

"'Cuse me," Serena apologized then thought, 'Wish I could do that again.' She was still feeling full from supper.

- - - - -

At that precise moment, Raye, Amy, and Lita were having a grand time in the bath. So much so, that it attracted Chad's attention. "Raye?!" he asked through the door needing to raise his voice to be heard over the giggling and splashing of the three little girls, "What are you doing in there?"

There was sudden silence from the other side of the door and then what sounded like muffled giggles. "Nothing," his adopted daughter replied, a clear giggle sounding in her tone.

"That's a tub, not a pool, no matter how big it is," Chad stated sternly. "Most of that water better be in the tub when you get done, young lady."

"Yes Daddy!" the youngster called out, her submission to this directive was spoiled by another giggle. Sighing a little bit, her father only shook his head and went back to the living room. 'Sometimes I'm too soft.' He smiled to himself. 'But man, I like it when I can be soft.' As he came into the room, he noticed that the elder Hino was looking mildly perturbed. "What?"

"A new kid craze is starting," the old man supplied. "And it's growing like wildfire. I have a feeling Raye'll want one of those little beasts, Chad. You'd better get ready."

"What are they, Grandpa?" the acolyte asked glancing at the television although the commercial was already over.

"I don't know what they call them. Sort kind of hybrid. They look like bunnies to me."

"Well in that case, Serena will definitely want one and Raye too."

"I was afraid of that," the old priest sighed.

"It could be worse," Chad offered.

"How so?"

"Raye could have a boyfriend." Grandpa Hino blinked and then started to laugh. That was over a decade off if he had anything to say about it.

- - - - -

"Reenie," her babysitter admonished in a soft tone of voice, "Don't poke her!"

Reenie, who'd been sitting beside Serena on the couch, looked up and frowned. "I wanted to know if she was asleep or not, Molly."

"Come on, you can hear her snoring," Molly remarked and waved at Serena who was curled up in her pajamas beside Reenie, her head resting on the older girl's thigh. The third-grader was most definitely snoring and occasionally mumbling.

"Well, how are we supposed to get her upstairs then, Ms. High School Girl?" 'I'd hate to wake her.'

"Like this," Molly replied. The she gently lifted the little girl up into her arms and headed out of the living room. She smiled to herself as Serena snuggled closer in her sleep. 'Oh, you're such a cutie. I could hug you forever!' She smiled to herself and thought, 'Whatever Serena said to Reenie seems to have done the trick. At least they aren't sniping at each other.' She was aware of Reenie following her.

"Reenie, are you going to sleep with Serena?" Molly asked the ten year old as she reached the top of the steps.

"Guess I better," she began trying to sound put out, "Just in case she wakes up and gets scared."

'She's a good big sister.' She thought of Jennifer. "Does she?"

"What?"

"Get scared?" the redhead clarified.

"Oh yeah, thunder, dogs, bad grades..."

"Needles?" Reenie flinched and then glared at the interloper.

"I wasn't trying to poke fun at you, kiddo." That last bit earned her a scowl. Molly only sighed. 'Sometimes... Serena was just full of energy. I doubt I could've kept up with her. It's a good thing I sent her off for her bath early or she'd have been a real pain to put down for bed like this.'

- - - - -

Four year old Hotaru Tomoe rolled to her side and pushed herself up. She sleepily rubbed her eyes and looked about her room. All was quiet in the little girl's room and the nightlight gave off a reassuring warm glow beside the door. Slipping from her bed, she padded across the floor to the partially open door and looked out into the dark hallway. She wasn't really scared. She knew her father was just down the hall as well as the nightlight inside the bathroom shined like a beacon.

Thinking that perhaps she needed to use the potty, the youngster padded down the hall to the bathroom. After a few minutes, she came back but did not enter her room. The raven-haired child frowned as she glanced around.

She crept to her father's room and glanced in but he was sound asleep. He looked content and the worry lines that were usually present when he was awake were not in evidence. Little Hotaru knew that he wasn't really worried about what she was doing but something that had happened before. She had a vague notion but nothing firm and for the most part the four year old didn't typically think about it.

