The next two hours seemed like an eternity. Dawn had arrived at Lita's place to find the front hallway and living room rugs stained crimson. Ian had been lying on the floor, blood seeping through what remained of his clothing. With the girls' help, he had stumbled into the bathroom where Dawn had attempted to clean him up. More than once she'd asked him if they should take him to the emergency room, and each time he'd assured her that he'd be all right on his own. Looking back, Dawn couldn't see how she had believed him; broken ribs, pieces of glass still in his skin, countless gashes and bruises, and the few times he coughed up blood should have forced her to call an ambulance. Instead, she'd attended to him with a warm washcloth and a couple of torn bedsheets to stop the worst of the bleeding. Now, he lay covered with a blanket on Lita's sofa. Lita, who had ripped apart a spare set of sheets while Ian got cleaned up, sat next to Dawn on the floor.
"It was them, wasn't it?" Lita lifted her head from Dawn's shoulder, the exhaustion evident in her voice. "The same ones who want to get the Crystal Key, they're trying to kill him, too." The American girl nodded mutely, her eyes trained on Ian as he tossed and turned on the couch. Lita watched him for a moment, brushing her hair away from her face. "He's going to be okay, isn't he?"
"I think so," Dawn answered, her relaxed tone belying her strained expression. "He said he just needs to rest." She sighed heavily, tilting her head back against the wall. Her eyes closed and she breathed a sigh of relief. "We could use some, too," she added."
Lita sat up, wiping her eyes with the bottom of her shirt. "Should I call the others now, or wait until he wakes up?" She glanced over at Ian as he gave a low groan, wincing in pain as he shifted beneath the blanket. "They could meet us here in about an hour probably…"
"I don't think we should tell them." Her eyes kept closed as she spoke in a resolute tone. "They don't need to know."
Lita stared at her incredulously, mouth hanging open slightly. "But they need to know," she insisted, getting to her feet. "Those people were after you and Rini before."
"And what're they gonna do?" Dawn opened her eyes and got to her feet, walking to the window. "They'll probably be happy that those guys jumped Ian instead of them."
"Dawn!" Lita looked over at her, shocked. "They wouldn't think that!"
"Even Serena?" She folded her arms across her chest and frowned. "You can't make me believe that she wouldn't feel the tiniest bit satisfied hearing that he got the shit beaten out of him."
She didn't have a response for that. Lita knew that no matter how much she wanted to believe that Serena would trust Ian, deep down she knew that Dawn was right. "But the others," she reasoned. "Mina and Amy and Raye, they trust him. Especially Amy," she added, remembering how quick the usually quiet young woman had leapt so quickly to Ian's defense. "And Amy's usually scared of everybody."
Dawn sighed audibly, hooking her thumbs in the pockets of her jeans as she looked out the window. She knew Ian didn't trust any of them. For that matter, she wasn't entirely sure if he trusted her completely. Still, Lita was right; the other girls had given him the benefit of the doubt. Having three extra people on their side was better than none. "If that's what you think is the best thing to do," she began, turning away from the window. "Guess you should clue them in."
She nodded in response, getting to her feet. "I'll call Raye first, and then Amy," she replied. "We'll call Mina last, so she can tell Serena."
"Don't." Ian's voice rumbled through the room as he struggled to sit up. "None of them need to know… shit!" He coughed violently, clutching his chest as he fell back. Lita raced to the couch, helping him to sit up as Dawn tucked the blanket around him once more.
"You need to stay still," she said gently as Lita propped him up on her shoulder. "You shouldn't move too much."
Ian grunted in reply and turned his attention to Lita, whose eyes were bright with tears. Placing a bandaged hand to her cheek, he gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll be all right," he began. "I didn't mean to scare you." She held her resolve for a few brief seconds, then broke down completely. He gently stroked her hair, his cheek against her forehead. Uneasy, Dawn slipped into the kitchen, closing her eyes as she crossed her arms across her chest.
Stop that right now, she thought, chastising herself. A lone tear escaped down her cheek and she hastily brushed it away. She chewed on her lower lip, angry that she'd let something as innocent as Ian's concern for Lita get to her. It was only natural that he'd turn to Lita, rely on her and comfort her, and it was childish to be jealous. With Dawn, it wasn't even jealousy; if anything, it was the simple desire to simply feel safe and protected. She'd felt that way this morning, when he'd done the simple act of sitting across from her at breakfast and holding her hand. Somehow, she'd hoped that something more than a long lost pact had driven him to that bit of altruism. At the moment, it didn't seem likely. Dawn gave a deep sigh and swallowed hard, regretting the outright honesty she'd displayed the night before. That had only made the morning even more awkward for her, having to face him and admit that she had been telling the truth. Still, for those few minutes, it had been so comforting, and she'd finally felt safe and secure, and…
"I don't want them to know." Ian stood in the doorway of the kitchen minutes later, Lita having helped him to his feet. Startled, Dawn wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and nodded, the forced calm evident in her voice.
