Part XV: Divide and Conquer

 

 

          It was actually somewhat anticlimactic.

          After all the drama and hullabaloo surrounding the events of the day, the situation was ended when an incendiary bomb set the Venus trap on fire and burned it to the ground. So everyone quickly returned to their normal routines, including the Negaverse.

          Well, almost everyone.

          “Gone?” Jelex asked in disbelief.

          “That’s what I said,” Felin replied. “Vanished without a trace.”

          “I don’t believe it,” Jelex said. “Where could they have gone?”

          What Jelex and Felin were discussing was the disappearance of the Sailor Scouts. They had just pulled out and sneaked away right under their noses.

          “I’m going to find them, wherever they went,” Felin said. “They can’t escape me so easily.”

          “That’s the spirit,” Jelex laughed. “Good luck.”

 

          Where the Scouts had gone was to the beach. It turned out that a family friend of Serena’s owned a house at the shore and wasn’t using it, and allowed the Scouts to stay. Since they still had lots of time, it would be a good trip. Plus, they could finally evade the stupid Negaverse tickle stooges. They couldn’t possibly know where to find them.

          “Ah, I love the beach!” Serena cried. “There’s so much to do! Shopping, walking on the boardwalk, going to the beach, arcades… This will be great!”

          “Yeah, and no Jelex to come by delivering phony pizza!” Raye added with a laugh.

          “I don’t know,” Mina said, sounding somewhat worried.

          “What’s wrong?” Lita asked.

          Mina grinned. “Serena might go into tickle withdrawal. We’ll have to make sure that she receives her daily doses.”

          “Ha ha,” Serena said sarcastically. “I won’t tolerate any of your shenanigans. Now I’ll just go straight for the kill.”

          Raye smiled. “Oh, but you haven’t encountered any of the devious traps I intend to set up.”

          “What!” Serena yelled.

          “Calm down,” Amy cut in. “Raye, I don’t think that I like your idea. I’ll have to sabotage all your traps.” Amy giggled.

          “Go ahead and try,” Raye challenged with a sly grin. “I will be the Tickle Queen, in the absence of the Negaverse’s presence.”

          “You mean the Tickled Queen,” Lita quipped.

          “That’s what I – hey!” Raye yelled.

 

          Felin teleported into Serena’s room, hoping to find a clue. Maybe she would have left something out that would indicate where she’d gone…

          After ten minutes of rummaging around, Felin was about to call it quits when a piece of paper caught her eye. She crossed over to the dresser and picked it up. “List of things to pack,” it said. Felin studied the list but she didn’t have any clue of what it could mean. She decided to consult Megan.

          Megan was sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed and face in an expression of deep concentration. Felin frowned.

          “Hey, what are you doing?”

          Megan’s eyes shot open and she lost her composure. She began to giggle and squirm. “N-no fair! Jelex!” Felin noticed the red hands squeezing her sides.

          “Hey, this wasn’t my idea,” Jelex said. “She came on her own perogative.”

          “Could you stop for a second?” Felin asked. “I need to ask some questions.”

          Megan shrugged. “Shoot.”

          Felin handed her the list. “The Scouts are gone. The only clue we have as to where they might have gone is this, I think. But I don’t know what to make of it.”

          “Hmm…” Megan said as she studied the list. “Sunscreen… bathing suit… towels… boogie board…” Megan looked up. “They, or at least Serena, have gone to the seashore.”

          “What? How can you tell?” Felin took the list and scanned it again, looking perplexed.

          “Let me look at that.” Jelex snatched the list and read it quickly. “You got me. How do you know?”

          “Because those are the kinds of things you pack when going to the beach,” Megan responded.

          “All right,” Felin said. “Let’s work out a plan. I have a few good ideas that are bound to make their eyes pop out of their heads.” She smiled mischievously.

 

          Serena peeked around the corner of her bedroom. Out of sheer perversity, when they had drawn lots to see who got which room, she’d been paired with Raye. Raye had been delighted, which was more than could be said for Serena. But right now that wasn’t her problem.

          She had changed into her one-piece bathing suit, put on sunscreen, and was about to leave when she noticed that it was completely silent. On top of that, being in a bathing suit didn’t offer too much protection. She could imagine Raye’s wicked nails leaping out to brush cruelly along her tender sides. Serena shuddered at the thought. Or, possibly, Mina could sneak behind her to slide fingers into her sensitive armpits. So many things could go wrong…

          There was no point in delaying. Serena ran out into the living room at top speed, turned and ran out the door. Or, she would have, had the door been open. Serena ran full tilt into the glass sliding door and bounced off, rubbing her head. Serena noticed that Raye was sitting on the couch reading a magazine. She smiled, but made no move to get up. Serena opened the door and ran outside. Once on the patio, she breathed a sigh of relief.

          “Gotcha!” Mina yelled.

          Serena screamed and jumped a mile. “Don’t do that!” she panted. Mina and Lita were cracking up. “Ha ha ha.” Serena dusted herself off with a grumble and picked up her boogie board. “Let’s go, shall we?”

          “After you,” Lita said. They walked down to the beach.

 

          Raye was waiting for the others to leave. When she heard their conversation trail off, she put down the magazine she’d been pretending to read and sneaked off to her room, giggling. Oh, yes, the others were going to be in for a BIG surprise when they got back. Hidden in one of Raye’s suitcases was her trap kit, full of ropes, cords, feathers, brushes and other goodies. She was blissfully dreaming of snaring her friends in devious tickle traps when she heard a slight noise. She jumped and spun around. Amy was looking at her.

          Amy admonished Raye with a smile. “Raye, you really shouldn’t set traps around the house.”

          “Why?” Raye asked. She could be shameless when in suited her.

          Amy shook her head. “Because what goes around comes around. If Mina or Serena or Lita learn that you’re trying to catch them, they’re going to gang up on you. Do you really think that they’ll let you off easy?”

          Raye had to grimace at that. Serena had this particular way of digging into her sides that made her go crazy… “They won’t get me. Speaking of which, what do you intend to do, Amy?”

          Amy stepped back. “Um, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

          “Sure you do,” Raye said taking a step towards Amy. “Are you going to rat on me? Or maybe keep your peace? Or, even better, join me and be on the winning side?” Raye’s face stretched into a grin. “Because if you intend to rat, I’m going to take you hostage right now, and believe me, it won’t be fun.”

          Amy held her ground. “You can’t just threaten me,” she objected. “I won’t be swayed by bullying.”

          “But you’ll be swayed by torture,” Raye said, with a maniacal grin on her face. “Come on. Don’t make this hard on yourself.”

          Amy turned. “I’m going to the beach. But there had better not be any traps when I get back,” she said with a wink.

          Raye was delighted. “Oh no, not at all.”

