Beautiful Dreams 2
Young Flower
Disclaimer: The only characters I own here are the ones you won't see anywhere else. 
With her kitty cat on her head, Rini walked down the road toward Darien's home. ” It’s obvious that my cookies are the best, and I’ll be the big winner.”
"Big winner?" Diana meowed.
"Yeah, once Darien takes the cookies taste test, he’s sure to choose mine.” She suddenly stopped. "Huh?"
She saw a boy looking through a window outside a candy shop. He was dressed in quite fancy clothes but that wasn't what caught her attention. For a split second, she saw wings on the boy's back.
"Oh…"
"Whatsamattah, Wheeeneee?" Diana asked.
"He looks normal enough." Rini said. "Where did his wings go?" Rini approached the boy and stepped around him. "Hmm…hmmm..hmmm. This is so weird, I know what I saw."
The boy turned and looked at her. He had a look of confusion on his face while Rini had a look of disappointment. Diana meowed. 
“Hey, nice kitty." The boy asked. "What’s her name?”
"Her name's Diana," Rini retorted snootily
“Well…nice to meet you, Diana.” His voice, however, remain kind. Diana stood and meowed. Then she jumped from Diana's head to the boy's shoulder and began to lick his face. “Ha ha ha, stop it! You’re ticking me!”
Rini broke into chuckles and the tension between them was over. Finally, Diana jumped back to Rini's head.
“Uh…hey, what are you doing here?" Rini asked. "Are you waiting for someone?”
A mother and daughter walked out of the candy store. “I’m glad you like it, sweetie.”
"I can't wait to open it and have some yummy cookies."
“I’m just watching people go in and out of the candy store." The boy explained. "They look happier when they come out of the store.”
"Of course they do," Rini said, "Sweets cheer up people all the time."
“Yup, this looks like a nice town. All mothers seem to be so kind.”
“I know of at least one exception.”
"Huh?"
Rini turned around, hands on hips. “My mom isn’t like that at all. She’s a clumsy and careless crybaby, and she sometimes takes candy away from me so she can eat it herself…but that’s okay, ‘cause I take candy from her stash when she’s not around.”
He chuckled, "you're a sweet interesting kid."
Rini turned back. "Huh?"
“I like it here. It really is a nice place to live. Even all the candies look happy.” He turned to the window.
“What do you mean?" Rini queried. "How do you know how candies feel?”
“Look at them." He insisted, "They look so happy sitting in the window, they might even start to dance.”
"Oh…" she joined him by the window, looking inside. He takes a good look at her and stepped back.
"I can't tell if they're happy or not," Rini said, "They only look delicious to me."
"Huh?"
While her face is pressed to the window, the boy took out a flute and started to play. The cookies floated up, coming together to look like a person dancing. Rini gasped and looked at him. "Wow…" she stared, surprised at the dancing cookies until they came back down. Rini turned to him and extended her hand. "I am Rini."
"Uh…" he hesitated a bit but then shook her hand. "Oh, my name's Pereru."
"Oh, Pereru?" she asked.
A girl with auburn hair and subtle green eyes turned the corner of the store, peeking on Rini and Pereru. Her auburn hair came to her shoulders with a small braid on either side of her face. A purple flower was tucked in her hair. She wore a green shirt underneath a black jumper dress and black shoes. Around her neck she wore a glass heart-shaped necklace. Before they saw her, she stepped back behind the store.
****
At Darien's apartment, he is reading and listening to some music when the doorbell rang. "Yes?"
“Courier service, bringing you a package filled with lots of love.” Serena's voice was heard through the door. Darien chuckled and went to open the door. Instead of clinging to him as usual, she gave him a different kind of greeting.
"I know that disrespectful little blob is in here somewhere.” Serena said, bending down to check underneath the bed.
“Let me guess. You mean Rini." Darien said. "She’s not even here today, Serena. Why you so down on her?”
"She’s incredibly rude to me and has no respect! Oh, Darien…”
“When did you…?” she began.
"Huh?"
"Buy this purple shirt?" she finished.
"This shirt?"
"Yeah, did Lydia send it to you?" Serena asked. "Oh dear, don't tell me I missed your birthday!"
He chuckled and sat down on the couch. "No, it wasn't from Lydia. I think I got it with Rini at a recent trip to the mall."
Serena sat down next to him and took his hand. “Tell me something, and I want you to be totally honest. Who do you like better? Me or that conniving little wretch Rini? And Lydia does not count.”
"Huh?"
"I need to know! Tell me the truth!" Serena shouted. "Who do you like better?!”
“What do you mean?” Darien asked.
