"Sailor Senshi Heiresses" Chibi-Mamoru Darien Chiba CMDChiba@hotmail.com Chapter 13: An Intracity Romp I won't bore you by saying who the world of Sailor Moon and its inhabitants belong to. You also know very well who Cara, Clotilda, Ariadne, Hermione and this story belong to. Okay? 'Nuff said. Royal Palace: July 12 2996, 6:30 am After my conquest of Ensign Jupiter, I was thoroughly exhausted. I went to bed that day at 6:30 pm and slept for 36 hours straight. Yes, you heard me right; I slept from 6:30 pm on July 10 to 6:30 am on July 11 on until now. "Reenie, get up!!" my dad King Endymion ordered as he shakes me violently. "Daddy, I'm still so tired," I protested. "Reenie Chiba, you have been asleep for almost two days," my mom Neo-Queen Serenity told me as she opens the curtains, allowing the sunlight to assault my wide-open pupils. I shield my eyes. "Your father and I will not allow you another second of sleep." "Don't you guys have anything better to do than to wake me up out of a sound sleep?" I groaned. "I mean, you did get a lot of work done while I was asleep, didn't you?" Serenity and Endymion look at each other. "Well . . ., yeah, we did," Endymion replied. My dad's hiding something. "But things seemed different yesterday, Reenie," Serenity piped up. "Everyday, I made it a habit to peek out the window and watch you at play outside in the main garden every now and again. You weren't out there yesterday and I missed that." "And I miss yelling at you whenever you get in the way or make too much noise playing when your mother and I are in a meeting," Endymion added. "You like it when I get in the way?" I asked my parents. "No, but you do it so often that we have learned to live with it, Reenie," Serenity replied as she gets out a syringe and fills it with a syruplike liquid. "Mommy, what are you doing?" I asked Serenity. "Endymion, if you will . . .," Serenity said. Endymion pulls the covers off me, turns me over on my stomach, and holds me down. "Let me go!!! What are you guys doing to me?!?!" I shouted as I thrash about. Serenity lifts the back of my nightgown and jabs me in the rear end. I scream in pain as my mom then injects me with the liquid in the syringe which feels like hot tar. Endymion lets me up and I ask, "Just what the *hell* . . ." SMACK!!! Endymion had just slapped me across the face. "Now let's try that again, young lady," Endymion said to me. "What was your question?" "Mommy, what was that stuff you jabbed me with?" I asked Serenity, rubbing my still very sore rump. "It's just a drug of Amy's to help you stay awake, Reenie," Serenity replied as she caps the needle and unscrews it from the syringe and wraps them both in towels from the bathroom. "Your rear end will soon stop hurting after a while. Mina, Raye, Amy, and Lita have been calling here saying that their daughters have been wondering what happened to you." "Breakfast is in ten minutes, Reenie," Endymion told me as he turns to leave the room. "We'll expect you in the dining room with us then." He and Serenity leave the room. I waste no time in choosing a sundress to wear, putting it on, and charging down the hall as fast as my short legs can carry me. I arrive just as breakfast is being served. I then pig out before a disgusted Serenity orders me away from the table. Cherry Hill Temple: July 12, 2996, 9 am "Hiya, Reenie!!" Ariadne greeted me as she allows Raye's two pet crows to feed from her hand. "Phobos, take it easy!!! I have plenty of bread for both you and Deimos." Phobos and Deimos squawk and fight over the bread crumbs. "Your mommy must miss Mars very badly to name those crows what she did, Ariadne," I inferred. "I wonder what life on Mars is like," Ariadne mused. "You should ask Raye to explain it to you sometime," I told Ariadne. "I have wondered what life on the Moon was like during the Silver Millennium." "Silver Millennium?" Ariadne asked me, puzzled. "That's when the Sailor Scouts were also the princesses of their guardian planets, Ariadne," I replied. "My grandma Queen Serenity was reigning over the Moon Kingdom at that time. My mommy and daddy were killed by a jealous Princess Beryl and the Sailor Scouts fought hard against the Negaverse, but they, too, were killed. When the Moon Kingdom fell, Queen Serenity, in her grief, used the full power of the Imperium Silver Crystal to send my parents, the Sailor Scouts, and the two guardian cats Luna and Artemis forward in time a thousand years to be reborn