 

          Amy walked down to the beach and spotted Lita and Serena, but not Mina. “Hey!” she called out to them.

          “Hi Amy!” Serena waved.

          “Where’s Mina?” she asked as she set up her beach chair.

          “Right here,” Mina said from underneath her.

Amy jumped and cried: “Oh! I’m sorry, Mina.”

          “Don’t worry,” Lita said. “She wanted to be buried in the sand.”

          “It’s much cooler under all this sand. Plus, I won’t get any sunburn. But it is kind of uncomfortable. I’m going to get out now.” Mina struggled but she couldn’t get up. “Okay, I’m stuck. Can you help me?”

          “Sure,” Serena said with a broad wink at Lita.

          “Hey! What was that for? You’d better not be plotting anything, or else…”

          “Or else what?” Lita teased. They had finished uncovering Mina’s feet.

          “What are… oh no. I fell for that one big time, didn’t I?” Mina asked ruefully.

          “Hook, line and sinker,” Serena confirmed. After brushing the sand off of Mina’s feet, Serena and Lita traced their fingers along the contours of her soles.

          “Hehheee… okay, good one. Now will you let me hehehaheha go? Please?” Mina pleaded while giggling helplessly.

          “Okay, we’ll let you go if you become our servant,” Lita said.

          “What, did you guys ahahahaehehehehea plan this in ha-ha-hahaha ahah advance?” Mina complained.

          “More or less,” Serena admitted. “But I suppose I’ll show mercy. I want to go boogie board.” Serena picked up her board and splashed into the water. Lita laughed.

          “Hey, Amy, will you give me a hand?”

          Amy shook her head. “I’m just relaxing.”

          Lita shrugged. “Your feet are really nice,” Lita said as she stroked her nails over Mina’s arches. “Do you go to beauty parlors or something?”

          “A-actually, yes,” Mina answered. “Th-there’s supposed to be a good place down here. Maybe you should go.”

          “What, and make my feet ticklish like yours? Not a chance.”

          “I’d go with you,” Amy piped up.

          “Okay, h-how about weehehehee we go tomorrow?”

          “Sounds good by me. A treatment for your feet will make them extra sensitive,” Lita joked. She had stopped tickling.

          “Oh, knock it off and get me out of here – no! Stay away! I’ll get out myself.”

 

          “Here we are,” Megan said. “The beach.” She was wearing something other than her black bodysuit, which was rare for her. But wearing something like that would be too hot.

          Jelex shielded her eyes. “It’s too bright.”

          Felin scratched at her fur and grimaced. “The sand is getting in my fur.”

          I think that it’s just fine,” Syia said.

          “Stop whining,” Michelle said. “All the girls wear bathing suits, so you should be happy.”

          “Oh, I am happy,” Jelex said. “Both you and Megan are very vulnerable.”

          Megan rolled her eyes. “Knock it off. We have to look around to commandeer a place near to the Scouts’, which means finding them first, then we have to try and figure out their plans. There will be plenty of time for tickle torture later.”

          Megan and Michelle remained behind, hidden by the sand dune they had teleported under. Jelex, Felin and Syia split up and began to warp around the streets, searching for the Scouts.

 

          Raye was slightly frustrated. It simply was not possible to make traps in this house. Well, she decided, it was time for plan B. She packed up her ropes and began looking for good ambush points. Of those there were plenty. There were three floors to this house not including the basement, though the basement tended to be damp and cold so she ruled it out. Elsewhere, though, narrow halls would let her leap out at passerby. There was a small niche next to one of the stairways, positioned in such a way that you had to be right next to it to see inside. On the top floor there was a large open room with a lot of spare beds; a good hiding spot if it was dark. Raye eagerly planned her routes, as she intended to use them well.

 

          By sheer luck, Felin managed to spot the three Scouts walking down the street to the beach. Though she hadn’t seen which house they had come from, being on the same street would certainly be close enough. Felin found Jelex and Syia, then went back to collect Megan and Michelle. Felin won the bet, predicting that Michelle was tickling Megan.

          Michelle had worn an evil grin so wide it seemed her face might split. Because of the necessity to remain hidden they had been instructed to remain silent. Megan was trying mightily not to laugh and give their position away. She kicked the sand hard and squirmed everywhere, but not fast enough to evade Michelle’s nails. Jelex nodded, and along with Felin and Syia they set to work on the hapless girl. Before long she burst hopelessly into giggles.

          “All right,” Syia said. “Come on, we found the street they’re on. Now we need to find a house.”

          Returning to that street, the five looked around for a suitable house. Many were connected to the neighboring dwellings by a walkway that ran from the upper floors. Their good luck seemed to hold; the first house they investigated was unoccupied, so the lock was slipped and they stole inside. Now just to wait for the Scouts’ return.

 

          Raye was doing the same. Now that she had finished making up her plans, it was time to resume the “I’m not doing anything” act. A while later Mina and Amy returned.

          “Hey guys,” Raye greeted them. “Where are Serena and Lita?”

          “Lita said she saw a good store on the boardwalk when we were coming back. She and Serena went to check it out,” Amy replied.

          “There are a lot of good stores,” Raye objected. “What could be so special? Besides, we can’t have dinner until Lita gets back.”

          “Why not just call for a pizza?” Mina suggested.

          “No!” Raye snapped. “No pizza. I’m not going to call for pizza and none of you can call for pizza.”

          Amy and Mina erupted laughing. “Oh, that’s right,” Mina said. “Raye has a fear of pizza boys.” She was knocked to the floor as Raye’s pillow hit her in the face, but she was still laughing.

          “Maybe you should get some Chinese food instead,” Amy giggled. Raye growled darkly.

          “Laugh it up while you’re still free to stop,” she said with an evil leer. To her delight, Mina and Amy quieted. “Ha! So am I to assume my threat has hit home?”

          “No.” Mina leaped onto Raye.

 

          When Lita and Serena returned, they were peeking around cautiously and moving quietly. “What did you do, kill someone?” Raye asked. Both of them jumped.

          Glancing around, Serena beckoned Raye over. “Take a look…” Mystified, Raye peeked into Serena’s cupped hands. There, she saw…

          “Stink bombs,” Lita giggled.

          Raye frowned. “How childish.” Secretly, Raye wanted some, but her ego wouldn’t let her express want for anything Serena had. Serena carefully tucked them away while Lita began to cook. Raye was about to sit down when Lita tossed her a potato peeler and directed her to begin peeling.

          “No! Get someone else to do it.”

          “No, you’re doing it, Raye,” Lita said, hands on hips. They began to shout and argue, drawing the others.