"Me neither," she managed, her voice cracking slightly. She cleared her throat in an attempt to regain some composure. "I think we're on our own."
"Indeed."
"No!" Lita exclaimed, nearly dropping Ian. "Well, what I mean is," she explained, shifting to accommodate Ian's frame. "We need the rest of the Sailors. If those other people come looking for us now, we won't be able to face them on our own. They could have followed him," she reasoned frantically. "We can't face the two of them like this."
Ian painfully straightened up, placing a hand on the counter to support his weight. "Lita, it's not a good idea to let your enemies know you're weakened. This is just the kind of opportunity they need."
"But they're not…" Lita started to interrupt but Ian put a finger to her lips.
"I know you don't want to believe that they will, but if they're going to make any kind of attempt, then they will never get a better chance than this." Lita opened her mouth to protest, but Dawn spoke first.
"Maybe we can tell them tomorrow morning," she offered with a shrug. "That solves your strategic advantage question."
"Maybe." Ian replied. "Maybe."
Lita looked between the two of them, frowning. "You really think we can wait? I mean, we should at least tell Luna and Serena…"
"I really don't think that's a good idea," Dawn interjected, a touch of sarcasm returning to her too-calm tone. "Serena's not too thrilled with me or him at the moment."
"Why not?"
A wry grin lifted a corner of her mouth. "Well, she was talking smack about him," she began, nodding at Ian, "when I was there earlier to get your phone number. They knew about what happened last night at the park, and one thing led to another – "
"How did they know about last night?" Ian demanded harshly.
"I told all of them this morning," Lita admitted under Ian's disapproving glare. "I thought they should know."
"It doesn't matter," Dawn rushed on. "They knew, and Serena said something about him and me messing things up, as if either of us had a choice when it came to this thing," she said with a wave of her hand. "I told her to go on about me as much as she wanted, but to leave you out of it." She turned to Ian, who had an expression of near-amusement on his face. "She didn't, she kept going and called you a traitor, and, well…" Dawn suddenly became very interested in a chipped nail as she lowered her eyes. "I hauled off and bitch-slapped her," she muttered in English.
Ian burst out laughing, wincing a bit while Lita stared at him, bewildered. "What did she say? What's so funny?"
Dawn coughed and repeated the last bit in Japanese, although with somewhat tamer language. Lita's hand covered her mouth in shock while Dawn managed to look somewhat embarrassed. "After that, I called you." She checked her watch and sighed. "Guess I'd better get home, it's late."
"Is it?"
"It's dark enough," Dawn reasoned. "I got here around five, it's almost eight, and I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."
"You're not walking home alone." Ian kept a hand on the wall as he painfully made his way back to the couch. "You'll have to stay here tonight."
"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," she answered with a hint of stubborn pride. "It's only a handful of blocks."
"Even so, you can't go there by yourself."
"Now wait a second," Dawn objected, somewhat indignant. "You don't trust me to walk myself home?"
"It's not you I don't trust," he answered, sitting back on the sofa. "It's all the fucking weird bastards out there."
"Oh." She didn't have a response for that reasoning.
"Besides," he continued. "If they did this to me, what do you think they'd do to you? They're more powerful than before."
"Okay, okay. You're right, I'll stay here." With a shrug, she sat on the floor and smiled ruefully. "At least tomorrow's Saturday."
"Indeed."
Dawn arched an eyebrow in Ian's direction at his one-word reply. "Ya know, that's annoying as hell."
"Indeed," he repeated once more.
She gave an irritated sigh and flopped back onto the carpet. At least his injuries hadn't affected his attitude, so that must have been some kind of good sign. "Do you mind if I crash here?"
"No, that's all right," Lita answered, heading for her bedroom to find some spare blankets. "At least you'll be safe here." I hope.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Given the questionable nature of the neighborhood in which Ian resided, no one had bothered to call the authorities over a lot of screaming and a broken window. If anyone had entered the apartment, they would have found a girl in a torn black dress kneeling in front of a large book while a young man stood with a cigarette at the broken window. Glass covered the blood-stained rugs while a lone candle cast an inconstant light across the open book. Sarah held both hands in her lap, her lips moving in soundless conversation as Ciarazel voiced her approval of their ambush of Ian.
