Adventures of the Chibi-Scouts II
By "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl and Doug "Candle Light Author" Helm


Those characters that are original and the story "Adventures of the
Chibi-Scouts II" are copyrighted (c) 2000 by Will Wolfshohl & Douglas
Helm.

This story and our other Sailor Moon stories reside at
http://rivendell.fortunecity.com/traveller/861/

Send comments to: "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl (wwolfshohl@logicon.com) or
Douglas "Candle Light Author" Helm (dhelm@log.on.ca)


Part 3  "Much Ado about Lita"

       The car ride back to the Anderson home was uneventful. Amy
Anderson sat quietly in the back seat next to her sister. She didn't
mind this at all because it gave her a chance to think. <Mina's really
getting into this. She's acting just like a little kid... In a way, she
is.> Mina's perky demeanor was much more suited to her current body than
that of a teen. <I just hope Serena hasn't told Reenie.> That thought
nagged at her. <If Reenie knows, she might never want Serena to leave
and the way that Serena's been acting lately, I'm not sure if she'd go
back either.> It had been a very close call the last time they were
here.
       By the time the Anderson family reached their apartment
building, Amy had given up on her moody speculations. She had come back
here for a vacation and she was determined that she was going to have
one. The other girls always accused her of not being able to relax so
she was intent on proving them wrong.
       Just to demonstrate to herself that she could relax, Amy started
skipping ahead as they walked down the hallway towards their apartment
door. Her mother followed carrying her bag with little Lita taking up
the rear. Coming up to the door, she stopped and turned back to wait for
the rest of her family.
       "Come on, Lita, let's get this over with," Mrs. Anderson called
setting the bag just inside the apartment. Lita was hanging as far back
as possible.
       "I'm really sorry, Mommy," Lita reiterated while pouting
slightly.
       Amy watched as her mother walked down the hall and
unceremoniously scooped the child up. What surprised Amy was the fact
that Lita accepted this treatment without any fuss. Her sister continued
to pout but didn't try to struggle or argue the point.
       Amy came back and grabbed her overnight bag. "Amy, don't you
want me to take that in for you later?"
       "No, Mom, I'll get it," Amy replied. Although small, the bag was
much heavier than she remembered; she only managed to walk a short
distance before she had to set it down. Heaving a little sigh, Amy just
started dragging it. Pausing at the entrance into the hallway, she
turned around to see her mother pulling a chair out from beside a desk
that their mother used.
       After turning the chair to face a particularly boring looking
corner, Mrs. Anderson ordered, "Now, young lady, you just park yourself
right here and DON'T move!" With that, she firmly seated Lita onto the
chair and stood there for a moment.
       "'Kay Mommy," Lita agreed with what sounded like relief.
       "Now, you sit quietly there while I help your sister unpack."
       Amy saw Lita nod her head silently before turning to face the
corner. <She isn't my Lita...> Amy concluded as she entered the hallway
and towards her bedroom.
       "Amy," her mother offered from behind her seeing her daughter's
struggles with the bag, "Are you sure you don't want me to take it?"
       "No, I got it..." Amy grunted in determination and continued to
walk down to her bedroom. <She'd never just take being put into a corner
without an argument.> Upon entering the bedroom, she noted that things
were mostly the same although a few things had changed since her last
visit. She managed to pull her heavy overnight bag over to the bed and
was about to drag it up onto it when her mother lifted it up. "Thanks!"
Amy said before opening the bag. <And I thought Mom would be angrier
than she is.>
       "Amy, can you take your things out and I'll put them away?"
       "Yep!" Amy replied almost proudly while starting to pull various
items out of her bag and set them neatly on her bed. Then she noticed
some expected items were missing. "Mom, where's Lita's stuff?" she
asked.
       "I think we got it."
       "But it ain't here," Amy begged to differ. With concern, she
inquired, "Did we forget Lita's bag?"
       <I'm glad they made up.> "Let's check the closet just to be
sure," Mrs. Anderson agreed. Walking over to the closet, she opened the
door and rummaged around in it for a few moments before producing
another overnight bag. "See, Amy, here it is."
       <I thought we'd share a bag.> Amy was a little puzzled by this.
Shrugging mentally, another worry came to her. "Mom," she began, "Is
Lita in trouble?"
       "Yes, dear. Lita ran away," Mrs. Anderson explained seriously
while walking over to the bed and sitting down on it, "She's going to
sit in the corner for awhile. Mina's parents and I were very worried
when she ran off. I bet you were too." Amy nodded. "I told her that if
she left without telling anybody again, I'd spank her." Mrs. Anderson
smiled. "Maybe I shouldn't... Lita always wanders off, right?"
       "Right!" Amy chirped then giggled. <Mom was always easy going.>
Dropping a pair of dirty socks she had pulled from her bag, she ran over
and hugged her mother's legs. "Love ya," she squeaked before thinking,
<I wouldn't want Serena's mom as my mom... She's so strict.>