          This was how Raye ended up tied to a chair with her bound feet propped on a stool. Lita gave Mina and Serena instructions to “encourage” her if she peeled too slowly. Of course, quite a few potatoes were ruined as Raye, shaking with laughter, gouged instead of peeled. Serena and Mina were pitiless. Pretty soon they dispensed with the encouragement and went all out on Raye’s sensitive feet.

          “Aahahaahaaahhaahahaa! Stahahaaaaaaap! This was a rotten trick and I’ll – ahahahaahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Aaaaaaaaaaahahaahahahaaaaaaaa!” Raye’s arms flailed about, trying to stop her torturers, but they were out of reach.

          “Raye,” Lita said sternly, “if you don’t get those potatoes peeled you won’t eat.”

          “Sh-sh-shut uuuuuuuuuuuuuuup! This is your fauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuult! Stahahaaaaaaaaaaaahahhhaaaaaaaaaaap it!” Raye pleaded helplessly. Her wriggling and thrashing had managed to make the chair fall over on its side, but Mina and Serena didn’t see that as a reason to stop.

          Lita did finally intervene, saying, “She does need to peel the potatoes. Give her a break.”

          Raye set a record for peeling potatoes and was finally untied, after which she immediately charged at Serena. Lita picked her up by her shirt collar.

          “That’s it! You’re being bossy.” Raye’s nails darted under Lita’s arms, causing Raye to drop. Lita squealed and giggled while Raye tickled her smooth underarms.

          “The pot!” Lita cried. “Don’t knock over the stew!”

          “That’s your problem,” Raye cackled.

          Amy interfered, citing the danger of goofing around in a room with a hot stove. So all grudges were temporarily suspended, to be settled later that night. Lita resumed cooking while the others chatted.

 

          Unbeknownst to the Negaverse, the Scouts were in the house next to theirs, connected by a walkway that ran at the second floor level. They were also having a dinner problem, theirs being that none of them were even a decent chef.

          “We need to get something to eat,” Jelex moaned.

          “Then cook something,” Felin retorted.

          Syia snorted. “No thanks. I’d rather not eat charcoal.”

          “Where are Megan and Michelle?” Felin asked instead, trying to forestall a pointless argument.

          “At the beach, I think,” Jelex said. “Can either of them cook?”

          “I don’t know.” Syia sighed. “I have an idea. Let’s have a contest. The first one to give up cooks something, even if it is charcoal.”

          “Okay,” Felin agreed.

          “Let’s go!” Jelex cried. Just before they attacked each other, Megan and Michelle walked through the door. They were carrying boxes of pizza.

          “FOOD!” Jelex, Syia and Felin yelled at once. They snatched three of the boxes, leaving just one for Michelle and Megan.

          Megan giggled. “My, you must have been hungry.” The pizza was wolfed down in no time, and then everyone just sat around, too full to tickle right now.

 

          Once the Scouts finished dinner, the evening entertainment began. Raye suggested a “tickle war,” and the others agreed. Turning out all the lights, each one of them crept to a hiding place and counted to 100. Then the fun began.

          Each of them had a home base, which usually consisted of someplace to place any prisoners. The objective was to capture everyone else’s flag by tickling the information on where the flag was out of a prisoner. The flag was not in the home base; rather, it had been hidden previously.

          Serena hid her flag, then crept out to the walkway that joined the house to its neighbor. No one would find her out here.

          Raye, padding along noiselessly, ran smack dab into Lita. They both jumped up and began to grapple. After a few minutes, Raye said, “This isn’t working. How about we declare a temporary truce?”

          “OK. But first, let’s tell where the flags are so there’s no reason to betray.” Lita was being somewhat idealistic, Raye thought. But they agreed, and the new allies melted into the dark.

          Mina was unwittingly blundering right into the two. She sidled down the hall, peeking around the corner before coming out. Lita crept up silently behind her, and the first warning Mina had was when an arm wrapped around her stomach and hoisted her into the air. Mina knew that she was in trouble. The only thing she could do was to wait it out; there was a 15-minute time limit on interrogations. Mina kicked and fought the whole way to Raye’s room, where the base was.

          “Ah, good,” Raye said. “Now, Mina, tell me where your flag is.”

          “Nope,” Mina replied.

          “Then I suppose you’ll be liking these!” Raye held up a pair of heavy scrub brushes that she’d found in the closet here. Mina’s eyes bugged out but she said nothing. Raye pulled her shirt up to her head and straddled her. Giggling with anticipation, she ran the scrubs along Mina’s ribs. Mina burst out laughing.

          “Oh ahahaaahahaaaha pleeeeeeheeeeeeeeze don’t! Oh God not thahahahaaaaat oh aaaaaahahaahahahahaa eeeheheehe eeeee eheehehee ahahaaha! Oh stop! Stop… staaaaaaaaaap! Pleheheheeeeeeeeeeeze!” Mina begged. Her legs kicked mightily, bouncing off the bed, but her arms were held over her head by Lita’s sheer strength. Mina tossed her head, trying in vain to block out the tickling sensations. It was no use; the gentle scraping of the bristles was driving her mad. It was a weakness, as Mina’s sensitive skin was being stimulated over a large area very quickly.

          Mina’s chest was bursting from lack of air. She decided to just give up the information. “Okaaaaaaaaay! Okay… okay, I give up,” she panted. “Look in the second floor linen closet behind the towels…”

          “Hmm… I suppose,” Raye said. “Lita, stay here and keep an eye on her in case her information is bad. In that case, we get an extra 15 minutes.”

          “Okey-dokey,” Lita replied. Raye padded up to the mentioned closet. But when she got there and pushed the towels aside, there was nothing there. Grumpy, Raye stomped back to the stairs but was caught short by a noise. Serena was audible beyond the door:

          “Oh please! Pleheheheeeeeeaze pleeeeze don’t Amy! Oh not there! Aaaaahaahahahaahahahhaahaa! Stop! Wahahaha ahahahaha eeeehehee eeeeee!”

          Raye grinned. She didn’t figure Amy as the torturer type, but this was war. Raye returned to the room. “Mina, there wasn’t anything there. Come clean and tell us where it really is, or else…”

          Mina shouted, “But that’s where I put it!”

          Raye was about to resume tormenting Mina when a voice came from behind her. “She wasn’t lying.”

          Raye spun, to see Amy silhouetted in the doorway, holding something in her hand. It looked like…

          …their flags…

          “How?” Lita asked, dumbfounded. “How’d you find all the flags without getting me or Raye or Mina?”

          Amy giggled. “Well, I heard you two tell each other where your flags were, then I heard Mina’s confession, and Serena wasn’t hard to persuade, so…”

          Raye’s mouth hung open. “So you just went to where we told you. That’s clever, Amy.”

          “Yeah, I mean, I thought that you weren’t cut out for this war stuff. But you’re a good spy,” Lita agreed.