"Thou hast done well," the silvery voice echoed such that only Sarah could hear. "Thou hast weakened the Prince of Jupiter such that he may not aid those who guard the Crystal."
"And the others?" Miakoda's raspy voice hissed through Sarah's lips. "Surely the others must be kept from the one who keeps me imprisoned. What of them?"
"They shall fall as the Dark Prince has fallen," Ciarazel replied contently, the flames on the page flickering lazily. "One by one, they shall fall and thou shall possess the Crystal."
"And immortality," the harsh whisper replied hastily. "Eternal Ciarazel, thou hast promised to restore my immortality."
The silhouette on the faded parchment gave an eerie curtsy in reply. "And so it shall be, once thou art complete."
Sarah felt a cool rush of pleasure surge through her body, her face bearing a grotesque smile as her fingers brushed the page. "I thank thee, Dark Sister," she whispered. "And how shall the child guide us?"
"She will not," the silvery voice answered. "I shall guide thy enemies through the darkness, and thou shall reclaim the Crystal as thine own."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"It's still not fair," Serena grumbled over the remnants of her ice cream sundae. Raye sat across from her, idly stirring her milkshake while Luna rehashed the events of the afternoon as they sat in the corner booth of the ice cream parlor. Neither Mina nor Rini wanted to be bothered with Serena after what had happened with Dawn, and Amy had classes all afternoon. Lita's newfound family immediately eliminated her involvement, which left Raye as the only possible companion to keep the fussy blonde company while she drowned her self-pity in chocolate syrup.
"I really don't see what you have to complain about," Raye answered thoughtfully, her dark eyes concentrating on the vanilla milkshake in front of her. "We've got another person who's able to help us when it comes to these weirdos, and she's pretty powerful in a tight spot. Besides, she's a nice person."
"Oh yeah, punching me in the teeth is nice," Serena mumbled over a mouthful of ice cream.
"She barely slapped you, and no harder than I've ever done," Raye admonished. "I would've done the same thing, anyways. You were going off the deep end."
"That's putting it mildly," Luna muttered from the floor. "Being completely irrational is a far better description."
"Well, if you'd told me before about the Guardians and Babylon and all that stuff, it would have been different," she answered. "What Serenity did with them makes sense, somehow. I guess it's a good idea to always have some kind of defense."
"And Luciender?" Raye pressed. "What about him?"
Serena finished a spoonful of chocolate and whipped cream, frowning as she set her spoon down. "Oh, he's psycho. Maybe he has some reason to be upset with Serenity, but he should know better than to take it out on me and Rini. We're completely different people."
"I know."
"Still, I guess I see why Lita's so drawn to him," she continued thoughtfully. "Dawn too, for that matter," she snickered.
"What do you mean by that?" Raye leaned forward on her elbows, intrigued.
Serena rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. It's so completely obvious that she's got a major crush on him."
"Seriously?"
"Why else would she have hit me?" Serena gave a smug grin with another bite of her sundae. "You have a better reason?"
She considered the idea for a moment as she sipped her milkshake. "Well, I guess not," she answered slowly. "You sure there isn't something deeper there?"
"I don't think so." She propped her chin on her hand and looked out the window. "Makes sense to me."
Raye considered it for a moment, tapping her fingers thoughtfully against the table. "There still could be something more," she finally replied, looking out the window. The ice cream parlor was getting ready to close, and she had a bit of a walk before she got home. "I could see what I could find out, if you'd like."
"You really think that your fire is going to clue you in on Dawn's crush on Ian?" Serena laughed. "That's too much."
"Not Ian, Luciender," Raye snapped, annoyed that Serena wasn't taking her visions seriously for the hundredth time. "I was able to see some of what happened with him and Serenity before. Maybe there's more between him and the Guardians as well."
"Maybe," Serena agreed, getting up from the table. "Did you ever see anything about the Guardians before?"
"Well, no," she admitted, standing up as well. "Only Luciender, Serenity, and that other girl with the demons. I think that was because of Luciender and his DarkWing form, though." The two girls lowered their voices as they walked past the rest of the people in the parlor and out to the sidewalk. Luna followed, speaking once they were out of earshot of anyone on the street.
"Would you like me to come with you?" Luna offered, remembering Raye's distress at her earlier visions with Luciender and Serenity. "Just in case?"