       The subject of Ellen Tsukino's thoughts gave her a slight frown
as she regarded her niece and daughter. "I know somebody who's going to
bed early," Ellen commented as she retrieved Serena's empty cereal bowl.
       Serena looked horrified. "No! I don't wanna go to bed early!"
       Ellen gave her daughter a smile and said, "I wasn't talking
about you, Serena. Why don't you go watch some cartoons while Reenie
helps me with the dishes."
       "'Kay Mommy!" Serena chirped brightly while sliding from her
chair. Giving her mother's legs and then Reenie a quick hug, she skipped
from the dining room into the living room where her father was sitting.
Ellen heard her daughter say, "Daddy, Mommy wants me to watch cartoons!"
       "Come on, sour puss, let's get these dishes cleaned," Ellen said
to a very grumpy looking eight year old, "Then you can play with
Serena." Reenie mumbled something out and giving a yawn, pushed herself
off of her chair before following her aunt into the kitchen.
       Ellen started to wash dishes while Reenie pulled up a stepstool
beside her with the task of drying. After a few moments, she asked,
"Reenie, what were you doing in Serena's room last night?" She caught
the guilty start out of the corner of her eye before Reenie quickly
recovered.
       "I thought I heard Serena," Reenie replied.
       "You were in there an awfully long time," Ellen remarked while
handing Reenie a dish to be dried.
       "Well, um, Serena was awake, Aunt Ellen, and um..." Reenie began
to explain and then quickly added, "I didn't wanna wake her up. She
wanted me to come sleep in her bed. When I said I couldn't, she said
she'd come sleep in my bed." Her little sister looked so sad when she
had left last night.
       The kitchen fell silent for a little while before Reenie asked,
"Could I spend the night with Serena? She wanted me to and I said I'd
ask you if it was okay."
       Ellen smiled and agreed, "I suppose it'll be all right," then
thought, <Reenie can head to bed the same time as Serena. She was rather
cranky this morning.> And Ellen suspected that Reenie would be just as
cranky by the time supper rolled around.
       "Aunt Ellen, can me 'n' Serena go over to Raye's?"
       "This afternoon you may, Reenie. I think Serena needs a little
play time at home this morning." Turning, she suggested, "Maybe you can
make a game out of Serena cleaning up all her toys. They're all over the
floor."
       "I'll try," Reenie replied while rolling her eyes, "But it ain't
gonna be easy."