and have a chance at a normal life. Unfortunately, the Negaverse was also sent forward in time with them." "Wow, my mommy never told me all thaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!" Ariadne screeched. The two crows had just pecked Ariadne in the hand. Chad comes running and scoops up the crying Ariadne. "What happened?" Raye asked Chad as she stops pruning. Chad tells Raye that Ariadne was letting Phobos and Deimos feed from her hand. "Ariadne!!!!! Why were you letting my pet crows feed from your hand after I told you not to do that?" "That's a good way to catch rabies, Ariadne," Chad scolded. "I-I-I . . .," Ariadne stammered out in her defense. Raye gets down off the ladder and kneels down to Ariadne's eye level. "Ariadne, I don't want to see you get hurt," Raye said compassionately as her violet eyes meet Ariadne's wet deep red eyes. "When your dad and I tell you to do something, we have your best interests at heart; when we tell you not to do something like what you did, we have your safety in mind." Ariadne continues to look distressed. "What is it? I didn't yell at you as much as I probably should have and I'm not angry with you. Come on, Ariadne; smile!!" "My hand hurts, Mommy," Ariadne whimpered to Raye. Raye kisses Ariadne's hand and Ariadne cheers up and hugs her mother. Ariadne then grabs my hand and drags me into the forest. Raye calls after Ariadne and me not to go too far into the forest. In a clearing, Hermione, Cara, and Clotilda are just shooting the breeze. "Okay, guys, I'm back with Reenie," Ariadne gasps as she tries to catch her breath. "Top of the morning to you, Sleeping Beauty," Hermione teased me. "I missed ya." "Where have you been, Reenie?" Cara asked. "Everything okay?" Clotilda asked me. "Hi, guys!!!" I greeted everyone. "Ariadne, why are we out here in the forest?" "I picked up the arrival of four living beings yesterday," Ariadne addressed the group. "I appeared in your dreams last night and told you that I wanted to meet with you here today so I could tell all of you at once." "What info could you pick up on them?" Cara asked Ariadne. "I could pick up that there are two men and two women in the group, Cara," Ariadne replied. "I don't know what culture they are, though. They looked Mongolian or Chinese." This sets me to thinking. Could it be Detective Vitaliter, Professor La Phoenix, Director Naturalier, and Sergeant Rockheart? "Ariadne, do the intruders have a parental relationship to the judges?" I asked. Ariadne looks at me blankly. "Well, do they? Yes or no?" "Yes, Reenie," Ariadne answered. "I smell something burning, Cara," Hermione said of me. "We have to warn Sandra and Shelly!!!" I said suddenly. "Why? What's all the hubbub about, Reenie?" Clotilda asked. "The real names of Shelly Desiree LaPhoenix and Sandra Gregory Naturalier are Selraina Despicability Vitaliter and Sandigeo Grekari Rockheart, Clotilda," I explained. This gets my court's attention. "They are aliens from a distant planet known as Pollianus. They're here to help me win the tournament by personally making certain that my opponents don't cheat." Cara, Hermione, Ariadne, and Clotilda exchange glances and look at me like I've gone off the deep end. "Guys, we all know how fierce the Outers' kids are. I need their help if I ever hope to win over them." "Ariadne, where are the intruders?" Hermione asked. Ariadne closes her eyes for a minute and says that they're somewhere inside the Arctic Circle. "That doesn't tell me a thing, Ariadne!!" Hermione growls angrily. "The intruders could be anywhere inside the Arctic Circle." "Look, Hermione Mizuno!!! I woke up this morning stopped up," Ariadne snapped at Hermione, "so get off my back!!! You're lucky to get what I just gave you." Ariadne then storms off, leaving us in shock. "Cara, what did I just do wrong?" Hermione asked as she wipes away a tear. "You just pushed Ariadne too far, Hermione," Cara replied. "Ariadne is nice, but she's not gifted with endless amounts of patience and thus has a very short fuse." "We need to get going," I said as I take Hermione by the hand. "You can apologize to Ariadne later. Come on." We walk to the bus stop where we find Ariadne with 15 yen in her hand. Bus stop near Cherry Hill Temple: July 12, 2996, 10:45 am "Ariadne, where did you get that?" Clotilda asked as she points to the 15 yen. "How badly do you want me to answer that, Clotilda?" Ariadne asked back. Clotilda and Ariadne get into a staring