Raye smiled gently at the little black cat. "Thanks, but Grandpa's around in case I need anything. I'll call Serena if something else happens, okay?"
"You sure? I can do without Luna for at least one night."
"I'll be fine, really."
"All right then," Serena said with a wave of her hand. "See ya later! Let us know what the flames tell you."
"Be a little more serious, Serena," Luna snapped. "Honestly. You shouldn't take that sort of thing lightly."
"It was them, wasn't it?" Lita lifted her head from Dawn's shoulder, the exhaustion evident in her voice. "The same ones who want to get the Crystal Key, they're trying to kill him, too." The American girl nodded mutely, her eyes trained on Ian as he tossed and turned on the couch. Lita watched him for a moment, brushing her hair away from her face. "He's going to be okay, isn't he?"
"I think so," Dawn answered, her relaxed tone belying her strained expression. "He said he just needs to rest." She sighed heavily, tilting her head back against the wall. Her eyes closed and she breathed a sigh of relief. "We could use some, too," she added."
Lita sat up, wiping her eyes with the bottom of her shirt. "Should I call the others now, or wait until he wakes up?" She glanced over at Ian as he gave a low groan, wincing in pain as he shifted beneath the blanket. "They could meet us here in about an hour probably…"
"I don't think we should tell them." Her eyes kept closed as she spoke in a resolute tone. "They don't need to know."
Lita stared at her incredulously, mouth hanging open slightly. "But they need to know," she insisted, getting to her feet. "Those people were after you and Rini before."
"And what're they gonna do?" Dawn opened her eyes and got to her feet, walking to the window. "They'll probably be happy that those guys jumped Ian instead of them."
"Dawn!" Lita looked over at her, shocked. "They wouldn't think that!"
"Even Serena?" She folded her arms across her chest and frowned. "You can't make me believe that she wouldn't feel the tiniest bit satisfied hearing that he got the shit beaten out of him."
She didn't have a response for that. Lita knew that no matter how much she wanted to believe that Serena would trust Ian, deep down she knew that Dawn was right. "But the others," she reasoned. "Mina and Amy and Raye, they trust him. Especially Amy," she added, remembering how quick the usually quiet young woman had leapt so quickly to Ian's defense. "And Amy's usually scared of everybody."
Dawn sighed audibly, hooking her thumbs in the pockets of her jeans as she looked out the window. She knew Ian didn't trust any of them. For that matter, she wasn't entirely sure if he trusted her completely. Still, Lita was right; the other girls had given him the benefit of the doubt. Having three extra people on their side was better than none. "If that's what you think is the best thing to do," she began, turning away from the window. "Guess you should clue them in."
She nodded in response, getting to her feet. "I'll call Raye first, and then Amy," she replied. "We'll call Mina last, so she can tell Serena."
"Don't." Ian's voice rumbled through the room as he struggled to sit up. "None of them need to know… shit!" He coughed violently, clutching his chest as he fell back. Lita raced to the couch, helping him to sit up as Dawn tucked the blanket around him once more.
"You need to stay still," she said gently as Lita propped him up on her shoulder. "You shouldn't move too much."
Ian grunted in reply and turned his attention to Lita, whose eyes were bright with tears. Placing a bandaged hand to her cheek, he gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll be all right," he began. "I didn't mean to scare you." She held her resolve for a few brief seconds, then broke down completely. He gently stroked her hair, his cheek against her forehead. Uneasy, Dawn slipped into the kitchen, closing her eyes as she crossed her arms across her chest.
Stop that right now, she thought, chastising herself. A lone tear escaped down her cheek and she hastily brushed it away. She chewed on her lower lip, angry that she'd let something as innocent as Ian's concern for Lita get to her. It was only natural that he'd turn to Lita, rely on her and comfort her, and it was childish to be jealous. With Dawn, it wasn't even jealousy; if anything, it was the simple desire to simply feel safe and protected. She'd felt that way this morning, when he'd done the simple act of sitting across from her at breakfast and holding her hand. Somehow, she'd hoped that something more than a long lost pact had driven him to that bit of altruism. At the moment, it didn't seem likely. Dawn gave a deep sigh and swallowed hard, regretting the outright honesty she'd displayed the night before. That had only made the morning even more awkward for her, having to face him and admit that she had been telling the truth. Still, for those few minutes, it had been so comforting, and she'd finally felt safe and secure, and…
"I don't want them to know." Ian stood in the doorway of the kitchen minutes later, Lita having helped him to his feet. Startled, Dawn wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and nodded, the forced calm evident in her voice.
