Disclaimer: Serena, the Scouts, etc are still not mine.

Note: Tasie: *lol* I agree with you. I love shopping. For shoes especially… I love shoes.

A huge thank you to all of you other wonderful reviewers! I love reviews.

Chapter 9

Serena was beginning to enjoy being back in Tokyo- she had missed her mother and Sammy. Now mother and daughter roamed the shops, malls, and megastores in search of the perfect new décor for Serena's room. She wanted bright colors, bold and vibrant, but not tacky- and all the pastels of her old room chucked out the nearest window.

Serena was favoring a celestial theme, with moons, suns, and stars. And a mosquito netting. She just loved the way they looked. They were in the furniture store, admiring various bedroom sets, when she found the perfect one. A rich gleaming finish, the pieces a little heavy, but yet retaining their delicacy- "Mom! That's it, it looks like something out of a palace!"

Ilene eyed her daughter's choice critically. The wood was too dark for her taste, but it was still attractive and the latticework and scrolling reminded her of an Arabian Nights fairy tale. "Are you sure honey? It looks a little… whimsical." Serena just laughed.

"I'm positive," she said before launching into an in-depth mainly one-sided discussion of fabrics, colors, and details.

That afternoon they walked into the interior decorator's office. It was the same firm Ilene had worked with on the rest of her home and she was certain they could make heads or tails of the excited babble Serena was spouting.

As soon as Serena met Ms. Valencia she liked her. The decorator was young, and she understood the tastes and trends surfacing in the teenager's head. "Pillows," Serena told her, "I love pillows. It'll give the girls places to sit, too… oh and the mosquito netting above the bed! And I want rich, metallic golds, and reds, purples, fushia… blue. But no pastels," She insisted. "I can't stand them anymore. They're so childish!"

This brought laughter from both her mother and Ms. Valencia. Serena smiled inwardly- her disdain for pastel furnishings had little to do with childishness…

The process of gutting and redecorating her room began the very next day as Ilene was a very favorite customer and the decorating firm was eager to keep her happy. To her surprise, Serena found herself chucked out the door- her mother had decided to surprise her with the results. So Serena went to find something to do and was further surprised when her footsteps led her to the Crown Parlor. Taking a deep breath, squaring her shoulders, adjusting her Raybans, she breezed inside.

The scouts had met up for a little R&R at their favorite retreat. They'd just gotten their sundaes and malts and Mina was flirting with Andrew.

"So when did Serena's mom say she was due back?" Lita asked Ami for the millionth time.

"Actually, the day before yesterday," Ami told her, never looking up from her laptop.

"So why hasn't she called again?" Mina asked, as Andrew went back to the counter. Rei was scowling.

"Cause she's a stupid…"

Lita cut the fiery brunette off there. "She's probably got jetlag, Rei! It can really be a killer."

"Lita's right," Ami said, "Maybe we should just go over and see her!"

Before anyone could reply to that Mina let out a stifled shriek. "Oh my god! Look at that girl- she's got to be a model… And Andrew's totally staring at her!" she whimpered.

The rest followed Mina's indignant stare to the counter where a petite girl with long sun-streaked blond hair that ranged from gold to platinum stood, chatting with the gaping Andrew. Her clothes were designer; from her blue Ralph Lauren tank to her Calvin Klein jean shorts. She pulled off silver Ray-bans, revealing a flawless peaches-and-cream complexion and ocean blue eyes. It was a full five minutes before any of them recognized her.

"Serena!" Ami gasped, looking stricken.

Rei snorted. "That's not Serena! Look, no meatballs. And she can walk without tripping."

"No, Ami's right," breathed Lita. "The eyes, Rei. It's her."

"SERENAAAAA!!!" They yelled as one, all of them halfway to her… Serena had time to turn, let out a helpless yelp, and then was mobbed. She'd never been hugged or bounced around so much her entire life. Even Rei was giggling. Lita hugged her so hard she thought her ribs would crack.

"You look so different!" Mina was exclaiming.

"What did you do to your hair?" Lita asked her, looking scandalized.

Ami just smiled. "You hadn't called or written in so long we were worried!"

"I-I'm sorry, girls," Serena said, happy that she made the appology sound sincere. "I was really busy." She looked around at them. They hadn't changed. Mina even still had the god-awful bow. And she had to wonder if they ever would? "Mom and I were looking at furniture and stuff for my room. We're redecorating."

"Oh, wow!" Lita said. "I can't wait to see what you've done!"

"You have to tell us all about America- and expecially the guys!" Mina said.

"Hey, let's go back to your house now! It's not that far…" suggested Rei.

Serena grimaced inwardly. But outside she grinned. "All right! But we can't see my room just yet- it won't be finished for a day or two. I'll just show you all my pictures from this year" It was the only thing she could think of, and it blurted out of her mouth. She didn't realized what a mistake she'd made until they were all gathered in the living room and she was opening the first album…