       Upstairs in Reenie's bedroom, someone else was grumpy. That
someone was Luna. "Leave me ALONE!" Luna shouted as Diana yet again
tried to lick her fur. <I'm a grown cat for heaven's sake! I am
perfectly capable of bathing myself!>
       "Someone is cranky!" Artemis sang. He gave Luna a large grin.
       "Am not!" Luna retorted.
       "Shh! Luna, Artemis," Diana hissed firmly, "Do you want the
Tsukino's to hear you?" After a moment of silence, she continued, "Luna,
you shouldn't have scratched Mrs. Tsukino's couch." Luna lowered her
tiny head and stared towards the ground. "Now just hold still and we'll
get you cleaned up." <It's so hard bein' responsible.>
       <Serena, when we're alone, I'm going to make you pay for
bringing me here.> She did not know how long she could tolerate this
type of treatment. <At least MY Diana calls me `Mama'.> Despite her
gloomy thoughts, Luna found that she did find a little comfort in Diana
bathing her. <It must be this silly body.>
       Once the humiliating bath was over, Luna got up and walked over
to where Artemis was sitting. He gave her a wary look for a moment
before deciding that she wasn't going to do anything.
       "Now for today's lesson," Diana began sternly.
       "Can't we play, PLEASE?!?" He looked with pleading eyes towards
his future daughter.
       Luna grinned evilly. <So he wants to play, huh?> Like a flash,
Luna batted Artemis on his nose and shouted, "TAG! YOU'RE IT!" Grinning
as much as a feline could, the black kitten darted out of the room and
down the stairs at a breakneck speed.
       "Luna!" Artemis protested long after Luna had fled the room.
Springing to his feet, he was about to follow her when Diana glared at
him.
       "Sit down, Artemis, I'll go and get Luna." Artemis plopped down
onto the floor and decided that once Diana left the room, he'd sulk a
little. He was very proud of his future daughter but sometimes, like any
girl, she just didn't know when to have fun.


       <I'm glad it's nice and sunny,> Mina mused as she sat outside on
one of her porch steps. <Kicked out of my own house! Well, okay, so what
if I nearly knocked over that lamp?> But why couldn't her mother
understand that in the world of secret agents, things were bound to get
broken? <I'm a little kid after all.> Cupping her chin in her hand, she
sighed a little bit. <I'll have to try and find a dress like this when I
get back.> It was a bright orange dress that had straps that ran from
the back and up over her shoulders. It had a couple of large flowers on
it. Mina thought they were sunflowers but she wasn't quite sure.
       Feeling restless, she stood up and after a moment's thought,
hopped off of the step she was standing on. "Now presenting..." Mina
began in a booming voice, "The Great Mina!" She twirled around and then
stood with her head cocked back and right hand on the back of her neck.
<The world's most famous high fashion model!>
       Her self-adoration was interrupted by a new voice, "Hi-ee Mina!"
       Mina looked up to find Carrie sashaying down the sidewalk.
"Hi-ee Carrie!" Mina called out and sprung to her feet. She ran down her
walk and stopped just short of the sidewalk. If there was one rule that
Mina remembered from her childhood, the one she was careful never to
break, it was to not leave her front yard without her parent's
permission.
       "Whatcha doin'?" Carrie asked. She was wearing a set of
bluejeans and a powder blue T-shirt with a superdeformed Sailor Moon
character in a pink uniform that took up most of the front. She looked
adorable if Mina did say so herself.
       <It's still weird Carrie being the same size as me.> "Nothin'
much. Mommy told me to go outside and play quietly." Carrie giggled. "So
whatcha doin'?"
       "Comin' to play with you, silly," Carrie replied
matter-of-factly. Mina led the way back to her porch and sat down. "So
whatcha wanna play?"
       "Sailor Scouts," Mina answered immediately. <That's a game I
could never play in the regular universe.> It had been fun being able to
be the leader of the Chibi-Scouts and she missed it after her return.
When she saw Carrie shaking her head, Mina pouted, "Why not?"
       "'Cause when we play, I'm always bad. You're never the bad guy."
       <I can see where that would be no fun.> Well, she did want to
play. <I wonder how evil I can be...> "Carrie, what if you're Sailor
Venus and I'm the bad guy?"
       "But you're Sailor Venus," Carrie complained. She preferred to
be Sailor Moon. It wasn't that she wanted to be the Sailor Venus
character. Venus was without a doubt Mina's favorite. Carrie just didn't
like being the one to lose their games all of the time.
       Mina giggled, <You don't know the half of it.> After a few
moments, Mina squealed, "I gotta way wicked idea!"
       "What?" Carrie questioned then added, "Is it gonna get me inta
trouble?" That, her friend was an expert at.
       "Nah," Mina replied, "You can be Sailor V!"
       "Who?" Carrie asked.
       "Sailor V, the secret Sailor Scout!" Mina liked this idea.
Carrie's eyes were now wide as the little girl stared at her blonde
friend. Grabbing her hand, Mina pleaded, "Come on, Care-Care, let's go
ask Mommy if we can go to the park... and then, I gotta find ya a mask."
       "A mask?" Carrie asked in confusion while she allowed herself to
be pulled up the porch steps by her friend. <Who's Sailor V?>
       "Yeah!" Mina replied. She was really getting into this now. <And
Serena can't complain either.> After all, Serena was a big Sailor V fan
too.