contest. "There was a whole wad of five yen bills lying on my mommy's nightstand. What do you think I did when I saw that?" "You went back and asked your mommy if you could borrow some of that like you had some sense," I assumed. Ariadne shakes her head and looks away. "You didn't steal it, did you?" Clotilda asked Ariadne. Ariadne turns to look at Clotilda in the eyes and then turns away quickly. Ariadne's deep red eyes had confessed it all. "Why, Ariadne?" I asked as I turn Ariadne around to face me. "Can't you see you're hurting your own mommy?" "There's no telling what Raye intended to do with that money, Ariadne," Hermione chipped in. "For all you know, that 300 yen you saw could mean the difference between staying at that temple another month or getting kicked out into the streets." "Hermione's right, Ariadne," Cara agreed. "You should have asked for that money instead of taking it." Just then before Ariadne could say anything in her defense, the bus arrives and Ariadne boards it followed by Clotilda, Cara, Hermione, and me. After our fares are paid which are three yen a piece, the bus rumbles away silencing an angry Raye calling for Ariadne. Cara sees the angry Raye and tells Ariadne about it only to be silenced by a dirty look. On a bus: July 12, 2996, 11 am "So where exactly are we headed, Reenie?" Clotilda asked. I reach into my pocket and just happen to produce an envelope from one of the letters Sandra sent me. I point to the address that's in the envelope's upper left corner. Ariadne produces a street map of Crystal Tokyo and a bus schedule. Clotilda starts to ask if Ariadne ripped off the map and bus schedule from her parents but reconsiders after I lip to her not to even ask. She probably did. "I can't make heads or tails of this!!" Ariadne whined as she tries to read the map, on the brink of crying. "Don't cry, Ariadne," Clotilda said as she takes the map and schedule from Ariadne. "We're not angry with you." Clotilda then arranges the map on her lap so that north is at the top and hands the schedule to Cara telling her to hold onto it. "I think we may have to do some walking, guys," Clotilda tells us. "Hold on; lemme make sure. Cara, let me have the bus schedule." Cara hands over the bus schedule and Clotilda looks at it. "No, we won't have to do any walking, but it will take us an hour to get to the hotel." Meanwhile, I have given the sobbing Ariadne a hug. Hermione sits across the aisle from Ariadne, Cara, and me with Clotilda, her dark gray eyes pleading to tell me a way to help Ariadne. "Reenie, I'm scared to go to school," Ariadne whispered. "What did she say?" Cara asked me of Ariadne. "Ariadne said that she's scared to go to school, Cara," I repeated. "Ariadne, there's nothing to be scared of," Clotilda said sympathetically as she clasps Ariadne's right hand and rubs it affectionately. "Ariadne, look at me." Ariadne lifts her head off my shoulder and looks into Clotilda's yellowish-green eyes. "Hermione and I will be in kindergarten with you, Ariadne. School is a new experience for us as well as it is for you. We three will face kindergarten and we'll face it together." "It's okay to be scared, Ariadne," Hermione said. "Tell your parents how you feel," I advised Ariadne. "Here's something you may want to try, Ariadne," Cara suggested. "My parents took me to see the inside of Sunnytale Nursery School before they enrolled me there. I got a tour of the whole school and watched the kids at play. I was scared that my parents were just going to leave me there and forget about me at first, but now I look forward to going." "Yeah, that's how I got over my fear of going to school," I told Ariadne. "You should try it." Ariadne smiles at us and I look up. "Guys, we're here!!" I announced. "Driver, we need to get off." The bus driver stops the bus and lets us off. We head through the revolving door and opulence of the front lobby is astounding!!! The central area ceiling must be 90 feet from the floor!!! Inside of Embassy Suites: July 12, 2996, 12:15 pm "Look, it's Neo-Princess Serenity!!!" the manager shouted. Maids, bellboys, and guests drop to one knee. The manager kneels down in front of me and asks, "What can I do for you, your highness?" Now I could use my fame to suck this place dry, but if I do, a lot of people will be very angry with me, including my parents Endymion and Serenity. "You can take my court and me to the room of Sandra Naturalier and Shelly LaPhoenix," I told the