Lita's New Year's Cookie Scramble Chapter 6 Crumbs to Danger, 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 6 - Crumbs to Danger...

"Jeez, what's taking 'em so long?!" Mina Aino, AKA Sailor Venus, demanded from her position atop the toilet lid. She was patiently waiting for Lita, who was standing on a small stepstool next to the bathroom sink, to finish brushing her teeth. The youngster rumpled her frilly orange nightgown in frustration. 'This stupid thing makes me look like a safety pylon! Yuck!' Orange pajamas were one thing but a nightgown was something else. 'But Luna Ball gave it to me so I guess I shouldn't be picky...' And thankfully, she was too big to fit Reenie's stuff.

"Just chiwl wout," the once tall brunette mumbled around her toothbrush. Lita's pajamas were a rather garish purple. The fact that the new skinny seven year old liked the color left Mina wondering if Lita's regression had affected other things besides the brunette's substantial frontage.

"Chill out?!" Mina demanded, her big blue eyes blazing. "I don't wanna stay like this!" She tugged on her golden locks feeling more than a little frustrated. If the room had been bigger, she would have paced.

Lita Kino paused, pulled the toothbrush out, and remarked, "I don't see what your problem is, Mina." She then spat into the sink and reached for a cup to rinse then jumped down from the stepstool.

Mina, annoyed, hopped from the toilet, and loomed over the younger girl. "Listen, buster," she began, hands on her prepubescent hips, "I don't wanna stay like this, and I can't see why you aren't freaking out."

"Huh?" was her friend's puzzled remark. She backed up uncomfortably noting that she needed to look up to see into those blue eyes.

"Look," the ribbon-wearing blonde snapped almost angrily, "Stop trying to be brave! I know you don't wanna grow up again. Neither do I. I was happy with the way the things were. I had some freedom and the cute hunks were just beginning to notice me." 'Now it will be years before it happens.' She made a sour face when she thought about returning back to school as a third-grader.

"You're just worried your parents'll crackdown on you," Lita countered. She was trying to grin but failing somewhat.

"At least," Mina argued, "I HAVE parents!" She then realized what she said was callous considering the reason why Lita did not have parents to care for her. "Sorry, Lita, but I'm just saying you should be freaking out too. What are you gonna do? You can't live alone!"

"Serena said..." began the green-eyed brunette but the little blonde cut her off.

"Serena is a big good-hearted person but she'll never be able to look after you. She can't even take care of herself for Kami's sake."

"CAN TOO!" 'Serena can move in my apartment and...'

"Face it, Lita," Mina said harshly, eyes almost glowing with frustration, "You might think this ain't a big deal but it is. We're gonna be screwed! I mean can we even fight the Negaverse like this? And what about poor Amy? How can she be a Sailor Scout when she's a baby?"

"She can transform."

The little blonde growled in frustration. "Why are you being so thickheaded? Why can't you just admit that you're as screwed as Amy is?"

"Look, Mina, Serena says she'll look after me and I believe her," the Sailor Scout of Jupiter stated bluntly, anger starting to show in her own eyes.

"Who says," Mina pointed out, "That Serena wants a daughter like you?"

The younger girl stood there, fists clenched, eyes blazing. For one long moment, Mina thought her friend would hit her. But then the seven year old whirled, flung the door open, and ran from the room.

"Damn!" Mina muttered. She wanted to get rid of the guilty feeling so the nine year old started brushing her own teeth.

- - - - -

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Reenie asked, trying hard not to sound anxious. She'd gone and retrieved the empty cookie trays just as Amy requested. The Sailor Scout of Mercury had been worried about possible contamination to the public. "Maybe the Great Fire got a bad log."

"That's not funny, Reenie," Raye growled. "So if it wasn't the cookies..."

"I bewieve your vision was corwect, Waye," Mercury interjected after raising her VR Visor. She rubbed her eyes; they were itchy.

"Well, if there's no trace on the trays..."

"True, but that was not the source of the cookies we consumed." The toddler looked thoughtful, yawned, and shook her head. "Sorry. Perhaps not... Reenie is not affected." 'But I am...' She felt a lump form in her throat as a new set of tears threatened to stain her cheeks. Mercury swallowed hard and renewed her focus on the data currently displayed on her computer.

"Reenie didn't have any, did you?" the raven-haired preteen declared, although her tone indicated that it was more a statement of fact. Dark eyes narrowed as the younger girl squirmed.

"No, I was full 'cause I had lots at Lita's."

"Indeed. There's one way to eliwinate the cookies as the source of the contwamination," Mercury speculated. "Reenie, could you retwieve the container that Lita used for our batch?"

