Mama's Hand By Douglas Helm Edited/Co-Plotted By "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl Rated : R AUTHOR'S WARNING!!! This piece of fanfiction contains disturbing images and deals with material that IS inappropriate for younger readers. Please respect the rating that I've given it. Morally speaking, I had a hell of a time writing the first part. Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, Sailor Senshi, and all terms, names, etc. associated with the series are copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha. We make no claim to them and this work of fanfiction should not be seen as making a claim. Those characters that are original and the story "Mama's Hand" are copyrighted (c) 1997 by Douglas Helm. Send comments to: Douglas Helm (dhelm@log.on.ca) Part I - Dark Canvas The room was dimly lit, a fire burned low in the hearth. Its light casting shadows that danced eerily about the room, they seemed to sense the atmosphere and fed upon it eagerly. A gentle April breeze rustled the curtains, making a whispering sound. The room's lone occupant stood at the bay window, staring out into the clear night. However, the lateness of the hour did not make her tired, on the contrary it made her worried, nervous, fearful. The clock sounded the hour, its bell mournful, sounding as if from a distance. The woman turned, glancing at the clock. Five hours and his plane would be back, and things would be back to normal. As she turned she saw her reflection, even with the dim light she could see his mark. The bruise had turned from an angry purple into an ugly yellow-brown. She could almost see out of the eye again. Unconsciously her hand moved to her ribs and through the thin night gown she could feel the bandages put there to keep her ribs from moving. Oh Kami-sama, why hadn't she seen it? Looking back upon it now she knew that love had blinded her to the events that had unfolded. She felt a lump form in her throat. It was of sadness but that lump was also frightening. It brought back images of him gripping her around the throat, squeezing until she had stopped breathing, until the blackness took her. And that blackness was no comfort because there was another he could turn his rage upon, and she cared for that person more than she cared for herself. Fighting off the images of the recent past she sought comfort in the distant past as she had done some many times before. But tonight was different. Something had changed, something had snapped. She did not retreat into the past to find comfort but to find strength and courage. She remember that day so long ago when her friend, a very true friend, had died. Hino Rei had been twenty-two when the motorcycle she had been riding slid underneath a transport truck. The police had first suspected Yuuichiro of tampering with the brakes but he had no motive. She gave a little sob and stepped away from the window. It was too painful; she was trying to remember the bad times and it hurt. It hurt more than his kicks, punches, and slaps. She receded into her mind and had become accustomed to acting the role. Letting the pain wash over her until he was finished. Sliding into a chair, she struggled to gain back that fleeting ounce of confidence. The fleeting glimmer of hope that had carried her through all this time. Aino Minako had disappeared some five years after Rei's death. No trace of her body was found. The case remained open but inactive. There! She felt the cold fury start to build. She knew who had slain her friend but she had found out too late. Quickly before it slipped away again she called up the other image. Makoto... Kino Makoto had always had a fear of planes, so what ever possessed her to join the Japanese Air Force was a mystery. Makoto had acted like her support, her pillar. When that pillar fell away, any hope, any hope of fighting she might have made died with the brunette. Unlike her other two friends though, Makoto died with honor while seeing action some forty years after Rei's death. Serenity bore down on the edge of her chair as racking sobs shook her battered body. She was supposed to be Queen, a very powerful Queen but that was simply a lie! Mizuno Ami had been Serenity's last line of defense. She pushed Serenity to fight back, to do something, leave Endymion. But Endymion was intelligent, he used Serenity's love against her, turned her against Ami... And when it finally came to it, Endymion simply banished her on a trumped up charge. Ami had fled, and shortly afterward, had been slain in a gangland style execution. Where was Serenity's great power? The Ginzuishou? She didn't know, Endymion had told her that he would put it in a safe place. He had CONVINCED her that she would be able to reach it when she needed it. More lies and threats. He was free to do as he liked after that last obstacle had been removed. The Senshi were gone, the Outer Senshi lost in the battle that started the Great Darkness, Pluto exiled to the timestream, and her Royal Guard broken, slowly over the years so she wouldn't notice. Hearing the clock chime again, Serenity sat still listening, seven o'clock. She only had an hour to put her plan into action before Endymion returned, only an hour... Would she have the strength? ****** Quickly she moved and entered her bedroom to dress. She had to reach Small Lady before Endymion returned. If he arrived before she could send them both back into the past, then she wouldn't have another chance for some time and Endymion's behavior was getting progressively worse. She was dressed within five minutes and spent another five desperately scrambling for the Time Key. The key that she had secretly gotten from Pluto several weeks ago. She had barely managed to meet with the mysterious Senshi of Time. Endymion was keeping Serenity under a close watch while not in their own rooms so meeting with one of her exiled friends was hard. He had started monitoring her after her second attempt to flee, that had been around the time that Endymion banished Ami. Serenity had actually begged Setsuna to go back, to warn her past self of what was to come but Serenity new that it was a lost cause. Pluto's duty was to the timeline. The events that had unfolded were set in time and nothing that Serenity could say would sway Setsuna. She knew that Setsuna desperately wanted to help but was bound by duty. Leaving her room Serenity re-entered the small sitting room and stopped short. Something was out of place. She gazed around the room, trying to place her finger upon it. As her eyes traveled they alighted upon a set of bags. "No..." she breathed out. He wasn't supposed to be back yet! "No!" she hoarsely shouted. She could feel herself start to tremble. She had been so close! No Endymion wasn't in the room, so where was he? Shoving the Time Key deep into her pocket, she moved across to the door that led out into the hall and gripping the knob took a breath before opening it. Low murmuring voices met her ears. Softly padding down the hall, she looked into her daughter's room and found Endymion there. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in," Serenity said, "I would have met you but you're early." "That's all right," Endymion said, "Usagi was telling me all about her day at school yesterday." He gave his daughter a pat on the back and Serenity didn't miss her daughter's flinching slightly. "What say we get breakfast!" Endymion declared. "Hai!" Usagi said, quick to please her father. She waited until he lifted her off of his lap before taking his hand, "Come on, Daddy." "Lead the way, Princess," Endymion said and allowed himself to be pulled by his daughter. Serenity stepped out of the doorway and suppressed the urge to scream. Endymion was treating her like a normal daughter, treating Serenity like there was NOTHING wrong! He was acting the doting father but who knew how long that would last. She trailed behind him, plotting, trying to figure out a way she could get away from Endymion for a little while to finished the rest of the plan. She also wanted to hide the key. If Endymion knew that she had the key, he wouldn't be please. Sailor Pluto was supposed to be exiled to the Gate of Time. Never to set foot in Crystal Tokyo unless summoned. Sitting down, she forced herself to smile as Endymion continued talking, telling his daughter of the trip and the people he had seen. Breakfast began easily enough. He seemed to be in high spirits. Endymion yawned and said, "I left late last night and tried to get some work done on the plane so I could sleep." He smiled again, "You don't know how good it is to be back." He turned and looked at Serenity, "What were you doing in the bedroom?" "Pardon?" she asked trying to remain calm, "I was getting dressed. I was surprised that I didn't hear you come in." "Oh," Endymion said, surprise showing through his voice, "You must have slept in then." Serenity nodded. She was feeling her way along. Did he suspect something? She hoped he didn't. "Daddy, you shoulda saw the big bird we saw on the video!" Usagi suddenly exclaimed. She was sensing that her father was working up to something and she was hoping to make him happy. She always seemed to be doing bad things. "Really? How big was it?" Endymion asked, his tone was friendly but Serenity saw that he was displeased that his daughter had interrupted them. That's when things started to go wrong. "Well it was this big!" Usagi said stretching her arms out as far as the would go, "He went around and around!" she said motioning with her hands. "Then it yelled and dove!" She swooped down with her one hand dramatically, "It snatched up this big fish!" Her hand clamped around the juice glass and lifted it up. Serenity saw it coming and tried to make the save but failed. The glass slipped out of Usagi's young hands shot over Serenity's outstretched hand and both contents and glass hit Endymion squarely in the face. The room went deathly silently for several long seconds. Usagi let out a little whimper. Her father sat there his face twisting into a savage scowl. Hopping off her chair Usagi ran around and started dabbing at her father's face with a napkin. "Gomen nasai!!!" she said, "I didn't mean it, Daddy." "YOU CLUMSY BRAT!!!" Endymion bellowed. Usagi took a step back, "You're just like your mother, a klutz!" He stood up wiping the juice off his face and neck. He looked down at his clothes and said, "You got it on my clean shirt!" He raised his eyes to his daughter and said, "Come here!" Usagi whimpered and shuffled forward a little bit. "Endymion please," Serenity began, "It's only juice." She gave a little gasp as Endymion picked up the juice pitcher and flung it at her. She tried to move but it clipped her on the temple and she sunk back into the chair, dazed. "I'll clean it up, Daddy," Usagi offered hoping that it would placate him. She moved forward and hugged one of his legs, "I promise to be really good!" She looked at him hopefully, but her hopes were crushed under his dark gaze. "Go over to the couch and bend over the arm!" Endymion instructed his daughter, "I will not tolerate this behavior." Usagi took on a look of fear and didn't move for a moment. "WHAT DID I SAY!" Endymion shouted "Get over to that damn couch!" He lifted his hand as if to strike Usagi, the little girl let go and backpedaled. "You'll learn to listen to me," Endymion said. Reaching down he removed his belt and started towards his daughter. Serenity shook off her daze and said, "Please Endymion, it was an accident. Can't we just have breakfast in peace?!?" She felt his hand tighten around her throat and she clutched at his wrist, trying to pull his hand away. "When I get done with her I'll be back to deal with you," he hissed out, "For now shut up and sit down!" With that he jerked his arm backward and then shoved forward, that sent Serenity crashing over the chair and as her head hit the floor blackness once again took her. she thought as her mind started to drifted, ****** Her first conscious sensation was of the pain in the back of her head. The second was of the rough texture of the rug underneath her hands. She tried to open her good eye and blinked. Forms started out as dark blurs but as she became more aware, she could make out the delicate crystal structures in the ceiling, their angles refracting the day's sun into a multibanded spectrum of light. At first she couldn't hear anything but as the haze of pain subsided into a dull aching throb she could hear a whimpering sound. Carefully, painfully, she pushed herself up. She shut her eyes as the room started to spin. Holding her breath, she counted and after a little while opened one eye cautiously. As the roomed seemed to stay in one place she opened her damaged eye as well. Finding the table and the seat of her chair, Serenity first crawled to her knees and then pushed herself up. She could feel a trickle of moisture run down her back. Steadying herself, she slowly turned and gave a little cry as she saw her daughter. Lifting a trembling hand to her lips, Serenity gave a little sob. Turning her gaze, away she looked around the room. Endymion wasn't there. Slowly she turned again, back to her daughter and slowly made her way across the floor. More than once she had to stop, and grit her teeth as the room began to spin. Twenty painful steps later she made it to the couch. Heavily, she sank to her knees and slowly slid to her daughter. "Usagi?" Serenity called softly, "Usagi?" The only response was Usagi's whimpers. She brushed away the hair out of her daughter's face. Usagi pulled away and gave a sob of terror. "Usagi, it's me." Serenity called, "Honey, Daddy's gone." But where had he gone? And when would he be back? "It hurts," Usagi breathed out, her voice throaty sounding, it also quavered with fear, "It hurts Mommy..." Serenity could see her daughter's eyes ringed red from shedding tears but also full of pain and fear. With her mother's help Usagi slowly stood, "Why Mommy?" she asked her mother, "Why?" Serenity shook her head, "Honey, would you like to take a trip?" "Where?" Usagi asked after a very long pause. "Daddy is mad, I don't think he'd let me go," she sniffled again and rubbed her eyes to try and clear them. Usagi thought sadly. She seemed to always be in trouble. "Do you remember those pictures I showed you? Those picture of what Daddy and I looked like in the past?" Usagi gave a small nod and sniffled. "How would you like to go into the past and stay with Mommy?" "I don't know," Usagi said dubiously. A tremor of fear ran through her. She had seen what her father had done to her mother. She was scared for her mother as well. "Well you think about it while I get you dressed," Serenity said. Usagi gave another whimper but nodded. Getting to Usagi's room was a slow and painful process. Dressing her daughter was almost as painful for Serenity as for Usagi. She couldn't take the image of her daughter's battered body. "Mommy," Usagi said softly after she had been dressed in a track suit, "Can I go on the trip?" "Are you sure, honey?" Serenity asked. Usagi nodded. Serenity was about to reach into her pocket and take the Time Key out when Endymion's voice stopped her cold. "DID I SAY YOU COULD MOVE?!?" Endymion demanded from the doorway, "I told you to stay there, didn't I?" "Hai," Usagi whimpered out. "Leave her alone!" Serenity screamed, "You're just a coward!" She balled her fists up and placed herself in front of her daughter. "USAGI, COME HERE THIS INSTANT!!!" Endymion commanded. "No!" Serenity said and held her hand up stopping her daughter, "You won't be touching her anymore!" Endymion's face twisted into a snarl, lunging forward he gripped Serenity around the throat and, while squeezing, dragged her down the corridor. Usagi gave a startled cry and started chasing after her mother but Endymion roughly pushed her in into the room and said, "I'll be back. Don't even think of moving!" Down the hall they went into the small sitting room that adjoined their bedroom. Pushing her up against the fireplace mantle, Endymion said, "I'll handle that monstrosity anyway I like." "How could you do that to any child, especially your child?" Serenity sobbed out. She made a gurgling noise as his grip tightened. She vainly moved her hands to try and stop him but she was weak. "Because she isn't my child!" Endymion hissed, "You were unfaithful to me." "You promised, Endymion, you swore on your life that you would stand by me. I was honest with you!" Serenity yelled in anger, "I was honest with you. You knew that I was vulnerable. You were gone. To me you were dead. What was I supposed to do!" She never saw the blow coming, her head snapped around and the salty taste of blood seeped into her mouth. "Never ever doubt my power," he hissed dangerously quiet, "Never ever doubt what I'll do." He tightened his grip and Serenity desperately sought something, anything to let him go. Her hand alighted upon something solid and metallic. Grasping it, she brought it up in a long swinging arc, her desperation channeling into strength. Suddenly, she found herself dropping as her husband let go and crumpled to the floor. In her hand, she held the bloody end of the fireplace poker. She stood stunned for several seconds before hurrying as best she could out of the room. How much time had she bought? "Kami-sama, let it be enough," Serenity whispered as she entered Usagi's room. In the small reading room Endymion gave a moan and stirred slightly. "Serenity..." Endymion whispered out through gritted teeth, "I'm going to kill you!" Part II - Flight As Serenity entered her daughter's room, little Usagi ran up to her, tears streaming down her face. She clung to one of her mother's legs, burying her face in it. Her little body trembled in fear. "Usagi, Usagi listen to me," Serenity said desperately. "Usagi!" she said more sternly. Usagi snapped her head up and stared at her mother. "Gomen," Serenity said a little more softly, "Listen carefully, Small Lady. When you go back to the past I won't know who you are." "Aren't you coming with me?" Serenity brushed a tear off of her daughter's face. "I'm going to come with you," Serenity said, "But we have to hurry. Just remember I won't know you." Serenity sadly thought as she reached into her pocket for the Time Key, She turned to her daughter, "Usagi-chan, this is the Time Key. Keep it close to your heart. If we get separated, command it to take you where you want to go. There is a guardian that will help you." She gave her daughter a gentle hug. "Do you understand?" "Hai," Usagi said. She was trying to be brave but her mother was acting different. She took the Time Key and hung it around her neck. She looked at it, marveling in its design and colors. "Are you ready to go on our trip?" Serenity asked. Usagi was about to respond when a voice cut through the air. "You aren't going anywhere." It was quiet, too quiet for normal speech, but the edge it carried was sharp and deadly. Whirling around, both Usagi and Serenity let out a small cry. There standing in the doorway was Endymion. A small trickle of blood running down his face. Clutched in his hand was a large knife. Serenity snatched up the poker and placed herself between Usagi and Endymion. Endymion sneered, "I'm not going to tolerate any more. I never loved that MONSTER! I loved you once, but YOU betrayed ME!" His voice had became a snarl, "You're going to pay, and continue to pay for that." He took a step forward. "Usagi, use the Key!" Serenity commanded and started towards Endymion, "Quickly!" Usagi didn't move, she was too scared to. Endymion had always been a frightening figure to her and, after this morning, she was too scared to anger her father anymore. Her hesitation, though, was all the time that Endymion needed. Lunging forward, he snatched the poker out of Serenity's hands and with another quick blow sent her sprawling onto the floor. "Where did you get that?!?" Endymion shouted when he saw the Key, "You knew Pluto was banished!" He reached for the Key but Usagi took a step back. "GIVE ME THE KEY!!!" he commanded her and advanced. She saw her father raise the poker. Curling into a ball, clutching the Key, she tightly shut her eyes and started to whimper. She felt a tingling sensation. The last clear sound she heard was of Endymion howling with rage. A single tear rolled down her cheek as reality slipped away and she found herself in the stream of time. ****** Present day Tokyo was having fine weather. The April day was warm yet not overly hot. The freshness that had been released after the dormancy of winter seemed to blossom and flourish. It being a Saturday, people were out of doors to enjoy the weather before they were forced back to work or school on Monday. Tsukino Usagi stretched as she yawned. Humming to herself, she got up and started to dress. Today was going to be a great day. She planned to spend most of it with her one and only love, Chiba Mamoru. Only giving a minimal glance to her bookbag that contained the latest mountain of homework, Usagi trotted from the room. "Look who's up?" Shingo sneered out. "Stow it, Shingo!" Usagi snapped. She then walked over to her brother and, reaching out, patted him on the head, "Or I'll tell Mika that you got little hearts on your undies." It wasn't true but right at the moment Mika was a sensitive subject with Shingo. Shingo was about to retort angrily and then decided it wasn't worth the hassle. Usagi smiled to herself as his door closed behind him. "Good morning, Mom!" she called cheerily, "Smells good!" "Hai, it's a cake," Ikuko said, "It's for dessert so don't even think of touching it." She glared seriously at her daughter who had proceeded to stuff a slightly stale piece of toast into her mouth. "Where are you off to?" "The park," Usagi said. She sighed, he was so dreamy! She could spend her entire life looking at him... in between bites of food, of course. "Are you meeting a boy?" "Just a friend," Usagi chirped and then scooted out the front door. Ikuko watched her daughter go and gave a sigh before turning back to her cooking. Usagi almost floated down the street. She was in such good spirits that at first she didn't notice the noise. However, as she drew closer to the source, Usagi became aware of it. Usagi thought and started to look around, She started to grow concerned. What had happened? Usagi started to search in earnest this time and, within a few seconds, she found the source. And the sight she saw mad her gasp. A little girl, no more than seven, curled into a ball. Her hair was a vibrant strawberry blonde. It was done up in "rabbit ear" odangos. She was wearing a set of shoes and a little blue track outfit. Slowly, cautiously, as not to frighten the little girl, Usagi approached and said in a soft voice, "Are you okay, honey?" The girl's head turned suddenly. As her eyes fell on Usagi, she stared sadly for a long moment. Then gathering herself up, she shot forward latching onto Usagi and hiding her face cried out, "MOMMY!" ****** It was several seconds before Usagi could speak again. It had been such a desperate move, as if the child feared to be away from Usagi, that at first she wasn't sure what to make of it. Gently, she placed a hand on the girl's head and said softly, "Is your mommy hurt?" She could tell that the girl had at least one bruise, that was evident. However, she got the rather uneasily feeling that the little girl had more. "Mommy, I found you!" the little girl sniffled out, "I got here and looked all over but I got lost..." She shivered and gave Usagi's legs another squeeze, "I'm scared, Mommy." Gently taking the girl's hands, Usagi pulled them away so she could kneel. Slowly reaching up, she gently brushed a stray tear away before saying, "Who are you?" Usagi wanted to add, "Why are you calling me Mommy?" but something stopped her. she thought and gazed at the young face. Her eyes were puffy with tears, a haunted look was present in her eyes and they darted about nervously. "Mommy said that she wouldn't remember me," the little girl spoke softly. Her voice was hoarse from crying, "I'm Tsukino Usagi." She blinked as her mother's face slowly turned to surprise. "Nani?" Usagi squeaked out, "Your name's Tsukino Usagi?!?" "Hai!" She looked at Usagi sadly, "You don't believe me?" The tiny flame of hope that had sprung up in the girl's eyes died. And Usagi winced at its passing. She was all alone in a strange world. She didn't really understand the concept but the girl in front of her matched the pictures. She sniffled, "I wouldn't fib," she said softly. She shivered, Instinctively, she raised her hands. "Honey," Usagi said softly, "Why did you come here?" "You said I could go on a trip." She sadly looked at Usagi then something occurred to her. "You said that you had a cat named Luna. You said Luna could talk." Usagi lifted her hand to her lips and gave a little gasp. Seeing this, she tried one last desperate thing. "You told me that you came from the Moon." "Kami-sama," Usagi breathed out, "You're telling the truth." The little girl smiled, happy to see that her mother believed her, or she hoped