manager, but then a look at my weary friends makes me add, "I'd like the trip there to be on piggyback, if it's not too much trouble." "No, it's not too much trouble, Princess," the manager told me. "Call me Reenie," I requested. "Okay, Reenie, the manager agreed as he kneels down to allow me to climb on. Four bellboys also do likewise and Hermione, Cara, Ariadne, and Clotilda climb on. There is a groan from the bellboy carrying Clotilda, but carry her he does. They then carry us to the elevator and take us up fourteen floors. After we arrive at room 14N, the men set us down and the manager says, "Here we are, Reenie." "Thank you," I told the manager. Hermione, Cara, Ariadne, and Clotilda do likewise as the five men leave and reply it was no problem. I knock on the door. "Who that knocking on my door??" a cranky voice demanded. "You better be Ed McMannon with a whole lot of money or it's on!!!" (Author's note: That last line came from "It's a Low Down Dirty Shame." It was said by Peaches Jordan [Jada Pinkett] to Shame [Keenen Ivory Wayans] after he arrived at her house all beaten up near the beginning of the movie. Chibi-Mamoru) "I don't think that this is a good time, Reenie," Clotilda said nervously. "Let's go home." "And not do what we came here to do?" Ariadne asked Clotilda in shock and anger. "No way!!!" Sandra opens the door. "Well, hello, girls," Sandra greeted us as he steps aside to let us in. Once we were inside, Sandra closes the door and asks us, "What brings you here?" "You sound tired, Sandra," I remarked. "Yeah, Shelly and I slept for 45 hours straight, Reenie," Sandra replied. "We just got up an hour before you arrived." "Where's Shelly, Sandra?" Cara asked. "She's out getting ice, Cara," Sandra answered. "She'll be back soon." Sure enough, Shelly arrives with a bucket full of ice. "Hiya, girls," Shelly greeted us as she sets the overflowing bucket of ice on the counter. "Why are they here, Sandra?" "Selraina, Sandigeo, listen to me," I said. Sandra and Shelly jump in shock at my use of their Pollianian names. "My friend Ariadne has detected four life forms like yourselves on Earth somewhere north of the Arctic Circle." "WHAT!?!?" Sandra and Shelly asked. "Where in the Arctic are they?" Shelly asked, more to Ariadne than to me. "OHHHHH, why, you . . .," Ariadne fumed angrily before Clotilda restrains and silences her. "Ariadne doesn't know, Shelly," Hermione replied before Ariadne has a chance to get too angry. "Don't make the mistake of pressing Ariadne for information she doesn't have." "Sorry, Ariadne," Shelly apologized. Hermione then nods to Clotilda to release Ariadne. "It's just that the area north of the Arctic Circle is so big that they could be anywhere. They could be in Alaska, Canada's Yukon and Northwest Territories, Greenland, Scandinavia, or Russia's Siberia. I wish you could at least tell me which continent they're on. That would help me gauge how much worrying to do." "I know that you would like me to be more specific, Selraina," Ariadne told Shelly, "but I'm just learning how to use and control my psychic powers and getting information that specific is simply not in my control right now. I always give you all of what I know. If our guests move, I'll pick it up and tell you all I can of the new development as soon as I can." "Reenie suspects that they may be your parents, Sandigeo," Hermione remarked to Sandra. Hermione yawns. Cara and Ariadne follow suit. "Come on, girls; you need a nap," Shelly told Hermione, Cara, and Ariadne as she leads them into the bedroom. We watch as Shelly helps Hermione take off her shoes. Cara and Ariadne follow suit and then they and Hermione get into bed. "Sweet dreams," Shelly whispers as she tucks in the now sleeping girls. "Sleep tight." We then leave the room quietly. "They're making me feel sleepy now," Sandra said of the sleeping girls. Shelly agrees. "Reenie, did your mom and dad tell you that *you* can determine when you fight the Outers' kids?" "I can??" I wanted to confirm. "Yes, you can, Reenie," Sandra confirmed, nodding his head. "Keep in mind that you may need additional training for the Outers' kids, Reenie," Clotilda reminded me. "We need to allow time for that." "Don't forget about those people Ariadne spoke of," Shelly reminded me. "If they are indeed our parents and they reach us before you take your turn against them, we'll have to leave Earth with them and the judges that take our place will probably not let you