The preschooler turned back knowing that her father would put her back to bed if he discovered her in his own. Instead of returning to her room, the youngster walked down the dark hallway and out into the living room. Crossing the thick carpeting, she pressed her small nose against the cold window and her dark eyes opened with delight as she spotted flecks of snow coming down out of the sky. The small white flakes seemed to dance and shimmer as they passed in front of the accent lights scattered about the Tomoe property.

Hotaru stayed there for a long time until she sensed that someone was behind her. She really didn't want to turn around, mainly because she assumed that if she couldn't see whoever was behind her, they couldn't see her. She sighed after a moment when the presence didn't go away. Turning, the youngster fully expected to see her father but instead, she was greeted by a sight that made her blink.

A delighted smile spread slowly across the little girl's face when she saw the floating apparition before her. The spirit lifted a finger to her lips and smiled down at the small child who covered her mouth with both hands.

"The Princess will need us soon," the preteen spirit said to Hotaru, "Very soon." The four year old nodded. She knew who the Princess was. There was a faint sound, like a footstep, that drew the youngster's attention but when she turned back, the spirit of Sailor Saturn had vanished. Moments later, her father came out of the hallway and into the living room.

"Hotaru, what are you doing up?" he asked sleepily.

"It's snowing, Daddy!" the child exclaimed and then added hotly when her father shook his head, "It is!"

"I believe you but it's time for sleep." His daughter gave him a pout. She wanted to go outside and play in the snow.

- - - - -

Ellen Tsukino awoke with a mild start as someone shook her. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes to see Reenie standing beside her bed. "Reenie?" she asked softly, pushing up on one elbow.

"Aunt Ellen, I don't think Serena's feeling very good," the girl informed her.

"Why?" Ellen asked, sitting up more fully and swinging her legs out of bed. Ken began to wake up.

"'Cause she went to the bathroom awhile ago and hasn't come back."

"I'll go see," Ellen decided. "Ken, stay here." She left the bedroom with the ten year old trailing behind her, walked down the hallway to the bathroom door, and tapped on it. There was an indistinct sound from inside so she opened the door and found her daughter half-sitting half-kneeling beside the toilet.

"Sweetie, what are you doing?" Ellen asked, stepping into the room.

"Prayin' to the porcelain god," was the eight year old's sarcastic answer with a vague wave to the toilet.

"What?" Reenie asked, wrinkling her nose.

Elle, however, came in and knelt beside her daughter. "Did you throw up, honey?"

"Just... a little, Mommy," Serena confessed with a hard swallow in the middle.

"You still feel sick?" her mother asked. Serena started to nod but abruptly stopped and swallowed hard again. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Or me?" Reenie added.

The eight year old muttered, "You need to sleep too, Mommy." 'Besides, it's just a little tummy-ache. I'm not a baby!'

The mother of two had to restrain the urge to hug her daughter tightly. She was also annoyed when Reenie commented, "Well, that was stupid, Serena." 'I could've helped you.' The pink-haired girl recoiled as Serena lurched upwards and made another offering.

"Go back to bed, Reenie," her aunt directed as she rubbed Serena's back, "I have it under control." The ten year old nodded and left the bathroom. "Well," Ellen announced as she reached for a washcloth, "I know somebody who isn't going to school tomorrow."

"But I wanna go to school!"

"Not when you're doing that," Ellen pointed out. "What did you eat yesterday?" The golden-haired girl's response was muffled as her mother cleaned her face.

"Nothing..." Serena remarked. She cocked her head and then suggested, "Maybe I'm pregnant." She didn't detect the mildly perturbed look that flitted across her mother's face. 'Although me and Darien never...'

- - - - -

Little Raye Hino yawned, squinted at the faint traces of early morning light that were coming into her room, and snuggled deeper under the covers. She felt Lita shift behind her, mumble something, and then settle again. The raven-haired girl supposed that Amy was also still asleep.