          “Spy, my foot,” Serena put in as she came through the door. “She’s got nails like talons.”

          Amy giggled. “Well, it’s just a matter of placing the fingers like this, and twisting like so…”

          Serena erupted into laughter again as Amy delicately worked her nails into Serena’s soft, fleshy sides.

          Mina giggled. “Kill the spy!”

          Amy jumped. “Now wait a minute, I won. Surely you’re not going to torture me because you lost,” she objected.

          “I wouldn’t say surely,” Serena said.

 

          Later, with Amy red-faced and still twitching, the Scouts relaxed in the living room. Then Serena and Lita whispered and giggled, and walked up to the second floor.

          “What are they doing?” Amy asked. They fell silent for a moment, and waited.

          A shout, yell, and rapid footsteps broke the silence. The second-floor doorway slammed, and Serena and Lita came back giggling furiously.

          Lita said, “We stink-bombed the neighbor!”

          “Perfect shot! It hit her right in the chest,” Serena confirmed.

          “That’s really juvenile,” Amy lectured sternly. But Mina and Raye were laughing too.

 

          “Aaaaaargh!” Felin cried. Everyone scattered and ran as Jelex entered the room.

          “Good God, what smells?” Michelle asked.

          Jelex was in a foul temper. “Look, some stupid kids hit me with a stink bomb. Is there any way to get the stench out?”

          “Not really,” Megan said nasally as she held her nose. “I can give you some spare clothing.”

          Jelex returned a short time later wearing jeans and a T-shirt. “This makes me feel like a human.”

          “Not as much as her,” Felin giggled. Jelex hadn’t noticed, but Syia had been asleep on the couch the whole time.

          “Heavy sleeper, huh,” Jelex said as an idea entered her mind. She grinned. Syia’s white sneakers were on the floor, leaving her feet clad in short white socks propped on the couch’s arm. Her arms were folded over her stomach, but hey, that was easily fixed.

          “Yeah, that’s what we were going to do,” Michelle giggled. “We were waiting for you.”

          “Oh yes.” Megan had her scanner running. “Those little feet of hers are quite ticklish.”

          “Let’s see…” Jelex eased a sock off. Syia giggled as the sock rubbed against her skin. “Whoa. This is like Sailor Moon ticklish.” She ran a nail up Syia’s arch. She giggled and turned on her side. Sighing contentedly, Syia remained sleeping.

          Michelle nodded. “She’s very ticklish. I bet that’s why she’s always after everyone else, so they don’t notice her.” Michelle tugged off the other sock and swept a feather over it. This time Syia giggled more. Jelex nodded and created hands, to stand by if she awoke. Megan twisted her nail into Syia’s bellybutton, prompting her arms to move and try to force Megan away. But as soon as Megan withdrew, her arms settled back over her stomach again. Megan and Felin carefully moved her arms over her head, and Felin proceeded to tickle Syia’s ribs. Along with the foot tickling of Michelle and Jelex, Syia began to laugh, though she was still asleep. Megan dug her nails into Syia’s tummy, causing her to turn, but she was still helpless as ever.

          Michelle decided that it was time for some fun. Discarding her feather, she licked between Syia’s toes. Syia’s eyes shot open and she roared with laughter. Immediately Jelex’s hands grabbed her limbs and held her down. Still groggy, Syia demanded, “H-hey! What are you doing – stahahahaaaaap it! Oh noooooooooooo! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeze don’t do thahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!” Michelle waved and continued to flick her tongue along Syia’s toes.

          With Syia awake, Megan began to dig harder into Syia’s stomach, causing her to buck and thrash wildly. Felin was tickling her ribs and underarms with her tail. Jelex showed up holding her scrubbers, and began to sweep the brush over Syia’s foot. Syia had degenerated into uselessly incoherent pleading as she shrieked with laughter. Meanwhile Megan had stuck vibration devices on Syia’s stomach, and they were proving to be very effective when you couldn’t remove them.

          After about twenty minutes they let Syia go, though she was so exhausted that it took her another five minutes to be able to rip the vibration devices off. “You’re… you’re all going to pay… for that…”

          “Cash or check?” Megan punned.

 

          The next day for the Scouts began normally. Serena was enlisted to help Lita cook, with Raye assigned to punishment detail. By the time Lita was finished, Serena was red-faced and short of breath. But Serena took it gamely, promising revenge on Raye in the near future. After breakfast, they split up, Lita and Serena going to the beach again, Mina and Amy heading for the beauty salon, and Raye staying in the house again.

 

          Michelle was keeping an eye out on the second floor balcony. She noticed the Scouts leaving and quickly alerted the others.

          “Hmm… they’re splitting up,” Felin said. “We’ll need to break into pairs to follow.”

          “I’ll follow the genius,” Megan said.

          “Count me in. I’m going after Mina,” Syia chimed in.

          “I want Ms. Moon,” Jelex chuckled.

          “Ah, then I must have Lita.” Michelle grinned.

          “Looks like I’m left with… hey, where’s the last one?” Felin asked.

          “Didn’t leave the house, I think,” Michelle answered. “Looks like you get to stay behind. Good luck getting inside.”

          “Say, where’d they come from?” Jelex asked. She had changed into her Peggy Etilfen persona, complete with bathing suit.

          “Next door,” Michelle said. “Oh… I get it. One of the Scouts threw that stink bomb, right?”

          “Uh-huh,” Jelex replied. “I intend to find out who did it.”

 

          Syia and Megan followed after Mina and Amy. Because such extremely pale skin would be noticeable, Syia hid on the rooftops while Megan trailed behind the Scouts. They seemed to be meandering, though they were staying on the boardwalk, which was crowded even at this early hour of nine o’ clock. Thus there were no immediate opportunities. So Megan followed warily, knowing that she could not afford to be seen. But the Scouts did not suspect anything, and never checked around.

          Finally, after about a half-hour, they went into some beauty salon. Syia and Megan conferred quickly, and they made a quick plan.

 

          “This will be great!” Mina giggled as they entered the parlor. It was nearly empty at this time, so there was almost no wait and no fuss.

          “Hi, how can I help you?” the attendant asked with a smile.

          “Hmm…” Mina said, looking at the board of choices. There seemed to be an awful lot of good things offered here…

          “Take your time,” the girl at the counter grinned. “We’re almost empty right now. You can have any selection you want. In fact,” the girl went on, “if I were you, I’d take the works. You get a massage, beauty treatments…” she proceeded to run down the litany of items. “Oh, and one more thing…” The chatty attendant lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper and giggled. “Our best-looking masseuse is on duty today. He’s dreamy…” she said with a sigh.

          That swayed Mina. “Okay, I’ll take it!” Amy agreed, and they paid their money.

          “Right down the hall, the last door on the left. There will be someone to help you,” the girl smiled.