use the Adaptation Sceptre." "But if I set a later date, that will allow time for additional training for me as well as for the Outers' kids," I reasoned. "Yep, that's true, Reenie," Sandra agreed. "The converse is also true. If you set a date closer to today, the Outers' kids won't have much time for additional training and neither will you." "Where are Cecelia, Irvette, Claribel, and Cleopatra right now?" I asked Clotilda. "Cecelia, Irvette, and Claribel were on Hokkaido being trained by Griffith MacGrinrun to gain the ability to launch their mothers' main attacks many times in succession with little or no effort, Reenie," Clotilda explained. "They got back yesterday. Cleopatra and her family have been holed up on Shikoku with Professor Tomoe." "Doing what?" I asked. "Professor Tomoe is teaching Cleopatra about something called `sound harmonics'," Clotilda told me. "Claribel sat in on some of the lessons when they got back yesterday." "I want to fight the Outers' kids on July 15," I told Sandra. "Why July 15?" Shelly asked me. "I don't want to give Claribel time to learn any more sound harmonics, but I want to have time to get ready for Cecelia because Hermione told me that she was TOUGH," I said. "Hermione is right, Reenie; Cecelia is very difficult to defeat for many reasons," Clotilda agreed. "Because there's no attack that can get past the World Shaking," I said. "Right!!" Clotilda remarked to me. "Plus Cecelia may have other powers we don't know about. I can tell you this, Reenie; Cecelia is more attuned to the sky and the heavens of outer space than her mother Alex is. She has this golden eagle she has raised from a fledgling she named Umbriel which gives her the ability to do many different attacks." "Can you tell me which ones you have observed and know the launch commands for?" I asked Clotilda. "I have observed some of her attacks and I have their launch commands written down at home, Reenie," Clotilda yawned, "but I can't recall what those are off the top of my head right now. Probably just as well, because I'm getting sleepy." "Oh, no!! Clotilda, not you too!!" I protested. "You can't take a nap on me now!!" "Reenie, if you want the information I have, you'll let me take my nap," Clotilda threatened me. I begin to protest, but Clotilda's irritable yellowish-green eyes erase the words from my mind. Sandra escorts Clotilda to the bedroom and tucks her in. "Why don't we go for a walk?" Sandra suggested as he returns from tucking in Clotilda. "Sandra, we can't leave the girls here alone," Shelly objected. "What if they wake up while we're gone?" "I'll lock the door and we won't go far," Sandra replied as he holds up his card key and hands Shelly hers. "When I was tucking Clotilda in, I left a note telling the girls exactly where we're going and instructing them to stay put until we come back. Now let's go." Sandra, Shelly, and I leave the room and go downstairs. "Excuse me," Shelly told the bartender when we get to the downstairs bar. "What can I do for you, miss?" the bartender asked Shelly as he finishes drying a glass. "Can I have two vodkas for my boyfriend and me?" Shelly requested. A look of surprise plays across the bartender's face. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" "You and your boyfriend look underage to me," the bartender said. Shelly growls and grabs the bartender. "Hey, hey, Shelly!!!" Sandra interjected. "Let him go!!!" Shelly reluctantly releases the bartender and Sandra drags her by the arm to a nearby corridor. A few minutes later, Sandra walks out followed by a calmer but still disgruntled Shelly. "What did you tell her, Sandra?" I asked as he and Shelly sit down. "I just told Shelly that she better keep a lock on her temper," Sandra told me. "Being in trouble with the law is the last thing we need to have happen to us. But let's move away from this topic, shall we?" "What's there to discuss?" I asked Sandra. "I want to fight the Outers' kids on July 15." "Ohh, that bartender!!!!" Shelly snarled. "Shelly!!!" Sandra snapped as he gives her a glacial glare. "What did I tell you?" "You told me to forget about the bartender's behavior and worry only about mine, Sandra," Shelly said in a subdued tone. "I can't help exploding like that whenever someone makes me angry." "You're wrong on both counts, Shelly," Sandra disagreed, shaking his head. "You *can* help it and no one can make you angry. You CHOSE to get angry with the bartender and behave as you