'Who would've thought all three of us could fit into my bed.' Thought of her bed made the eight year old grimace. 'My poor bed. I bet the other Raye'll be really POed with me.' She mentally winced as she remembered how upset Chad had been last night. 'Maybe it was just a bad dream...' The little priestess eased herself up slightly and stared around the dimly lit room. Unfortunately, Lita rolled over and nabbed her pillow. Sighing, Raye eased out of bed, bent down, tucked her portion of the blankets around the sleeping brunette, and stood up.

'No, it wasn't a dream,' Raye decided as she looked down on the mattress and box springs lying on the floor containing her two sleeping friends. Knowing what she would find, she glanced over sadly where the remains of her bedframe and headboard lay in a disheveled heap. She remembered that he seemed to stare accusingly at her. 'Man!' She retreated to the rocking chair and hopped up into it. 'I don't know why I was so naughty. Serena ain't acting like a little kid...' The little priestess chewed her bottom lip trying to hold back her tears. 'I should've listened to Daddy.'

She had been bouncing on her bed, giggling, and having a great time until her father had come in and told her to stop. Raye had complied... at first. She really hadn't meant to ignore his directive NOT to jump on the bed. And now sitting in the gloom rocking back and forth in what she thought of as her favorite chair, the child couldn't fathom what had prompted her into doing exactly the opposite of what her father had told her to do. 'I can't be slipping that much, right? I mean Serena ain't crying that much and she's not really hyper and she seems really serious instead of what she should be like.'

The raven-haired eight year old sighed and pushed the issue of Serena out of her mind. Her more immediate problem was to figure out what type of punishment her father was likely to meed out and how to mitigate it. 'Not like I don't deserve it,' Raye thought sourly, 'But I'm going home soon and it's not fair to little Raye to remember being punished for something she really didn't do.' She frowned then. 'We didn't think about that the first two times we were here.'

Her brooding was halted for a moment as Lita sat up, took a second to orient herself, hopped up, and quickly padded out of the room. When she came back, hair down and sleep tussled, Raye was surprised when her sometimes-tomboyish friend walked over and gave her a hug. "Raye, it's too early to get up," Lita remarked around a large yawn, "Come on." She jerked her head towards the bed.

"I'll gotta pee first," Raye replied. "I wouldn't want to wet the bed."

Lita gave her a strange look and then said with a slightly crooked grin, "You could always blame it on me."

- - - - -

That morning, Reenie Tsukino trudged through the snow towards school feeling odd. Serena wasn't by her side holding her hand. 'I hope she's okay,' Reenie thought to herself, 'Little Sis was sad that she couldn't go to school but Aunt Ellen's right. Serena needs to stay home and get better.' She walked on for a few moments before glancing about then fishing out her communicator. 'Mine won't contact Molly.'

After another moment, she put the communicator into cell phone mode and punched in the number she had read in her aunt's address book. "Yeah?" came Molly's voice.

"You didn't let Serena eat anything funny yesterday, did you?" Reenie asked accusingly to the redhead.

"Reenie?" Molly questioned.

"Yeah."

"What's this about? Serena?"

"Serena's sick and I thought," Reenie began, "You might've let her eat something funny last night."

"Honestly!" the redhead almost snarled, her eyes flashing, "Do you think I'd hurt Serena?!"

"I didn't mean..." Reenie began.

"Serena didn't want a bedtime snack but you took it. Are YOU sick?" Reenie was silent, mentally squirming with embarrassment. "Unless the Negaverse attacks, don't call me!" Molly snapped and cut the connection.

'Oh geez!' the pink-haired girl thought, 'I didn't mean she did it on purpose. I just...' Before she could reestablish communications with Molly to apologize, she heard her name being called. Turning, she saw little Hotaru Tomoe and her father coming down a small alley. The youngster ran over and gave the older girl a hug.

"Hi Reenie!" the raven-haired four year old sang out, "Where's Serena?"

"She's not feeling very good today," Reenie explained, "I'm glad to see you, Hotaru, and you too, Professor Tomoe."

"Hello Reenie. Serena's sick?"

"She just has a bit of a tummy-ache."

"We should go see her, Daddy. I can help!" Hotaru offered firmly.

"That's a long way from home, Hotaru," her father argued.