that her mother believed her. The little girl leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Usagi's neck, "You believe me," she said softly. "I'm glad I found you, Mommy. I love you." Usagi couldn't help but sniffle. She went to give a hug of her own but found that the little girl gave a yelp of pain and stiffened her body. "Gomen!" Usagi said hurriedly, "Are you hurt?" She only felt a little tremble. After some thought, Usagi said, "Don't worry, I won't leave you. But you have to listen. I have a plan..." ****** Tsukino Ikuko was just setting the frosted cake into the fridge to keep fresh when the front door burst open and her she heard her daughter's voice call out, "Mom! I think we need to call the police!" Now a mother dreads hearing words along those lines. Assuming the worst, Ikuko sat the cake down and then rushed from the room. "What's the matter, Usagi-chan?!?" she said in a worried tone of voice. "Mom," Usagi said, "My cousin's been hurt." "Cousin???" Ikuko came up short, "What cousin?!?" The tone still had worry but it also contained confusion. Slowly, Usagi reached behind her and slowly drew out the little girl. Her "cousin" clutched at Usagi's legs and hid her face. She wasn't sure who this woman was. Ikuko had seen the yellowing bruise on the child's face and tears that were drying and her motherly instincts kicked in. "Kami-sama! What happened?!?" As she took a step forward to try and see what other damage there was, the little girl gave a whimper of fear and hid behind Usagi's legs again. "Mom," Usagi said warningly, "Like I said I think we need to tell the police." "Mom?" Shingo called from the stairs, "What's..." "Shingo, go wait in your room, please," Ikuko directed. Shingo recognized the tone and headed back up the stairs. Crouching down, she looked into the small child's eyes. She had peeked around Usagi's legs. In a soft voice she said, "Honey? What's your name?" "Tsukino Usagi," came the quiet reply. It was followed by a sniffle. "It'll be okay, honey," Ikuko said reassuringly, "We'll get you some help." Getting up she headed towards the phone. Small Lady looked towards her mother who smiled down at her. The plan seemed to be working but she kept her tight hold. She didn't want to lose her mother again. ****** Ikuko thought. She was sitting in a small waiting area with two police officers, and a social worker. Rubbing her forehead, she sighed. "Usagi's right. She does have a family resemblance," she said, "I do have some family that live in Okinawa. I haven't seen them for a long time. I vaguely remember a distant cousin of Usagi's that had a baby. That would fit the child's age." "Would you happen to have an address or a name?" one of the officers asked. "I could look around," Ikuko said, "Off the top of my head, I can't really remember." She looked at her watch and said, "I wonder what's taking them so long." "Tsukino-san, if the doctor was any indication when she came to get Usagi to help, then that would mean she's likely being careful not to frighten the child." Haruna Koume said, "We appreciate your help." They sat silently for a few moments before the doctor entered the room a grim expression on her face. Giving a sigh she slumped into a chair and shook her head. Ikuko took on a concerned expression, "What is it?" she asked, "Is it bad?!?" "Worst then it first appeared. The good news is that there was NO sign of sexual assault, recent or otherwise." She puffed out a breath before saying, "However, there was extensive physical abuse, multiple bruises, fresh welts, and the beginnings of malnutrition." Running a hand through her hair, she said, "Although I'm not qualified to offer firm medical opinions on the psychological aspects, I would say that she appears frightened of everything that's new and she definitely has misgivings about anybody she doesn't know." "We can attest to that," one of the officers said, "When we arrived at the Tsukino home the child became hysterical and started to scream about her mother not letting us take her back to her dad." A quizzical expression crossed her face, "Tsukino-san, why would a cousin call your daughter `Mommy'?" "It could be that Usagi looks like her mother. She sees the resemblance and wants that connection." Ikuko shrugged, "Speaking of Usagi, where is she?" "She's helping her get dressed." Just as the doctor said that Usagi and the little girl walked into the room. "Mom, can Chibi-Usa stay with us?" Usagi asked hopefully. "`Chibi-Usa'???" Ikuko said, "I thought her name was Usagi." "It is but that would get kinda confusing," Usagi answered. "I don't know, Usagi," Ikuko said, "I think that Haruna-san would be better able to help than us." Chibi-Usa let go of Usagi's hand and, padding over, said, "Please Obaa-san, I promise I'll be good. I want to stay with Mommy." She looked sadly up at Ikuko, "I'd be really scared." She placed her hands behind back and tilting her head looked at Ikuko and at the floor at the same time and gave a little sniffle. she thought, A small tear rolled down her face. Usagi walked over and crouching beside her looked hopefully at her mother. She turned on her best pleading face. "I really want to help her, Mom," Usagi said. She just couldn't think of a suitably disgusting word. "Tsukino-san, if she is family, we would prefer that," Koume said, "Right at the moment, all our placement homes are full and there's a waiting list." Koume smiled, "Staying with family, especially when she knows someone, can be comforting." Ikuko thought about it, Ikuko thought, She looked at Chibi-Usa and saw a resemblance to her own daughter, especially when she was the same age. The face, the hair, and even the sad eyes were similar but different. "Okay, if Haruna-san approves it." "YAY!!!" Chibi-Usa yelled and for the first time that day a smile was on her face. Part III - A Painful Past She screamed. It echoed through the room, reverberating and bouncing back. Her body arced to try and get away from the pain but it was too intense, too close. Suddenly the pain became dull, throbbing but not as intense. She bit back the bile that rose in her throat. She could smell the charring skin, hear the sizzling, the skin was literally cooking. The acrid odor hung in the air and filled her nostrils with its sickening odor. Weakly, she tried to move her hands but they were securely bound. Her shoulder ached, all of her weight was placed upon them as she hung suspended from two poles and a crossbar. There was no relief and as her head was lifted up she had to fight down the nausea. "So," Endymion voice said, "You're strong." His form was backlit by the light coming in through the doorway. "I really should put some light in this place. At least so you could see it." She couldn't see the smile but his tone implied it, "The dark ages had some interesting equipment, ne?" "I wouldn't know," she choked out, "You try to keep us ignorant." He gripped her throat, pulling her towards him. She whimpered slightly as her already stretched muscles were pulled even further. "Where has that brat gone?" she thought dully, "ANSWER ME!!!" he shouted while throwing her back. She swung backwards and, when she swung forward, he planted his fist into her stomach. She gave a hoarse cry, "Tell where your little `Rabbit' has gone..." "No," Serenity gasped out. She dimly saw him turn and walk towards the door, "Endymion..." "Don't worry, Serenity," he said, "I'm not going to kill you. I want you to watch. I want you to watch as your little Rabbit slowly withers in front of your eyes." "NOOOOO!!!!!" Serenity screamed, but he had gone closing the door and closing out the light. "No..." she sobbed into the darkness. But there was no reply. She was alone. ****** The door opened and Ikuko stepped into the house. Kenji who had been in the kitchen stepped out and was about to say something when Ikuko held up her hand and made a shushing motion. He gave her a quizzical look but complied. As Ikuko stepped out of the doorway Usagi entered the house one hand behind her back. "Dad, I want you to meet someone," Usagi said, gently she pulled her arm out and Chibi-Usa slid around. She stared at Kenji in silence, a small tremble showing on her lip, her one arm snuck around Usagi's leg trying to seek comfort. "This is Tsukino Usagi, but we can call her Chibi-Usa." She looked down at Chibi-Usa and said, "Chibi-Usa-chan, this is my dad." "Konnichiwa Ojii-san," came the soft reply. Kenji was about to explode over being called "Grandfather" but Ikuko was desperately shaking her head. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he said, "Konnichiwa Chibi-Usa-chan." "Hey, who's the rugrat?" came Shingo's voice from the stairs. Chibi-Usa yelped and hid behind Usagi once more. Ikuko glared at her son. Chibi-Usa then whimpered a little bit. "Mommy, who's that?" she asked Usagi. "MOMMY?!?" both males shouted. Chibi-Usa gave another whine of fear and tears started to come to her eyes. "Kenji, Shingo, why don't you go into the living room," Ikuko directed them. After a moment Shingo slunk by his mother while Kenji gave his wife a curious look before heading off after his son. Turning to Usagi, Ikuko said, "Usagi-chan, why don't you take Chibi-Usa up and show her around." Usagi nodded and, reaching around, took Chibi-Usa's hand, "Come on, honey." She saw that Chibi-Usa seemed reluctant. Kneeling, she said, "They were just surprised to see you." She reassured the young girl, "Shingo's nice and my dad wouldn't hurt you." Sniffling a little, Chibi-Usa wiped away some of her tears and looked deeply into Usagi's eyes, "Now come on, let's go see my room." A panicked expression went through Chibi-Usa's features. "What's the matter?" Usagi asked softly. "Daddy says I'm not allowed in your room," Chibi-Usa said softly. "But it's only my room. Your dad doesn't live here." Usagi tried to smile. It seemed to reassure Chibi-Usa who relaxed slightly. Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, Usagi led the little girl up to her room and opened the door. "Wow!!!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed, her eyes shone brightly as she looked around the room. Tentatively, she entered and started turning around trying to see every square inch. Drinking in all the details, she stopped when her eyes landed on something in a corner. "Mommy, what's that?" she asked pointing towards a neatly stacked pile of stuffed bunnies. "Those are stuffed animals. Toys, don't you have any?" Usagi asked curiously. Chibi-Usa shook her head, "Well let's get you one then." Walking over, she dug through her pile until she found what she considered a suitable bunny. "Here you are," she said holding out a small gray bunny who had large shining pink eyes. Chibi-Usa stared at it for several seconds before walking over. She reached out as if to take it then stopped. "I can't have it," she said sadly, "Daddy says I'm too big for toys. He says bad little girls like me don't deserve them." She gave a little shiver, "He gets mad if I ask for a toy." "Well what if he didn't know that you had this? It could be our secret," Usagi said, "I promise that I won't tell him." Chibi-Usa shook her head, "If Daddy finds out, he'll be really mad," she said seriously, "I don't want him to be mad." She was torn. Her mother was giving her something that she'd like to hug but if her father found out... "Please Mommy..." she said. She didn't want to upset her mother. she thought longingly. "Okay, Chibi-Usa-chan," Usagi said softly, "You don't have to take it. If you ever want it again, it'll be here, okay?" Chibi-Usa gave a small nod but didn't look at Usagi. "Are you scared?" Another nod, this time accompanied by a sniffle. Reaching out, Usagi slowly drew her into a hug. "Shhh..." Usagi comforted, "It's going to be okay. I'm going to help you." She stroked Chibi-Usa's hair, "I know it's all scary but I'll be here and my friends will be here." Chibi-Usa just wrapped her arms around Usagi's neck and cried. Everything was so different. Her mother was safe, but what was her father doing? Where was he? ****** Endymion entered his Throne Room. Stepping up to the dais, he sat down on the single finely crafted chair that was placed there. He sat silently for several seconds before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a key. It was a Time Key, one of four he had removed from Pluto. He clutched it in his fist, "Rubeus!" he said, his tone resonating power through the Throne Room. A young man with flaming red hair stepped from the courtiers that were present and bowed low. As he raised his eyes he snapped expectantly. He liked Endymion; Diamondo had been such a fool. He also liked Endymion because Endymion gave him free rein over his "projects". "Rubeus, I have a special mission for you," Endymion said, "Take four others, find the child. Bring her back alive!" He tossed the Key towards Rubeus, "Use this to go back to past. Find the Rabbit and bring her here." "As you command," Rubeus said and bowed low. He started to back away when Endymion's voice drew him up short. "Rubeus, do not fail me in this or you shall take her place." He smiled, it was disarming and friendly, "And one other thing, be careful there are Senshi where you are going. They will oppose you." Rubeus bowed once more before he left the room. Endymion began to brood. Endymion scowled. "Pluto!" he called out, rage building. "Pluto! I command you to appear! I, YOUR King, summon you!" She did not appear. "Damn you, Pluto," he said, "It will only go harder on Serenity because of your lack of respect. Play your tricks, hide that abomination... it will do you no good." ****** That first supper at the Tsukino home was an awkward one. Chibi-Usa shied away from everyone except Usagi. She adverted her eyes away from Ikuko, Shingo, and Kenji. Any sudden movement in her direction made her freeze, and a terrified expression would come over her. Chibi-Usa sat silently beside Usagi staring at her plate. "Chibi-Usa-chan, would you like a drink?" Ikuko asked. The little girl raised her head and looked at Ikuko if she didn't understand and then turned to look at Usagi. "Honey, would you like some milk?" "Hai, please," Chibi-Usa said softly. Usagi poured her a glass of milk and Chibi-Usa said, "Arigato, Mommy," when she was handed the glass. Chibi-Usa took a small sip and then sat it down carefully, almost as if she thought it might shatter at any moment. Dinner proceeded at a similar pace. Chibi-Usa seemed reluctant to speak to anybody except Usagi. Occasionally, she would be forced to make some type of answer but Chibi-Usa kept it very polite and very short. Usagi chalked it partly up to the fact that Chibi-Usa was likely very uncomfortable sitting. They had put a thick cushion on her chair to make it easier for her but, even when she sat down on it, she couldn't hide the wince of pain. The other part was likely that Chibi-Usa didn't know anyone. Usagi thought, Usagi glanced over towards Shingo and noticed that he indeed was looking slightly worried. "Chibi-Usa-chan?" Kenji said when it was nearing the end of the meal, "How old are you?" "Seven," she said, "Me and Mommy have the same birthday." Ikuko and Shingo stared at Chibi-Usa for some moments. That had been the longest thing she had ever said to anybody that wasn't Usagi. "Well, you're a very polite little girl for seven," Kenji said, "You should be very proud of yourself." Kenji was trying to make Chibi-Usa feel a little bit better about herself and it seemed to work. She raised her eyes to look at him for the first time since coming into the house. She gave a little smile and said, "Really Ojii-san? Did I behave?" Kenji stifled the grumble he felt about being called "Ojii-san" and smiled at her. "Hai, you were a very good girl. You ate all your food." That got a little bigger smile out of her. Kenji thought darkly. "Would you like some dessert?" "Mommy, may I please have some dessert?" Chibi-Usa asked Usagi. She smiled to herself, "Hai, Mom made a chocolate cake and it looks yummy," Usagi said licking her lips. "Would you like a little more milk?" "Hai, please," Chibi-Usa said, "I've never had this much food before." For some reason that seemed to be the wrong thing to say. It was like the entire room paused. Starting to feel nervous again, Chibi-Usa looked around and saw different expressions on the people's faces. Kenji was looking grim. She quickly moved on hoping he wasn't mad. Shingo and Ikuko seemed surprised, not as threatening but maybe they were surprised that she had said anything like that. she thought to herself as she looked towards Usagi, "Mommy, are you sad?" Usagi blinked and then forced a smile, "Oh, Chibi-Usa-chan, I was just thinking. Don't worry, I'm happy that you are here." "Now would you like some cake?" Chibi-Usa nodded and gave her mother a smile, "Okay, honey, I'll go get you a piece." She gave Chibi-Usa a reassuring pat on the head before standing to get the little girl some cake. ****** It was about seven that evening when Ikuko went up the stairs and tapped softly at Usagi's door. When a soft response came she opened it and found that Usagi was sitting at one of her low tables scribbling something on a sheet of paper. Chibi-Usa was sitting beside her looking at a picture book that Usagi had managed to find. Ikuko looked at the little girl and saw the look. Ikuko thought. She could also see the haunted expression on the child's face, But Ikuko knew that it might take a long time to gain that trust. "Chibi-Usa-chan, why don't you come and have a bath." Ikuko said, "Why don't we let Usagi finish her homework." She looked at her daughter, "You ARE doing homework, ne?" "Um well..." Usagi said looking sheepishly. "No," she admitted. Ikuko sighed, "Usagi, while I give Chibi-Usa a bath, I'd like you to FINISH your homework." Ikuko then noticed that Chibi-Usa had inched over towards Usagi and was pressing up against her leg. She had a light grip on Usagi's arm and was looking worriedly at Ikuko. "Honey, are you scared?" Chibi-Usa nodded and tried to inch around in front of Usagi. "Are you scared of me?" This caused Chibi-Usa to pause. She looked at Ikuko, "Chibi-Usa-chan, I promise I'm not going to hurt you," Ikuko said holding out her hand, "Now come take a bath." Chibi-Usa gave a little whimper. Ikuko could see the indecision, the pleading look towards Usagi. "Honey, would you take a bath if Usagi helped you?" "Hai," Chibi-Usa squeaked out. "Okay, Chibi-Usa-chan, I'll help you," Usagi said putting down her pencil, "Let's find you something you can wear for tonight." "Usagi-chan, I'll leave the salve in here too. When you're done you can put it on like the doctor was telling you. Okay?" Ikuko asked. Usagi nodded. Softly closing Usagi's door, Ikuko went down the hall wondering about that puzzle. Usagi found a extra pajama top and held it up to Chibi-Usa. The arms were certainly too long but it would make a suitable nightgown since it would stretch past Chibi-Usa's knees. "What do you think, Chibi-Usa-chan? Would you like to wear this?" Chibi-Usa felt the fabric and considered the question for several seconds before nodding. "Okay then, let's go get you washed up," Usagi said setting the make shift nightgown on her bed. Chibi-Usa took Usagi's hand and they walked to the bathroom. Once Usagi had the door closed, she said, "Honey, let's get you undressed, okay?" "Hai," Chibi-Usa said and lifted her arms above her head, "I like having baths. Mommy always tells me stories." She smiled. It was one of the few retreats that Chibi-Usa and her mother had when her father was around. That was where bedtime stories were told and secrets shared. Walking over, Usagi gently pulled the top off. She could hear Chibi-Usa pull in her breath slightly as the bottom part brushed against the tender areas of her skin. Once the top was off, Usagi gave a little gasp. She hadn't really seen the bruises when she was helping the doctor. She had been more focused on reassuring the little girl that everything was okay and that the doctor was trying to help her. "Mommy?" Chibi-Usa asked in a concerned tone, "What's the matter?" Usagi didn't respond. Stepping over, she gently lifted the back part of the track bottoms before pulling them down as well and then removed Chibi-Usa's underpants. "Honey, how do I help you in the bath?" Usagi asked softly. She was trying to look at Chibi-Usa's face without seeming repulsed by the sight before her. "Mommy washes the back and I wash the front." Chibi-Usa said, "Mommy can reach the places I can't." Getting two washcloths, Usagi handed the little girl one and, turning on the water, adjusted it so it wouldn't be too hot. After soaping her washcloth she handed the soap to Chibi-Usa who did the same. As the little girl started to scrub her front, Usagi was faced with the prospect of doing her back. The little girl's back was a mass of bruises varying in color and size. Some were dull and fading others appeared to be fresh and painful looking. "Chibi-Usa-chan, I'm going to start washing your back now. You let me know if it hurts." "'Kay," Chibi-Usa said. Usagi was slightly shocked. Chibi-Usa's response sounded like Usagi's request was just a natural fact of life. As she gently started to wash Chibi-Usa's shoulders, Usagi could see and feel Chibi-Usa tense. As she slowly moved towards the small of the little girl's back Chibi-Usa would occasionally whimpered or shudder a little. Usagi felt herself start to cry. She just couldn't understand what type of person would do this. She felt angry as well. She wanted to call the Senshi together, to find this person. Usagi thought sadly and sniffled, She gritted her teeth as Chibi-Usa gave a muffled yelp of pain as the cloth brushed against one of the fresh welts on the small of her back. Then Usagi growled, Chibi-Usa's buttocks were a mass of fresh welts caused by what the doctor thought was a belt. Chibi-Usa turned slightly and saw that her mother was looking angry. She gulped slightly but didn't move. Usagi let out a little sob and bit her lower lip as tears started to stream down her face in earnest. Chibi-Usa became even more alarmed at this and gave a little burble of fear. Reaching out, she gently touched Usagi, seeking reassurance that everything was all right, that she wasn't in trouble. Usagi looked towards her and sniffled. Wiping away a few tears, Usagi tried to smile but she faltered. "I'm sorry, honey," Usagi said softly, "I just don't like to see anybody hurt." She looked at Chibi-Usa and noticed the concerned look. "I wasn't angry with you," Usagi said softly, "I was just angry because you got hurt." "I thought I did something wrong," Chibi-Usa said softly. Why else would her father punish her so much? She trembled, partly in fear but also because the water was cooling. "No, you are very good!" Usagi reassured, "Chibi-Usa-chan, I have to wash your bum." She reached out and gently touched Chibi-Usa's arm, "It might hurt some. I don't want to hurt you though." Chibi-Usa understood, "I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose, Mommy." She smiled back trying to reassure her mother. Usagi, after a moment, smiled too. "Okay then, let's get that over with that way you can relax in the furo for a little bit." Chibi-Usa nodded and turned to face the wall. Despite Usagi's gentleness though, it was still painful and, when it was done, both of them had tears in their eyes. Settling Chibi-Usa into the furo, Usagi wiped away some of her other tears and made a silent vow. Part IV - A New Friend As the hall clock struck eight that evening, Usagi softly padded across her room and entered into the hallway before drawing the door closed. She gave a little sigh and rested her palm upon the door for a moment. Usagi thought. "Is she asleep?" came the soft voice of her mother. Usagi turned and saw Ikuko standing in the hallway. "Oh Mom!" Usagi gave a small cry and wrapped her arms around her mother, "What type of monster does THAT?" "Shhh..." Ikuko said softly stroking her daughter's hair, "You don't want Chibi-Usa to hear you." She hugged her daughter comfortingly and said, "Usagi-chan, Haruna-san thinks that it might be her father. What ever you feel though, don't call him a monster." "But why? Why does he deserve respect?!?" Usagi asked forcefully. "Because Chibi-Usa might still look to him for love. I'm not saying to respect him. Just be careful about what you call him when she's around." Giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead, Ikuko continued, "Usagi-chan, she's going to look up to you an awful lot for a while. I think that sometimes it'll be rough." "I know, Mom," Usagi said, drawing warmth from her own mother, "I want to help though. I HAVE to help!" She let the hug go when she noticed a black form looking at her worriedly. "Luna!" Usagi called, "Where have you been?" Luna mewed and scampered over to Usagi who picked her up. "I see she came back," Ikuko said. "Now don't stay up too late, Usagi-chan," Ikuko cautioned her daughter. "Good night." "Good night, Mom," Usagi called. She watched her mother enter her bedroom before closing the door. "Luna, we gotta talk," Usagi said seriously. "Usagi, talk seriously? Is this about Mamoru?!?" Luna asked softly. "Luna no baka!" Usagi hissed and started off toward the kitchen. In a louder voice Usagi said, "Come on, Luna, I'll get you something to eat." Luna was about to say something but her stomach had the final word. It liked the idea of food. ****** The cream in Luna's stomach sat heavily as Usagi finished explaining the day's events. The black Lunar cat growled and thrashed her tail about. She looked at Usagi and said, "I'm glad to see you're taking this seriously." Usagi took on a hurt expression but Luna didn't allow the retort to come, "Usagi, when we were fighting Beryl, you were one of the most irresponsible people I knew. When Ail and Ann came you matured SLIGHTLY." Usagi felt annoyed but she could understand what Luna was saying. "I think I acted that way to cover up that I was scared," she said after a brief pause, "But Chibi-Usa needs someone and, like Mom was saying, Chibi-Usa's looking toward me for comfort." She looked at Luna and said, "Would you help, Luna? I think what Chibi-Usa needs is a friend. Someone to talk to that isn't her `Mommy'." "What about your mom?" "No," Usagi said while shaking her head, "Chibi-Usa's scared of her. She needs `something' she thinks will be non-threatening and that something won't be human." "I'll do what I can, Usagi. I can't promise anything. If her story is true, then something's happened to me." Luna shivered, "You're the best, Luna." Stretching Usagi yawned and commented, "Well I'm going to bed now. Good night, Luna." "Good night, Usagi-chan," Luna replied, "I'll be up in a few minutes." Nodding, Usagi left the room, leaving Luna alone with her thoughts. ****** Her first conscious sensation was of the cold floor against her bare skin. It was slightly damp, rough but in away soothing to her aching back and shoulders. Her head was gently supported and someone was slowly pouring something into her mouth. Too weak to protest, Serenity swallowed. The liquid slid easily down her hoarse throat, coating it and soothing it in a lining of icy liquid. The voice, when the mysterious person finally spoke, seemed distant somehow and very hazy. "My Queen?" Serenity tried to claw her way back to some semblance of coherence, "Serenity-sama, it will be all right." <'Serenity-sama'???