“So you can’t answer me, then?” Serena demanded, sinking back into the arm cushion. “I knew it. He’s always liked Rini better than me. I thought cookies were supposed to cheer him up, but my homemade cookies are doing the opposite and making me completely miserable.”
“Hey, you brought cookies!" Darien exclaimed. "Great, I’ll make some cocoa.”
As he got to the kitchen, a news flash came on the radio. “In the world today, there have been alarming reports of children mysteriously disappearing at night in various countries around the world.”
Darien stopped. Serena raised an eyebrow. "Did he say what I think he said?"
“So far, reports from 43 cities in 27 countries, all with the same story, have not yet indicated any recoveries. No other information is available at this time, but we will be updating our reports as new information comes in.”
Serena and Darien looked at each other. "Hmm?"
Puzzled about the news report, Serena and Darien talked about what they just heard. "That is awful!" Serena exclaimed. "I wish there was more information…"
And they were about to get it. The phone rang. "I wonder who that could be," Darien said. He picked it up. "Hello?" He waited a little while and said gleefully, "Yeah, I'll accept charges!"
"What?" Serena gasped, "Darien, who is that?"
"Shh," Darien said to Serena, "Lydia, hi!"
"Lydia!" Serena exclaimed, "I want to talk to her!" Serena started to grab for the phone. "C'mon, Darien, gimmie it!"
"Serena, wait a minute!" Darien said. 
"Did I call at a bad time?" Lydia asked.
"Lydia, I'm gonna put you on speaker phone, okay?" Darien said.
"Sure."
Darien pressed the speakerphone button and put the receiver down. "What's up, Lydia?"
"How are you?" Serena yelled.
"Serena," Darien muttered.
"Have yeh listened to the news lately?" Lydia asked. She was speaking from a telephone booth in Ireland and standing right outside was Fiore as a human. "Children are missing."
"We've heard the report just a while ago," Serena said. "Are children missing from Ireland too?"
"Yes, and I know why," Lydia explained. "Last night I had a run in with some laddie. Turns out he's working for a witch named Bidiyanu and they're kidnapping children to gather dream energy."
"Dream energy?" Darien asked.
"Aye. They should be on their way to Tokyo soon. Imagine what would happen if they got Rini."
Serena moaned.
"Yeh've better keep yer eyes open," Lydia said. 
Fiore tapped on the glass outside the booth. She grinned and turned away. She cleared her throat. "I can't tell yeh all about it now, but I'll try to get to Tokyo as soon as I can. Just be careful."
"Thank you, Lydia." Serena said. "Get over here quickly! I miss you!"
"Oh, I miss yeh too," Lydia said. "My minute's almost up."
"Okay, Lydia. Thanks for calling." Darien said.
"Bye Lydia!" Serena exclaimed.
"Goodbye." Lydia said and hung up. Darien pushed the button.
"People stealing dream energy," Darien mumbled. "What will they think of next?"
After hanging up, Fiore stepped in the booth and but his arms around Lydia. She smiled and cupped his face. "Why didn't you let me say anything to Darien? He's my friend too."
"I know, Fiore," Lydia said, "but I wanted to surprise him. We'll go to Japan together and explain this to the scouts more in person." She turned and put her arms around him. They began to kiss. 
Someone knocked on the phone booth. "Hey, yous too! That is not what the phone booth is for!"
Lydia chuckled, "sorry," she and Fiore walked out of the booth. "How about we grab a little something to eat?"
"Sounds wonderful," Fiore said. "I love Earth food."
Lydia laughed and leaned her head on his shoulder as the couple walked down the Irish street.
***
Dusk came and Pereru and Rini are still together. She handed him her cookies. "For you…"
"What are they?" Pereru asked.
"My homemade cookies," she replied.
"Oh…"
She turned to him and nodded. Leaving a smile and some laughs, she ran up the street. Halfway out of sight, she turned back around to wave goodbye. "Gotta go now!" she shouted. "See you again! Bye!"
The mysterious auburn haired girl peeked around the corner as Pereru waved back. When Rini and Diana were gone, he blushed, the girl noticing. The girl smiled.
"That Rini," she said under her breath.
****
Later that night, kids were tucked in asleep all cozy in the beds, their heads filled with happy dreams. But as 3:00 am rolled around, a tune was heard throughout the entire city. In Rini's bedroom, she hears the tune and her eyes opened up, but they were blank as if she were in a trance.
And inside Serena's bedroom, she is sleeping with her body halfway off the bed, laughing and drooling in her sleep. "Serena, Serena," Diana meowed.
"Oh Darien…I love you."
"Oh Serena," Diana sighed, putting her paws on her face and kitty mouth to Serena's ear "Serena, WILL YOU WAKE UP!"