"I'm gonna be a big girl soon and help the Princess anyway, Daddy," the preschooler observed.

Reenie only shook her head and smiled at the exuberance the tiny girl was putting forth. "You really like Serena, don't you?" she asked.

"Yep! She's the Princess."

"I'm a princess too," the ten year old pointed out and was disappointed when the child only shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I should get going. I don't wanna be late for school."

"We should go too," Hotaru's father agreed.

"To see Serena!"

"No," Professor Tomoe said firmly but kindly. Little Hotaru pouted, which didn't work in the least.

'She's definitely different from the teenage one,' Reenie mused as he watched Hotaru's father tugging his daughter down the street. At one point, the four year old sat down in the snow and refused to budge. 'Boy, she's got a temper!' Reenie thought as the younger girl started to yell.

- - - - -

It was lunchtime and a gaggle of girls was clustered around Mina Aino. Raye was right beside her ribbon-wearing friend and looked with fascination at the adorable creature cuddled in Mina's arms. "It looks like a bunny," Raye observed. "Serena would love one of them." She considered and added, "I'd love one of them too." 'It'd be a great present for the other me.' Lita and Amy nodded. Mina beamed.

"They're called Chanela and they're the best! They ain't that expensive either and you just need to hold them and cuddle them. You don't gotta clean up after them or nothing." A major plus in Mina's view.

"Maybe Mom will get us one," Amy commented to her sister.

"Maybe," Lita agreed, "We can ask her after my appointment today." She looked wistfully at the creature. "Too bad Serena isn't here."

"Yeah, where is she?" Mina asked. "She'd love one of these... but not this one. She's mine! All Mine!" She gave a dramatic evil cackle.

"Sick," Lita answered. "Reenie says so anyway."

"You don't believe her?" Raye piped in.

"Dunno. She was wearing her hall monitor badge," the ponytailed girl explained. "Sometimes she has her nose so high in the air, I think she'll fall backwards." That got a giggle out of the other children in the group. "You're right though. Serena's gonna go nuts when she sees 'em."

"So Raye, when are you going to ask your daddy?"

"Not... right away," the raven-haired child replied and mentally grimaced. Chad had decided to discuss her punishment after school, when Lita and Amy weren't around. Raye assumed her father would not be inclined to buy her any presents for a while. 'Maybe if I cry...' That had always worked on her grandfather when she was little.

- - - - -

Reenie observed the giggling third-graders from a distance where she was sitting with Melissa and her other friends. "They sure like those fuzzy things."

"Do you want one, Reenie?" Melissa asked.

"Nah," Reenie answered, "I just think they like them, but what do you expect outta LITTLE kids?" She shrugged as best friend gave her a long look. "Serena will probably want one, but she's already got Luna so I don't think that'd go over well."

"Yeah, cats hate rabbits," a girl down the table observed, "My cousin got a bunny and their cat got into the pen and..."

"I don't think Luna would hurt it," Reenie countered. "I think she'd just be jealous."

"Jealous? Oh come on, Ree-Ree. Luna's just a cat, not a human," Melissa protested. "It's not like she can talk."

'Luna can but...' "Serena says she does, even if Aunt Ellen keeps telling her it ain't true." The pink-haired girl regarded her best friend and added menacingly, "Missy, I told you don't ever call me Ree-Ree again."

"Or what?"

"I'll tell Braden Armstrong that you're sweet on him." For some strange reason, Melissa went rather pale and then turned very pink.

- - - - -

Ellen Tsukino was surprised to find Molly Baker standing at her front door. "Hello Molly, how are you?" she asked, allowing the teenager into the house.

"All right, Mrs. Tsukino," Molly replied, "Hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

"No..." Ellen began but paused as she heard the running of feet.

"Molly!" Serena squealed in delight and ran up to hug her older friend, "Why ain't you in school? Can you take me to school?"

"I heard you were sick, Serena," the redhead answered while smiling down at the little girl.

"I'm all better now. Mommy gave me some yummy cherry medicine." The two adults laughed as the little girl flexed her muscles as if to prove the point.