"Me neither," she managed, her voice cracking slightly. She cleared her throat in an attempt to regain some composure. "I think we're on our own."
"Indeed."
"No!" Lita exclaimed, nearly dropping Ian. "Well, what I mean is," she explained, shifting to accommodate Ian's frame. "We need the rest of the Sailors. If those other people come looking for us now, we won't be able to face them on our own. They could have followed him," she reasoned frantically. "We can't face the two of them like this."
Ian painfully straightened up, placing a hand on the counter to support his weight. "Lita, it's not a good idea to let your enemies know you're weakened. This is just the kind of opportunity they need."
"But they're not…" Lita started to interrupt but Ian put a finger to her lips.
"I know you don't want to believe that they will, but if they're going to make any kind of attempt, then they will never get a better chance than this." Lita opened her mouth to protest, but Dawn spoke first.
"Maybe we can tell them tomorrow morning," she offered with a shrug. "That solves your strategic advantage question."
"Maybe." Ian replied. "Maybe."
Lita looked between the two of them, frowning. "You really think we can wait? I mean, we should at least tell Luna and Serena…"
"I really don't think that's a good idea," Dawn interjected, a touch of sarcasm returning to her too-calm tone. "Serena's not too thrilled with me or him at the moment."
"Why not?"
A wry grin lifted a corner of her mouth. "Well, she was talking smack about him," she began, nodding at Ian, "when I was there earlier to get your phone number. They knew about what happened last night at the park, and one thing led to another – "
"How did they know about last night?" Ian demanded harshly.
"I told all of them this morning," Lita admitted under Ian's disapproving glare. "I thought they should know."
"It doesn't matter," Dawn rushed on. "They knew, and Serena said something about him and me messing things up, as if either of us had a choice when it came to this thing," she said with a wave of her hand. "I told her to go on about me as much as she wanted, but to leave you out of it." She turned to Ian, who had an expression of near-amusement on his face. "She didn't, she kept going and called you a traitor, and, well…" Dawn suddenly became very interested in a chipped nail as she lowered her eyes. "I hauled off and bitch-slapped her," she muttered in English.
Ian burst out laughing, wincing a bit while Lita stared at him, bewildered. "What did she say? What's so funny?"
Dawn coughed and repeated the last bit in Japanese, although with somewhat tamer language. Lita's hand covered her mouth in shock while Dawn managed to look somewhat embarrassed. "After that, I called you." She checked her watch and sighed. "Guess I'd better get home, it's late."
"Is it?"
"It's dark enough," Dawn reasoned. "I got here around five, it's almost eight, and I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."
"You're not walking home alone." Ian kept a hand on the wall as he painfully made his way back to the couch. "You'll have to stay here tonight."
"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," she answered with a hint of stubborn pride. "It's only a handful of blocks."
"Even so, you can't go there by yourself."
"Now wait a second," Dawn objected, somewhat indignant. "You don't trust me to walk myself home?"
"It's not you I don't trust," he answered, sitting back on the sofa. "It's all the fucking weird bastards out there."
"Oh." She didn't have a response for that reasoning.
"Besides," he continued. "If they did this to me, what do you think they'd do to you? They're more powerful than before."
"Okay, okay. You're right, I'll stay here." With a shrug, she sat on the floor and smiled ruefully. "At least tomorrow's Saturday."
"Indeed."
Dawn arched an eyebrow in Ian's direction at his one-word reply. "Ya know, that's annoying as hell."
"Indeed," he repeated once more.
She gave an irritated sigh and flopped back onto the carpet. At least his injuries hadn't affected his attitude, so that must have been some kind of good sign. "Do you mind if I crash here?"
"No, that's all right," Lita answered, heading for her bedroom to find some spare blankets. "At least you'll be safe here." I hope.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Given the questionable nature of the neighborhood in which Ian resided, no one had bothered to call the authorities over a lot of screaming and a broken window. If anyone had entered the apartment, they would have found a girl in a torn black dress kneeling in front of a large book while a young man stood with a cigarette at the broken window. Glass covered the blood-stained rugs while a lone candle cast an inconstant light across the open book. Sarah held both hands in her lap, her lips moving in soundless conversation as Ciarazel voiced her approval of their ambush of Ian.
"Thou hast done well," the silvery voice echoed such that only Sarah could hear. "Thou hast weakened the Prince of Jupiter such that he may not aid those who guard the Crystal."