"Now?"

"Pwease."

The pink-haired girl reluctantly got up, padded to the door, and opened it. She gave the preteen and toddler a brief look and then slipped out. When the door shut, Raye asked, "You okay, Amy?"

"I'm fine," the tiny Sailor Scout replied, not sounding the least bit fine. Raye wasn't fooled either. She could see the dried tears on the toddler's cheeks.

"Reenie is acting odd," the blue-haired Scout commented. Her raven-haired friend sighed and shook her head. "What?"

"That girl's gonna fight it tooth and nail." Seeing the blank look on Mercury's face, the shrine maiden sighed. "Amy, think about it for a few seconds. What magic would be around Lita's place... that WASN'T Negaenergy and could do this?"

- - - - -

The second-grader took one last look around the dark hallways of the Cherry Hill Temple private quarters, pulled her boots on and then her jacket, and slipped out into the night.

Snow had fallen several days prior but an unseasonable bout of warm weather had swept it away. Now the ground lay bare but frozen perfect for hiding the passage of people trying to slip away unobserved. The cold crisp air made her cheeks glow and tears come into her eyes. Quietly she stepped into the shadows avoiding the cleared paths and moved away from the temple buildings. 'I'm in SO much trouble!' Reenie whined as she picked her way around a thicket of barren bush branches. 'When Serena finds out, she's gonna call Aunt Ellen...' The seven year old shied away from that particular thought.

'I just wanted them to have fun,' Reenie thought bitterly, 'Why does everything I do turn out wrong?' She sniffled. 'Serena's going to REALLY mad!' And then, she thought angrily, 'Why do I even care? That Meatball Head's just gonna spank me anyway... They don't understand how hard it is. I need to be a big girl for Mommy! I need to...' Her thoughts were interrupted as her foot caught in something hidden in the darkness. She gave a yelp, flailed wildly, and fell heavily onto her side.

'Get up!' she told herself, angry that hot tears were running out of her eyes now, 'Don't cry! That's what babies do! Mommy told you to pick yourself up!' Pushing herself up, she stumbled forward, unable to see because of the darkness and her tears. Onward the pink-haired girl went for a few more moments until she bumped into a tree. Stopping, huddling, she sank down onto the ground. 'Nobody likes me.' Curling herself into a ball, she cried softly; she wanted to go home.

- - - - -

Serena watched with mounting exasperation, not to mention confusion, as Mina sat down beside Lita. Lita responded the way she had responded before when this had happened in the booth. The brunette got up, walked to the other side of the room, and sat down with her back to the small blonde.

Serena could sense the waves of hostility streaming off of her petite friend's frame. She wasn't sure what had happened between the two girls, and had almost been afraid to ask, but it was starting to trouble her, especially this time when the ribbon-wearing blonde gave her a pleading look.

"Should I go outside so that you two can majorly beat the snot out of each other?" Serena asked. Mina, despite being bigger than Lita for the first time since they became Sailor Scouts, appeared alarmed by the suggestion.

"Yes!" Lita squawked. She jumped up and whipped around to face her opponent.

'Well, that's a start. At least, they're looking at each other... sort of.'

"Let's say, I messed up, 'kay?" the Sailor Scout of Venus admitted. "Lita, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"What did you say, Mina?" the meatball-headed blonde questioned.

"She said you would NOT want me as your daughter," the ponytailed brunette complained pointing at Mina before she could get a word in.

"Mi-na..."

"Well, I was mad, Serena, I AM mad. I don't wanna be stuck like this and Lita's treating this like a school fieldtrip or something."

"I, unlike you, have confidence in MY teammates AND MY Princess."

"So do I," Mina pouted.

"If you did, blondie, you wouldn't be majorly stressing out over this," Lita nearly snarled.

"Okay, hold it!" Serena commanded, "Timeout!" Both younger girls seemed to sag a little at the stern look from their grownup friend.

"I was the only one who stood up for Serena. Amy didn't, Raye didn't... didn't support her. I did!" Mina's eyes widened. Lita looked as if she was about to cry. "You weren't HERE! You were off somewhere being Sailor V..." the seven year old spat out. "You were with your parents!" and then, the little girl broke down into tears.

Mina, completely bewildered by what her friend had been saying, did the only thing her stunned young mind could come up. She walked over and wrapped her arms about Lita in a strong firm hug. The beribboned blonde was surprised when the younger girl responded in kind. She wrapped her arms about her, pressed her face against the orange fabric of her frilly nightgown, and bawled.