> Serenity questioned hazily in her thoughts, Certainly the Palace staff but none would come down here. It was unlikely that Endymion would order them down here to tend to her. She tried to see but her vision was a mass of dark blurs within darker blurs. "Pluto?" she asked weakly, softly. "Hai, My Queen." The voice sounded clearer, "When you sent Small Lady back into time then I was free to act. I did not want to risk her safety." Pluto shifted slightly and said, "I'm here to help you as well." "No Pluto," Serenity said softly, "This is the wrong timeline. Something must be corrected. I belong here. They say hindsight is perfect. In my case, it is all too clear. I allowed this to happen. I could have sent Small Lady away but I thought it would stop." Serenity flushed slightly, A small sob escaped her. "I am the Guardian of Time. I may not interfere," Pluto intoned. If Serenity had seen the Senshi of Time's facial expression though; it was likely that Pluto was already interfering more than she liked. "Pluto, you are shielding the memory of Small Lady from Endymion, aren't you?" Pluto remained silently. Sighing slightly, Serenity said, "Pluto, you gave an oath to Queen Serenity of the Silver Millennium to guard time. I relieve you of that oath; you have done your duty." Coughing Serenity whispered out, "Pluto, I give you another duty, a new oath. Protect my daughter. Change her future, if not mine." "I can not," Pluto said but her usual stubborn tone was gone. "Pluto, I ask you to do this for the Royal House of the Moon as one of its Senshi. Fulfill this new oath. Help my daughter." The only sounds were of Pluto's soft breathing and Serenity's weasing breaths, ****** Chibi-Usa clung to Usagi's arm while staring at Luna. It was about eight o'clock Sunday morning and the little girl had been shocked to see Luna sleeping on the bed. She gave a nervous shiver but kept her eyes fixed on the strange cat that was looking at her. "Chibi-Usa-chan, this is Luna," Usagi said while giving the little girl a hug, "Luna, this is Chibi-Usa." "Konnichiwa Luna," Chibi-Usa said softly. "Konnichiwa Chibi-Usa-chan," Luna said slowly and took a step forward, "Did you have a good sleep?" Chibi-Usa kept back trying to keep the distance between herself and Luna. "Hai," came the nervous response. "I had good dream. I dreamt that I was always good and Daddy wasn't ever mad at me." Usagi's features crumpled slightly but she managed to suppress the sniffle. She could feel her eyes misting over. "Why don't you pet Luna," Usagi offered softly, "She likes to be scratched behind the ears." Luna took another slow step but, unlike before, Chibi-Usa didn't try to back away. It appeared so because she was with her mother and Luna was with her mother so it was a natural conclusion. Tentatively, Chibi-Usa slowly reached out to touch Luna. Luna held still while the child's fingers brushed against her soft fur. Chibi-Usa thought as she reach up behind Luna's ear and gave it a tentative scratch. "Hmmm... That was nice, could you do it again?" Luna asked. "Hai!" Chibi-Usa said with a little more enthusiasm in her voice. She started to scratch Luna's head gently becoming more comfortable with the Moon cat as time went on. After a few moments Luna was curled in Chibi-Usa's lap allowing herself to be petted like a regular cat. Luna thought as she purred her pleasure, The very proper cat stretched and lay lazily in her position of contentment, "See Chibi-Usa-chan, you're doing really well. Luna's purring and that means she likes it a lot. You're very good at petting her," Usagi encouraged Chibi-Usa. "I'm just going to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back, okay?" "'Kay," Chibi-Usa agreed, the smile that was on her face was nearly touching both ears. Usagi sighed contentedly. She liked having Chibi-Usa happy and Luna seemed to be helping quite a bit. And for the first time in a long time, Chibi-Usa giggled. It was one of childish innocence and pure boundless joy. ****** When Usagi came back she found that Luna and Chibi-Usa were having a serious discussion. Luna was telling Chibi-Usa all about cats and what the difference was between Moon cats and Earth cats. Usagi smiled happy to see that Chibi-Usa seemed to be comfortable around Luna. "So you're a `space' kitty?!?" Chibi-Usa asked in wonder, "Where's your thingy?' "Thingy?" Luna questioned. "Yay, the thing that sticks out the top of your head." "You mean my antenna?" Chibi-Usa nodded. "Well we don't have antennae," Luna admitted, a dejected look briefly flitted across Chibi-Usa's features before the smile returned. "We have a crescent moon instead," Luna said while pointing to the crescent moon on her forehead. "I hate to interrupt you two but what's Chibi-Usa gonna wear?" Usagi asked, "I mean that pajama top's good for sleeping in but..." "Do you have any clean underpants that are small on you?" Luna asked. She noted that Usagi blushed at such a personal question, "Well, Usagi, we are all girls here." "Let's see," Usagi said and dug through one of her drawers. "Well I think this is about the smallest I have," Usagi said holding up one particular pair of underpants. "We'll try them on after I put on the salve. I think her track pants are okay, Luna?" "Mommy?" Chibi-Usa asked softly. "Hmmm?" Usagi questioned while raising her head. "Could I stay in this?" Chibi-Usa asked indicating the pajama top, "It's nice." Usagi got up from her position and went to sit on the bed, "I like wearing this. It doesn't hurt my bum." "Well that's a pajama top," Usagi said. She looked at the little girl for a few minutes before saying, "I got an idea." She smiled. "Well let's get you ready. First, do you have to use the bathroom?" "Hai." "Okay then, do you remember where it is?" Chibi-Usa nodded, then said, "Mommy, will you wait outside?" She looked hopefully at Usagi. "Okay, then I'll put some salve on. We'll get you dressed after that, ne?" Chibi-Usa nodded and gave Usagi a hug, Usagi hugged her back and said, "You're very good, and I love you." "I love you too, Mommy," Chibi-Usa said. She felt warm and safe. It was an unusual and infrequent feeling. Chibi-Usa was determined to be good. she thought. Taking Usagi's hand, she started towards the bedroom door leaving Luna to wonder what Usagi's plan was. ****** About twenty minutes later Usagi, Chibi-Usa and Luna headed downstairs for breakfast. "Well Mom?" Usagi asked as she and Chibi-Usa entered the kitchen, "What do you think?" Luna came in close behind Usagi and had to admit to herself that Usagi's idea had some merit. Ikuko turned around at her daughter's voice and stared for a moment at Chibi-Usa. She seemed to be wearing only a pink sweater that was just a too little big for her. The sweater came to just below Chibi-Usa's knees and the sleeves were bunched up so that only her hands were sticking out. Ikuko thought and fought the urge to chuckle. "Well now you look very kawaii," Ikuko said. "Domo arigato, Obaa-san," Chibi-Usa said politely, "Mommy said I look kawaii in this too." She hugged her mother's leg and looked at Ikuko, "It's okay if I wear this?" "Hai," Ikuko nodded, "I'll go out and get you some clothes tomorrow. Why don't you go sit at the table. I want to talk to Usagi for a minute." Chibi-Usa didn't like that idea but Usagi said, "Why don't you take Luna with you. She won't let anything bad happen. And when you sit in your chair, you can see me." Reluctantly Chibi-Usa nodded and, after picking up Luna, walked towards the chair that she had sat in the night before. "Usagi, is she wearing any underpants?" Ikuko asked softly after walking closer to her daughter. "Hai, a pair that was a too small for me. The sweater shrunk and I thought she'd look kawaii in it," Usagi said, "The medicine's working too because the welts aren't as red. I think they're still sore but they aren't as red as they were." "Good, I'll pick her up some clothes tomorrow after you get back from school." Usagi paled slightly at the thought of school. "It'll be tough on her so maybe you should tell her about school tonight so she isn't surprised when you go running off tomorrow." "Okay Mom," Usagi said. She noticed that Chibi-Usa was looking pleadingly at her, "I better go sit by her. She's still pretty nervous. I hope she can get to trust you though. I mean you wouldn't hurt her or anything." Usagi was about to walk away but Ikuko stopped her by placing a hand on Usagi's arm. "Usagi, I know this might not need to be said but I just want to be clear. If the time comes that Chibi-Usa does do something `bad', I want you to be very careful what you say and do. She's still very timid and, right at the moment, you are the only one that she really trusts." Usagi took on a hurt expression but didn't say anything. After looking at her mother for several seconds, she slowly made her way towards the table where Chibi-Usa was sitting. Luna was sitting in the little girl's lap. Usagi thought numbly as she sat down, She looked over and brushed Chibi-Usa's hair out of the girl's face. "I'm sorry I couldn't get the hang of those `rabbit' ear odangos." Usagi had spent several unproductive minutes trying to put the little girl's odangos up in the original style but hadn't been able to. "But you look very pretty with your hair down." "Arigato Mommy," Chibi-Usa said, "May I please have some milk?" She started to stroke Luna's fur again. "Hai, I'll get you a glass," Usagi said. Part V - Alone Again "DON'T LEAVE, MOMMY!!!" Chibi-Usa cried early Monday morning. She clung desperately to Usagi's leg, "I'm scared!" She howled and tried to squeeze Usagi's leg tighter. Reaching down, Usagi gently lifted the little girl into a hug and said, "Chibi-Usa-chan, I have to go to school. We talked about this yesterday." "But you promised," Chibi-Usa protest, "You promised you wouldn't leave me!" Giving a sob of anguish, Chibi-Usa wrapped her arms around Usagi and clung to her mother. "Let me go with you." Chibi-Usa tried to compromise, "I'll be really good, I promise!!!" "Gomen, I can't take you to school with me," Usagi said while hugging the very upset little girl, "But my mom will be here and so will Luna." "You're going away cause I was bad??" Chibi-Usa asked but it sound more like a statement. Usagi desperately thought, Usagi looked around and noticed her family watching the unfolding scene with varying expressions. Both her parents were looking concerned while Shingo seemed confused. "Usagi-chan, if you want to get to school on TIME, you'd better leave now," Ikuko said gently. Usagi thought, Then it clicked in. Carrying Chibi-Usa out into the hall where a clock was, Usagi said, "Chibi-Usa-chan, what does the clock say?" Distracted for the moment from her worries that Usagi would be leaving her, Chibi-Usa calmed slightly and looked around for the clock. Sniffling, she said, "It says twenty to eight." "That's very good. Boy, you're smart," Usagi said, "What if I promise to be home at twenty to four?" She smiled slightly, "You can draw me a nice picture and show it to me when I get home." "But I want you to stay!" Chibi-Usa started to protest again. "Honey, do you want to be really good?" Usagi asked. Chibi-Usa nodded, "Well if you stay with my mom until twenty to four, then you WOULD be REALLY good." Hugging Chibi-Usa Usagi continued, "I'll think about you all day. Now then will you stay with Luna and my mom?" "Do I have to?" Chibi-Usa asked softly. "Hai," Usagi said, kneeling to set the little girl down, "Now you be good for my mom and when I get home you can show me the picture you drew. You said you like to draw, ne?" "Hai," Chibi-Usa said but still kept her grip on Usagi, her hopes of keeping her mother with her were fading away. Hiccuping, she sniffled and wiped a tear away. "I love you," she said softly, hoping that her last resort would work. "I love you too, Chibi-Usa-chan, but for ME to be GOOD, I have to go to school," Usagi said. Then picking up Luna, she handed the Lunar Cat to Chibi-Usa, "Now you and Luna have a good day. I promise I'll be home at twenty to four." Wrapping her arms around Luna, Chibi-Usa sniffled again and slowly backed into a wall as Usagi unwrapped her comforting arms. Closing her eyes, she felt her mother kiss her forehead before heading down the hall and then the door opened and, after a brief pause, closed. she thought, a new set of tears streaking her face. ****** "Chibi-Usa-chan, would you like to help me?" Ikuko asked from the door way into the kitchen. She looked sadly at the little girl. Chibi-Usa hadn't moved since Usagi had left ten minutes before. She hadn't even reacted to Kenji and Shingo leaving the house. "Chibi-Usa-chan?" Ikuko asked again when the little girl didn't respond. Chibi-Usa opened her eyes finally and looked directly at Ikuko, "Would you like to help me?" "Do I have to?" Chibi-Usa asked, a tremble in her voice. "No," Ikuko said, "You could watch the television if you want to." Chibi-Usa glanced up towards the clock, "I don't know..." she said reluctantly. Giving another sniffle, she looked towards the door that her mother had left by. "Okay Chibi-Usa-chan, if you don't want to help it's okay," Ikuko reassured the child. "Why don't you go brush your teeth and then maybe you can watch some television, or draw Usagi that picture she was talking about," Ikuko suggested. Much to Luna's relief, Chibi-Usa nodded before heading off towards the bathroom. Shaking her damp fur Luna started to trail her. Ikuko thought to herself. ****** Even though it was lunch time, Usagi wasn't in the mood to eat. Her thoughts were focused on the little girl who had suddenly appeared in her life. Usagi thought as she picked away at her bento box, Even though Chibi-Usa called her "Mommy", it was rather unreasonable. Usagi thought, "Usagi-chan?" came the voice of Makoto, "Are you okay?" Usagi turned and looked towards her friend, "Hi Mako-chan, what's up?" Makoto sat down beside Usagi and gave her friend a worried look. "What's up? Usagi isn't eating her lunch, that's what's up." "Are you sick, Usagi-chan?" Ami asked as well coming over to eat lunch with her other friends, "You look like you're worried about something." "Well..." Usagi began but trailed off. Usagi struggled for a moment before making a decision, "I can't come to the Senshi meeting today but Luna will tell you why." "Usagi, you can trust us," Makoto said, "What's the matter? Is it Mamoru?" "No," Usagi said shaking her head, "It's just... here's a little too public a place." Makoto and Ami exchanged worried looks. "Gomen, I do trust you but something might slip out and for the moment, I'm not sure what to do." "Okay Usagi-chan, if you say so," Ami said, "I saw you talking to Haruna-sensei this morning before school started. She seemed rather perturbed." "Well I didn't do my homework. I didn't have a really good excuse but I can't afford to get detention... at least NOT today," Usagi said, "I said that I'd try and get what I could done for tomorrow along with today's homework." Makoto whistled, "Wow, whatever the heck happened between the time we last saw you and today sure must have been something." Usagi just gave a weak smile but didn't fall for Makoto's ruse. Makoto thought, ****** Ikuko gave a silently sigh as she lifted the tea cup to her lips and took a long, refreshing sip. The morning had been painfully awkward; it had taken Ikuko nearly half an hour to convince Chibi-Usa help her make some muffins. Eventually Chibi-Usa had agreed to help; however, the process of making the muffins was slowed down because Chibi-Usa kept stopping to ensure that Luna was close by. The thought of Usagi's cat brought a curiosity to mind. Glancing over, she saw Chibi-Usa was chewing contentedly away on her lunch but was keeping a very careful watch on Ikuko. Any unexpected noise made the little girl jump. Getting through the morning had been rough and Ikuko didn't have any illusions about the afternoon either. "You were a good helper, Chibi-Usa-chan," Ikuko said, setting her tea cup down, "I bet Usagi will be really proud of you." "What about Daddy?" Chibi-Usa questioned. "Hai, I think your father would be proud of you as well," Ikuko said carefully. Her suspicions grew as she noted that some of the tension flowed out of the little girl, "Do you help Mommy clean the house?" "No, but we pretend that I do," Chibi-Usa said, "This is good, Obaa-san, arigato." She smiled at Ikuko. "Luna-chan!" Chibi-Usa called, "Do you want something to eat?" "I already fed Luna, Chibi-Usa-chan," Ikuko said, "But maybe you could get her some milk." "'Kay," Chibi-Usa agreed and hopped off of her chair, Chibi-Usa thought and through a glance towards the clock which read, "12:30". ****** As Usagi came up the walkway to her house, the front door was flung open and Chibi-Usa came running out. "Mommy!!!" she cried happily and running to her mother wrapped her arms around one of Usagi's legs, "I missed you so much!" Chibi-Usa cried. Usagi put her bookbag down and, reaching down, lifted the little girl into a hug, "Shhh..." Usagi comforted while stroking the girl's hair, "I promised I would come back." She felt little arms wrap around her neck in a hug, "I didn't lie to you. I'm home now." "Mommy, please don't leave me," Chibi-Usa whispered out, "It was scary." She snuggled against Usagi and shivered. Picking up her bookbag, Usagi walked into the house and closed the door. Once inside, she wrestled getting her shoes off with one hand and toppled to the floor in the process. Both girls gave a yelp of surprise and then Chibi-Usa took on a expression of horror as Usagi rolled and hit the floor, banging her head in the process. "Ow!!!" Usagi whined while rubbing her head. "Are you okay, Mommy?!?" Chibi-Usa demanded scrambling off of her mother and taking on a worried expression, "I'm sorry if I hurt you!" Usagi sat up, and reaching out an arm, took Chibi-Usa's hand, "You didn't hurt me, Chibi-Usa-chan. I just tripped," Usagi reassured the little girl, "I think a hug would make it better though." Chibi-Usa was quick to oblige and gave Usagi a quick hug, "Were you good for my mom?" "Hai," Chibi-Usa said and nodded rapidly, "I helped her." "Did you really?" Usagi said while standing and smiling at the pride that was showing through in Chibi-Usa's voice, "I bet you were a good helper." "She was a very good helper," Ikuko said from the kitchen doorway, "She is a very well behaved little girl." "I'm very proud of you," Usagi said while picking Chibi-Usa back up, "You know you should smile more often, you look very kawaii when you do." "Arigato Mommy," Chibi-Usa said and blushed at the compliment. "Here I drew this for you," Chibi-Usa said after taking a neatly folded piece of paper out of her pocket. "This is a very pretty picture. You draw bunnies really well," Usagi said, "It's very nice, arigato. Want to help me with my homework?" Usagi asked. Chibi-Usa wrinkled her forehead and said, "Mommy, what's homework?!?" Both Usagi and Ikuko stared at her in some disbelief. "Nani?" she asked starting to worry again. ****** The Sailor Senshi minus Usagi were gathered in Rei's room at the Hikawa Shrine. Rei had been rather upset that Usagi was skipping a meeting and didn't have the nerve to give her usual lame excuses. "Rei," Luna admonished when the fiery Shrine Maiden was calmed down sufficiently to listen, "Believe it or not, Usagi has more important things to do today." "Oh yeah? Like what?!?" Rei demanded. "Just be quiet and I'll tell you!" Luna commanded. Rei took on a stunned expression before grumpily sitting down at the table, "That's better. Now girls I want you to listen carefully. I'm glad Usagi didn't go blabbing this out in public." "She looked really worried, Luna," Makoto said, "What's the matter?" "Last Saturday, Usagi found a little girl. She had been physically abused severely. If her story is to be believed, she Usagi's daughter and she came from the future." "You don't believe her?" Ami asked. "It isn't a matter of belief. She somehow knows Usagi and knows that I can talk. What I find hard to believe is that she's Usagi's daughter. There is definitely a physical resemblance but until I can get Ami to do a scan on her, I won't have any solid proof either way. As well her name is Tsukino Usagi but we're calling her `Chibi-Usa'." "So what does that have to do with Odango Atama missing this meeting?" Rei demanded. "Chibi-Usa is very attached to Usagi and is also deathly afraid of anybody or anything that is strange or new. She's very timid," Luna explained, "Usagi nearly didn't make it out of the house this morning. She only managed to get to school ahead of time by promising to be home at twenty to four. It would have been difficult to come here, likely because Chibi-Usa would want to come and she's not ready for that type of exposure yet." "I have a few questions, Luna," Ami said. "Go ahead and ask. I'll try and answer the best that I can but I caution you all, DO NOT mention this publicly, at least for the moment. Chibi-Usa is in Tokyo and she isn't saying how. Her abuser might be looking for her." ****** "My Queen, I must leave for now," Pluto said. Serenity, whose vision was slowly returning, looked towards Pluto's voice. "You have not answered my question. Where am I?" "You are with allies that I have found," Pluto stated, "They are loyal to you and only you." Pluto's tone indicated that they had better stay that way as well. "Please tell me you did not bring me back to the past," Serenity said, "That would complicate matters." "No, but I must leave now. You will be safe here, My Queen, until I return. You will likely sleep for a while more." Pluto moved over to the entrance way of the room, "I must retrieve the Ginzuishou from Endymion. If I do not return, then you know that I have failed." Before Serenity could protest Pluto's almost suicidal actions, the Sailor Senshi of Time was gone. Once again she was alone, but not alone in the struggle and for that, Serenity was thankful. Part VI - Reality Tuesday afternoon found Chibi-Usa staring out the window in the front door. Chibi-Usa thought. Sending another glance at the clock, she saw that there was still one minute to go, Chibi-Usa thought. That morning hadn't been as rough as Monday morning but she still missed her mother and didn't understand why Usagi couldn't stay with her like before. As she turned back to the window Chibi-Usa thought that she had seen a figure coming to the house but it was only a woman walking along the sidewalk. A minute passed and still Usagi didn't come. Chibi-Usa thought as she strained to see past the wall, That thought only served to heighten her sense of worry. As another minute slipped by Chibi-Usa started to feel a desperation. Chibi-Usa thought. The last image