       "Come on, Serena," Reenie called from the other side of the room
while lifting up yet another stuffed bunny. Serena just smiled and
didn't raise her head from the picture she was carefully working on.
Unlike Reenie, her drawing skills weren't the best and they were even
worse as a six year old. On the other hand, by drawing, she was getting
out of the "game" Reenie was trying to play with her.
       Serena gave a mental snort before thinking, <Sheesh, even the
six year old me could tell Reenie was trying to get me to clean my
room.> What she was trying to draw was something Serena didn't want to
forget. She had dreamt of a beautiful white horse with wings and a
golden horn. Something within Serena told her she had seen it in her
dreams but it happened a very long time ago.
       "What are you drawing?" Serena jumped at the sound of Reenie's
voice.
       "Uh, nothin'..." Serena quipped and quickly hid the picture. <I
feel like I should keep him secret but I'd like to share it with
Reenie...> Well if she was going to pretend to be this universe's
Serena, she should play it safe and follow this body's instincts.
       "Come on, show me," Reenie prodded gently.
       "Nope," then thinking quickly, Serena added, "It's a surprise."
       After a moment or so, Reenie queried, "I thought you wanted to
play with your bunnies." When Serena gave her big sister a knowing look,
she questioned, "What?"
       "My room's clean," Serena stated, hoping that she sounded like a
six year old, "I don't wanna play that game. My bunnies LIKE sittin' on
the floor. They told me so."
       Reenie gave the little girl a smile then. "Serena, your mommy
wants you to pick up your toys. I thought we could play a game." Then to
add a little incentive to get Serena to cooperate, she added, "Aunt
Ellen said I could spend the night with you."
       "Yeah!" Serena exclaimed. Carefully folding and tucking the
picture into her pocket, so Reenie couldn't look at it, she rushed over
to the pile of bunnies and started picking them up. "We're gonna go on a
trip," she told her bunny friends, "Now don't get scared." Reenie smiled
at this and started walking towards Serena when something black and
small rushed into the room. It shot across the floor, scrabbled onto the
bed, and then launched itself at Serena who shrieked in terror. She
screamed even more when the creature took refuge between her dumplings
and refused to move no matter how much yelling and dancing around she
did.
       "Serena!" Reenie called while trying to restrain the little
girl, "It's just Luna!"
       After a second or so, Serena came to a complete stop, one foot
raised into the air and asked, "What?"
       "It's Luna," Reenie said again.
       "Oh..." Serena squeaked, now starting to look as sheepish as she
felt. "She really scared me." She smiled as Reenie hugged her. "Luna,
what are you doing?"
       "Hiding from Diana," came the muffled response of Luna. Serena
would have said more but her mother suddenly appeared in the room trying
to figure out what had caused all of the commotion.