Mina looked up worriedly as a shadow came across her vision and she saw Serena beside them. Their leader sank down to the floor and gathered both her small friends into an all-encompassing hug. Lita for her part turned and clung to Serena as if she were a life preserver.

"I don't get it," the Sailor Scout of Venus admitted. "She... I..." The youngster fell silent suddenly aware that if Serena chose at that moment to play parent, there wasn't anything she could do. 'And I don't think I could stop her either.'

"It's sorta like a dam," the rather maternal Serena mused softly, resting her chin atop Lita's head and gently rocking the brunette in a soothing fashion. "It holds stuff back but if it breaks, everything behind it comes rushing out."

Mina drew back, frowned, and then putting her hands on her hips demanded, "Okay, missy, who the heck are you?" She heard Lita give half-hearted giggle.

"Mina," the pigtailed princess chided in a voice that made a shiver rise up Mina's spine, "I'm no good in math, and I'm certainly never gonna to be a majorly famous cook like Lita."

"Got that straight, Mommy," Lita somehow mumbled out and sniffled.

Serena rolled her eyes but ignored the comment by saying, "And I couldn't knit to save my life."

"And what about Raye?" Lita asked, apparently wanting to be fair.

"Well... She can sing," The woman sniffled which made both her friends grin. "But I think I know people, Mina." While the little blonde chewed on that tidbit, Serena pulled Lita away and from somewhere produced a tissue. Pressing it to the seven year old's nose, she commanded, "Blow." Lita giggled but allowed herself to be fussed over.

Of course, Mina wanted in on the act and found that being cuddled was not all that horrible. "So... you forgive me, Sis?" Mina asked.

"I guess I can," the brunette replied.

"And what do you mean by that?!"

Before anyone could say anything, the door sprang to the bedroom open. Both Raye and Amy entered the room, looked around, and seemed about ready to ask something but Mina beat them to it.

"Well?"

"Have you seen Reenie?" Amy asked.

Serena frowned. "No... Why?" 'Wasn't Reenie with them?'

"We sent her to get the jar that Lita brought our share of the cookies in," Raye informed them.

"Why?" The little brunette couldn't figure out why they'd want her old cookie jar. All it had left were some crumbs.

"We bewieve the cookies we ate were infused with some type of magic."

"What about the ones we sold?" Mina asked worriedly. Carrie had eaten some of those cookies! Lita looked horrified.

"They are clean, but when we asked Reenie to retwieve the container, she didn't return."

"How long ago?" asked the oldest of them, worry lines creasing her forty-something face.

"About ten minutes ago."

"We haven't seen her," the ribbon-wearing blonde chimed in.

"I still don't get..." Serena began all the time wondering where her cousin had gone off. 'And exactly WHAT am I going to do when I find her?' the blonde thought as Amy explained more of her reasoning.

- - - - -

Luna Ball nudged its mistress worriedly. The youngster uncurled enough to hug the orb to her chest. Luna Ball, if it had been capable, sighed. It just knew that its mistress was about to do something rash. Sure enough, a small finger sought Luna Ball's nose and depressed it. Inside the floating ball, the magical circuitry for communications flared to life. A short moment later, one of its eyes blanked and staticky snow showed until the small figure of a Sailor Scout appear.

"Small Lady," came out the small voice.

"Puu," its mistress sobbed, "Please, I wanna go home."

"You must stay with Sailor Moon."

"But she hates me!" the seven year old cried, anguish apparent. "They ALL hate me!"

"No," came the calm soft voice of Sailor Pluto, "She loves you... All the Sailor Scouts love you."

"Not no more..." Reenie sniffled.

The black sphere tried to think itself into invisibility. It had the distinct impression that after everything was said and done, certain royal personages would enjoy using it as target practice.

Several lifetimes away from the spot where the little girl huddled, Sailor Pluto sighed. "Small Lady, Sailor Moon can protect you, and no matter what you've done, I'm sure she will forgive you."

"I want my mommy!" Reenie cried. No tears came to her aid though; she had cried herself dry. Her big red eyes were hot, sticky, and itchy.

"You must stay, Princess," Pluto insisted and with that, the connection was broken.

Luna Ball might have protested as its mistress flung it aside. It watched, with what to a human would have equated to mounting dismay, as Reenie stood up, fumbled for a moment, and produced her Time Key, the Crystal Key which she hoped would take her home.

Moments later, Reenie Serenity Tsukino, Crown Princess of Crystal Tokyo, crashed to the earth as the Time Gate was dissipated. The force of her fall knocked the air out of her, and the seven year old lay panting on the cold hard ground.