"Aah!" Serena was jolted out of bed and onto the ground. Diana learned a thing or two from her mother.
After explaining to Serena about the wake up call, Serena and Darien walked down the street, following Rini. "I wonder where she could be going."
"Serena!" Luna called.
Serena turned to see Luna and Artemis with the rest of the gang.
"Oh, hi, good you're here," Serena said, pointing at Rini. "Look at Rini. She looks like a robot walking in her sleep."
"She's not the only one," Artemis said.
"Huh?" Serena asked.
"Look!" Mina pointed down the street, where more children are walking like zombies.
"Oh, what's happening?" Serena cried.
"Look like the children are all heading to one place," Amy observed. “I heard on the news today that there are lots of children mysteriously disappearing from many countries all over the world.”
Serena gasped, "I heard the announcement too! And Lydia called me about it yesterday. She said that a witch is collecting their dream energy!"
"Dream energy?" Mina asked.
“Hey, do you hear some sort of musical instrument playing a tune?” Raye asked.
They all became silent, listening to the tune. Amy began to analyze it with her computer.
"The instrument’s a pipe, and it’s emitting strange energy while it’s played.” Amy stated.
The girls and cats follow them to the ship.
"Look at that! What do you think it is?” Diana asked.
"Lydia must've seen one like it in Ireland," Serena said.
"We must stop those children before they leave," Luna said.
They all nodded. Serena knew who to go after. She grabbed Rini.
"Rini, come on!" 
"Let me go." Rini said, speaking like a zombie. "Let me go.
"Please, Rini, you must wake up." Diana said. 
"I guess I have no choice!" Serena muttered, spanking Rini twice.
"Ow! What are you doing, Serena?" Rini demanded, out of her trance. "Huh? What's going on?"
"Huh?" Serena said. "You mean you don't know what happened today at all?"
Lita stepped in front of the children. "Stop! Everyone go home!"
But the kids kept moving. They tried to push them back physically.
"No, don't go in there!" Mina warned.
"No!" Lita shouted.
"Stop!" Raye said.
"Wake up!" Mina said.
"Everyone go home!" Raye insisted.
"We must go to the land of sweets now," a boy said.
"They can't hear you, sailor scouts," a voice said.
"Who said that?" Amy asked.
A girl stepped around the corner, with auburn hair wearing a black jumper over a green shirt.
"Who are you?" Serena asked. "How come you're not hypnotized like the others?"
The girl folded her arms. "The tune is set to hypnotize human children--and I am only half human."
"Half human?" Lita exclaimed. "You're one of them, aren't you?"
"The ones trying to steal the children!" Serena shouted.
"No," the girl said. "I'm here to help."
Rini turned and looked at the girl. "Wait…I know you! Blossom!"
She smiled, "I'm touched to see you remember me, Rini."
"You know her?" Serena asked.
"Sure I do," Rini ran to Blossom. "She's my friend from the future!" She put her arm around her. "Lydia's her mom!"
"What?" Serena gasped.
"Allow me to introduce myself," Blossom nodded, "My name's Blossom. Fiore and Lydia's daughter." Blossom closed her eyes and a flurry of rose petals surrounded her. Her appearance changed. Her auburn hair became longer and the braids came undone. It changed from auburn to a bright, vibrant orange with green streaks in her bangs. Greenish-yellow skin replaced her pink flesh and her dress turned out to be like Fiore's alien outfit, except it was in purple. A gold piece of her outfit went around her left leg. The rose petals disappeared and Blossom finally opened her eyes, now alien-like and violet. Dangling from her alien ears were crystal earrings. Her lips were painted orange and the only thing she kept from her human appearance was the purple flower in her hair. "A pleasure to meet you!"
"Lydia will freak when she hears this." Serena said.
Rini embraced her friend. "I missed you, Blossom!" Rini exclaimed.
"I missed you too," Blossom said.
The music stopped and the piper standing on the prow of the ship stood up. "Can I help you?" The children fell asleep again.
Blossom gasped and a sneer appeared on her face. "You!" She stepped forward, pointing to the piper. "You!"
What is it, Blossom?" Rini asked.
"Tell us who you are!" Raye commanded.
“Tell me why you’re interrupting this innocent procession to happiness." Purapan said. "They’ve come of their own free will.”
"Free will?" Blossom snarled. "You liar!"
“Do you call the act of kidnapping children innocent?!” Mina demanded.
"We won't let you get away with this, you psycho!" Lita muttered.
"Listen to them, Purapan," Blossom hissed.
"You know him?" Rini asked. "How?"
"I know, because my father knows," Blossom said. "You might've gotten away with it once, but you wont' this time! Hear me? I won't let you!"
TBC