       <I hope Mommy lets me up soon,> Lita whined to herself. She was
feeling restless from all the pent up energy she had. <I want to go play
with my sister.> It had been down right boring in the corner. <I thought
for sure Mommy would've spanked me.> It appeared that her punishment
would simply be to sit in the corner although her mother hadn't said
anything since she had placed her there.
       "Lita Anderson, come over here please," commanded the voice of
her mother.
       With only a slight feeling of apprehension, Lita slid from her
chair and padded over to where her mother was sitting on the couch.
"Where's Amy?" Lita asked.
       "In your room, I want to have a little talk with you alone,"
Mrs. Anderson stated sternly. Lita gulped a little. "Do you know why I
put you into the corner?"
       <Remember you're a kid. Talk like one.> It was easier said than
done though. "Um... 'Cause I left Mina's house?" She tried to sound
unsure of herself.
       "That's right, and you didn't tell an adult where you were
going, right?"
       "Right," Lita responded, "And, um... I coulda got hurt."
       "Amy and I wouldn't want that to happen," Mrs. Anderson said,
"And I'm very proud of you for saying you're sorry to Mr. and Mrs. Aino.
That was something a big girl would do."
       Lita couldn't help but feel a little pride at this statement but
for good measure, she offered, "But I scared them too, right Mommy?" She
was a little relieved to see her mother nod approvingly.
       "Lita, I don't want you wandering off again or I'll have to
spank you," her mother told Lita seriously, "And one last thing, you
won't be getting any dessert tonight."
       "Aw man!" Lita huffed just to put on a good performance. Then
giving her mother a hug, she swore, "I promise I won't run away never
ever again, Mommy." Mrs. Anderson hugged her daughter and chuckled. That
would be a very hard promise to keep.
       After rubbing her daughter's back for a moment, she gave Lita a
gentle swat on the rump and instructed, "Go get your sister. I have some
errands to run and then we're going out to lunch."
       "Me too?" Lita asked hopefully.
       "Of course you too, you silly goose," Mrs. Anderson answered
with a chuckle, "Now you go and get Amy." Giggling, Lita gave her mother
another hug before bounding out of the living room.


       Shortly after lunch, Raye and Chad were sitting in the living
room. "Why such a long face?" Chad inquired of his young charge. Raye
tried to smile but just couldn't find it within her. As Chad began to
softly strum his guitar, Raye pushed herself into a more comfortable
sitting position. "Are you going to sing, Raye?" Chad asked.
       "You can," Raye replied and then added, "I like your singing,
Chad." She returned the smile Chad gave her. She listened to him strum a
little longer before he started to play and sang,

           "One day I went down by the lake and found a little
            rattlesnake;
            So I fed him some jelly cakes and made his little
            tummy ache."

       Raye giggled before saying, "That ain't right!"
       "No?" Chad asked in mock surprise.
       "No," Raye repeated, "Sing it right." Chad had sung it right but
Raye liked HER version of this song better.
       "But I don't know how to sing it," Chad answered with a grin,
"Why don't you sing it for me." Raye gave Chad an exasperated look so he
added, "Please?"
       "Okay," Raye chirped. She waited for Chad to start playing and
before singing,

           "One day I went to the lake and found a little bunny.
           I gave her some jelly cakes and she got a tummy ache!"

       She smiled as Chad clapped. "Another one!" After a moment's
pause, Chad started another song. <Lita... Lita likes that song.> She
sniffled a little.
       Chad stopped and asked, "Need to blow your nose, pumpkin?"
       When Raye shook her head, he started playing it again. "Not that
one!" Raye said sternly, "I don't like that one." She had taught that
song to Lita (and to Serena as well with lesser success).
       "But you and Lita sing it really well together." Much to Chad's
surprise, Raye burst into tears. <Lita won't sing with me EVER!> Raye
thought sullenly. "I'm NEVER singin' that song!"
       Chad gave her a worried look. "Did you and Lita have a fight?"
Raye only sniffled. <Yeah man, that's what happened.> Gently shaking her
knee, Chad soothed, "Raye, why don't you practice with me and maybe if
you sing it pretty for Lita, she'll forgive you."
       "No," Raye snapped. She started to frown as Chad began to play,
"I said NO!"
       Stopping, Chad put the guitar down before standing up. Bending
down, the acolyte lifted the little girl up and told her, "Come on, time
for a nap."
       "I don't wanna nap!" Raye whined. She couldn't tell Chad what
was wrong. Reenie had warned her not to. He just couldn't understand
her. <Serena 'n' Amy don't get it.> Being put down for a nap just
heightened the frustration that she had been feeling for the past couple
of days. She did the only thing she could do -- she cried, but no matter
how much she cried, the hurt she felt, the loss she felt didn't go away.
       She continued to cry as Chad removed her socks and slippers
before settling her onto the bed. After pulling up a comforter, Chad
handed Raye her favorite doll, which the little girl hugged tightly.
Raye sniffled a little as she was kissed and let her eyes slide shut. It
was only a moment or so later that Raye fell asleep.