"And the others?" Miakoda's raspy voice hissed through Sarah's lips. "Surely the others must be kept from the one who keeps me imprisoned. What of them?"
"They shall fall as the Dark Prince has fallen," Ciarazel replied contently, the flames on the page flickering lazily. "One by one, they shall fall and thou shall possess the Crystal."
"And immortality," the harsh whisper replied hastily. "Eternal Ciarazel, thou hast promised to restore my immortality."
The silhouette on the faded parchment gave an eerie curtsy in reply. "And so it shall be, once thou art complete."
Sarah felt a cool rush of pleasure surge through her body, her face bearing a grotesque smile as her fingers brushed the page. "I thank thee, Dark Sister," she whispered. "And how shall the child guide us?"
"She will not," the silvery voice answered. "I shall guide thy enemies through the darkness, and thou shall reclaim the Crystal as thine own."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"It's still not fair," Serena grumbled over the remnants of her ice cream sundae. Raye sat across from her, idly stirring her milkshake while Luna rehashed the events of the afternoon as they sat in the corner booth of the ice cream parlor. Neither Mina nor Rini wanted to be bothered with Serena after what had happened with Dawn, and Amy had classes all afternoon. Lita's newfound family immediately eliminated her involvement, which left Raye as the only possible companion to keep the fussy blonde company while she drowned her self-pity in chocolate syrup.
"I really don't see what you have to complain about," Raye answered thoughtfully, her dark eyes concentrating on the vanilla milkshake in front of her. "We've got another person who's able to help us when it comes to these weirdos, and she's pretty powerful in a tight spot. Besides, she's a nice person."
"Oh yeah, punching me in the teeth is nice," Serena mumbled over a mouthful of ice cream.
"She barely slapped you, and no harder than I've ever done," Raye admonished. "I would've done the same thing, anyways. You were going off the deep end."
"That's putting it mildly," Luna muttered from the floor. "Being completely irrational is a far better description."
"Well, if you'd told me before about the Guardians and Babylon and all that stuff, it would have been different," she answered. "What Serenity did with them makes sense, somehow. I guess it's a good idea to always have some kind of defense."
"And Luciender?" Raye pressed. "What about him?"
Serena finished a spoonful of chocolate and whipped cream, frowning as she set her spoon down. "Oh, he's psycho. Maybe he has some reason to be upset with Serenity, but he should know better than to take it out on me and Rini. We're completely different people."
"I know."
"Still, I guess I see why Lita's so drawn to him," she continued thoughtfully. "Dawn too, for that matter," she snickered.
"What do you mean by that?" Raye leaned forward on her elbows, intrigued.
Serena rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. It's so completely obvious that she's got a major crush on him."
"Seriously?"
"Why else would she have hit me?" Serena gave a smug grin with another bite of her sundae. "You have a better reason?"
She considered the idea for a moment as she sipped her milkshake. "Well, I guess not," she answered slowly. "You sure there isn't something deeper there?"
"I don't think so." She propped her chin on her hand and looked out the window. "Makes sense to me."
Raye considered it for a moment, tapping her fingers thoughtfully against the table. "There still could be something more," she finally replied, looking out the window. The ice cream parlor was getting ready to close, and she had a bit of a walk before she got home. "I could see what I could find out, if you'd like."
"You really think that your fire is going to clue you in on Dawn's crush on Ian?" Serena laughed. "That's too much."
"Not Ian, Luciender," Raye snapped, annoyed that Serena wasn't taking her visions seriously for the hundredth time. "I was able to see some of what happened with him and Serenity before. Maybe there's more between him and the Guardians as well."
"Maybe," Serena agreed, getting up from the table. "Did you ever see anything about the Guardians before?"
"Well, no," she admitted, standing up as well. "Only Luciender, Serenity, and that other girl with the demons. I think that was because of Luciender and his DarkWing form, though." The two girls lowered their voices as they walked past the rest of the people in the parlor and out to the sidewalk. Luna followed, speaking once they were out of earshot of anyone on the street.
"Would you like me to come with you?" Luna offered, remembering Raye's distress at her earlier visions with Luciender and Serenity. "Just in case?"
Raye smiled gently at the little black cat. "Thanks, but Grandpa's around in case I need anything. I'll call Serena if something else happens, okay?"
"You sure? I can do without Luna for at least one night."
"I'll be fine, really."
"All right then," Serena said with a wave of her hand. "See ya later! Let us know what the flames tell you."
"Be a little more serious, Serena," Luna snapped. "Honestly. You shouldn't take that sort of thing lightly."