of her mother being flung across the room rushing towards her. Squeezing her eyes shut to try and block the image, Chibi-Usa whimpered slightly. "Chibi-Usa-chan, is something wrong?" Ikuko asked. "Mommy isn't here," the little girl said turning to face Ikuko, "I'm scared. Maybe Daddy found her." Ikuko thought. "Honey, I'm sure that Usagi will be here soon." Just then the sound of the door took both by surprise. Chibi-Usa jumped and moved away to avoid the door. Her face changed from one of relief to one of disappointment when she saw that it was only Shingo. After Shingo had taken off upstairs Chibi-Usa turned back to her vigil but as another minute and then two passed, her sense of worry and the need to see her mother grew. Chibi-Usa thought. Quietly she put her shoes on and started to open the door. "Chibi-Usa, where are you going?" Ikuko asked from behind her. Jumping, Chibi-Usa turned around and said, "Obaa-san, Mommy isn't here. I gotta find her!" "Why don't you come help me. I'm sure Usagi will be here soon. She probably got detention." "What's de... de-ten-tion?!?" Chibi-Usa questioned. "Honey, just close the door. Usagi will be back," Ikuko said again. Reluctantly, Chibi-Usa shut the door. Turning, she gazed out the window again and gave a sniffle. And as another minute slipped by, the little girl's eyes started to fill with tears. ****** "I'M SO LATE!!!!" Usagi wailed as she raced down the sidewalk towards home. Dodging several slower moving pedestrians, and wiping out in the process, Usagi turned the final corner towards her house. "Five o'clock! Oh no!!! Chibi-Usa must be worried stiff!" Her concern started to grow even more when she approached the front door of her house and heard screaming. Bolting inside, Usagi was nearly knocked over by the yelling. Most of it coming from Chibi-Usa. Running into the living room Usagi found a very strange sight. Ikuko was sitting on the couch with both arms firmly wrapped around Chibi-Usa. Kenji was standing off to one side and was trying vainly to talk with Chibi-Usa. Chibi-Usa was putting up quite a struggle, trying to free herself. She twisted and squirmed trying to get free of Ikuko's grip. Her voice was hoarse from crying and she was howling at the top of her lungs for her mother. "MOMMY!!!!!!" Chibi-Usa howled and put a surprising extra effort into getting to her mother who had finally come home. Ikuko seeing that Usagi was home let go of Chibi-Usa who shot, almost literally, across the room and into Usagi's arms. Clamping on tightly, she hid her face and cried a new set of tears. Her death grip broke no comprise; she was not going to let go anytime soon. ****** Getting Chibi-Usa to bed that night was difficult but she finally went to sleep after wearing herself out. As Usagi came down the stairs her parents called her into the living room. "Usagi," Kenji said seriously, "We would like to talk to you." Usagi shuffled into the room to stand before her parents. "Usagi, WHERE were you?" "I got detention because my homework wasn't finished," Usagi said sheepishly, "I told Haruna-sensei yesterday that I'd try my best to finish all the homework from Friday and Monday." "You knew that Chibi-Usa was going to be looking for you," Ikuko said, "Usagi, I know you want to help her but being this irresponsible isn't doing her any good." "I know. I'll try harder," Usagi promised. "You're quite right, Usagi," Kenji said sternly, "Starting right now, you won't be going anywhere until your homework is finished. You also won't be getting any allowance if it's not done." "And to make sure you do your homework, I'll be watching you," Ikuko said, "That means you'll also be doing some of the chores I have to skip over." "But Mom..." Usagi started to protest. "NO!" Ikuko said getting up and coming to stand in front of Usagi, "You are fourteen. You also decided that you'd try to help this little girl. This is real life and it's time you started living in the real world! You can't just `help' when it suits you." Ikuko matched Usagi's gaze until Usagi looked towards the floor, "Do you understand?" "Hai," Usagi said softly, "Gomen nasai." "We aren't the ones you need to apologize to," Kenji said, "Chibi-Usa trusts only you. We aren't trying to be mean, Usagi. We love you very much but that little girl needs love more, and you are the only one at the moment that she's willing to get that love from." Usagi didn't respond, she just slowly walked towards the stairs deep in thought. Kenji thought, ****** The rest of the week past only slightly smoother. Wednesday morning was even more of a struggle for Usagi to get to school. Chibi-Usa was unwilling to believe that Usagi would be home when she said she would. It broke Usagi's heart to the leave the little girl so miserable but there was very little she could do. The weekend brought relief for both Usagi and Chibi-Usa. Usagi wasn't going anywhere and Chibi-Usa was quite happy about that. So Saturday found Chibi-Usa sitting with Usagi watching the television and enjoying the anime that was playing. Even though Ikuko had gotten her a set of bunny pajamas to wear, Chibi-Usa seemed to have grown quite attached to Usagi's pajama top and used that to sleep in. Ikuko was just looking in on the girl at about ten that morning when a knock came at the door. Going to answer it, she found Haruna Koume along with the original police officers. "Konnichiwa, please come in," Ikuko said while moving out of the door way. Haruna-san and the two officers entered the house, "Can I get you some tea?" Ikuko asked. "No, arigato, Tsukino-san," one of the officers said, "Tsukino-san, we had the police department in Okinawa checked in on that address that you gave us. After doing an investigation we've found that the little girl is not your cousin's daughter." Ikuko furrowed her brow, "We were wondering if you could have been thinking of someone else?" "I don't think so," Ikuko said, "I know the family that I keep in close contact with don't have any children her age." "Well if you do think of anything, could you let us know?" "Hai, I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help. You might want to check with my husband. He might remember someone," Ikuko offered, getting a piece of paper she wrote down the phone number and address of where Kenji worked before handing the paper to the officer. "Arigato, we'll do that. Your cousin did give us a lead though. Unfortunately, the family moved to North America. She's unsure where and we're having trouble tracking them down. Well we should go but we'll let you know if anything turns up." "Good-bye," Ikuko said and showed the two police officers out of the door. Turning Ikuko said, "Haruna-san, would you like some tea?" "Hai, arigato." Koume said, "May I see Chibi-Usa?" "Hai, she's in the living room watching television." After pointing her guest in the proper direction, Ikuko walked into the kitchen. Koume smiled, the little girl was looking a lot better. "Konnichiwa," she called. "Haruna-san, konnichiwa," Usagi said, "Chibi-Usa-chan, do remember Haruna-san?" "Konnichiwa Haruna-san." "Well, Chibi-Usa-chan, do you like it here?" Koume asked as she sat in an armchair. "Hai, I like spending my time with Mommy. She's neat, but I don't like her going to school. We used to do all sorta stuff together but now..." "Chibi-Usa-chan," Ikuko interrupted, "Why don't you go get dressed and then you can show Haruna-san the pictures you've been drawing." "'Kay Obaa-san. Come on, Mommy," Chibi-Usa said and taking Usagi's hand started to pull her towards the stairs, "We gotta get Luna. Haruna-san will want to talk to her too!" Usagi thought as she was pulled up the stairs, ****** Chibi-Usa sat in one of the examining rooms at the doctor's office along with Usagi and Ikuko that Saturday afternoon waiting for the doctor to come in. She was wearing one of those drafty medical garments and was longing to wear the yellow sundress that her grandmother had bought her. She had fallen in love with it as soon as she had laid her eyes on the dress. Jumping slightly as the door opened, Chibi-Usa stared wide-eyed at the female doctor that entered the office. "Well hello there, and how are you today?" she asked Chibi-Usa. "Konnichiwa Sensei," Chibi-Usa replied formally. To emphasize the thought, she shivered. "My a polite patient, I like that," she remarked, "Well you must really like your grandmother's cooking because you gained about five pounds." "Yeah, Obaa-san cooks really good!" Chibi-Usa said and smiled. "Well let's just finish you up then," the doctor said, "Can I get you to lay on your tummy?" Chibi-Usa looked nervously at Usagi who got up and walked over to the table. "Come on let's get this over with and then we can go get ice cream," Usagi said. Taking Chibi-Usa's hand, she reassured the little girl and helped her lay on her stomach. The doctor carefully started the examination and as she worked she kept up questioning Chibi-Usa about what she had been doing lately. Occasionally, she would scribble something down on the chart that was beside her and then continue to poke and probe. After about five minutes the doctor said, "Okay Chibi-Usa-chan, I just need you to lay on your side." Waiting until the little girl was on her side the doctor said, "Okay now I want you to listen to me very carefully." ****** As Chibi-Usa was getting dressed the doctor pulled Ikuko out into the hallway to have a talk, "Well I see what you mean. I say that her inability to have a bowel movement is due to stress. We'll try the natural approach first, feed her bran or something along those lines. Other than that, she seems to be improving. The welts are nearly gone but I'll give you another prescription for some more cream. The bruising is fading and she's starting to gain some weight. Most of the visible physical damage should be gone within another week or so. The x-rays came back fine, well as fine as could be expected under the circumstances." Both adults turned as the examining room door opened, "Oh now that's a pretty dress." "Arigato," Chibi-Usa said, "Mommy, can we get some ice cream?" "Hai, let's go," Usagi said, "I think we have some at home." Shaking her head, Ikuko thanked the doctor before leaving. Ikuko thought and gave a little giggle. ****** High above Tokyo, shielded by the detection equipment of that day, Rubeus' crystalline ship appeared. Inside Rubeus gazed out over the city and gave a feral grin. This was going to be easy picking. Yes indeed, he was going to enjoy this assignment. He turned his back and continued along his pleasant line of thought, Calling to his four traveling companions, he said, "It is time. To plan for the capturing of Endymion's little Rabbit. But first, let's have fun." From the darkness four sets of eyes glinted evilly, hungrily waiting for the hunt to begin. Part VII - The Gentle One Another week passed. To Usagi it passed with tortured slowness as she struggled with her new responsibilities. Her days of coasting through life and just barely getting by came to an abrupt halt. Her mother was consistent and firm in watching Usagi do her homework and no amount of wailing or pleading dissuaded her mother. Saturday morning was bright, if slightly chilly. The occasional powder-puff cloud lazily floated across the early morning sky as the sun crept up from its watery bed in the east. Usagi lay awake, thinking. She could feel the warmth as Chibi-Usa snuggled close to her. She could hear the little girl's breathing as she slept peacefully, a little arm lightly hugging Usagi. Reaching up, Usagi gently stroked Chibi-Usa's hair and smiled softly. Usagi thought, Chibi-Usa stirred slightly and slowly opened one eye. She gave a smile of contentment and looked up to Usagi. "Morning Mommy," the little girl said sleepily, "Time to get up?" "No, it's Saturday. You can sleep some more if you want," Usagi said and gave Chibi-Usa a hug, "Or do you want to get up?" Shaking her head slightly, Chibi-Usa closed her eyes and snuggled against her mother. For the moment, Chibi-Usa was content to simply lay next to her mother, eyes closed, enjoying the warmth. ****** Later that morning, Usagi entered the kitchen and said, "Mom, can I talk to you?" "Where's Chibi-Usa?" Ikuko asked, noting that the little girl wasn't trailing Usagi. "She's watching TV with Shingo," Usagi said, "She didn't seem to mind. Chibi-Usa must be getting used to him." "What did you want to talk about, Usagi-chan?" Ikuko asked while sitting down at the table. "I thought I'd take Chibi-Usa over and introduce her to Ami," Usagi said, "She seems pretty comfortable with you now. I know Chibi-Usa can't spend all her time here. I thought Ami would be best because she's the quietest of my friends." Ikuko smiled at Usagi and nodded, "I think that would be a good idea. Have you told Chibi-Usa yet?" "No, I haven't yet. I wanted to see if you thought it was a good idea first. I don't need her getting really scared again." "Usagi-chan, what a pleasant surprise," Ikuko said, "I think Chibi-Usa should like Ami." ****** Shortly after her conversation with her mother, Usagi took Chibi-Usa upstairs to get dressed and to talk to her about going to Ami's. The first order of business was to put Chibi-Usa's hair up in "rabbit ear" odangos. It had taken Usagi nearly two hours the previous Sunday to get the knack of putting Chibi-Usa's hair up in the original style. What had utterly amazed Usagi was the patience that Chibi-Usa seemed to have. She simply sat contentedly looking through a book. Now, however, it didn't take much time for Usagi to get the hair up into the odangos. Once that was done, Usagi said, "Chibi-Usa-chan, would you like to meet one of my friends?" "Pardon Mommy?" Chibi-Usa asked looking up from her book. "I thought that you'd like to meet one of my friends. Her name is Ami," Usagi said, "Would you like to meet her?" Chibi-Usa gave this some thought before nodding, "That's great!" Usagi exclaimed. "You're not gonna leave, are you Mommy?" Chibi-Usa questioned looking at Usagi with her large, innocence eyes. "NO! No, Chibi-Usa-chan, I won't leave you. I just want you to meet Ami. You should like her. She likes to read too." Rifling through her closet, Usagi produced two dresses, "What one do you want to wear?" Chibi-Usa hopped off the bed and, going over to stand in front of her mother, gave the question some thought. "Mommy, what's Ami's color?" "Nani?" Usagi questioned, "You mean what color does Ami like?" Chibi-Usa nodded. "Well Ami likes blue, I think." "Then I want to wear that one, please Mommy," Chibi-Usa said as she pointed to a light blue dress. She had asked Usagi before and Usagi kept saying she didn't know where her father was. In fact, in the past few days this was the first time that she had even thought about her father. Chibi-Usa thought. "Mommy, can we see Daddy?" Chibi-Usa questioned, "I don't want him to be mad at me." Crouching down so she could look at Chibi-Usa in the eye, Usagi said, "Honey, I'm not sure where your dad is. Now let's get ready and then I'll phone Ami see if it's okay that we come over." Chibi-Usa nodded happily and gave her mother a hug. Usagi hugged the little girl back before standing up, "Now are you sure you don't want to wear the pink one?" "I'm sure, Mommy," Chibi-Usa replied. ****** Usagi looked down to the little girl who was holding her hand tightly. Chibi-Usa was gazing around the streets, acting as if everything was new to her. If the sidewalk became particularly crowded, Chibi-Usa would press close to Usagi's leg making walking difficult and crushing Luna in the process. The Lunar Cat was being held by Chibi-Usa almost like a security blanket. After a few minutes they approached the Mizuno's front door and it was opened by Ami. "Konnichiwa Usagi-chan, and who's this?" she asked turning her gaze onto Chibi-Usa. Ami thought, "Konnichiwa Ami-chan," Usagi replied happily, "Ami-chan, this is Tsukino Usagi, but we call her Chibi-Usa. Chibi-Usa-chan..." Usagi stopped and looked around, "Where'd she go?!?" Usagi questioned. Chibi-Usa, who had been standing beside her had disappeared. "I'm here, Mommy," came a soft voice from behind Usagi. Usagi turned and found Chibi-Usa standing behind her, "Chibi-Usa-chan, you don't have to be scared. This is my friend. Come on," Usagi said taking Chibi-Usa's hand, "Chibi-Usa-chan, this is Mizuno Ami." "Konnichiwa Mizuno-san, you and Mommy are friends?" she asked Ami. Chibi-Usa thought examining the strange girl who her mother was introducing her to. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Chibi-Usa-chan, please come in," Ami said and stepped out of the doorway to let the small group enter. "Chibi-Usa-chan, why don't you let Luna down and I'll get her some milk." Chibi-Usa seemed reluctant at first but after getting a reassuring smile from Usagi she let Luna go. The black cat dropped to the ground and shook her fur out before saying, "Arigato Ami-chan, I could use a drink. Now Chibi-Usa, I promise that Ami won't hurt you," Luna said turning to look at the young child, "I think you'll like Ami." ****** A little while later, Ami along with Usagi, Chibi-Usa, and Luna were sitting in Ami's room. Ami smiled as Chibi-Usa giggled. She could see that Usagi was happy to see Chibi-Usa enjoying herself. "You're smart, Ami-san," Chibi-Usa said while clapping, "You can read pretty good!" She then giggled again as Usagi gave her a hug. She was sitting in Usagi's lap and had listened to Ami read a story. "Chibi-Usa-chan, do you like school?" "What's school?" Chibi-Usa asked again. Then an idea occurred to her, "Mommy, does Daddy go to school, too?" "I don't think so, Chibi-Usa-chan," Usagi said. Ami raised and eyebrow quizzically at Chibi-Usa's first question before saying, "School is where you go to learn stuff." Chibi-Usa wrinkled her forehead, "But Sobo not go to school with Mommy. How can Mommy uh... do stuff if Sobo not show her?" This response made both Ami's eyebrows raise in curiosity. "I not like school. It takes my Mommy away. It bad!" Usagi giggled, "No, Chibi-Usa-chan, school isn't that type of bad. You know what rules are right?" Chibi-Usa nodded, her daddy made a lot of rules. "Well one of the rules is that I have to go to school." "What about me?" Chibi-Usa questioned. "When you're not scared anymore, then we'll talk about you going to school," Usagi said, "How does that sound?" Chibi-Usa looked skeptical but nodded her acceptance. "So you learn stuff from your mother, Chibi-Usa-chan?" "Hai, Mommy's GREAT! She shows me all sorta stuff!" Chibi-Usa then said, "But when you sent me to the past you stopped showing me stuff, how come?" The image of the great bird brought a smile to her face. "Because..." Usagi trailed off looking for an answer, "Because, I don't know," she finally admitted, "Would you want me to show you stuff?" Chibi-Usa nodded, "Like what, honey?" "Show me Kanji. Mommy, you said you didn't know it. But if you go to school, then you must know it, ne?" "Gomen," Usagi said and flushed, "I don't know Kanji but Ami could show you." "Really?!?" Chibi-Usa asked turning to Ami, "You..." "Please show me, Ami-san?" "Only if you call me `Ami-chan'." "'Kay," Chibi-Usa said happy to comply, "You show me now?" "Hai, come over here and sit by me." Ami noted the hesitation, "You come over too, Usagi-chan, and we'll show you some too." That last comment made Usagi stick out her tongue, "Now Usagi-chan, that's not very polite," Ami admonished then giggled at Usagi's scowl. Ami thought as she retrieved some writing material. ****** Just after lunch Ami waved good by to Usagi and Chibi-Usa, "Good-bye Chibi-Usa-chan, Usagi-chan. I enjoyed having you over!" Ami called, "I'll send Luna home soon, Chibi-Usa-chan, I promise!" "Arigato Ami-chan!" Chibi-Usa said as she waved good-bye. "Bye Ami-chan, arigato for lunch. We'll see you later!" Usagi called and taking Chibi-Usa's hand they started heading for home. When the door closed Luna looked up towards Ami and said, "Ami-chan, did you get a chance to do a scan?" "Hai, come into my room. I need to talk to you." Picking Luna up, she went walked back into her room and shut the door. Retrieving her minicomputer, Ami typed a command to pull up the data that she had recorded, "I set my computer to do a broad spectrum scan. I also had it do a comparison on both Usagi's and Chibi-Usa's DNA structure." "I'm not going to like this, am I?" Luna questioned. "Usagi is Chibi-Usa's mother. The margin by which Usagi could NOT be the mother is so slim even I'm not willing to consider it." Luna thought, then frowned. "But if Usagi IS Chibi-Usa's mother, does that mean that Mamoru is the father??? I'd hate to think that. I mean Mamoru is a very caring person. Could it be that he is her abuser?" "Unfortunately, I have never really gotten a good scan of Mamoru. At least at the genetic level," Ami admitted, "Although I wouldn't want to speculate on the matter if we rule out either Usagi or Mamoru being unfaithful, then we have to look at the possibility that he is the abuser." "Damn!" Luna swore, "This is all I need." She sat down, "We call the Senshi for a meeting, tomorrow. I'll try and get Chibi-Usa to stay with Ikuko long enough for Usagi to come. Ami do you think you can get over and do a scan on Mamoru? Say you just need to update your records or something." "I'll try Luna but if Mamoru is the abuser, wouldn't that raise his suspicions? Or rather his future self's suspicions? If he can travel back in time, what else could Mamoru's future self do? He knows where we live." Luna twitched her tail in irritation, "I forgot about that. Okay, we'll have to be sneaky about it. I'll try and think of something." Turning, Luna headed for Ami's bedroom window, "Well I better get home before Chibi-Usa worries that something's happened to me." "Ja ne, Luna." "Ja ne, Ami-chan. I'll see you tomorrow." ****** Later that evening at the Tsukino home, the phone rang. Usagi bounded down the stairs and grabbed it before her mother could get to it. "Moshi moshi," Usagi said into the mouth piece, "Tsukino residence." "Usako?" came the man's voice. "Mamo-chan?!?" Usagi cried softly, "What are you doing calling me here?!? Not that I mind or anything but my dad'd blow a fuse or something if he heard me talking to you." "I haven't seen you in two weeks," Mamoru said in a very depressed voice, "You never showed up for our meeting that Saturday and I haven't heard anything since." "Oh my poor Mamo-chan," Usagi said, "I'm sorry I missed our date. I've just been really busy." She pictured Mamoru's sad face and said, "Gomen, can you ever forgive me?" "I suppose," Mamoru said taking on a reluctant air, "What do I get out of it?" "Ice cream?" "Usagi..." Usagi giggled, "Gomen, ah, how about a kiss?" "Well I'd like a kiss from you Usako but I was thinking maybe something a little more romantic. Say like that boat ride we WERE supposed to go on?" "I wish I could," Usagi said as she noticed Chibi-Usa watching her intently, "But I have to stay at home for a while... Say would you mind if someone tagged along?" "Usagi, I said romantic. Typically, that only involves only TWO people. Might I also remind you that Rei gave up on me?" Usagi was glad Mamoru couldn't see her blush, "Well give me a call, okay? I'm worried about you." "Love you," Usagi whispered and stood there deep in thought, long after Mamoru had hung the phone up. Chibi-Usa was also thinking. Her curiosity was just dying to know who her mother had been talking to but Chibi-Usa knew that it would be impolite to ask, especially when she really shouldn't have been listening in to the conversation at all. Part VIII - Mommy's Reflection As the days passed towards another weekend, Chibi-Usa became more comfortable with the idea of Usagi going to school. Each day after school, Usagi would come home and then take Chibi-Usa over to Ami's house. Although why her mother kept muttering to herself, Chibi-Usa didn't know. She liked Ami who always seemed to have something new to talk about. They kept up with Kanji but mostly for Usagi. Chibi-Usa got help with her spelling, math, and reading. Also between the high amount of fiber her grandmother was feeding her and the continually diminishing amount of stress in her young life, Chibi-Usa was starting to feel a whole lot happier. As Friday evening rolled around, Chibi-Usa was feeling on top of the world. She was spending time with her mother, getting to do new things every day and she seemed to be behaving very well. She hadn't been in trouble once since she had arrived at the Tsukino home. At bedtime on Friday evening, Chibi-Usa was dozing while laying on her stomach. Chibi-Usa thought as she dimly felt Usagi apply some of the salve to her bum. The welts didn't hurt so much now; it was more like an itching sensation. After the medicine was applied, her mother gave her a back rub and she really liked that. After a few moments Usagi said, "Okay, Chibi-Usa-chan, I'm done." At that cue, Chibi-Usa lifted her hips slightly so her underpants could be slid back up. Once they were settled, she lowered herself again. "Want me to rub