"You didn't eat much lunch though, sweetie," her mother pointed out. "I don't think you're 'all better' yet."

"You listen to your mom, kiddo," Molly encouraged the little girl, "I can't stay long. I just wanted to come over on my lunch break and see how you're doing."

"Aww nuts!" Serena considered, then she got a glint in her eye, "Well, if I can't go to MY school... Can I go to yours?"

Ellen only chuckled. Her daughter in high school? She didn't want to think about it. "Why don't you go brush your teeth and maybe later we can make some cookies for Reenie." She smiled as her daughter gave her a hug and skipped down the hall pausing only once to wave good-bye to Molly before entering the bathroom. "Now, how did you know Serena was sick? You didn't say anything yesterday."

"Reenie phoned me this morning, Mrs. Tsukino," Molly told her. "She wanted to know if I let Serena have anything strange last night."

"Oh dear. I'm very sorry, Molly."

The redhead shrugged. "That's okay. Reenie's a good kid. She's just worried about Serena and I think she's a bit jealous of me."

"Even still..."

"I didn't want to cause any trouble, Mrs. Tsukino. I just wanted to check on Serena."

Ellen smiled. "Jenny's lucky to have a big sister like you."

"I'm lucky to have her," Molly countered and then with a smile, said her goodbyes.

'Reenie Tsukino...' Ellen thought, 'Just wait until I get my hands on you.'

- - - - -

Lita and Amy Anderson sat in the backseat of their family car that Tuesday afternoon. Amy was reading a book. Lita squinted trying to glean the title. 'That's one of Mommy's books.' She wondered what Amy was doing because there weren't any pictures to look at. Mentally shrugging, she turned her attention to outside the window and watched the pale yellow sunlight play across the more stubborn icicles creating prismatic sprays of color as the car passed by them.

They were on their way back home from Dr. Mahoney's office. The eight year old smiled to herself at the thought of her sister but then frowned slightly as she remembered Serena. "I hope Serena's okay."

"Why dear?" Mary asked, to taking her eyes off the road.

"'Cause she was sick today."

"That's too bad, honey. I hope she only had the sniffles," her mother commented, while thinking, 'I hope it isn't too serious or the girls will contract it soon. At least, they aren't young enough they want to share it with me. I better call Ellen later just to make sure.' As the car came to a stop at a traffic light, Mary asked, "How was your talk with Dr. Mahoney, Lita?"

"Good Mommy," Lita said with all honesty, "Serena helped me."

Mary turned slightly to regard her daughter. "How, sweetheart?" Even Amy had stopped her reading to regard her sister.

Lita shrugged. "She told me that I should tell Dr. Mahoney all about my bad dream." The youngster noticed the faintly puzzled expression on her mother's face as she turned around to focus on the road. 'Then I had to open my big mouth and mention the Moon Princess.' Much to Lita's distress, Dr. Mahoney had at first thought that Lita had meant she was a princess, something Lita vehemently denied. Of course, this firm denial had set the therapist fishing after more information. While her young patient was perfectly willing to talk about her dream, especially given Serena's blessing, she was not about to let anything slip that would endanger the Princess.

'Huh, I'll have to tell Sheryl about that,' Mary thought, 'She was excited that Lita was finally opening up. I wonder what Serena really said...'

"What are you reading, Sis?" Amy glanced at the book and then shrugged, closing it. Before Lita could comment, her sister cocked her head to the side. Lita followed suit. They heard a siren coming up behind them. Craning her neck, she couldn't see but her mother pulled the car to the side. She watched as an ambulance flew past them with its lights flashing and siren wailing. For some reason, Mina popped into her mind.

"Mina brought her new pet to school," Lita announced.

"Oh..." their mother asked and smiled as both her girls told her about it in gushing detail. "Well, maybe we can get one."

"Really?" they asked.

"Certainly," she assured her children with a growing smile.

"When?" Amy asked.

"What about right now?" The mother of two chuckled as her daughters cheered. She turned a corner and after a few moments, they spotted a parking spot outside a large and rather crowded looking pet store.

End of Chapter 11

Coming next in Chapter 12 "Memories"