       Reenie Tsukino peeked into her mother's room and found the
little girl fast asleep. Smiling to herself, Reenie gave a little sigh
and slipped down the hallway to the stairs the led down to the main
floor. <Now I can head over to Amy and Lita's. I'll see how Lita's
doing.> She wanted to surprise Serena and the others so she should go
over now.
       "Aunt Ellen," Reenie called out as she came onto the first
floor.
       "I'm in the living room, Reenie," came the reply.
       Reenie walked down the hall and into the living room. "Aunt
Ellen, Serena's taking her nap. Can I go over to the park?"
       Ellen frowned slightly and said, "I thought you were going to
take Serena over to the temple later on."
       "I still am, Aunt Ellen," the little girl explained, "Serena's
taking her nap but I'll come back in time to take her."
       "All right, Reenie," Ellen agreed, "But if you're late, YOU'RE
going to have to explain it to Serena." Reenie gave her aunt a quick hug
and skipped from the room.
       Just as she stepped outside into the warm sunshine, she spotted
Diana waiting by the gate. Walking over, she scooped the gray kitten up
and settled her onto her head between her rabbit ears.
       "I wouldn't worry about Lita, Princess," Diana began once she
was sure that they wouldn't be overheard, "I'd worry about Luna."
       Reenie smiled but managed to hold her chuckle in. <Poor Diana,>
Reenie thought before saying, "Luna's just a kitten. 'Sides, she's
worried about Serena."
       "I'm worried about Serena too," Diana countered.
       "Yeah but you're MY kitty." Reenie snickered as she heard the
kitten give a low growl. "So what has she done besides scratch the
couch?"
       "She wouldn't let me bathe her," Diana complained.
       Reenie rolled her eyes but decided to keep silent. <I'm not
going to win this argument. Even Serena's started taking baths alone
sometimes.> "Serena seems in a better mood," Reenie commented, "That's
good. Maybe she can cheer up Raye." The morning's play session had gone
pretty well after Reenie had convinced Serena that picking up her toys
would help let Reenie sleep in her room. <Although Serena wanted to walk
ALL her bunnies around the house before being put away.> Reenie was glad
she hadn't done such silly things as a child.
       "So where are we going, Small Lady?"
       "Amy's. If Lita checks out, then I'll go back and pick up Mina
'n' Serena and take them to Raye's. I'll get Amy and Lita then."
       Diana pouted, "And I thought you were going to the park. What if
Mrs. Tsukino comes to check on you?"
       "She won't. Serena's takin' her nap, and I got Luna Ball..."
Reenie assured her feline friend and grinned, "It's saved my butt more
than once!"


       Amy yawned and scrubbed at her eyes. Blinking to clear the sleep
out of them, she carefully sat up in her bed. Lita was still asleep
beside her. She glanced at the clock and realized that it was still too
early for her to be up and walking about. She was about to lay back down
again when she heard a noise.
       Slipping from under the covers, she padded over to the window
and looked out to find Reenie looking up at her. Giving the doorway a
quick look, she opened the window and allowed Reenie and Diana to enter
the room.
       "Hi," Amy said softly, "What are you doing here?"
       Reenie glanced over to the sleeping Lita before asking Amy, "How
is she?"
       "Okay. She's exhausted from runnin' around." In fact, Lita had
fallen asleep on their way home. "Lita and I had fun at lunch too." She
gave the older girl a long questioning look then.
       "Hmmm... so you and Lita are getting along?"
       "Sure. She even gave me her French fries," Amy said with a
smile, "'Cause I lost mine." <We must have had a big fight. I'm glad
it's straightened out now.> She could see Reenie wanted to ask about
that but then dismissed it.
       "Was your mommy really mad at Lita?"
       "Nah, she put her in the corner because she ran away." <What's
with the twenty questions? And why is Reenie looking so relieved?> Her
curiosity was killing her. What had happened within the past few days to
get everyone so all wound up? "Did you want something else, Reenie?"
       "There's a Scout meeting today at Raye's. I'll come get ya,"
Reenie told the blue haired girl and then added, "But don't tell anybody
Lita's with ya." Amy looked curiously at Reenie. "I'll take Serena and
Mina to Raye's first. Then I'll pick ya up, 'kay?"
       "But why would Lita be a surprise?"
       "Just promise me you won't tell," Reenie pleaded again. Amy
shrugged and promised she wouldn't. "I should go before your mommy hears
me."
       "Bye," Amy squeaked and waved. Once Reenie and Diana had left,
she went over to the bed and hopped up on it.
       "Wha?" Lita asked groggily.
       "Nothing, Sis. Go back to sleep," Amy suggested. Lita grunted
something before pulling the covers over her head and going back to
sleep.