your back?" Chibi-Usa nodded slightly; she was almost asleep. "Okay," came Usagi's voice as if from a distance. She felt her mother's hands tenderly work their way up, relaxing her. Chibi-Usa gave a sigh of contentment. She felt warm and safe and as Usagi worked her way back down again Chibi-Usa slipped from the real world into the dream one, she mumbled out, "Daddy, please love me." ****** Chibi-Usa stared with some consternation at the person she had just been introduced to. After having gone to the doctor's for one more checkup on Saturday, Chibi-Usa had found that they were not going over to Ami's, much to the little girl's disappointment. "Konnichiwa Aino-san," Chibi-Usa finally managed to get out, "You look like Mommy." "Oh she's so kawaii!!!" Minako gushed to Usagi, "She just looks like you. Come inside." Then turning, Mina bounced with a large amount of energy into her house. Chibi-Usa thought as they followed Minako into the house, Stopping, she looked at the white cat that was staring at Luna. "Hi kitty," she called, "What's your name?" "His name is Artemis," Luna answered, "Don't mind him. He's slow on the uptake sometimes." "Watch it, Luna!" Artemis retorted, "So when did you become a living hat?" Luna, who was nestled between Chibi-Usa's odangos, declined to answer and instead simply hopped off the little girl's head. "Oh you two stop," Minako admonished playfully. She noted that Chibi-Usa was looking worriedly at Artemis, "Oh don't mind him, Pumpkin, Artemis and Luna are in love." "Oh," Chibi-Usa said, "That's why they fight." "Nani?!?" Minako asked, "What do you mean?" "Well Daddy says that he loves Mommy but Daddy and Mommy fight all the time," Chibi-Usa said. Unconsciously, she sniffled. "Oh," Minako said unsure what to say, "Well why don't we go to my room." And turning, led the way up the stairs. ****** Usagi thought as soon as they walked into Minako's room, Sure Usagi had her own collection of stuffed bunnies but it was small, in fact tiny, compared to Minako's collection. Ninety-eight percent of the room's surface area was covered with some type of stuffed animal. It ranged from the giant red hippo chair to a family of stuffed toy mice that were sitting on Minako's neglected homework. "Here you go, Chibi-Usa-chan. You look like you could use a friend," Minako said and shoved an overly large stuffed bunny into the child's arms. Chibi-Usa's reaction confused Minako. The little girl acted as if holding the toy was painful. However, she didn't drop it, instead Chibi-Usa stiffened while taking on an expression similar to one that deer get when caught in the glare of oncoming headlights. "Don't you like it?" Minako asked taking on a hurt expression. This just caused Chibi-Usa more stress and she gave a small whimper. Usagi thought. Crouching down, Usagi looked at Chibi-Usa and said, "It's okay, Chibi-Usa-chan, Minako didn't know." She then slowly took the toy. Chibi-Usa immediately took on a relieved expression but looked worriedly towards Minako who was looking extremely confused. "Minako-chan, Chibi-Usa's Daddy doesn't let her have toys. You wouldn't want to get her in trouble with him, would you?" Usagi said while handing the toy back to Minako. "No, I wouldn't want that," Minako said after a brief pause, "Gomen, Chibi-Usa-chan." "You're not mad?" came the soft question. The little girl asked it as she leaned up against Usagi's leg for protection. "Nope," Minako said, "Now let's say we have a sing along." Hearing those words, both Lunar Cats shot out of the room and fled down the stairs. "Spoil sports!" Minako yelled after them, "Now Chibi-Usa-chan, what type of music do you like to listen to?" ****** "Bye Minako-chan," Chibi-Usa waved, "Arigato!" She and Usagi had endured Minako's "sing along" with good grace before the three girls found something all found entertaining. As they walked towards the Tsukino home, Chibi-Usa asked, "Mommy, is Minako your sister?" Usagi glanced down and gave Chibi-Usa a smile, "No, but some people think we are. It's silly really. Me and Minako are just friends. Did you have a good time at Minako's?" "Hai, arigato," Chibi-Usa said. The rest of the walk to the Tsukino home was pleasant. Chibi-Usa kept up a continuous chatter about different things, ranging from Artemis to the different stores along the street. Once they were within the Tsukino home, Usagi said, "Chibi-Usa-chan, would it be okay if I went out for a little while?" "Can I come?" Chibi-Usa asked, "Please Mommy?" "Chibi-Usa-chan," came Ikuko's voice from the kitchen door, "I could use your help. Why don't you let Usagi go for a little while and you can be my helper." "I tell you what, Chibi-Usa-chan, you help my mom now and I'll read you two stories tonight," Usagi offered. "O-Kay," Chibi-Usa said sounding a little depressed. As Usagi lifted her into a hug, Chibi-Usa wrapped her small arms around Usagi's neck and hugged her back. "I'll miss you." "I won't be gone long," Usagi said, "Now you be good for my mom and I'll be very proud of you." Setting Chibi-Usa down, she gave the little girl a smile before slipping out of the door. Chibi-Usa thought then turned towards her grandmother, "Obaa-san, what are we doing?" "We're going to make your mommy a special treat," Ikuko answered. "Really?!?" Chibi-Usa asked, "What?" "Come on and I'll show you," Ikuko said and much to her delight Chibi-Usa skipped towards her and then into the kitchen. ****** High above Tokyo, a crystalline ship floated and inside Rubeus was plotting. "Cooan!" he summoned to the youngest of his traveling companions, "Come here!" Cooan walked out of one of the many mirrors that surrounded Rubeus and said, "Hai Rubeus-sama?" "I have a mission for you. His Majesty has ordered me to capture his daughter. First though, we must deal with these supposed Sailor Senshi. >From what His Majesty has told me, they're fourteen." "Tokyo is big, Rubeus-sama, where should we start to look?" "Endymion-sama told me that the Sailor Senshi are closest to the Juuban District. We are to start our operations there and move outwards. My observations indicate that there is a popular arcade in the Juuban District. Start there, go and crush it and all that are inside. That should draw the Senshi out." "As you command, Rubeus-sama." Cooan turned to leave but Rubeus' voice drew her up short. "Cooan, you are NOT to harm the girl they refer to as Sailor Moon. That is a direct order from Endymion himself. You hurt her and you will be explaining it to His Majesty in person." Cooan paled slightly but nodded her understanding before disappearing through one of the mirrors again. Rubeus thought and started to laugh. This was going to be excellent sport. ****** It had been a hard fought battle. Either go into the arcade which Usagi had been passing or continue on to Mamoru's apartment. Usagi had stood on the sidewalk for a good five minutes before arguing the pros and cons of each. After getting some odd looks from passers-by, Usagi finally decided that she could see Mamoru anytime. However, if she didn't take this chance to play video games, then she'd likely blow her allowance on other things. Not long after, Usagi found herself in a desperate battle to survive. However, fate seemed to be working against her. "Oh... lost again," Usagi pouted as she started at the "Game Over" screen for the "Sailor V" video game. "What's the matter, Usagi-chan?" Turning around, Usagi smiled at the sight of Motoki. "Hi Motoki-kun, oh this stupid game beat me again." She pouted and looking sadly at the young man, said, "It took the rest of my tokens." Motoki's eyes enlarged. "But Usagi," Motoki protested, "You spent almost one thousand yen on tokens. Are you saying that you put them all into that one machine?!?" Usagi nodded. "And you still lost???" His voice was now incredulous. "Yeah, I nearly beat the thing too," Usagi whined, "Not fair! I managed to save up all my allowance and then this dumb thing steals it on me." Getting up from the chair, she sauntered coyly over to Motoki and said, "You wouldn't happen to have an extra token on you, Motoki-kun?" "Usagi-chan," Motoki admonished, "If I went around giving free tokens to people, this place would never make any money." He sighed as Usagi pouted at him, her bottom lip sticking out and eyes drooping slightly in disappointment. "No Usagi-chan, go home," Motoki said, "I have to get back to work now." With that Motoki turned and waded into the crowd. Heaving a sigh, Usagi also turned but towards the front doors and, after squirming through the crowd, managed to slip out into the less crowded sidewalks. Usagi thought, Her self-pity was interrupted by a voice yelling. Turning to see what was happening, her eyes enlarged and her mouth swung open in surprise. "SENSHI!!! COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!" the heavily armored figured called. Hefting a car like a dumbbell, it tossed it into the arcade that Usagi had just left. As the car flew towards and then impacted the arcade, Usagi could hear screaming, first of fear and then of pain as the window in front shattered sending deadly projectiles in all directions. Usagi desperately thought and then commanding her legs to run, she scurried down the street looking for a place where she could transform. Behind her, she heard and explosion and then the monster called out again. As she watched her Droid cause havoc, Cooan smiled. She would not fail Rubeus and he would reward her. "Tumble, get that one!" Cooan shouted spotting a figure running down the street. "Hai Cooan-sama!" Tumble cried out. Snaring a lamppost, she turned and, aiming at the fleeing figure, flung it like a javelin. "When the weak run, the tough get after them!" Tumble shouted and raised her spiked arms high above her head in triumph as her makeshift javelin found its target. To Tsukino Usagi, seeing a girl of her own age being flung down the street by a flying lamppost was a little too much to take. Grabbing at her communicator, she frantically pushed the call buttons and then started to jabber away as if her life depended on it. ****** Having heard the desperate plea for help, the rest of the Sailor Senshi rushed to the location. They found Sailor Moon in a daze. The street outside had been chewed up and pockmarked as the monster kept calling out for the Senshi and tossing anything heavy she could get her hands on. "What is that thing?!?" Sailor Jupiter asked. "I don't know!!!" Sailor Moon wailed, "I was coming out of the arcade and then all of a sudden, that thing shows up and starts wrecking the place while calling for us to come out." "Well, what are we waiting for?!?" Mars demanded, "There are innocent people being hurt. We have to help them!" Pushing herself shakily up, Sailor Moon nodded, "Okay let's go." With that she leapt up to the rooftop and noticed Cooan floating below her and across the street. "YOU!!!" Sailor Moon cried, "For hurting the innocent and ruining my afternoon, IN THE NAME OF THE MOON, I WILL PUNISH YOU!" "Nani?!?" Cooan asked surprised as she looked upwards towards the new voice. "Tumble, take down the Senshi!" "Hai Cooan-sama!" Tumble called and picking up a good sized chunk of concrete, flung it at the ledge on which the Sailor Senshi were standing. Sailor Moon gave a cry of surprise and leapt away to land down the street about twenty feet from the enemy. She needn't have worried though as the concrete sailed over her previous position easily and, instead, impacted in the middle of the other Senshi. Cooan thought. Moving to stand beside the Droid, she said, "Tumble, don't hurt the one with the funny hairstyle!" After recovering from the shock of having a chunk of concrete tossed at her, Sailor Mars ran towards the ledge. "BURNING MANDALA!" Mars called from the rooftop firing her attack towards Cooan. The hot flaming rings shot forth but passed harmlessly through the space that Cooan had been occupying. Sailor Mars thought. "Nice try, child, but you'll have to better than that!" Cooan sneered out to Sailor Mars. "Allow me to show you how it's done." With that Cooan summoned her ice fire and started her own attack. Meanwhile, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus had decided to double team the creature. Venus used her "Venus Love-Me Chain" to encircle the brute. "Now!" Venus called. "Right!" Jupiter signaled back, "SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON!" The powerful energy forces which formed the energy dragon swirled for a moment before coalescing into a brightly glowing form of a dragon. It hovered briefly above the struggling armored figure before shutting down and engulfing its target. "Sailor Moon, get it now!" Sailor Mars called, "Before it can do anything!" Turning her attention back to Cooan, Sailor Mars attacked once again, "BURNING MANDALA!" The flaming rings shot out and managed to singe Cooan. "You'll pay for that!" Cooan yelled as she quickly squelched the flames on her gaudy outfit. "Hai!" Sailor Moon said and, drawing out her Moon Scepter, she called upon her attack. "MOON PRINCESS HALATION!" And after the giant crescent moon had obliterated the creature, Sailor Moon gave a cheer, "Dusted!" "How dare you destroy my Droid!" Cooan shrieked. She was about to launch into another attack when a streak of red shot forth. At the sound of an impact, Cooan looked down to see a red rose imbedded into the road at her feet. "If you are going to play this game, you must be prepared to lose!" "Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" Sailor Moon cried in delight turning her head towards her love, "Just in time!" Cooan thought angrily, "You won that round," Cooan snarled, "But this was just a test. Be warned, children, we are out to kill you!" With that Cooan flitted out of sight leaving the Sailor Senshi to ponder their newest enemy's words. Part IX - Imagery Transforming back, Usagi dashed over to Mamoru, who had also resumed his civilian garb, and hugged him. "Oh Mamo-chan!" Usagi said, "I missed you so much!" "Usagi, where were you?" Mamoru said, "You called me earlier and told me that you were leaving Minako's and that after you went home, you were coming over." He tried to sound frustrated but couldn't once he looked deeply into her eyes, the world around them starting to fade out. "Are you okay?" "Hai," Usagi mumbled out, "Gomen, Mamo-chan. I was on my way to your place but I couldn't resist going into the arcade." She stared into his eyes and hoped that he would kiss her. "Excuse me!" came the loud voice beside them. Both Usagi and Mamoru jumped and turned to find Rei looking at them. "I hate to interrupt you two love birds but what if the cops come and find you two necking while there are people in trouble?!" Usagi pouted slightly, "I guess Rei's right." "Come on, Usagi. Let's go back to my place and you can tell me what's kept you so occupied for the past two weeks." He raised an eyebrow as Usagi took on a panicked expression. "Something wrong, Usako?" "NO! No," Usagi said while placing her one arm behind her head, "Nothing's wrong. Sure, I'd love to go to your apartment." A very protective nature wouldn't allow her to. "Usagi-chan, you usually eat at five, ne?" Ami asked. "If she had her way, she'd eat twenty-four hours a day," Rei muttered. "Hai, why Ami-chan?" "Well it's almost five. If you run home, you just might make it on time for supper. Besides, I don't think you told your mom you were going to Mamoru's. She likely thinks you're at the arcade." She waved her arm around indicating the various news agencies, "Ohmygosh!" Usagi screeched and tore off down the decimated sidewalk, "See you later, Mamo-chan! Love yo... EEEK!" Mamoru blinked as Usagi disappeared down a hole. "Hey! Can somebody get me a ladder or something!" came Usagi's voice from the hole. Mamoru thought as he ran towards his trapped girlfriend. ****** Late that same evening, Mamoru slept peacefully. His breathing steady as he entered a dream state. A slow smile spreading across his face; to any observer, they might think that Mamoru was having a pleasant dream, and he was. He found himself sitting beside Usagi on top of a grassy hill, a small stand of trees off to the left in the distance. The sounds of nature around and no one to bother them. Puffy white clouds stretched out in long strings floating lazily along. "Usako, you are so beautiful," Mamoru said as his stroked her hair, "My precocious princess." Cupping the back of Usagi's head in his hand, he drew her into a kiss. The couple held that pose for what seemed like an eternity until a slight wind made them shiver. Wrapping his arms around Usagi, he contented himself with just staring out over the endless sea of color listening to Usagi's breathing and feeling her body's warmth against his. "Mamo-chan?" Usagi said. "Hmmm?" "Mamo-chan, how do you see me?" "What do you mean, Usagi-chan?" Mamoru asked. "Am I your girlfriend or a princess?" Usagi said pulling away slightly so she could turn to look at him. "Both Usako. I love you with all of my heart." "Then why haven't you ever told me? Shown me?" Mamoru frowned slightly, "Usako, I have told you. I hope I've shown my love to you." "I suppose..." Usagi said but she seemed doubtful. Not feeling well about how this was going, Mamoru started to wrap his arm around her reassuringly but the dream shimmered and then faded away as Mamoru awoke. He found that it was still night. ****** At about the same time that Mamoru was having his dream, the girls were having a meeting via communicator. Ami sat on her bed with Luna and Artemis curled up at her feet. She was listening as Usagi recounted what had happened before Usagi had called the others. "Figures you'd waste your money in that place," Rei sneered, "If you had one more token, we might've needed a crowbar to pull you out of the rubble." Before Usagi could retort, Luna cut them off. "Girls!" she said sternly, "We don't have time for this petty bickering." She waited as Usagi and Rei stopped grumbling before continuing, "We have a new problem. Specifically, the new enemy is out to get US. Not energy, not crystals, but US!" "That doesn't make sense though. What are they some type of dimensional hit squad?" Minako asked, "Why would they be after us? We don't have anything they want." "They know we're Senshi though," Usagi emphasized, "They came to Tokyo. Doesn't that mean they might know who we are?" "Unlikely," Artemis said, "If they knew where you lived, they would likely strike at you when not in Senshi forms. It could be that they want to get rid of the Senshi first before they start a larger operation." "I'll try a fire reading," Rei said, "I should go now. Grandpa will wonder who I'm talking to and I don't need him to hassle me." "Well until we get more to go on, I guess that's it. I'll be home in a little bit, Usagi." "Okay Luna, 'night." The others bid their own goodnights before signing off. Once Ami's communicator was off, Luna turned and asked, "Did you get a scan of Mamoru?" "Hai," Ami said drawing out her minicomputer from her dimensional pocket, "However, I don't know if you'll like the results." Settling herself more comfortably, Ami continued, "Mamoru is NOT the father... at least not the biological father." "Nani?" Artemis questioned while taking on a puzzled look. "Given Mamoru's nature, his genetic markers are supercharged. It'd be hard to miss them. I did a comparison between Mamoru's DNA and Chibi-Usa's DNA. Usagi is the mother but Mamoru is not the father." Luna started to pace, "This just gets more confusing all the time. We find two pieces of the puzzle but they don't match!" Sitting down, she looked at Artemis and said, "What's your take on this?" Taking on a thoughtful expression, Artemis said, "I'm just about as in the dark as you are." Seeing Luna's glare, he shrugged, "Okay let's look at what we got. We have a positive ID on Chibi-Usa's mother. That would lead us to the conclusion that Chibi-Usa is telling the truth and she really is from the future." Luna nodded her agreement so Artemis continued, "The next logical step is to ask how'd Chibi-Usa get here." "Chibi-Usa carries a key that isn't normal," Ami said, "It's possible that the key is some type of temporal device, allowing time travel." "That's all well and good," Luna said, rising again to pace, "But this doesn't answer the questions: What happened to Endymion? How could Usagi let this happen? And what is the new enemy after?" Turning at the foot of the bed, Luna looked at the room's other occupants before saying, "Not to mention what the hell am I going to do?!?" Artemis blinked, "Luna, calm down! What's got you so agitated?" "Artemis, are you as dense as you look?!?" Artemis was about to protest but Luna sighed, "Gomen. I'm worried. I've been up trying to figure all this out. Then the new enemy comes and things have just gone from confusing to chaotic." Looking at Artemis directly, Luna said, "Gomen, I do appreciate your help." Artemis had a hard time trying to control the urge to float off the bed. "That's okay, Luna," Artemis said while grinning, "First things first. Do we tell the girls?" "About Usagi being Chibi-Usa's mother?" Ami asked. "Hai." "I don't see any practical value in that action at this point." Ami mused, "It might even cause more trouble. If Usagi were even inclined to believe that she was actually Chibi-Usa's mother, Usagi would want to know who the father was." "Hmmm, that's a good point. Okay so we keep it secret for a little bit," Artemis said, "Now we've got a bigger problem though. Let's assume that the enemy IS from the future as well. If they know about the Senshi and also know to look in Tokyo, what else do they know?" Luna's eyes enlarged as she stared at Artemis for several seconds, "You're right, Artemis. If they know about the Senshi, then they might know WHO the Senshi are." Then Luna wrinkled her forehead, "But didn't you just say that it was unlikely that the enemy knew the Senshi's identities?" "I..." Artemis began and then trailed off, "Before I was working under the assumption that these enemy were of this time. Enemies from the future could have access to personal information about the Senshi." "I would assume that the new enemy does not have access to that information," Ami stated confidently, "It would not be tactically sound to draw out the Senshi when they would be expecting an attack. Five separate hits conducted within minutes or seconds of each other is all that would be required." "Ami!" Luna said. She seemed shocked by the coolness that Ami had stated that rather chilling fact. "Luna, I've run simulations. I wanted to see what our possibilities were," Ami said sheepishly, "Given my current power levels, I would be killed or captured within five minutes if the enemy did a surprise attack." "Now Ami-chan, you're underestimating yourself," Artemis admonished lightly, "You might not have power but you got brains." "Artemis is right," Luna said then added, "Uh, just out of curiosity, what about the others?" "The best holdouts are likely Jupiter and Mars. I'd give either Jupiter or Mars fifteen minutes or an all out escape. Venus would likely be average seven and a half minutes. Sailor Moon... hard to say, depends on how she would react and Usagi's chaotic enough that the results could be rather surprising." "Yep, that sounds like Usagi," Luna muttered darkly, "Well let's start setting up some plans. Better to be prepared than not prepared." ****** Sunday morning was slightly overcast; a stiff southeasterly wind was working hard to push a bank of heavy dark clouds over the city. Chibi-Usa padded down the stairs in Usagi's pajama top and a pair of bunny slippers. It was still early so she was surprised to see someone was awake. Thinking it was her grandmother, Chibi-Usa entered the kitchen but came to a complete stop as she saw it was her grandfather. "Good morning, Chibi-Usa-chan," Kenji said, "What are you doing up this early?" "Good morning, Ojii-san. I just woke up," Chibi-Usa said shyly, "It's okay that I'm up?" She looked towards her grandfather nervously; she had heard him yell at her mother before. Chibi-Usa thought. Her grandfather was always scowling when she called her mother "Mommy". "Of course it's all right. Would you like some juice?" Kenji asked. "Hai, arigato," Chibi-Usa said with relief. "Okay, you get the juice out of the fridge and I'll get us some glasses," Kenji directed. He watched Chibi-Usa walk over to the refrigerator and open it before turning back to retrieve some glasses. Chibi-Usa struggled with the container. It seemed to be stuck in the door shelf. Talking a firm grip on the bottle, Chibi-Usa pulled but nothing happened. Chibi-Usa thought, Moving some of the other containers out of the way, Chibi-Usa forced her hands underneath the bottle. "Chibi-Usa-chan, do you want some help?" Kenji asked. "Hai, please," Chibi-Usa said stepping away from the door. Kenji reached out and gave a little harder tug on the bottle. With a pop, it came out of the door shelf easily enough. "There you go," Kenji said handing the bottle to Chibi-Usa. "Arigato Ojii-san," she said while taking the