She began to cry, but unlike before, this was a cry of loss, of loneliness. With the tears, her magic released. The dam burst as it did before, shooting a beam of pure, uncontrolled magic into the sky.

- - - - -

"EMERALD!" The shout of her name jerked her into wakefulness. She was startled to find the image of Wiseman before her, regarding her from under his shadowy hood. She would have preferred Prince Diamond have called her. "The Rabbit has sent a signal. Hurry, get her! Get her before the Sailor Scouts interfere!"

For a moment, all the woman could do was gape at the floating apparition and then struggle from her bed. "Of course, Wiseman, at once." Wiseman flickered away and Emerald shivered. Then a feral smile played across her lips. 'Time to go a huntin'!'

- - - - -

"The cwumbs remaining in the container confirm it," Amy announced around a yawn. "They have the same foreign magical signature as I detected in us."

'Damn! So the Negaverse got to the jar...' "But what's this got to do with Reenie?" Serena asked in exasperation. 'I should be out there looking for her!' Raye had argued that Reenie was likely just hiding, which didn't make a lot of sense to the meatball-headed blonde.

"Meatball Head, Reenie put the stuff in there," Raye explained as if to a kindergartner.

"Are you nuts, girlfriend?" Mina asked, "Why would she do that?"

"She's done it before," the shrine maiden pointed out.

"But..." Lita began but paused as Serena drew in a sharp breath.

Serena's head suddenly jerked to the side as she felt a wave of magic. 'Oh my God!' "REENIE!" she gasped. There wasn't any doubt about what the source of that magic was. It was too strong, too familiar, like the Imperium Silver Crystal did when it flared.

"Let's transform!" Lita commanded, eyes blazing, "I wanna kick some Negaverse butt." She smacked her tiny fist in her other hand.

"No!"

"But Ser..."

"Lita, please let me and Raye handle this. You, Mina, and Amy stay here as backup. If we need you, we'll come get you, but you STAY put, clear?" Serena commanded firmly.

"Okay..."

"Come on, Raye," Serena ordered and sprinted from the room, gripping her broach as she did so. "MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"

"MARS STAR POWER!" and followed her leader.

- - - - -

Emerald appeared floating above the spot where Wiseman had said the Rabbit would be. There was nothing there, however. Nothing but dark trees and frozen undergrowth.

She snapped her fingers. "Droid Auld Lang Syne come forth!" The Droid materialized beside her mistress. "Find the Rabbit!" Emerald commanded.

- - - - -

"Where is she, Mars?!" Sailor Moon asked worriedly as she and her companion ran down one of the temple's main paths. "Why would she run away?"

"I told you, Sailor Moon," Mars said petulantly, eyes scanning for any sign of the little girl, "She put something in the cookies we ate."

"But why?"

"When we find her, you can ask her that! I certainly intend to!" the red Scout spat. A few minutes later, she froze and turned to her left to face partially back the way they came.

"What is it?" Sailor Moon asked, not sounding nervous, which was a change her friend appreciated.

"There... a Droid or at least something with Negaenergy. It just appeared." The fiery Sailor Scout was startled when her leader charged without hesitation into the trees.

"Moon..."

"I hear her. I hear Reenie!" Sailor Moon shouted over her shoulder.

Even as she strained her ears, Sailor Mars followed her princess. It didn't take long for Sailor Mars to hear a familiar little girl calling for help.

- - - - -

It had only been moments before that the Droid found her quarry. It had been almost too easy, but that didn't stop the Droid.

If anyone had seen her, unlikely given where she was, Emerald's Droid would have looked like an inebriated New Year's Eve celebrant. She wore a disheveled red dress wrapped around a stick-thin frame and the almost traditional large bust the Negaverse tended to favor. A rather lopsided and garish looking party hat sat atop her black and rumpled curls held by a string under her chin. In her left hand, she held a champagne bottle, while a party favor was clutched in the other.

The Droid stumbled towards her unsuspecting victim, apparently due to the missing high heel shoe that should have been on her right foot, but it was all part of the act.

Closer she came eagerly anticipating the rewards she would reap for capturing the Rabbit. She gave a goofy grin at Reenie AKA the Rabbit AKA hunted enemy of the Negaverse when she regarded the child through the gloom. A moment later, the little girl spotted the predator and quickly pushed herself up and began to retreat.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" the Droid snarled and raised the party favor to her mouth. In the blink of an eye, it unrolled as she blew into it, stretching, lengthening far beyond that of a normal party favor. She felt herself smile. The little girl was running away. It wanted to play.

The Rabbit would not get away though. The Droid was going to make sure of that. Her party favor wrapped itself about the youngster's ankle and started puling its victim backwards.