 

          “Think fast, Syia,” Megan whispered. They had come in through a window, and Syia had used her psychic ability to listen to the conversation.

          “Let’s take out the guy and take his place,” Syia suggested.

          Megan shook her head. “When they feel a woman’s hands instead of a man’s, they’ll wonder what’s wrong and turn to look. Unless you can disguise yourself…”

          “No. But… maybe…” Syia said as an idea came to her. She stared at her hand, concentrating. “Tell me how this feels.” Syia laid her hand on Megan’s arm. “I’m actually altering the perception of your nerves… I hope it works.”

          Megan frowned. “It feels… a bit rougher and bigger, like… a man’s hand,” she said as it came to her. “Great! I’ll go with you as an assistant, and I’ll keep them unawares. But… hey, do you know how to massage?”

          Syia laughed. “That’s easy. No, I don’t know how, but I can stimulate the nerves to make it feel like I know what I’m doing. Hurry, we’ve got to get that guy before he heads over.”

 

          Talking and laughing, Mina and Amy undressed in the changing room and stepped into the massage parlor wearing towels. The attendant helped them get comfortable. They were both lying facedown, head in a pillow at the end of the horizontal table. When they were set, the attendant adjusted the towels so that they covered the girls’ butts, and left the room.

          “This is going to be great,” Mina said. “A whole day of pampering.”

          Amy merely grunted agreement. The door opened and closed, and both of them craned their heads to look, but they couldn’t see who had come in.

          “He’ll be ready in a second,” Megan said. “I was sent to make sure you’re okay.”

          “Yeah, we’re fine,” Mina answered.

          “Good. This is a treat,” Megan giggled. “You’ll feel great after this is done. But don’t squirm and try to look at him, because it messes up the rhythm. You can see when he finishes. Just be patient. Trust me, it’s worth it.”

          Both girls sighed dreamily. “You must be really lucky,” Amy said wistfully.

          Megan grinned at the two girls with sugarplums dancing in their heads. Yet both of them tensed nervously when the door opened and Syia entered.

          “Good morning,” Syia said pleasantly, in a voice that shocked even Megan. It was a bass rumble, starting from somewhere beyond her knees. Megan gave silent thanks to Syia’s foresight. Having the masseuse talk would soothe any suspicions, and Syia didn’t need to give away her identity. Neither girl could see her. “Not often I get two customers at a time,” Syia chuckled dryly. “Do you have any preference as to who goes first?”

          Mina and Amy traded a look. “I’ll go first,” Amy said. Syia nodded and began to knead her back. Syia of course had not the slightest idea what she was doing but her stimulation of the nerves caused Amy to sigh with pleasure. She hung limply, savoring the heavenly feeling that seemed to wash over her. Syia grinned. Besides sending pleasure signals through Amy’s nervous system, she was also slowly shutting down the muscle control part of her nerves. So Amy was being slowly paralyzed, but since she was floating away on a sea of comfort, she didn’t even begin to suspect.

          Syia nudged Megan and whispered to her. Megan nodded, and Syia created a quick portal to send her back to the house. Megan was going to fetch some tickle oil. The situation seemed to call for it. Meanwhile, she had worked her way down Amy’s body, and when she got to the feet, the fun was near. Now Syia sent a small tickling sensation through her nerves as well. Amy shifted her feet and giggled.

          “Oh, I’m sorry,” Syia said in mock concern. “What did I do?”

          “Oh… it’s nothing… just a little bit ticklish that’s all…” Amy spoke hesitantly, and her face was red as a fire engine. She was glad that it was buried in the pillow. Yet she secretly hoped that the masseuse would “slip”…

          Mina grinned. She was feeling a little nervous, but it was funny the way Amy froze up completely when a guy was around. Plus, Amy’s feet were pretty ticklish, and rubbing to massage and rubbing to tickle were probably not too far apart. Now that Mina thought about it, the massaging would probably make her giggle too. But to be gently tickled by this guy, well… Mina sighed.

          “Now try not to move. Just relax for a bit while I finish your friend,” Syia said. “It helps if you keep still.” Little did Amy know that she couldn’t have moved even if she had tried. Next Syia moved on to Mina.

          Mina, too, savored the wonderful feeling that surged through her body. That girl had been right, it was worth the wait. Syia was getting a bit tricky, though, and sent random jolts of tickling sensations through her nerves.

          “I’m so sorry,” Syia said. “I didn’t realize that you were ticklish.”

          “Very ticklish, actually,” Mina said with a grin. “Especially right on my stomach.”

          “What, you mean here?” Syia teased good-naturedly.

          Mina giggled fiercely. “Yes, right there. Doooon’t -!” Mina burst into giggles again.

          “I’m sorry, I’ll stop,” Syia said. She saw how Mina sagged fractionally with disappointment. Strange how the reactions differed when a different person was doing the tickling. Or so they thought. Doubtless they had images of a guy who graced the pages of some magazine. Megan had returned with the two cans of tickling oil and brushes. Syia waved her aside until Mina was finished. She went down Mina’s body, leaching the strength out of her muscles until Mina was no more than a living tickle receptor. Now that they were immobilized, this façade could be dropped.

          “Okay… Amy, was it?” Amy nodded. “I’m going to begin the second part of your treatment. This oil will make your skin feel smooth and shiny. It gives you a nice glow.” Okay, maybe it was fun to keep up the joke. Just a little longer. Syia dipped the brush into the oil and stroked Amy’s foot with it. A cascade of giggles came from her mouth. “My, you are ticklish, aren’t you? I haven’t had a customer this responsive to my oil for a while.”

          “Heehee… yes, well, I… eheheheeee! Oh please don’t do that!” Amy giggled. “It tickles way too much! Heeheeeeeheheeheheee!” Syia smiled evilly and continued.

          That was when Mina felt the first twinge of suspicion. “I think she wants you to stop.”

          “Oh, is that what she’s saying?” Syia mocked. “I couldn’t hear.”

          “Hey, this isn’t cool!” Mina tried to get up, but she found that only her head could move! “What? What’s wrong with me?”

          Syia dropped her fake voice. “I’ve paralyzed all your muscular control nerves. All you can do is lie there.”

          “The Negaverse!” Mina cried in sudden realization. “Oh, man, how did you find us? I thought we’d given you the slip!” Amy was laughing uproariously, unable to add any input to this revelation. Doubtless she had figured it out already. Poor Amy…

          “Oh yes.” Megan crouched in front of Mina so she could get a good look. “It was very funny to see you two swooning, like some celebrity was giving you a personal massage. The stars in your eyes were blinding you. Or didn’t you realize it because you felt too good to move? Whatever the reason, you’re going to laugh it up.” Megan draped Mina’s arms over the edge of the table, and very carefully set two black discs into her armpits. Mina’s resolve melted in a heartbeat and she did indeed laugh it up.