bottle and following her grandfather over to the table. "Would you like to pour the juice?" "No," Chibi-Usa said after some thought, "It's heavy. I might spill some." She then handed the bottle to Kenji who poured the contents into two glasses. "Okay Chibi-Usa-chan, go put the juice away." Taking the bottle, Chibi-Usa carefully started across the floor, a smile on her face. Kenji shook his head slightly but smiled and picked up the morning paper. Chibi-Usa was just preparing to place the bottle back on the shelf when a sharp crack sounded. Whirling around at the unexpected noise, Chibi-Usa lost her traction and both she and the bottle went crashing to the floor. The impact knocked the wind out of the little girl as the bottle shattered spraying juice and glass everywhere. Chibi-Usa thought. Drawing herself up into a ball, she gave a little whimper and simply laid there. Kenji jumped at the unexpected noise and jumping up hurried over to the little girl. Bending down, Kenji said, "Chibi-Usa-chan, are you okay?!?" All he got was a muffled sob as the little girl lifted her hands to her cover her ears. "Honey, are you hurt?" Kenji asked. He reached out a hand and gently touched Chibi-Usa on the shoulder. The reaction he got was unexpected at best. The little girl shuddered and then stiffened again. "Gomen nasai!" Chibi-Usa sobbed out, "I didn't mean to!!!" Gently, Kenji lifted the little girl drawing her close the best he could. "Chibi-Usa-chan, are you okay?" he asked again while standing up and examining her face for any fragments of glass. He noted that a bleary eyed Usagi and Ikuko had dashed to the doorway. Holding up a hand, he moved over to the kitchen table and sat down. Settling Chibi-Usa on his knee he asked gently, "Are you hurt?" Chibi-Usa's response was just to cry. she thought sadly, She could feel her grandfather gently holding her. "Gomen nasai, Ojii-san!" she sobbed again. Hugging the little girl, Kenji said, "I believe you. I'm not mad; it was an accident." Gently, he wiped away some of the tears from her cheeks before saying, "Chibi-Usa-chan, can you look at me?" Slowly Chibi-Usa flitted opened one eye then the other. Tearily, she stared at Kenji who softly smiled, "Now what's a kawaii little girl like you crying about?" Sniffling and taking on a confused expression, Chibi-Usa said, "Aren't you mad at me, Ojii-san?" "No, why?" "'Cause I was naughty." Kenji put on a confused expression, "I thought you were helping really well until you had an accident. I don't think you were naughty at all." He smiled at Chibi-Usa again and said, "You can help me clean up if you want to." Chibi-Usa nodded rapidly, "Okay, you go get dressed and then we can clean up the kitchen and make breakfast for everybody." Tentatively, Chibi-Usa reached out and hugged Kenji, "I love you," she said softly. She smiled as her grandfather hugged her back. Taking on a pensive expression, Chibi-Usa leaned back and said, "Do we have to tell Daddy?" "No, it was an accident and you said you'd help me," Kenji said. Letting the little girl down, he added, "Now go get dressed and hurry back down." Rather ecstatic that she wasn't going to be punished and she was even being allowed to help, Chibi-Usa skipped out of the kitchen. She politely acknowledged her mother and grandmother but they were rather stunned by what had just occurred. After recovering Usagi walked over to Kenji and, giving him a hug, said, "You're the best, Dad." Part X - School Monday morning found Ikuko sitting in the Principal's office for the local elementary school. Along with her were Haruna Koume, Chibi-Usa's case worker, and Matsudara Senji, the Principal. Senji appeared old. His slightly dull brown eyes were framed with an ancient set of bifocals. His almost snow white hair framed a narrowed, haggard looking face. The image made Koume glad she hadn't listened to her mother and stayed away from the teaching profession. Taking a moment to arrange the papers on his desk, Senji said, "We have two choices. Chibi-Usa can either be placed in grade one or kindergarten." "Nani?!?" Koume asked slightly shocked, "Is it that bad?" "Hai. Normally Chibi-Usa would be in grade two, if she had started proper schooling at five. The tests we did indicate that she's barely able to complete grade one work. Her vocabulary is very good. That's why the test results surprised me." "Would it be that difficult for Chibi-Usa in first grade?" Ikuko asked, "I mean, maybe she should go into kindergarten." "Academically, if she was placed in the first grade, she would need some help," Senji said, "However, I don't see any major problems in her catching up to the others; it is close to the beginning of the school term. Chibi-Usa would have to work though." "I think she would," Koume said, "She's the type of person who would work at something especially if she thinks it's important. To Chibi-Usa, school's important because her `mother' goes to school." Senji frowned slightly, "I was meaning to ask you about that, Haruna-san. Why isn't Chibi-Usa being encouraged to call her cousin `Usagi' instead of `Mommy'?" Koume shifted slightly before saying, "It's a complicated situation really. Chibi-Usa needs that emotional attachment for stability. Somehow, she's associated Tsukino-san's daughter with her mother. To call her mother any other name except `Mommy' would be a violation of her father's rules; she's scared of breaking any rule that would upset her father." Senji grunted his understanding but didn't look pleased, "That brings us to the other test we conducted. We've figured out that Chibi-Usa has about the same social skills that a child of five would have." Shifting some papers. Senji asked, "So do we place Chibi-Usa into grade one or kindergarten?" "I would recommend grade one," Koume said, "It will be a bit of a struggle but I think it would help Chibi-Usa's self-esteem. Placing her in kindergarten may also cause her to regress." "I think grade one as well. I don't have any strong reasons but I think Chibi-Usa would work hard as Haruna-san said. It would certainly help her self-esteem," Ikuko mused. "Would that be a problem?" "No, well I'll have the paperwork started. I'll also see if I can find the most docile class at the grade one level that we can place Chibi-Usa into," Senji said. he thought. ****** Shortly after Usagi had put Chibi-Usa to bed she walked into the living room and sat down on the couch beside her mother. "You wanted to talk to me?" Usagi asked tentatively. "Hai, I wanted to talk to you about school..." "Honest Mom," Usagi said, "I'm doing my homework. You can ask Haruna-sensei yourself." Ikuko gave a small smile and shook her head slightly, "Usagi-chan, let me finish." Usagi took on a sheepish expression, "I was saying that I wanted to talk to you about school for Chibi-Usa." "Oh," Usagi said, "Gomen. She's really looking forward to going too." "Usagi, a little girl Chibi-Usa's age would usually be placed in the second grade. However, Chibi-Usa can't go into the second grade. She would have too much trouble with the work." Usagi's face took on a disappointed look. "Usagi-chan, Chibi-Usa is going into the first grade but she's going to need to do a lot of work to catch up. She'll also need your support. It'll be scary for her the first little bit. It'll be like having you leave all over again. I'm going to try and be as supportive as possible but Chibi-Usa will look to you. She's going to need a lot of comfort over the next couple of days or so." "Well I'll help her, at least help her the best I can," Usagi said, "I'll have a lot of work to do." Usagi then took on a thoughtful expression. "Usagi, if you're looking for a raise in your allowance you can forget it," Ikuko said with mock sternness. "Nani??? I was just thinking that with my homework and then helping out Chibi-Usa that it would be a lot of work. Then I have chores and..." "Usagi-chan," Ikuko said cutting her daughter off, "What if I said you could give some of your easier chores to Chibi-Usa." "Really?!?" Usagi asked excitedly, "I think she'd really like that." "Well I mean some of the easier things she can do," Ikuko said, "That way Chibi-Usa will get some confidence in herself. Do you think you'll be able to help Chibi-Usa out with her homework and not get her confused?" "I think so," Usagi said while scowling slightly, "But maybe I could ask Ami to help out. I'm not saying every day but Chibi-Usa likes to visit with Ami. I think they'd both like it." ****** Late Monday night, a storm broke over Tokyo unleashing a torrent of water on the city below. The wind rattling the trees moaned and the Tsukino home creaked slightly as the wind buffeted it. Thunder echoed and rebounded off of Tokyo Bay seeming to double its volume. Lightning streaked through the sky in a dazzling light show. At the Tsukino home most of the occupants were asleep. Usagi was wide awake, however, cowering under her covers. She HATED thunder and this storm seemed specifically designed to scare her. At least that's what she had told Luna. The Lunar cat was curled up at the foot of the bed trying to go to sleep but every time the thunder roared down, Usagi would give a yelp of terror. "Mommy, are you scared?" asked Chibi-Usa. She was wide awake as well. "Yeah, I hate thunder," Usagi said. "But Mommy," Chibi-Usa said with a hint of confusion, "You not scared before." She looked towards her mother and said, "Why you scared in past but not in future?" "Honey, aren't you scared?" Usagi asked in response. "No," Chibi-Usa said. She was feeling a little proud of herself for not being scared of the storm. "Mommy, I scared before but you say that thunder is only Kami-sama bowling. Lightning is for when Kami-sama gets a strike." Usagi giggled. The look of seriousness on Chibi-Usa's face was cute in a way. Wrapping an arm around Chibi-Usa, she said, "Arigato, I think with you here I won't be scared." Her smile got a little wider as Chibi-Usa snuggled closer, Settling herself back, Usagi finally fell into sleep and started to have a dream. A dream that Chibi-Usa was a happier little girl. Chibi-Usa for her part felt warm and safe. She could tell her mother was sleeping but that didn't really matter. she thought happily, When she had done well at her lessons her mother gave her, Chibi-Usa's father seemed to be so proud of her. Finally though, the lateness of the hour and the day's excitement took their toll and Chibi-Usa fell into a peaceful sleep. ****** Tuesday morning dawned brightly, the sun glistening off the dew and freshly washed structures. After breakfast was over Usagi took Chibi-Usa up to their room to get ready for school. "Honey, we have lots of time," Usagi said to Chibi-Usa who was nearly dragging her mother up the stairs, "We'll get you ready, don't worry." Stopping at the stop of the stairs, Chibi-Usa turned towards her mother. "But Mommy..." Chibi-Usa started to protest but then ground to a halt and covered her mouth, "Gomen, I want to go to school with you." "Well I'll walk you to school," Usagi said, "But we do have lots of time. And we don't want either of us tripping, ne?" Chibi-Usa nodded. Taking Usagi's hand, the pair continued down the hall towards Usagi's room. Five minutes later, Chibi-Usa was beaming proudly as she stood in her school fuku. It had a white shirt with red trimming and a blue skirt. Walking over to stand beside her mother, Chibi-Usa said, "Mommy, how come you have a different fuku than me?" Crouching down, Usagi said, "Well Chibi-Usa-chan, I'm in a different grade than you." She noted Chibi-Usa seemed to lose some of her spark. "But I'm going to be walking with you. I think you'll be very good and make me very proud." Chibi-Usa beamed again and gave a twirl of excitement. That's when she saw herself in the mirror. Walking closer to the full length mirror, she turned slightly and noticed that a little of the bruising was still visible on her legs. Her smile slipped from her face and she looked sadly at herself before giving a little sniffle. "Chibi-Usa-chan, what's the matter?" Usagi asked getting up to stand beside the little girl. "Mommy, I not kawaii," Chibi-Usa said softly, "I don't think Daddy would like me wearing this." Chibi-Usa thought sadly. "Chibi-Usa, I think your daddy would want you to go to school. If you want to go to school, you have to wear a fuku." Lifting the little girl into a hug, Usagi said, "I think you're a very pretty little girl. My dad thinks you're kawaii." "But you can see those," Chibi-Usa said pointing to the nearly faded bruises that were peeking from underneath the fuku's skirt. "Chibi-Usa-chan, the doctor said that those bruises would take a little longer to clear up. They're almost gone and soon they'll be all gone," Usagi said, "I still think you're a very pretty little girl." She looked at Chibi-Usa and said, "Are you scared?" "Hai," Chibi-Usa said softly. Walking towards the bedroom door, Usagi said, "You know I was scared on my first day of school." Chibi-Usa looked dubiously at Usagi. "I missed my mom very much but when school was done, she came and took me home." Smiling to reassure the little girl, Usagi said, "When school's all done, I'll come and get you too." Usagi had to fight the urge to sniffle as Chibi-Usa wrapped her arms around her mother, "I love you." "I love you too, Mommy," Chibi-Usa whispered back. ****** A short time later Chibi-Usa stared wide-eyed at the transformation that had taken place. The schoolyard was crowded with children, all of them strangers. Pressing close against Usagi, she nervously looked around at the unfamiliar setting. When she had come the day before the yard had been nearly deserted and wasn't as noisy. "Who are they, Mommy?" Chibi-Usa asked ask as she tightened her grip on Usagi's hand. "They all go to this school," Usagi said, "Let's go inside and get you settled. I have to go to school too." Starting to move through the throng towards the entrance, Usagi noticed that Chibi-Usa had taken on a slightly disappointed look. Chibi-Usa thought as she followed her mother closely, At least in here. Chibi-Usa had grown accustomed to Usagi going to school and spending her days with her grandmother. Once inside the school building, the noise lessened. After hunting around for a minute or so they came to the main office. Standing outside it was the Principal. "Konnichiwa Matsudara-sensei," Usagi said and bowed. "Konnichiwa Matsudara-sensei," Chibi-Usa politely. She bowed but kept her hold on Usagi's hand. Chibi-Usa thought. "Konnichiwa," Senji said, "Well Tsukino-san, I thought you were in junior high. But alas you've come back." He then smiled at Usagi to take some of the stinging out of his words. Senji thought, "I'm in junior high, Matsudara-sensei, but I wish you were still my principal. Nobody yells like you," Usagi said and gave a grin. "Tell me, Usagi-chan, have you given up being the `Bento Box Bandit'?" Usagi flushed brightly, "Ah now there was an interesting case. Several bento boxes were cleaned out before lunch time and I wouldn't have caught you either except for the stains on your fuku that one time." "No, I've given that up. I have friends who make extra just for me," Usagi admitted and then flushed brightly again. Chibi-Usa thought, "You know Mommy?" she asked Senji. "Hai, your mother... er, Usagi-chan used to come to this school when she was a little girl like you." "Really?!?" Chibi-Usa asked and looked at her mother, "Boy that LONG time ago, huh Mommy?" Usagi giggled, "Nani?" Senji chuckled good-naturedly and said, "I'll just show you to Chibi-Usa's classroom." Turning, he led the two girls down the hall and then up a flight of stairs. Stopping at the first open door, Senji called out, "Sonoda-sensei, could you step out into the hall for a moment?" After a brief pause a petite woman stepped into the classroom doorway, "Sonoda-sensei, this is Tsukino Usagi, but they call her Chibi-Usa. She's the girl I was talking to you about yesterday." Turning slightly, Senji said, "Chibi-Usa-chan, this is Sonoda Sawa. She'll be your sensei." Chibi-Usa studied the new person. Chibi-Usa noted, Sawa was about twenty-five, short trimmed dark hair and deep green eyes. "Konnichiwa Sonoda-sensei," Chibi-Usa said and politely bowed. "Konnichiwa Chibi-Usa-chan, I'm glad to meet you. Why don't you come on in and we'll get you settled." Chibi-Usa looked pensively at her mother. Usagi bent down and, hugging Chibi-Usa, said, "Chibi-Usa-chan, I have to go now but I WILL be back to pick you up when school's finished." "Aren't you coming with me, Mommy?" Chibi-Usa asked hopefully. "No, gomen, I have to go to school too, a different school," Usagi said and stood again. "Chibi-Usa-chan, it'll be okay. You'll be with your mommy after school's done," Sawa said, "Why don't we go find you a desk." She then slowly held her hand out. Chibi-Usa sniffled and, clamped onto Usagi's leg, before saying, "Please Mommy, stay with me." Gently taking Chibi-Usa's hands from around her leg, Usagi placed one of the little girl's hands in Sawa's. "I promise I'll come get you. Remember how I said I'd be home at twenty to four?" Chibi-Usa nodded. "Well I'll be here at that same time." Giving Chibi-Usa a kiss on the forehead, Usagi said, "Now you have a good day at school." "Don't worry, Tsukino-san, everything will be all right," Sawa said to Usagi. "Come on, Chibi-Usa-chan," Sawa said and slowly led the little girl into the classroom. No sooner had she entered then Chibi-Usa started to call out for her mother. "Please Mommy, don't leave me!" Chibi-Usa cried reaching out for Usagi. Senji, being used to this, started to hustle Usagi down the hall, "Mommy! Come back please!!!!" Chibi-Usa cried after Usagi who was now sniffling herself, "MOMMY!!!!!!" "Don't worry, Usagi-chan," Senji said comfortingly, "I know Chibi-Usa is more sensitive than most but I think once she gets used to things, it'll all work out okay." "Arigato Matsudara-sensei," Usagi said. Usagi thought sadly. She cast one longing look back up the steps before heading for the exit. "Usagi-chan," Senji called after her. Once Usagi had stopped and turned around, Senji said, "I always thought you'd make a great mom." The smile he got in return was brilliant. Chibi-Usa desperately thought, She was in a strange place with a strange person and she didn't like it one bit! ****** The end of the school day brought much relief to both Chibi-Usa and Usagi. When Chibi-Usa saw her mother standing in the classroom doorway, she bolted and applied a vice-like hold to Usagi's leg. Usagi, reaching down, lifted the little girl into a reassuring hug. "Shhh... I said I'd come back," Usagi said while stroking Chibi-Usa's hair. "See, I did come back to get you." She felt Chibi-Usa crying softly, little arms wrapped around her neck in a effort to gain comfort. "I missed you," Chibi-Usa said through her tears. She lifted her head and, looking at Usagi, said, "Why you not stay with me?" Usagi wiped away a stray tear before saying, "Gomen, I should have told you before. I have to go to school too; Chibi-Usa-chan, I love you and I would have stayed with you at school but I couldn't. Do you understand?" Chibi-Usa just shook her head and, hugging Usagi again, hid her face in Usagi's shoulder. Usagi thought and then blinked. "Chibi-Usa-chan, why don't we go home." "Hai," Chibi-Usa said softly without raising her head. Usagi was about to turn to walk down the hall when she felt a tug on her skirt. Looking down, she saw a little girl looking worriedly at them, "Is Chibi-Usa okay?" the little girl asked softly. Usagi smiled. "Hai, arigato." "Hai, she's okay. She just missed me." Then Usagi remembered something, "Chibi-Usa, did you have anything to bring home?" Sheepishly, Chibi-Usa looked at Usagi for a moment before saying, "Hai." Flushing slightly, she added, "I forgot." Usagi chuckled, Part XI - Giants: Some are Evil On Friday evening, Usagi allowed herself to sink slowly into the warm water of the Tsukino furo. Once her body was fully submersed beneath the relaxing warmth, her head resting comfortably on a pillow, Usagi let out a long and contented sigh. It had been a very long week that, at times, seemed as if it would never end. After Ami and Usagi had answered several questions Chibi-Usa had on the topic of school, she seemed more prepared to allow Usagi to leave on Wednesday. Chibi-Usa had been able to put up a facade but it was only fooling those that didn't know her. Usagi was still able to sense the reluctance that Chibi-Usa had. One good thing was that Chibi-Usa had gained a friend. At least that's what Usagi thought. Chibi-Usa wasn't exactly sure what to make of the whole situation. Usagi thought as she stretched leisurely, Usagi frowned slightly, Moving to lower her arms, Usagi winced. An attack on Thursday by the enemy had taken the Senshi completely by surprise. Although no civilians were injured this time, all of the Senshi were nursing some form of minor abrasion. Slowly opening her eyes Usagi sat up and peeked around. "Luna?" she asked softly. "Hai," came Luna's voice from the other side of the partition. "Luna, do you think Chibi-Usa's ready to meet Makoto?" Usagi asked. "I suppose so. Why?" "Well Makoto is sorta jealous that Ami and Minako have met Chibi-Usa but she hasn't," Usagi said. Usagi winced at the memory of the explosion that statement had caused. "Usagi-chan, Makoto just wants to ensure that nothing happens to Chibi-Usa. She's going to have to meet Makoto sooner or later. I don't think Makoto's cooking would hurt her either." Luna's stomach rumbled at the mention of Makoto's cooking. "Well Makoto invited us for supper tomorrow. She also wants to do a little shopping. I'm not sure how that's going to go over though." Usagi made a face. "I suppose Chibi-Usa can't stay shut in all the time." ****** Saturday morning was a busy one in the Tsukino home. It being a relatively nice spring day, Ikuko decided that she was going to do some cleaning. No sooner had the announcement been made then Shingo scrambled for the door. Making hasty excuses, he darted out of the house carrying his shoes. As soon as the door closed behind him Ikuko smiled. "I knew that would work!" she crowed gleefully. Taking off the kerchief, she sat down at the table and picking up her teacup smiled at the two gaping girls. "So what do you have planned today, Usagi-chan?" Ikuko asked brightly. "Uh, Mom... what was that all about?" Usagi asked. "I'll help you clean, Obaa-san," Chibi-Usa said. She smiled at her grandmother. She'd started receiving small chores to do; they were just hard enough that she had to work a little at them but easy enough that she could do them on her own. Not only was she helping out around the house but also the chores were helping Chibi-Usa's self-confidence. "Arigato, Chibi-Usa-chan, but I can do it on my own," Ikuko said to the little girl who frowned slightly, "It's a very nice day. Maybe Usagi can take you to the park." Turning to her daughter, Ikuko added, "Usagi-chan, I need to do a thorough cleaning but Shingo's always in the way. I figured that if I announced it, he'd take off before I could rope him into helping. Now that he's gone, I can start down here. Were you going any place special?" "Well, Makoto did invite me and Chibi-Usa over for dinner. She also wanted to take Chibi-Usa shopping," Usagi said, "I was planning on heading over after lunch." "Why don't you head over to the park for a little bit and then over to Makoto's," Ikuko suggested while retrieving her purse, "If you do go shopping, you can go and get Chibi-Usa a proper jacket. And maybe a couple other things that'll fit better." After retrieving some money she handed it to Usagi, "That's for clothes and a treat." "Arigato Mom," Usagi said. Chibi-Usa nodded her agreement, eyes wide. "Hai, arigato Obaa-san," Chibi-Usa said. Chibi-Usa frowned slightly, She nodded to herself, ****** Later that morning, as Usagi was finishing up the last part of her homework, Chibi-Usa was busy putting away some of her clean clothes. Usagi could hear the little girl humming something. It wasn't really familiar, more of a made up tune of some sort. Usagi thought glancing over to Chibi-Usa's latest creation. A sad smile came to Usagi's face, She reached over and picked the drawing up. Studying it, Usagi could feel something odd tugging at her mind. It was a family all standing under a pink sun with a few blue clouds floating across the sky. Chibi-Usa was easy to pick out, and the image made Usagi feel terrible. Looking at the image of the little girl, Usagi thought, The other woman was apparently supposed to be Usagi. However, it was the man that was making Usagi uneasy. Usagi was suddenly drawn from her thoughts by the sound of Chibi-Usa's voice. "Wow, Daddy looks different in past. He doesn't have his shiny suit on." Curious as to what Chibi-Usa was talking about, Usagi let the picture drop to the bed before getting up. Walking over to stand beside Chibi-Usa, she saw the picture of Mamoru. "Where'd you get this?!?" Usagi demanded unthinkingly while snatching the picture out of Chibi-Usa's hands and holding it protectively. "I just found it, Mommy," Chibi-Usa said, "I didn't mean to look at it. Gomen nasai." Placing her hands behind her back, Chibi-Usa looked at the floor. Chibi-Usa sniffled a little bit. Usagi blinked a couple times before realizing her mistake. Carefully putting the picture down, she reached out and lifted Chibi-Usa's chin. "Gomen nasai, Chibi-Usa-chan. I didn't mean to yell at you." She could see the unshed tears in Chibi-Usa's eyes. "Don't cry, I was just surprised." Chibi-Usa just sniffled again, a few tears starting to roll down her cheeks. "Honey, I didn't mean to yell. You didn't do anything wrong." "I'm not bad then?" Chibi-Usa asked with a little hope in her voice. However, she was still looking worried. Lifting Chibi-Usa into a hug, Usagi said, "You are a very good little girl." Thinking quickly, Usagi added, "You know, you helped me." "I did?!?" Chibi-Usa asked as the worry slipped away from her face. "Hai," Usagi said while nodding, "I didn't know where that picture went to and you found it for me. Arigato... Mesume." The smile and hug Usagi got in return was just about as much of a rush as calling Chibi-Usa "daughter" was. Usagi's thoughts lurched to a halt as exactly what the little girl had said sunk in. "Chibi-Usa-chan, did you say this guy was `Daddy'?!?" Usagi asked while picking up the picture. "Hai, you showed me picture of him before. Daddy look different without his shiny suit on." Chibi-Usa shifted slightly so she could see the picture better. "You said that Daddy knew how to hide his suit." <`Shiny suit'?!? Endymion wears a suit of armor... but he wouldn't do anything like that. Maybe Mamoru LOOKS like her father. I don't think Mamoru would beat up a little kid. Maybe it's like how Haruna-san explained it. Chibi-Usa wants to identify with people she knows because she's in a strange place.