"Don't run away, little Rabbit," she cooed, "The party's just getting star..."

The Droid was cut off by a shout coming from behind and to her right. An instant later, a bolt of fire severed the party favor releasing its prey. A handful of heartbeats later, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars rushed onto the scene. Without preamble, Moon scooped her target up off the ground and started to move away.

"TIME TO PAY THE BAR TAB!" the Droid shouted, lifted the bottle to her lips, and drank deeply. The bubbly liquid swelled its cheeks. A moment later, it lowered the bottle and spewed forth a cone of black broiling flame.

Sailor Moon launched herself, and a clinging and crying Reenie, straight into the air while Sailor Mars dodged.

- - - - -

Sailor Mars growled as the black flame nearly clipped her. "BURNING MANDALA!" Mars shouted, aiming fire rings at the Droid who almost immediately countered with her own spewing flame. The Fire Scout rolled again and was distressed to notice that one of the trees was consumed.

"You'll pay for that, bitch!" the raven-haired Scout shouted, eyes becoming flinty.

"OH PUT A CORK IN IT, LITTLE GIRL!" the Droid shouted. Sailor Mars watched with stupid fascination as a massive champagne cork came hurtling towards her out of nowhere.

- - - - -

As Mars distracted the enemy, Sailor Moon got its target to safety behind a large tree. "Sailor Moon," the pink-haired seven year old in her arms gasped in shock.

The Sailor Scout of the Moon looked down at her little cousin and sighed internally. "Reenie, are you okay?" Reenie nodded. "Fine. You stay out of sight behind this tree. I need to go and help."

"But..."

"Stay right here," the woman repeated firmly. "I want you to promise me that, Reenie." When the youngster nodded, Sailor Moon patted the girl on the head and then leapt up into the branches of the tree. She was just in time to see her comrade knocked backwards by a massive cork.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Sailor Moon shouted. She jumped down to the ground to confront this vile caricature of a jovial New Year's partygoer. "THIS IS THE FIRST DAY OF A NEW YEAR AND IT'S MEANT TO HERALD A NEW BEGINNING!" In a part of her mind, Sailor Moon wondered why the enemy always allowed her to finish her speeches, but it was a very small part of her mind. "AND TO BEGIN THE NEW YEAR RIGHT, IN THE NAME OF THE MOON, I WILL PUNISH YOU!"

Droid Auld Lang Syne gave her a sickly smile, reached up, and took its party hat off. "I take my hat off to you, Sailor wench. Let's have a blast!" And with a cackle befitting an evil movie monster, the Droid flung her hat into the sky. It tumbled repeatedly and then as it reached the top of its arc, little bits of confetti started pouring from it.

Sailor Moon watched in puzzlement as the little bits floated down. Her confusion didn't last long as the confetti started to explode about her.

She dove to the ground as she heard Sailor Mars shout, "MARS FIRE IGNITE!" The fireball ripped through the air above Sailor Moon and instantly incinerated the explosive bits of paper.

"Last call!" Droid Auld Lang Syne called out, drank deeply from her bottle and spewed fire once more.

"SAILOR MOON!!" Mars shouted in warning but it was too late. The fire rolled over the prone Sailor Scout.

"NO!" Reenie shouted horrified, but her horror vanished into relief when Sailor Moon climbed to her feet after the wave of fire passed. The Sailor Scout of the Moon looked a little singed but otherwise uninjured.

"Are you all right?" Mars asked.

"I was just getting warmed up," Sailor Moon replied.

"Man, you're starting to sound like Venus now," Mars groaned and then focused her attention back to the Droid. "Get ready!"

"Right!" Moon shouted back, preparing to move. A hail of fire rings shot towards the Droid who tried to counter but it was too much, she was staggered backwards, tripped, and fell heavily.

"N..." Mars began but the Droid wasn't going home just yet.

"HIGH HEEL FLING!" Droid Auld Lang Syne shouted. She tossed her left heel at Sailor Mars who almost dodged it. However, the spiked heel caught part of her uniform and pinned her to tree. "Don't run off..."

What happened next would live in Red Scout's memory for the rest of her life for it was a scene that showed what Sailor Moon would become. What her princess summoned looked more like a staff than anything else and try as she might, Sailor Mars was never able quite to remember the words Sailor Moon used.

A great magical surge of energy flowed like a tsunami from Sailor Moon towards the Droid. Droid Auld Lang Syne vanished screaming under the power of an adult Sailor Moon determined to protect the ones she loved.

End of Chapter 6

Coming next in Chapter 7 - Revelations