          Tears were leaking onto the pillow where Amy’s face was pressed into it. Besides tormenting her feet with the maddening strokes of the brush, her every nerve was being flooded with nonstop tickling sensations by Syia’s thought waves. Being physically unable to move made the tickling worse. Amy would have been convulsing in laughter but her paralyzed muscles would only let her lie still. Syia was tormenting her as in a nightmare – a horrible touch that she could not escape from.

          Mina was faring no better. Megan’s paintbrush swept up and down her sides, to cover the greatest area possible. Mina shook with laughter and tossed her head, the only part of her body capable of movement. When Megan finished she attached a few more vibration torture devices to her sides and slid down to Mina’s feet. So while Amy was suffering direct nervous system torture, Megan was accomplishing the same result by sticking the small black discs on Mina’s sensitive areas. Down her legs and along the back of her knees Megan stroked, and she decided that behind the knees was a decent place for a few more. When she got to Mina’s feet, no more black circles came out. Megan savored the slow sweep of the brush on her feet, the gales of laughter pouring from her mouth.

          Syia nudged Megan. “Want to switch?”

          “Of course. It was Amy I was after in the first place.” Syia and Megan swapped places. Megan appraised the situation: Amy was winding down slowly, relieved that the tickling had stopped. Since Syia had ceased the nerve torture, the only real effect was the extra-ticklish feet. So… Megan attached a black disc to the arch of each foot. Amy started up again, like a siren that rose and fell. Megan decided to sweep the brushes across Amy’s sides and up to her armpits. Amy begged shamelessly now, pleading for a respite through her mind-deadening laughter.

          Mina had lost all of her energy. She shrieked into the pillow as her damp hair hung limply around her face. It had been a while since she’d been subjected to all-out tickle torture, but the sensation was all too familiar. Her laughing took on a hoarse edge and began to dwindle.

          “Aww, you’re no fun,” Syia chided. “Let’s see what I can do to make you laugh again.” Syia relaxed and closed her eyes. She saw the nerves under Mina’s skin, saw the impulses skittering up towards her brain from the tickling vibrators. Now where is she most sensitive…?

          Syia looked for a high concentration of nerve endings. She searched, and searched, but found nothing that suited her needs. They were spaced evenly rather than bunched in a few locations. Sometimes this girl could be vexing, Syia thought. Okay, if she couldn’t find a sensitive spot, how about manipulating the nerves themselves? Syia returned to a spot where the tickling sensations traveled to the brain. She studied it closely, noting which part of the nerve was stimulated and at what wavelength. Then she found a nerve at rest. Slowly, Syia began to strum the nerve like a string. Strum… strum… strum… As Syia moved faster, the electrical impulses crowded closer together, and more intensely.

          For Mina, it was sufficiently strange as to cause her wonder. All of the sudden, this god-awful ticking sensation had swept over her. It was one of the worst experiences she’d ever had. But the strange part was the source. It felt like the palm of her hand was being tickled. Mina was fairly sure that her palms were not ticklish. Still, the light touch on her palms was the source of the debilitating tickling sensations that rolled through her body.

          Syia opened her eyes. “I have a most evil plot,” she sniggered. “Come, Megan, let’s finish these tickle slaves off and return.” Syia had done this before. Tweaking just the right nerve paralyzed the brain for a millisecond, sending the girls into unconsciousness.

 

          Serena was drifting peacefully. Out here on her boogie board, drifting with the waves, she felt like the world was a million miles away. She was floating upon a proverbial sea of tranquility.

          Unfortunately the tide was going out on this particular sea. Serena was jolted awake as she realized that land was uncomfortably far. For a moment she panicked. Would she be swept out to sea to die? Calm, calm, Serena urged herself. First, start swimming back. The lifeguards would notice her if she moved. Holding on to her boogie board as a float, Serena began to kick.

          The waves rolled over her, and she accidentally swallowed salt water a few times. She felt sick. Serena kicked until her legs felt leaden. Then she paddled until her arms felt like jelly. Still, it seemed she had made no headway against the tide. No lifeguards in sight…

          Serena was exhausted. She clung to the boogie board, not even trying to rise above the waves that crashed over her. Stupid, stupid… Here she was, Sailor Moon, protector of the universe, about to drown because she’d been daydreaming.

          Then it got worse.

          Serena felt something grab her leg. With a feeble scream she tried to pull away.

          “Easy! I’m here to save you,” a voice said. A lifeguard! Serena only coughed in reply.

          “Hold on to the boogie board. I’ll tow you in.” Serena was too dazed to do anything but hold on. She was dizzy. Serena did not remember being pulled to shore. The next thing she remembered was being carried in the guard’s arms while the world swirled around her.

          This was actually not too bad, Serena thought. What better way to meet a guy? All guy lifeguards were in good shape, at least that’s what was on TV. She wondered if it were true… Serena’s thoughts wandered away.

 

          Serena opened her eyes to see a white roof. She was lying on something soft.

          “You’re awake,” a girl’s voice said. Serena’s first reaction was disappointment. No dreamy lifeguards today. Still, she should thank the girl for saving her.

          “Thann yur,” she slurred. Serena felt the girl’s arm help her to a sitting position.       “Take this. You’ll feel better.” A sunburned arm held a glass of water and two pills to her lips. Serena drank both gratefully. She stretched. Her mind was clearing, the strength returning to her limbs… wow!

          “Whoa!” Serena cried. “What was that stuff?” Serena followed the arm to its owner, who was also sunburned heavily. Serena reflected guiltily that this was probably her fault.

          “Medicine,” was the vague reply.

          “What medicine?” Serena’s salt-bleared eyes were clearing now too, allowing her a good look at her rescuer. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said in astonishment.

          Jelex grinned. “Nope, you’re alive thanks to Jelex the Lifeguard. Say, aren’t you going to thank me for saving your life?”

          “Saving me so you can tickle the life out of me afterwards,” Serena answered crossly. She swung her legs over and got up from the couch. “No thanks. I’ll go back out to sea.”

          “Not an option,” Jelex said. The door was locked. “You can play cat and mouse, or I can just take you right here.”

          Serena ran down the hall. Her flight was cut short as she slammed full-tilt into Megan. Megan was also wearing a bathing suit. Strange, Serena reflected, but also to her advantage. She quickly straddled Megan and dug her nails into Megan’s stomach.

          Megan howled in laughter. “Heeeheeheheehe ahahahaahaahahahaahhaa oh God! It’s like bird claws! Aahaahahaahahahaaaaaha oh stahahahaaaaaaap!” Strangely, she did not try to throw Serena off. Serena’s nails poked and prodded with urgency born of desperation. Megan was in hysterics.