> "Honey, maybe we'll go see Mamoru instead of going to the park." Chibi-Usa took on a panicked expression, clinging a little tighter to Usagi she said, "Do we have to???" It was a predicament. Either go and see her father and face the consequences or avoid her father and ensure that he never loved her. Even for an adult that would be a difficult choice, to a child, it was an insurmountable obstacle. "But Chibi-Usa-chan, Mamoru wouldn't hurt you. He's my boyfriend. I'll be with you all the time. I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you," Usagi tried to reassure the little girl. "I know, Mommy, that you and Daddy wouldn't hurt me," Chibi-Usa said, "But Daddy'd be REALLY mad that I ran away. He spank me 'cause I naughty and run away from him." She trembled a little bit. "Okay Chibi-Usa-chan, maybe we can see Mamoru another day. We can go to the park instead and then go see Makoto. Okay?" Chibi-Usa smiled and nodded. Usagi for her own part giggled. She smiled as Chibi-Usa hugged her. Sitting on the bed, she settled the child on her knee. Usagi said, "Chibi-Usa-chan, I want to talk to you about something." "Nani Mommy?" Chibi-Usa asked. She was confused by the sudden mood change. "You know that it's not polite to look through other people's stuff, ne?" "Hai," Chibi-Usa said, "Gomen nasai. I puttin' away my clean stuff," Chibi-Usa said, "I forgot which drawer was mine." "I know, Chibi-Usa, you were doing your chores and that was very good," Usagi said, "But I might hide a surprise for you and I wouldn't want you to find it. Do you understand?" Chibi-Usa gave this some serious thought before saying, "Hai. Me and you share your dresser, ne?" Usagi nodded, "If I don't hafta look, then I shouldn't?" she questioned. It was a hard concept for her to understand but she was trying. "Close enough, we'll work on it together," Usagi said. Standing up, she walked over to the drawer that had held Mamoru's picture and said, "I hid a surprise in here." Digging a hand into the pile of socks, she felt around until she came up with a box of crayons. "This," Usagi said handing the crayons to Chibi-Usa, "Is for you." Usagi thought as she giggled, "ARIGATO MOMMY!!!" Chibi-Usa declared happily and hugged her mother. ****** Neo-Queen Serenity gave a little sigh of relief. The warm soothing waters of the furo seemed to drain some of the worry out of her. Serenity thought, Although still weak, Serenity had gained her vision back. Where they were, was a mountainous region and definitely not in Japan. Sinking up to her shoulders in the comforting warmth, Serenity allowed her mind to wander. Over the past few days she had been trying to understand how everything had gone so terribly wrong. She hadn't really known Endymion as the aggressive type. It had been a painful realization for Serenity to make, It was so long ago. Time blurred the boundaries between Usagi the woman and when Serenity finally emerged. Serenity sniffled slightly, With that Serenity started to cry softly, for both her lost loves. In another room Pluto stood, small lines of stress showing on her face. The timelines were separating and as the distance grew, hiding the divergence from Endymion and Serenity was becoming more difficult. She had to succeed however. Endymion would stop at nothing to preserve his own timeline. Pluto was also trying to spare Serenity some of the pain until the timeline had shifted completely. ****** Usagi smiled slightly. She was sitting on a bench watching Chibi-Usa ride a swing. They had taken Ikuko's suggestion and had gone to the park for the rest of the morning. Usagi's smile grew wider as Chibi-Usa giggled in delight. "Not too high, Chibi-Usa-chan!" Usagi called out as the little girl started to climb higher and higher. "'Kay Mommy!" Chibi-Usa called happily. Usagi sheepishly looked around at some of the other mothers who were also present. Yes, they were staring at her. Usagi thought. As she watched Chibi-Usa having fun, an urge came to her. Getting up Usagi walked over to an empty swing beside Chibi-Usa and sat down. "Mommy, are you gonna swing?" Chibi-Usa asked. "Hai," Usagi said while starting to push off. Chibi-Usa just giggled in response. No sooner had Usagi started getting into the rhythm of swinging when Chibi-Usa's voice caught her by surprise. "DADDY!!!" Chibi-Usa suddenly cried. Usagi jerked her head around and gave a little gasp of horror. As the swing came forward, Chibi-Usa jumped off; she sailed through the air and landed on the ground with a thud. After a few seconds the little girl scrambled up to her feet and took off to her right. "Chibi-Usa-chan?!?" Usagi called after the young girl. Clumsily getting off the swing, she charged after the child. Then something else occurred to her. Turning a slightly green color, Usagi started to run faster while reaching for her communicator. Usagi's world came to a screeching halt, however, when she saw Chibi-Usa with both of her arms wrapped around Mamoru's leg. "Daddy! Gomen nasai! I didn't mean to run away," Chibi-Usa cried, "Please don't be mad at me!" She sniffled again and raised her eyes to stare pleading at Mamoru. "NANI?!?!" Mamoru finally managed to get out, "Who are you, kid?!?" "Chibi-Usa-chan, you shouldn't have ran off like that," Usagi admonished gently. "Daddy???" Chibi-Usa asked confused while focusing all her attention on him, "Don't you 'member me? I'm really, really sorry for running away." "Chibi-Usa-chan," Usagi said, "Come here please." She was starting to feel strange about this encounter for some reason. Chibi-Usa seemed to be ignoring her. "Would you let go of my leg?" Mamoru asked through gritted teeth. Chibi-Usa complied. Letting go, she took a couple steps back. "Hi Usako," Mamoru said sheepishly. "Mamo-chan, I have some explaining to do. How about treating us to lunch?" Usagi asked. Starting to feel like a confused puppy, Mamoru nodded. "Great!" Usagi said while walking over to take Chibi-Usa's hand, "Come on, I'm starved!" Mamoru thought bleakly, As more time passed Mamoru became less confused but Usagi seemed to gain his confusion. Chibi-Usa was certainly getting along well with Mamoru; that was only a minor mystery. What was causing the confusion was simple: Chibi-Usa was looking to Mamoru for permission. The little girl was acting as if she was only barely aware of Usagi. It was certainly annoying at some points when Usagi would suggest something to Chibi-Usa and the little girl would promptly turn to ask Mamoru's permission. After having Chibi-Usa looking to her for comfort and guidance, this situation left Usagi feeling rather empty, as if a part of her was missing. A little over an hour later, Mamoru along with Chibi-Usa and Usagi left the small eating establishment. Mamoru was holding Chibi-Usa in his arms and smiling. "Boy, you're a good eater," Mamoru said. Chibi-Usa smiled proudly at her father. The thought of his girlfriend made him frown. The reason for her not eating so much was Usagi's confusion over Chibi-Usa's shift in behavior. At first, the little girl didn't want to see her "father". Now, however, Chibi-Usa was almost ignoring Usagi and seemed to be listening attentively to every word that Mamoru said. Usagi thought, It meant a lot to Usagi as well. To see Chibi-Usa so happy was a comforting thought, something like a warm blanket on a cold winter's night. "Mamo-chan, would you allow Chibi-Usa to have a toy?" Usagi asked. "Nani?" Mamoru asked turning to look at Usagi as they started walking down the sidewalk. Chibi-Usa had lost her smile and was looking slightly panicked. "Well I want to get Chibi-Usa a toy but she says that you won't let her have any," Usagi explained. Mamoru was about to protest that he had never disallowed Chibi-Usa having toys before, then remembered who he was supposed to be. "So you'd like a toy, Chibi-Usa-chan?" "No Daddy," Chibi-Usa said softly, "Arigato." Chibi-Usa wondered. Chibi-Usa thought wistfully. "Well I think you can have a toy," Mamoru said while adjusting Chibi-Usa so she was looking directly at him, "You get Usagi to buy you one." "I CAN have a toy?!?" Chibi-Usa asked, her eyes enlarging in surprise, "Really Daddy?!?" "Hai," Mamoru said while smiling, "Usagi was telling me how good you are. I know you're very polite and you help around the Tsukino home, ne?" Chibi-Usa nodded rapidly. "Usagi said you are really trying at school. I think that deserves a treat." he thought as he saw Chibi-Usa nearly bursting with pride. "Come on, Chibi-Usa-chan, we should go to Makoto's," Usagi said while holding out her hand. Chibi-Usa seemed reluctant to leave but Mamoru had to go as well. "I am very proud of you, Chibi-Usa-chan," Mamoru said. His heart started to beat a little faster as the little girl gave him a hug. "I love you, Daddy," Chibi-Usa said softly, sounding almost near tears. "I love you, too," Mamoru said while hugging Chibi-Usa back, "Now you go have a good time at Makoto's." Setting her feet down on the ground, Mamoru added, "You are such a kawaii little girl. You be good." "Hai!" Chibi-Usa said and, giving a sniffle, took Usagi's hand. "Arigato, Mamo-chan. I'll talk to you later," Usagi said. Giving him a wink, she started to lead Chibi-Usa down the street. Part XII - Giants: Some are Good When Chibi-Usa first saw Makoto, she gave a little gasp of surprise before hiding behind Usagi. Chibi-Usa thought as she clung to Usagi's leg and peeked around her mother's skirt at the towering figure of Makoto. At that thought Chibi-Usa's eyes enlarged and she quickly hid again. "Gomen Mako-chan," Usagi said, "She never acted like this for Ami." Flushing a little bit, Usagi turned and gently lifted Chibi-Usa up, "Chibi-Usa-chan, this is my FRIEND Kino Makoto. She wouldn't hurt you." While wrapping her arms around Usagi's neck, Chibi-Usa turned to look at Makoto and said softly, "Konnichiwa Kino-san." "Konnichiwa Chibi-Usa-chan, are you ready to go shopping with us?" Chibi-Usa turned to Usagi and asked curiously, "Mommy, what's shopping?" Her face took on an even more confused look as Usagi's mouth swung open in shock. "Nani Mommy?" "You, little girl, are in for a major treat," Usagi said. Makoto thought, ****** Makoto was right, Chibi-Usa did NOT like the mall. Not that she wasn't fascinated with the store displays and the multitude of colors. It was the crowds she didn't like. In fact, Usagi had to carry her. Not that Chibi-Usa wasn't willing to walk but the little girl was walking so close to Usagi that she kept tripping her mother. "Where to first, Usagi-chan?" Makoto asked. "The kid's clothing stores. Mom wanted me to pick Chibi-Usa up a spring jacket. Then we hit the toy store." "What about the food court?" Usagi who had started moving off down towards one of the children's clothing stores stopped. Turning slightly, she said, "Well you invited us for supper. No reason to spoil my appetite on such low quality food when I can have a little patience and get your high grade stuff instead." Walking over to Usagi, Makoto reached out and felt Usagi's forehead. "Are you sick or something? Usagi turning down food?!?" "Hey, I'm not that bad," Usagi pouted. Makoto smiled and shook her head. "Come on, let's go get Chibi-Usa a coat first." Turning, she continued towards her destination with Makoto walking beside her. After they were in the store, Usagi said, "Okay Chibi-Usa, I'm going to let you down. What's your favorite color?" Chibi-Usa looked towards Makoto and asked, "What's your color?" Before Makoto could answer, Usagi said, "Honey, I asked what YOUR favorite color was. I want you to pick out a color you like, not what Makoto likes." She smiled slightly as Chibi-Usa took on a look of consternation. "She did that with Ami. Chibi-Usa wore a blue dress to impress her." Makoto chuckled, "Come on, let's go show her the colors. Chibi-Usa-chan, I want you to pick out a coat that YOU like." That was the start of a torturous process. Chibi-Usa never really had been given the freedom to choose before, so picking out a coat she liked was difficult. It was difficult because... she liked them all! Forty minutes and one frazzled sales clerk later, all three girls emerged from the store. Chibi-Usa was still looking into the bag in fascination. "Kawaii," she mumbled out. The body of the coat was a purple-pink in color. The sleeves consisted of four bands, one each of green, red, blue, and orange. It had already been dubbed the "Coat of Senshi Colors" by Usagi. This elicited a giggle out of Makoto and a blank stare from Chibi-Usa. ****** Chibi-Usa watched with a mixture of worry and fascination as her mother and Makoto argued. She was fascinated because Makoto and Usagi were arguing over who was going to buy her a toy. Chibi-Usa thought, "And I said you don't have to!" Usagi snarled, "Mako-chan, you have enough problems paying bills. You DO NOT need to spend money on Chibi-Usa!" Chibi-Usa thoughts trailed off and she shook her head, Satisfied that she'd thought it correctly, she nodded. The fact that Usagi and Makoto were arguing over her was causing Chibi-Usa to worry. Anytime her parents fought, it would make her father angry. Endymion typically ended the fight by physically assaulting Serenity in one form or another whether Chibi-Usa was around or not. Makoto glared balefully at Usagi for several seconds. Taking a deep breath, Makoto tried to calm herself. "Usagi-chan, do you realize we're fighting?" Usagi blinked a few times before slowly nodding. "Do you realize we're fighting over MY money?" Usagi nodded again, a slight frown marring her features. "Fine then, I'll buy her the toy," Makoto said firmly. Usagi was about to protest the point then noticed that Chibi-Usa was looking worriedly at them. Usagi started to giggle, "Okay Mako-chan, you win." "Come on, Chibi-Usa-chan, let's go into the store," Makoto said while holding out her hand for Chibi-Usa to take. Chibi-Usa hesitated before looking towards Usagi for direction. She could see her mother was silently encouraging her to take Makoto's hand. Turning her gaze back to Makoto, the small child craned her head back to look at Makoto. After a brief pause Chibi-Usa, hesitantly, took Makoto's hand and allowed herself to be led into the massive toy store. The little girl kept looking back to make sure that Usagi was with her. Finally, Usagi took Chibi-Usa's other hand and they started the process of hunting for the right toy. Ten minutes and several yen later, Chibi-Usa emerged from the toy store with a teddy bear. Her small arms wrapped around its chocolate brown fur. Her chin nestled between its rounded ears. The smile on Chibi-Usa's face was only rivaled by the twinkle in the teddy bear's bright blue eyes. Turning to Makoto, Chibi-Usa said, "Arigato Mako-chan. I really like my present." "What are you going to name him? Or is it a her?" Chibi-Usa tapped her lip for several second in deep thought before saying, "I'm gonna name him, Ranma." "Ranma?!?" Usagi questioned, "Why would you want to name him that?" "'Cause Uncle Shingo says that Ranma's tough. Mommy, you said that bears are strong so if his name is Ranma, then he's REALLY tough." Makoto gave a snort but Usagi giggled. Chibi-Usa's eyes widened as her stomach rumbled. "And I," said Makoto, "Say that it's time we went home for supper." Usagi was about to respond when her own stomach rumbled, seconding the motion. "Good thing I prepared ahead of time," Makoto said causing Usagi to blush. Unseen by Makoto, Usagi motioned for Chibi-Usa to take Makoto's hand. Starting to walk, Makoto smiled as Chibi-Usa took her hand. Makoto thought, ****** Chibi-Usa sat at the table, eyes closed, savoring every bite of her food. Slowly, she lifted another morsel of food to her mouth and popped it in. Chewing slowly, she allowed the flavors to run rampant, tantalizing her taste buds. Opening her eyes, she looked at Makoto and said, "This is really good, Mako-chan." "Arigato Chibi-Usa-chan. If you're full, you don't have to eat it all." "I'm not full," Chibi-Usa said honestly. "I really like it," she said and popped the last bit of food on her plate into her mouth. Chibi-Usa thought, "Well you just leave room for dessert," Usagi said, "I wouldn't want you to miss out on the triple chocolate-fudge brownies Makoto made." Even thinking about them was making Usagi's mouth water. "Mako-chan, arigato for having us over for supper." "Hai, arigato," Chibi-Usa stated again, "I really had fun today." "You're quite welcome," Makoto said. "I like having company over, and you are such a kawaii little girl." She giggled a little as Chibi-Usa flushed a little bit at the compliment. Makoto mused, Part XIII - Cannon Reversal As Usagi and Chibi-Usa were enjoying their meal at Makoto's, Ami was fighting to keep her supper down. Her light meal wasn't so light any more. In fact, it felt like a cold lead weight in the pit of her stomach. As she sat on her bed, Ami wrapped her arms around herself and gave a shiver. Sitting on the bed with her was Luna; the Lunar Cat had slipped away from Makoto and made her way to the Mizuno residence. "Are you all right, Ami-chan?" Luna asked in concern. "I-I just..." Ami trailed off, "I think I'm in shock." Getting up, Ami started to pace, "I know you wouldn't have any reason to lie to me but Luna... are you SURE?" Ami asked stopping her pacing to face the black feline. Luna sighed slightly before saying, "Hai Ami-chan, I'm afraid that I heard it correctly. Chibi-Usa said her father is Mamoru. We know that he isn't the biological father but he seems to be the stepfather." She paused as Ami walked slowly over to the window. "I don't like this anymore than you do. If Chibi-Usa's behavior is any indication, then Mamoru, or Endymion, IS the abuser." "What about Usagi?" Ami said softly. She didn't want to consider the possibility but her analytical mind wouldn't leave that stone unturned. Luna sat silently for several seconds before saying, "Doubtful. Chibi-Usa practically ignored Usagi while they were with Mamoru. She was also scared to be with him." Luna got up and moved to hop onto the desk. Walking closer to Ami, Luna said, "Ami-chan, when I was alone with Chibi-Usa and we could talk together, I managed to get some information out of her. I'm afraid we'll have to consider that Endymion is abusing both of them." Ami turned slightly to look at Luna, her features pale. "What about us?" Ami asked softly, "What about the Senshi?!?" She started to pace again. As the frustration she was feeling grew, Ami suddenly moved to the bed and sat down. She didn't want to hurt her friend, but there was really no other choice. Well there was one other one: she could stay quiet but Ami could not... no WOULD NOT remain silent! "We have to look at the grim reality that the Senshi aren't in the future. I certainly can't see any of you allowing Endymion to harm Serenity." Luna shivered herself. "Luna," Ami said softly, a new fear crawling into her mind, "If Endymion is the abuser and Chibi-Usa is from the future..." Ami trailed off as Luna let a gasp out. "Ami-chan, are you saying that the new enemy is working for Endymion?!?" Luna demanded, the horror of that thought was visible on her face. Her black fur bristling at the implications. "No," Ami said with frustration, "I was thinking that if Endymion is THAT controlling, wouldn't he want Chibi-Usa back? If Chibi-Usa can come back to the past, then I think it would be reasonable to assume that Endymion could." Ami sighed before saying, "There is no conclusive proof that the new enemy is linked to Endymion. I'm just thinking that Endymion would learn about Chibi-Usa's location and go after her." Looking at the ground, Ami continued, "We have to tell Usagi. I don't think the others should know, at least not yet. Usagi will need time to work through this." "I don't think she'll believe you," Luna said as she moved to sit beside Ami on the bed. "She's going to deny everything. Usagi won't want to believe that her one and only love is an abusive person." A silence fell over the occupants of the room as they contemplated the situation. Luna thought, Turning to look at Ami, Luna said, "You're scared Usagi will hate you, ne?" Ami nodded before saying, "Hai, she's a friend but she's in danger and so is Chibi-Usa. As a friend, I can't stand by and allow Usagi or her daughter to walk into danger. As a Senshi, I have an obligation to protect Usagi from that danger." "You aren't planning to confront Mamoru, are you?" Luna queried. "No," Ami assured her friend and smiled slightly, "That's why I said the others shouldn't know; Makoto would likely kill Mamoru to protect Usagi. >From all indications, it is the future version of Endymion that is the abuser; the present day Mamoru is CURRENTLY innocent. However, if Mamoru knows where Chibi-Usa is, so does Endymion." "Ami-chan, take your time and let me know when you want to talk to Usagi," Luna said, "I should get going now." "Okay Luna, I have some things I should do," Ami said, After bidding Luna good night Ami retrieved her computer from its dimensional pocket. Settling onto the bed, Ami sighed, Ami thought to herself, ****** At eight that evening as Chibi-Usa watched her mother in some confusion, Usagi dug into her pile of bunnies. Usagi thought as she picked up a small gray one, Continuing to dig through the pile, Usagi soon reached the bottom. Then an idea struck her. Getting up, Usagi walked over to her dresser and spotted her target. The bunny was sitting in a glass case. Usagi thought as she lifted the lid and retrieved the bunny. It had pink fur and red eyes; its long floppy ears stretched nearly the length of its body. Hugging it close for a moment, Usagi thought, Usagi smiled slightly, Walking over to the bed, Usagi sat down beside Chibi-Usa. "Aren't you going to sleep with your teddy bear?" Usagi asked noting that the new toy was perched on a shelf overlooking the bed. "No," Chibi-Usa said, "Ranma-chan's going to watch me sleep." Chibi-Usa was unsure why she wanted him to watch her sleep. All she knew, however, was that having Ranma watch her sleep was somehow important to her. "I want him to watch you too." She hugged Usagi and gave a yawn. It had been a very long and productive day. Chibi-Usa happily thought as she felt her mother return the hug. "Chibi-Usa-chan, I want you to meet someone," Usagi said. She lifted the stuffed bunny so that the little girl could see it. "This is Floppy. I used to have him as a little girl." Usagi smiled slightly as Chibi-Usa seemed to become fascinated with the toy, "I want you to have Floppy. I used to tell him all my secrets. Now you can tell him all yours." Chibi-Usa at first seemed happy then sad. "I can't, Mommy," Chibi-Usa said softly. Seeing the quizzical look that Usagi was giving her, Chibi-Usa said, "Daddy said I could have one toy, not two." A longing to hug the bunny close was causing Chibi-Usa some problems. She'd really liked that toy. However, her father didn't say she could have two. Usagi frowned slightly before smiling. "Chibi-Usa-chan, did your daddy say that you could only have ONE?" Chibi-Usa shook her head, "So he didn't say that you couldn't have two?" "No Mommy," Chibi-Usa said with slight confusion inflicting her speech. "Well then if your daddy said that you COULD have a toy but