       A short time later, Reenie found Mina sulking in her room. "Hey
Mina," Reenie greeted as she entered he room, "What's the matter?"
       "Carrie's not talkin' to me," Mina answered sadly. Looking up
from her position on her bed, she sighed a little and continued, "Her
mommy's really mad at her."
       "What did ya do this time?" Diana asked with a grin as she
hopped from Reenie's head and went looking for her father.
       "Nothin'!" Mina replied indignantly, "'Cept Carrie, um,
accidentally went swimming in a pool." She hadn't meant to chase her
friend into a fountain. The fact that her mother had shown up to
retrieve both girls just as Carrie was coming up out of the water hadn't
helped matters any.
       "Did Carrie get into trouble?"
       "No," Mina said.
       "Then why is she mad?" Reenie asked as she went to sit down
beside the little girl. Seeing the sad look on Mina's face, she gave her
friend a hug.
       "'Cuz Carrie lost the game," Mina admitted. <Jeez, I tried to
let her win too. It was like she never heard of Sailor V!>
       "There's a Scout meeting today at the temple. I'll come get you
and take you and Serena there."
       "MINA!" came the voice of her mother, "Young lady, come down
here this instant and get Artemis out of my yarn!" Both girls burst into
giggles as Diana muttered something acidic as she headed for the door.


       Raye giggled. Having a nap had helped; having her friends there
had helped even more. Serena and Mina didn't really understand but it
was hard to stay gloomy when both girls were trying their best to cheer
her up. She chuckled as Serena tried to follow Mina in doing the
"perfect" cartwheel.
       "Come on, Raye!" Serena called out, "You try!"
       Raye put her doll down and taking a few steps towards Serena and
the others, prepared to try. She heard Chad telling her to be careful so
she gave him a little nod. <Chad's nice,> Raye thought, <Just like
Lita...> She felt a lump for in her throat but she pushed it down.
Taking a breath, she took a couple of quick steps and tried a cartwheel.
       It didn't work very well. It was more of a sideways hop than an
actual cartwheel. It was more or less the same as Serena's attempt and
Raye was disappointed. However, Raye smiled when Serena clapped her
hands.
       "Hey! Here comes Amy!" Mina cheered, "Now we can really get
started." Raye turned away from Amy. She didn't want to cry again.
"Hi-ee!"
       "Hello Mina," Amy called out.
       "Hi Mina!" Raye's head whipped around and she stared at the
sight before her. Amy wasn't alone! "Hi Raye. You're gonna catch a fly
standin' like that."
       "LITA!!!!" Raye shouted jubilantly. She rushed over and hugged
the little girl as tightly as she could. The smile that was on her face
grew even larger when Lita hugged her back. "I'm glad you're back," Raye
whispered softly. She wouldn't question such providence.
       "I wouldn't leave ya," Lita replied with a smile. Off to one
side, Reenie smiled happily at the reunion. Internally though, something
was nagging at her thoughts.
       "Hiya Lita. Come on 'n' play!" Serena called out. Mina heartily
agreed.
       "But I wanna sing!" Raye chimed in and then letting go of her
hug, she grabbed Lita's hand, "Come on, Lita, let's go sing!"
       "Sure," Lita agreed. She had never counted on this type of
reception from Raye Hino.

End of Part 3

Coming next in Part 4  "Getting to Know You"
Doug

"I am Sailor Chibi-Earth! And I will sit you in the corner!"
    - Tsukino Misako in "Tales of Younger Venus" Part 6

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