          Serena threw a fierce grin at Jelex, who had appeared in the hallway. “Let me leave or she gets it!”

          Surprisingly, Jelex laughed. “That’s a good one. Did you know that she loves to be tickled? It’s true. She could sit there all day and let you dig in to her soft belly. Why do you think she’s not trying to throw you off?” Megan grinned and nodded.

          Jelex continued. “Now, why can’t you be like that, Sailor Moon? It would be so much better if you enjoyed all this tickling. You’d come to us, and we’d torment those nice milk-white arches of yours. But maybe I’ll do that anyway.”

          That was how Serena ended up spread-eagled on a bed, held by Jelex’s ever-present red hands. Jelex brought her soapy wet scrubbers and let the show begin.

          “You’re full of salt, Serena,” Jelex said. “Only a nice hard scrubbing can clean you up.” Jelex was rubbing the brushes viciously along her sides and tummy. Serena felt the horrible caresses of the bristles run over her ribs and she burst into laughter, an all too familiar scenario.

          “Now look.” Jelex stopped her scrubbing for a second. “Maybe you can make this easy on yourself. Yesterday one of you brats hit me with a stink bomb. Who was it?”

          Serena said nothing, though Jelex noticed the nervous twitch and downcast eyes. “All right, then I’ll tickle information out of you again. You remember what that was like last time, don’t you?” Jelex grinned and raised her head. “Yo, Megan! Come here and give me a hand!”

          Megan peeked around the doorway. “Sure. What needs doing? I thought you’d have plenty of hands to go around.”

          Jelex sighed. “That was an awful joke. You need some punishment.” Jelex strode over to Megan. “Torture time.”

          Megan smiled. “I love to be tickled!”

          Jelex nodded. “That was a nice try, but too late. Go away – I’ll deal with you later.” As she left Jelex shook her head. “Good help is so hard to find.” Jelex extended a single finger and held it up. Serena tensed. She’d seen this enough times to know what was going to happen next. “Oh yes, it’s going to be those lovely toes of yours. But this time there’s a new twist.”

          Jelex leaned over and began to rummage through a bag. “You know, this morning when I woke up, I saw Megan doing something in the bathroom that caught my eye. She was scrubbing a small brush over her teeth. Megan told me that the purpose of this was to keep her teeth clean.” Jelex grinned. Serena felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew that the real surprises happened when the tickle stooges began to chat conversationally like this. “Whatever its intended use, I immediately thought ‘Now there’s a good tool for getting into tiny spaces’ and asked for a brush. Megan objected, so I had to persuade her to give it to me. But that’s beside the point. Michelle was still asleep, so I tested it on her. An excellent response.”

          Serena knew what was going to happen, and the thought made her freeze with fear. Jelex was going to scrub between her toes with a toothbrush – oh, man, this was going to be bad – Oh, God, please not between my toes, my poor toes… The thoughts ran together in Serena’s head. Then she wilted at the sight of the object Jelex was holding.

          “Michelle told me that a different brush would be better. So now I have an ‘electric toothbrush’ to try on you. Michelle wouldn’t let me try it on her, so I assume it’s a real kick!” Jelex flicked the brush on and it began to whirr. Serena shied away and tried in vain to move her feet out of the way. It was no use. As soon as the whirling bristles came in contact with the flesh between her toes it was a lost cause.

          “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAAAAAAAAHAAHHAAHA OH GOD! PLEHEHEEHEEEEEEEEHEHEEHEHEEEZE! OH STAAHAHAHAAAHAHAP STAAAAAAAP PLEHEHEHEEEEEEEEZE STOP! I CAN’T TAKE THIS OH AHAHAAHAHAHAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAAHA HAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA NO! ANYTHING BUT THIS! PLEHEEEEEEEZE!” Serena shrieked like a banshee. Jelex’s grin grew increasingly sadistic as she saw Serena pleading with the rib-shaking laughter.

          Serena could only remember a few times when it had been as bad as this. Never before had the space between her toes been so expertly exploited. She’d used to think that finger tickling had been torture! That was beans compared to this. Her sides ached, her face was red and it was hard to draw breath.

          Jelex made a mental note to tell Syia about this. Maybe she could invent something that was easy to stick between the toes, like the old vibrating clips. Hell, why not demonstrate? Actions spoke louder than words. “So, will you tell me who threw the stink bomb now?” Jelex asked over the brush’s noise.

          “YEEEEEEEEEEEEEES! PLEEEEEEEEEZE JUST SHUT IT OFF! I’LL TEEEEEEEEEEEEELL YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! AAAAHAHAHAAAHA PLEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEEEEZE MAKE IT STAHAHAAAAAAAAP!” The brush stopped spinning. Serena drew blessedly cool gulps of air. Never had regular old air tasted so sweet. For a moment, Serena just lay still, savoring the peaceful quietude of the room. Then reality caught up with her. What will Jelex do when I tell her I threw the stink bomb? Lying was no good, because Jelex would just torture her again, and then torture her for throwing the bomb!

          Serena gulped. “Um… I… ah… I… that is… Uh… I threw… um…. I threw the stink bomb.”

          Jelex raised an eyebrow. “Oh really,” she said in a neutral tone. Serena was silently praying for deliverance. Jelex frowned. “I need time to think of a torture suitable for this. Why don’t you stay for a bit while I think?” Jelex smiled a nasty little smile. “Oh yes, I think that is the best course of action.” Jelex picked up Serena and carried her into the living room. Megan was watching TV. She looked over.

          “What, did you rescue a damsel in distress?”

          “Nah. She’s still in distress,” Jelex replied. Jelex set Serena in a recliner, and tied her hands together with a rope. She ran the rope under the seat and tied her ankles together too. Then the hands let go. Jelex locked the recliner in position, and Serena was helpless to move. “Free shots if you want. I need to think of some really diabolical torment.”

          “Oh?” Megan’s eyes narrowed. “What did you do?” she asked Serena.

          “Stink bomb,” Jelex answered. “By the way, the toothbrush worked great.”

          “I’ll let her be for a while until Felin comes back with her magic pills,” Megan said. “Let’s watch TV, Sailor Moon.” Megan chuckled.

          “Hmm…” Jelex said. “Where is Felin?”

 

          Felin had forced her way into the Scouts’ house through the second floor walkway. She crept quietly through the house, keeping an eye out for Raye. Her caution was probably unnecessary, given that Felin could overpower Raye if they met, but Felin wanted to surprise her.

          Felin was on the first floor when she noticed the noise. A quiet fsssshhhhh of running water. One door was closed, and the noise was louder there. Felin quietly eased open the door. The shower was running, and the silhouette of Raye was visible behind the curtain. Felin’s mouth curled up in a smile. Perfect.