did. But hold that thought; we'll discuss it later. Now, Reenie, let's talk turkey about you choosing July 15. I'm not sure you should be taking on the Outers' kids on that day. I think that Shelly and I will have to meet with your parents about how we're going to tackle this. I remember when Ariadne accidentally set your costume on fire. You were so frightened that it would be heartless to continue with the tournament. So we let you wait to fight Clotilda until the next day and you did well." "We can go one fight a day if that's what it takes, Reenie," Shelly told me. "Sandra and I don't want you spreading yourself too thin." "This tournament is a rotten thing that your parents and your friends' parents made you girls do, Reenie," Sandra snarled. "You should be out there enjoying the summer and playing in the sun, not in some arena beating each other up." Silence reigns for several minutes. "Reenie, what's the last time you remember ever spending time with King Endymion and Neo-Queen Serenity as their *daughter* and not one of their subjects?" Shelly asked. "They read to me at bedtime every night, Shelly," I said. "I meant besides that," Shelly said. I think hard but couldn't come up with anything and tell Shelly so. "Sandra, we have much to discuss with Reenie's parents." "Can I think about this and tell you guys my decision later?" I asked Shelly and Sandra. "I'm not so sure I want to take on the Outers' kids so soon anymore." "Sure, you can, Reenie," Sandra said. "I was hoping that you would say that." I hug Sandra and Shelly gratefully. All of a sudden, the Adaptation Sceptre appears in midair and shines the symbols for the planets of Venus and Jupiter on the floor. "What's the Sceptre trying to tell us?" I asked Sandra. "Why is the Sceptre acting like that, Sandra?" Shelly asked. "I have a bad feeling that something is happening back at the room that has to do with Clotilda and Cara," Sandra replied. "Reenie, grab the Adaptation Sceptre and say `Sceptre, investigate.'" I reach up and grab the Adaptation Sceptre. "Sceptre, investigate," I commanded. We then see a scene of Clotilda complaining that she is feeling woozy and Cara trying to keep her calm. Hermione and Ariadne are out of the picture. "What's going on?" Ariadne and Hermione come back and say that they cannot find any. "Just great!!" Cara growls. "Hang on, Clotilda." We waste no time in getting back upstairs. Sandra scoops me up and I retire the Adaptation Sceptre as we're running toward room 14N. "Your friend is in insulin shock!!" Shelly explained to me as she's getting out some coins and her card key. "Sandra, you and Reenie go in there and try to keep Clotilda calm while I find something with sugar in it." Sandra and I enter the room. Hermione and Ariadne are trying to stay calm the best they know how . . . and failing miserably. "Sandra, Reenie!!! Thank goodness you're here!!!" Ariadne exclaimed. "I'm so scared for Clotilda!!!" "Shelly is out there trying to find you some sugar, Clotilda," Sandra reassured as he takes Clotilda's hand in his. "Just hang in there." "You know, Clotilda, I have always admired you on the karate floor," Hermione said. "I . . . never understood why . . . you enjoyed fighting, Hermione," Clotilda replied. "Just hang on, Clotilda," I said. "I wish I could have gotten to know you more. I feel you have a lot to teach me." "I'm back!!!" Shelly announced as she rips open a chocolate candy bar and shoves it in Clotilda's mouth. Clotilda chews it and swallows. "Feeling any better?" Ariadne asked Clotilda. "Yes, Ariadne, much better," Clotilda replied as she finishes the candy bar. "Sandra, what time is it?" Sandra looks at his watch. "It's 4:45 pm, Clotilda," Sandra reported. "You wanna know two things we never did, Shelly?" "Besides not providing adequate supervision for Hermione, Cara, Ariadne, and Clotilda?" Shelly interjected. "We never once fed these girls or called their parents to let them know they're here!!!" Sandra ejaculated. "Their parents have got to be worried sick by now!!! Girls, you're going home *right* now." "I'll take Reenie home and you take her friends home, Sandra," Shelly declared. "Shelly, you should take the girls home," I suggested. "If you do, you can maybe win some clemency for yourself by telling Clotilda's parents that you saved her from an insulin shock episode." "Say, Reenie, that's not a bad idea!!" Shelly cried. "In fact, it's brilliant!!" Royal Palace Main Gardens: July 12, 