Don't count Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, who started their careers together in "The Mickey Mouse Club" and both bussed Madonna at September's MTV Video Music Awards, as kissin' kin.

In the December issue of Blender magazine, Aguilera, 23, says of Spears: "She seemed very distant, even during rehearsals.... She seems to me like a lost little girl, someone who desperately needs guidance."

Spears, 22, hasn't taken Aguilera's comments lightly. As reported by the Associated Press, the pop princess recalls in the magazine's January issue a story about seeing former friend Aguilera for the first time in two years. "She comes up to me in a club in front of all these people and tries to put her tongue down my throat!," says Spears.

"I say, 'It's good to see you,' and she goes, 'Well, you're not being real with me.' I was like, 'Well, Christina, what's your definition of real? Going up to girls and kissing them after you haven't seen them for two years?'

"A lost girl? I think it's probably the other way around," adds Spears. "I can't believe she said that about me. When someone has been rude to you so many times, it's like, 'You know what, Christina, I'm really not about the fake ... anymore.' "

Spears also reportedly told Aguilera to her face: "You're scary and I feel really dark when I'm around you.'"

Happy New Year, ladies.