          Felin did like mischief. Though Jelex was the one who always appeared to be up to something, Felin loved subtle pranks. Stealthily Felin took each towel on the rack and rubbed it on her fur. The tickling oils spread to the towel. Then Felin went to the bedroom to wait.

          Raye got out of the shower and reached for a towel. (Author’s Note: Nudity here for humorous effect, nothing else.) The material was really weird. Whenever she tried to dry herself, the towel tickled her skin. It got so maddening that Raye decided to leave the towel and just dress. Peeking around the corner, Raye made sure no one was looking even though nobody should be here. It would be just her luck for someone to come back early and find her running naked through the house. She darted for the room. She barreled through the door with a sigh of relief. The door closed behind her, sealing her away from peeping eyes. She had opened the first drawer of her dresser and pulled on some underwear when she realized that she hadn’t closed the door.

          “Hey!” she shouted, covering herself as she turned, afraid that there would be a camera to record this embarrassing event. What was there was far worse, though somewhat less embarrassing.

          Felin laughed. Raye was trying to cover herself and glare at the same time, but the reddened cheeks took the sting from her stare. “You sabotaged my towels, didn’t you!” Raye challenged. “Oh, I hate you! How did you find where we were?”

          “Your careless friend Serena left her list of luggage on the dresser. With a little deduction, we figured you were at the beach. The rest was just a matter of finding you.” Felin shook her head. “Sad, really, that you had to run away. We haven’t actually hurt you at all, you know. We’ve just tickled.”

          “You want to fight? Come on, I’ll take you right here –“ Raye was cut off as she noticed the tail slithering along like a snake. She tried to stomp on it, but the tail darted away and caught her around the ankles. It quickly wound up her legs, covered her body and pinned her arms. Now only her head remained above the tail. Raye found it difficult to stand, and the tail was tickling her. Raye fell over with a thud.

          Felin lifted her onto the bed. Raye’s feet stuck out the one end of her cocoon, and her head the other. Felin stuck out her tiny catlike tongue at Raye. “Heeheehee… Are you ready? You know, I love tickling you, Ms. Mars. You’re such a tough girl, and when we tickle you, you try so hard to remain macho. But it never works, because you’re so very ticklish. Like your feet here… If I were to lick at your tiny toes here, could you keep silent? I think not.”

          Raye clenched her teeth. Why did the Negaverse always find it necessary to mock her about being ticklish? It was a part of herself that she’d just as soon erase. She knew that she could deny it all she liked, but the truth of the matter was that she was fighting giggles even now, as the fur on Felin’s tail rubbed softly against her skin. And her feet… well, it could be accurate to say that only Serena’s were more ticklish. Oh, man, this stunk. Raye reflected that she had been right before – being ticklish ruined her image completely. Yes, the others still quailed somewhat under her glare, but behind her back she knew they giggled, and plotted to tickle her. It was so galling, especially because it was very effective. Just last night she’d been reduced to a madly giggling wreck flailing helplessly. And from what? Two fingernails sliding over her feet. Why did it make her so weak and helpless?

          Felin must have been able to read her mind. “What, are you sad because I made fun of you for being ticklish? I’m sorry,” she mocked. “Let’s laugh our troubles away.” Felin’s tongue reached the base of her toes and began to lick, as a cat does when lapping up milk. Raye could not keep the giggles in. They squirted out between her clenched teeth and compressed lips, and every slip encouraged Felin. Raye wondered if doing this was healthy – she always held in the laughter until she felt as if she would explode. Syia did that to her before. Those quick fingertips, reaching under her shirt and gently rubbing on her sides… No! Raye admonished herself. Don’t think of things like that.

          “Do you know, Sailor Mars,” Felin said, having taken a quick break from licking, “why my touch tickles you so badly?” Raye didn’t say anything. “Well,” Felin said, flexing her fingers, “it’s because my body is coated in a natural secretion that tickles. It’s like poison ivy, but with the obvious fact that it doesn’t itch.” Despite her predicament, Raye was interested. That did explain some things, and it meant that those towels needed washing. “But enough of that. I want to know something from you now, Raye.”

          “Won’t… talk… to… you…” Raye gasped out. She’d nearly lost her control. Felin merely smiled. The tail circled tighter around her. Suddenly small split ends were reaching under her arms and over her stomach. Raye began to laugh. Felin sat back and said nothing, watching her work with satisfaction. Something on the dresser caught her eye. A new plan formed in Felin’s mind.

          “A fight you wanted, was it? Well, I’ve decided to be nice and let you have a few swings.”

 

          Michelle was somewhat annoyed. No opportunities had presented themselves for dealing with Lita. She had multitudes of feathers to command, but people would notice if a girl ran shrieking down the beach with a cloud of feathers following her. Michelle had set up her beach chair and umbrella and staked out Lita’s position. It was now late afternoon, and most people were leaving the beach. Lita hadn’t moved in an hour or so.

          Aggravated, Michelle swept her gaze around the seaside. There were a few people left. Suddenly something caught her attention. A laughing man was being buried in the sand by his two children. A grin slowly curled over Michelle’s face. If Lita was sleeping, as she suspected, Michelle had a way to deal with her. She packed up her things and headed over to Lita as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Sure enough, Lita was snoring away. She was so vulnerable it was all Michelle could do not to send feathers worming into her ticklish points this second. Michelle knelt and got to work.

          A while later, Lita awoke, having slept almost an hour and a half. What time was it? The sun was still in the sky, but it was getting close to sunset. Time to go back. Lita tried to check her watch but her arm wouldn’t move. Neither would any other part of her body. With a muffled cry Lita jerked her head up. Then she sighed in relief. Only sand… “Serena? Amy? Raye? Mina? Come on, who did this? Very funny. Now get me out! Hey! Guys? Guys…” Lita felt dread wash over her again.

          “Guess who,” Michelle giggled. Lita gave her a poisonous stare.

          “Scum. I should have guessed it would be you, traitor.” Lita grated her teeth, because Michelle only laughed harder. Lita took stock: she was completely buried in over a foot of sand. Only her head was free. “Hey! What, are you stupid? I’m safe under this sand.”

          “Oh, no you’re not.” Michelle smiled. Lita was about to toss a retort at her when she felt a slight movement at her underarm. It grew into the all-too-familiar sensation of a feather. It was soon joined by its twin under her other arm. Lita began to giggle. “I buried feathers with you in the sand. You can’t move an inch, and I can torture you as I please. Where would you like to be tickled next?” Lita was giggling and did not answer. Then Michelle frowned. "You know what, it’s getting late. I’m hungry, and I don’t have time to fool around. So…” Michelle started all of her feathers to wiggling. “Have fun.” Michelle packed up her things and left. Lita’s mad cackling laughter brought a grin to her face as she walked away.