2996, 5:05 pm The ride back home was uneventful. During the whole trip, Sandra told me how grateful he was that I dropped by to check up on Shelly and him but made it clear that I should have told my parents first. "Sandra, I'm sorry," I apologized. "Don't apologize to me, Reenie," Sandra replied. "I'm glad that you care about Shelly and me, but you shouldn't have come downtown with your friends without a grownup with you. Reenie, do you know that at any given point on the way over, someone could have grabbed you or killed you?" I sniffle and sob and Sandra gets out a handkerchief. "Come on, Reenie, buck up; I didn't mean to yell at you." "No, Sandra, I'm not crying because of your lecture," I sobbed. "I deserve to be lectured and yelled at because something could have happened to my friends and me on the bus and because I caused my mommy and daddy a lot of trouble." "Oh, so you took the bus?" Sandra wanted to confirm. "Yes, we did," I told Sandra. "I think Ariadne stole 15 yen from her mother for the bus." "I see," Sandra responded. "So why did Hermione, Cara, and Clotilda come along?" "I don't know, Sandra," I replied. "They probably just tagged along for the ride. I never asked them." "I suck as a babysitter, Reenie," Sandra admitted sadly. "I should have known that your friend Clotilda was diabetic and made you girls call your parents right when you arrived. Leaving your friends alone so they could take a nap . . . what a dumb idea!!!" "Well, yeah, but you and Shelly have been good friends to my court and me," I told Sandra. "We licked a diabetic emergency and we touched on how to conduct the second half of this tournament. As far as I'm concerned, that should cancel out your mistakes." "Yes, and you also kept our daughter out of our hair while we attended to other matters, Sandra," Neo-Queen Serenity agreed. "For that, I can never thank you enough." "You're not mad that I didn't call?" Sandra asked Serenity. "I was, but when I overheard you and Reenie, I just couldn't be angry with you anymore," Serenity replied. "I'll expect you and Shelly bright and early here tomorrow to discuss the battle plan for the second half of the tournament and what to call Reenie's battle with Ariadne." "Shelly and I will be there, your majesty," Sandra promised Serenity. With that, Sandra leaves. Royal Palace: Reenie's room: July 12, 2996, 5:55 pm "Reenie Chiba!!! I thought your father saw to it that you learned your lesson!!!" Serenity snarled as she throws me down and kicks me sharply in the stomach twice. "I see he has failed . . . MISERABLY!!!!" Serenity grabs me by the front of my dress, hauls me up in one hand, and punches me in the face with the other. "I'm just looking for an excuse to personally pack your bags and send you to the nearest boarding school, you little brat!!!" Serenity roars at me as she throws me against the far wall. "I thought that you would add a new element to my reign over Crystal Tokyo . . . and you did!!! You, Serena Usagi Chiba, have reached the utmost limits of my patience!!!! Perhaps being chained in your room for a day or two with no meals will teach you not to run off without telling anyone!!!! GUARDS!!!!" Six guards march into the room carrying padlocks and lengths of chain. When they are done, I am immobilized in a formal seiza on my bed by a taut chain around my neck and another on my wrists securing me to the bed. "You six are going to watch this little bitch in three sixteen- hour shifts," Serenity continues, flashing an unfriendly smile in my direction. She then pairs off the guards into teams and assigns one of them to stand guard outside. "Good night, your highness," Serenity tells me as she kisses me. I spit in her face bitterly. A slamming door announces Serenity's offended departure. Well, Reenie, get some sleep; you're going to be here a while . . . THE END So what did you think? Was Serenity out of line to treat Reenie as she did? What do you think happened to Ariadne? How about Hermione, Cara, and Clotilda? What do you think should happen to them? Why do you think this? If you were the parent of one of these girls, what would *you* do? Should anything happen to Sandra and Shelly? Explain why. Come on, people!!! Email me!!! Only one person has kept in touch with me since I have been writing this story. Email address: CMDChiba@hotmail.com Please put the title of this fanfic in the subject line of your letter. Doing so will enable me to get back to you much faster.