DIDN'T say you could only have one, then you can have more than one." "Mommy," Chibi-Usa said, "What did you just say?" Usagi giggled, "Gomen, your daddy said that you could have more than one." "He did?!?" Chibi-Usa asked eyes going wide. At Usagi's nod of confirmation the little girl tentatively reached for Floppy. As her mother brought the toy closer, Chibi-Usa gently took the bunny and hugged it closely. "Okay," Usagi said, "Let's get you into bed. I'll put some salve on." Setting Floppy aside for the moment, Chibi-Usa lay on her tummy and was about to pull her underpants down when she thought of something. "Don't look, Floppy," Chibi-Usa said. "You too, Ranma-chan," the little girl added while reaching up and turning the bear to face the wall. This action made Usagi take on a confused look. Chibi-Usa lay back down on the bed on her tummy and covered Floppy's eyes. "Chibi-Usa-chan, why did you turn Ranma and cover Floppy's eyes?!?" Usagi asked. Chibi-Usa turned to look at her mother before saying, "Mommy says that it's not polite to show your bare bum. It private but you put medicine on so you have to see it. Daddy gave me baths when I was really little and you not wear clothes in bath." Chibi-Usa frowned slightly, Although how that was achieved, Chibi-Usa didn't know. Usagi shivered slightly, she sensed that Chibi-Usa wasn't telling her everything. "Okay Chibi-Usa, let's put the medicine on and then I'll read you a story." ****** Sunday afternoon was pleasant. The sun was shining and although the breeze was from the east, it wasn't that cold. Ikuko, who was standing in the kitchen, heard Usagi and Chibi-Usa returning from their trip to the park. Walking out into the hall, Ikuko gave a little gasp of surprise. "What in the world have you been up to?!?" she demanded of the two giggling girls. Chibi-Usa immediately took on a worried expression while Usagi grinned at her mother. "What HAVE you been eating?!?" Ikuko asked. Chibi-Usa's face was covered with a dark brown substance; her fingers also seemed to be covered. "Daddy took us for ice cream, Obaa-san," Chibi-Usa said softly, "It was really good!" Her little tongue darted out to lick some of the chocolate ice cream off of her lips. "Well we couldn't eat the ice cream fast enough," Usagi giggled, "So it got a little messy." Usagi's thoughts trailed off as she saw the expression on her mother's face. "Mom?" she questioned. "Shingo," Ikuko called into the living. When Shingo appeared in the doorway, Ikuko said, "Shingo, take Chibi-Usa upstairs and get her cleaned up. After that, read her a story." "Hai," Shingo said after some internal debate. His mother had used a tone of voice that would broke no compromise. "Come on, Chibi-Usa-chan, let's go get you cleaned up." He then noticed the little girl's face. "I bet that ice cream was really good." Chibi-Usa, sensing that something was upsetting her grandmother, turned to Shingo and said, "Okay, Uncle Shingo. Yeah, it was really good!" She then proceeded to follow her uncle up the stairs. Once the two were out of earshot, Ikuko turned her gaze on Usagi and said, "You SAW her father?!?" At Usagi's nod, Ikuko moved towards the phone, "I should call the police and tell them." Usagi's eyes opened wide and she hastened to halt her mother. "Oh no Mom!" Usagi exclaimed while placing her hand on the receiver, "Not her REAL father." At Ikuko's confused expression, Usagi said, "We saw Mamoru in the park and he treated us to the ice cream." "Who's this `Mamoru'?!?" Kenji voice demanded making both Ikuko and Usagi jump. Moving to stand beside Ikuko, Kenji said, "Usagi, is Mamoru Chibi-Usa's father?!?" The fire that was burning in Kenji's eyes made Usagi uneasy. "No Dad, Mamo-cha... I mean Mamoru isn't Chibi-Usa's father. She just thinks he looks like her father. She calls him `Daddy' the same way that she calls me `Mommy'." Both Ikuko and Kenji exchanged worried expressions, "Honest, Mamoru wouldn't do anything." "So, WHO exactly is this Mamoru character?!?" Kenji demanded, "Why haven't we met him???" Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Ikuko shifted slightly. The scowl on his forehead deepened. "Usagi-chan, I want the truth!" Panicking, Usagi decided that she had better confess. "Okay, I've been seeing Mamoru for a while now. I love him very much and he loves me." If the bulging vein on Kenji's forehead was any indication, her father didn't think much of that last statement. Usagi bleakly thought, Sensing her husband was about to say something that he might later regret, Ikuko said, "Usagi, please tell us exactly what Chibi-Usa said." As Usagi started to explain what had occurred the day before and then earlier this afternoon, Ikuko had to fight to suppress a shudder. As the tale drew to a close Ikuko looked at Kenji. Her husband was visibly grinding his teeth in an attempt to control his anger. "Usagi-chan," Kenji said, his voice strained with his efforts to remain calm, "You are not to see Mamoru again. You are also to keep Chibi-Usa away from Mamoru." "But why?!?" Usagi protested, "Mamoru makes Chibi-Usa happy. She seems to need him in some way. I don't understand it totally but... He would never hurt her!" Usagi stated emphatically. "If he was so good, then you would have introduced us!" Kenji snarled, "Young Lady we know NOTHING about Mamoru. Your safety and Chibi-Usa's safety could be in danger. We certainly know it would not be a good idea to have Chibi-Usa around Mamoru. You are to stay away from him!!!" Usagi's lip trembled, two sets of tears started to streak down her cheeks. "How could you say such a thing?" she asked her father, "How could you?!?" All she got in response was Kenji's stern glare. "Daddy..." "NO!" Kenji thundered, "You will not meet with that boy again!" Not being able to fight it any longer, Usagi began to wail. Turning, she fled into the living room. "I love Mamoru! I know he wouldn't do such a thing!" Usagi yelled to her parents. Kenji was about to go after his daughter when Ikuko waved him back. Slowly, she stepped into the living room and over to where her daughter was. "What the heck's going on?!?" Shingo asked as he came down the stairs. "Shingo," Kenji said sternly stopping his son from coming further down the stairs, "Go back upstairs and KEEP Chibi-Usa there until one of us comes up to get her." Shingo only briefly hesitated before scurrying up the steps again. In the living room, Ikuko had walked up behind Usagi. "Usagi-chan," Ikuko said softly, "Haruna-san told us something that made us worry. She said that Chibi-Usa would focus all her attention onto the abuser. The suspicion was that her father abused her; her seeing Mamoru as the abuser isn't healthy." Usagi's head whipped around, her mouth open ready to protest violently against the implications when Ikuko held up her hand. "Usagi-chan listen. You said that Chibi-Usa gave all her attention to Mamoru. That means that she sees him as her father. It can't do her any good. No matter how happy Mamoru may make Chibi-Usa feel, it won't be healthy." After a few moments, Usagi quieted down. She saw that wailing wasn't getting her anywhere and it might draw Chibi-Usa's attention. Usagi thought and gave a sniffle. "He would never hurt Chibi-Usa. She's so proud that her `father' is proud of her and loves her." Usagi had to fight to keep control. She could feel a fresh set tears forming in her eyes again. "Mamoru is a good person who would protect her." Usagi pleaded, "Please Mom, don't force me away from him." Usagi thought, "Usagi, we aren't saying that Mamoru would hurt Chibi-Usa. If Chibi-Usa finds acceptance with Mamoru, then she's going to drive herself constantly to keep that acceptance. She'll burn out. It won't be good for her mentally or physically," Ikuko said. Moving to stand beside his wife, Kenji took a few breaths to calm himself. Kenji thought. "Usagi-chan," Kenji said in a quiet tone, "We've been so proud of you. Especially when Chibi-Usa came into our lives. We saw you take on very difficult responsibilities. We know that you're an intelligent girl. Please don't prove us wrong. I know you say you, love..." Kenji nearly had to spit the word out, "Mamoru but if you care as much about Chibi-Usa as we think you do, then you'll stay away from him." Usagi didn't answer. Turning abruptly, she ran from the house, silently shedding tears. "Gomen Usagi-chan," Ikuko whispered. She felt Kenji hug her and despite the warmth of his body against hers, Ikuko was unable to shake the cold feeling that the revelations had created. Kenji finished his wife's thoughts, "It gives me the creeps." ****** Usagi didn't know how long she ran for. Several minutes must have passed before a familiar voice grabbed her attention. "Usako???" came the worried voice of Mamoru, "What's the matter?!?" Usagi, tears streaming down her face, ran to her love and wrapping her arms around him, buried her face. "Oh Mamo-chan," Usagi cried, "It's all gone so horribly wrong!!!" "Shh..." Mamoru said while stroking his girlfriend's hair, "Tell me what the matter is, Usako?" He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close, hoping to provide warmth to his girlfriend. Usagi remained silent for several seconds before whispering out, "Mamo-chan, my-my parents want us to stop seeing each other. I love you so much, and I tried to explain to them to tell them..." Usagi seemed to be working herself into a frenzy of emotion once again. "Usako, just tell me what's wrong? Why won't they let you see me again?" Mamoru felt a sharp pang. Mamoru thought, "I love you so much, Usako. Maybe I should go and talk with your parents." "NO!" Usagi nearly screamed. "Gomen nasai!" Usagi said again while wringing her hands, "I just... maybe we should slow down a little. I don't have as much time anymore. You have to work," Usagi said. "Your parents might be overreacting," Mamoru said, "Let me go and talk to them." Drawing his girlfriend for a kiss, he said, "I've missed you so much. If we separate, what would I ever do without you?" Tilting his head, he kissed her with vigor. Somewhere between enjoying Mamoru's kiss and fighting to remain calm, Usagi got an idea. Usagi thought. Pushing away from the kiss with great effort, Usagi looked seriously at Mamoru before saying, "Mamo-chan, if we had children... would you spank them?" Mamoru took on a confused expression, "Usagi-chan, what does that have to do with us breaking up?" "Please Mamo-chan," Usagi said, "Just tell me. If we had children, would you spank them?" Mamoru gave Usagi an odd look before saying, "I suppose. I never thought about it. I guess I'd spank them if I thought they deserved it. Why?" "How?" Usagi demanded. "How what?!?" Mamoru asked, "Usagi-chan, what IS going on?!?" "Mamo-chan, HOW would you spank our children?!?" Usagi demanded. Her eyes were gleaming with anticipation. If Mamoru's expression was any indication, he was wallowing in confusion. As he looked at Usagi he saw hope dancing in her eyes. Taking a breath, Mamoru said, "I suppose it would depend on what our child did. If it was minor, I might swat them on the rear with my hand a couple of times. If it was more serious, it might be more severe. Like I said, it's a subjective thing." Taking Usagi's hands, Mamoru said, "Usako, what's all this about our future children and spanking? What does this have to do with us breaking up?" Usagi thought. Sniffling once again, Usagi wrapped her arms around Mamoru while saying, "Oh Mamo-chan, I wish it were all a bad dream. I love you so much. I don't think you should talk to my parents. They're both upset at the moment. Maybe a little later on." Mamoru, who felt like he was walking in the dark, hugged his girlfriend and sighed. Part XIV - Discovery Later that same evening, Chibi-Usa watched her mother pace around the room. the little girl wondered, It was slightly distressing to see her mother act like this. "Mommy, am I in trouble?" Chibi-Usa finally asked. Usagi stopped her pacing and instead walked over to kneel in front of Chibi-Usa. "Honey, why do you think you're in trouble?" "'Cause when you walk around and around like that, then that means you scared that I'm in trouble." Chibi-Usa looked at the ground before saying, "You cry and before Mommy always sad when Daddy gonna spank me. She cry a lot!" Usagi gave a weak smile, "No Mesume, you aren't in trouble and your daddy isn't going to spank you." Usagi paused, "Honey, do you know what `stay away' means?" Chibi-Usa nodded. "I want you to stay away from your daddy." "Why Mommy?!?" Chibi-Usa asked. "Chibi-Usa-chan, we don't want your daddy to hurt you," Usagi said, "You aren't allowed to see your daddy." "But," Chibi-Usa began, "Mommy... Daddy not hurt me." She was confused and she couldn't understand why her mother would want her to stay away from her father. "You don't want Daddy to love me?" "Of course I want your daddy to love you," Usagi said. After a moment of silence, Usagi said, "Chibi-Usa-chan, I want you to promise me that you won't go anywhere with your daddy or talk to him." "Please Mommy," Chibi-Usa begged, "I don't want to stay away from Daddy. I'm good. Daddy said he was proud of me." She sniffled, "Daddy said he loved me. Please Mommy, I want to see Daddy!" She could feel tears starting to form in her eyes. "Chibi-Usa-chan, I want you to promise me," Usagi stated firmly. Sniffling a little, Chibi-Usa said, "Please Mommy... I want Daddy to love me." She looked sadly towards Usagi. Usagi could feel her resolve slipping. Taking a breath, Usagi said, "Usagi, you are to stay away from your father. I want you to PROMISE that you'll listen to me." Chibi-Usa's bottom lip trembled slightly but she managed to choke out, "I... promise... Mommy." Her mother was putting her in a difficult position but she couldn't explain it. Usagi, seeing that Chibi-Usa was about to cry, sat on the bed before drawing the little girl into a comforting hug. Silently, tears ran down Usagi's cheeks to be intermingled with Chibi-Usa's. "I love you," Usagi whispered to the little girl who only sniffled back in response. ****** Four year old Usagi cowered in her closet. She was wearing a set of shorts and a T-shirt. "Usagi Serenity!" boomed the voice of Endymion, her father, "COME OUT HERE THIS INSTANT!" The little girl whimpered. "If I have to come looking for you, I'll really let you have it!" Endymion's voice was closer. Usagi pressed closer to the wall. She knew she was going to be punished and she didn't want her father to find her. "USAGI!!!" Another whimper escaped the little girl's lips. Trying to control her fear, little Usagi covered her mouth as she heard footsteps coming towards the closet. She tried to scrunch down, hoping beyond hope that if the door were opened, nobody would see her. The footsteps stopped and, for a moment, the surrounding area fell silent. In a flash, the door was opened and a large hand shot into the closet. "Come out of there right now!" boomed the voice of her father. Usagi gave a small cry and struggled slightly. "You will learn to listen to me!" Endymion shouted as he dragged his daughter from the closet. "Please Daddy! I REALLY, REALLY, sorry!" Usagi pleaded. Bringing the little girl over to her bed, Endymion threw back the covers and pointed to the dark wet spot on the sheets. "What did you do?!" he demanded while shaking Usagi, "Tell me!" Usagi was fearful and had started to cry softly. Hoping to placate her father, she sniffled out, "I wet the bed." She looked towards her father pleadingly, "I not do it again. Please Daddy, it an accident." "Only babies wet their beds!" Endymion snarled, "It's time you grew up!" While keeping a firm hold on Usagi, Endymion scooped up the three stuffed animals that were on the bed. "Toys are for babies. You aren't a baby and you don't deserve ANY of these!" With that, he tossed the toys out of the room. "No!" Usagi cried reaching for her favorite toy that had been tossed out of the room. Her fear, for the moment, vanished. "You big meanie!" she shouted and proceeded to stomp on Endymion's foot. "That does it!" Endymion snarled, "You are going to be punished. Not only for wetting the bed but for disobeying me." Pushing Usagi onto the bed, face down, Endymion pulled her shorts and panties down. "NO!" Usagi howled in fear, "Please don't spank me!!!" She tried to wriggle but her father was too strong. "You will learn to listen to me. You will NEVER EVER run away from me again," Endymion hissed. Positioning himself, he removed and then raised his belt, "You WILL learn!" "NO!!!" Usagi begged, her face pale, eyes streaming with tears. She saw the blackness arc up and then came the swooshing sound. A loud THWACK followed by burning pain. "MOMMY!!!!!" Usagi howled, but with the second stroke her pleading turned into a choked scream. ****** Tsukino Usagi bolted upright in bed. Someone was screaming. Turning on the bedside light, she found Chibi-Usa arching her back, eyes tightly clenched shut. "Mommy!!!" Chibi-Usa cried again. It sounded so anguished. "Chibi-Usa-chan!" Usagi called while shaking the little girl, "Honey, wake up!" Whether it was Usagi's shaking or her voice, Chibi-Usa immediately opened her eyes and scrambled to hug Usagi. "Mommy!" Chibi-Usa cried wrapping her little arms around Usagi. Then as her senses came back to her, Chibi-Usa winced. "It hurts. It hurts!" she cried into her mother's side. "Honey, what hurts?!?" Usagi demanded. She now also became aware that the bedding was a little damp. Usagi thought but she pushed that concern out of her mind. "Honey, tell me what hurts?!?" "My bum, it stings," Chibi-Usa sniffled out. That's when she felt the wetness. Chibi-Usa gave another sob. she bleakly thought. To Usagi, the little girl was distressed. Usagi thought while scrambling to get out of bed. "We better go to the hospital," Usagi said starting to panic. Usagi's panic seemed to distress Chibi-Usa even more who thought that Usagi was upset at her for wetting the bed. Suddenly the door burst open and Ikuko along with Kenji ran in. "What's going on?!?" Kenji demanded. "She says her bum hurts," Usagi said, "We gotta do something!" "Honey," Ikuko said coming over to place a hand on Usagi's arm, "Calm down and explain what happened." "I wet the bed," Chibi-Usa admitted sadly. She lowered her head and sniffled. "Gomen nasai." "Usagi, take Chibi-Usa into the bathroom and wash her off. I think it's just the urine that's burning some of the welts," Ikuko said, "If it keeps hurting, we'll take her to the hospital then." "Okay," Usagi agreed, "Come on, Chibi-Usa-chan." Taking the little girl's hand, she guided the very depressed child off of the bed and down the hall to the bathroom. "Is she okay?!?" Shingo asked blear-eyed. "I hope so," Usagi said before hustling Chibi-Usa into the bathroom and closing the door. "Chibi-Usa-chan, does it really hurt?" Usagi asked worriedly as she helped the little girl remove the soiled garments. "No," Chibi-Usa said softly, "It hurts more when Daddy spanks me." She sniffled and looked at Usagi again, "Gomen nasai, Mommy." Getting two facecloths, Usagi directed Chibi-Usa into the washing stall where she ran the water. Lathering the facecloths, she helped the little girl wash while offering reassurance. "Honey, it's okay. It was an accident. I'm just glad you aren't hurt." "Daddy's going to be really mad," Chibi-Usa said after a little while. "We aren't going to tell your daddy," Usagi said. Checking the furo's water, she said, "It's still warm. You get in there and relax for a couple of seconds while I go get you some fresh pajamas." "'Kay Mommy," Chibi-Usa said and climbed into the furo while Usagi left the room. ****** A few minutes later Usagi sat on the edge of the furo while stroking Chibi-Usa's hair. "Honey, were you having a bad dream?" Chibi-Usa nodded after a small pause. "Do you want to talk about it?" "Mommy, you're not mad that I wet the bed?" Chibi-Usa asked as she ran her hands through the still warm water. The pain she had been experiencing was gone. As Ikuko had predicted, the urine that had soaked into Chibi-Usa's panties had reacted badly with the welts that were slow in healing. "No, I'm not. It was an accident. Just like with your sohu and the juice. You didn't mean to have an accident and I'm not mad at you." Usagi noted that Chibi-Usa's head was starting to droop, "Come on, let's get you out of there before you fall asleep." She then proceeded to help Chibi-Usa out of the furo. Wrapping the little girl in a large towel, Usagi picked her up. "Honey, what were you dreaming?" Chibi-Usa seemed reluctant but sleep was having an effect. "I was really little. I wet the bed and Daddy got mad. He spanked me with a belt." Sniffling again, Chibi-Usa wrapped her arms around Usagi's neck and started to cry again. "Shh... I love you and I won't let your daddy find out about this. I promise," Usagi said softly, "I love you and I'm not mad at you. Accidents happen." Leaving the bathroom, Usagi carried Chibi-Usa down the hall and back into their room. Ikuko had remade the bed with fresh sheets and gave Chibi-Usa a hug before leaving the room. Usagi thought, And as she rocked the child in her arms, Chibi-Usa slowly slid back into slumber with a feeling of warmth and security. ****** That Monday morning as Chibi-Usa and Maia were getting ready for gym class, Maia finally asked, "Chibi-Usa-chan, what's that?" As she asked she pointed to the bruises that were peeking out from underneath Chibi-Usa's gym clothing. Flushing brightly, Chibi-Usa said, "Daddy spanked me. I was a naughty girl." It was rather embarrassing to admit that she had been very bad. This brought a smile to Chibi-Usa's face. Maia seemed confused, "But my daddy spanks me and I not have those." Chibi-Usa wasn't sure how to respond so she shrugged. Deciding that it wasn't important, Maia asked, "Did your mommy make you a good bento?" "Hai," Chibi-Usa nodded, "I have to wait for lunch but it's a long time away." Her stomach rumbled in agreement and both little girls giggled. ****** The following Sunday found the Senshi gathering at Rei's. The only one not present was Usagi. The weather outside was clear and sunny. It was completely opposite inside. Rei was in a foul mood and the demands the others were making was making her mood even fouler. "Look," Rei snapped eventually, "I will not go easy on Usagi simply because a little kid thinks she's her mother." "Rei-chan," Ami said, "We need to have everybody meet Chibi-Usa. She is a little girl who's timid when she meets new people. You can help her, I also need you to do a fire reading on her. That would be easier with her here." "You wouldn't want Chibi-Usa to think that you're as mean as her dad," Makoto said. "Nani?!?" Rei demanded, "What are you talking about?!" "That's exactly it, Rei-chan," Minako indicated, "You can't start fights with Usagi. I know you like to but, for Chibi-Usa's sake, please try and be nice." Minako paused and smiled, "Usagi is trying hard to be a good mommy. She's studying harder, ask Ami." Rei turned to look at Ami, who nodded. "And Chibi-Usa's such a kawaii little girl." "Rei-chan, Chibi-Usa could be Usagi's daughter," Makoto added, "If that's true, then she's a princess. That means you have an obligation to protect both of them. How are you going to do that if Chibi-Usa's scared of you?" Rei glowered for several seconds before huffing out, "Oh all right!" It was just that Rei wasn't prepared to admit it to anyone. "So when are they coming over?" "In a few minutes. We're early, just remember that," Ami pointed out. Then she remembered something, "Ah, I guess there's one more thing that I should tell you about." Rei and Minako looked questioningly at Ami. "Usagi has been forbidden to see Mamoru. I wouldn't recommend mentioning him if I were you." After a brief pause both Minako and Rei cried in complete and utter shock, "NANI?!?!" ****** Chibi-Usa's initial meeting with Rei went better than Usagi had expected. One of the reasons that it went smoothly was that the others were there. Chibi-Usa seemed to have less fear of Rei when the others were around. The little girl was also starting to realize that Mommy's friends weren't so bad. Ami had kept helping her with schoolwork and was fun to be around. Minako was a giant kid and although it was sometimes weird, Chibi-Usa did enjoy her visits with Minako. Makoto was by far the best, at least in Chibi-Usa's private opinion. Makoto made good food, was really nice to Usagi, and was big. Chibi-Usa felt very secure around Makoto. All this helped when she was meeting Rei for the first time. Another factor was that Rei was acting oddly, at least to Usagi. She was polite and hadn't even yelled when the girls had arrived a few minutes late for their study session. The reason that Rei didn't yell was partly because Rei was in shock. Usagi was only a few minutes late. It was also partially due to the other girls' talk with Rei. Five minutes after Usagi and Chibi-Usa arrived, the girls were seated in one of the many rooms around the shrine. It was mostly quiet except for Ami and Chibi-Usa who were discussing something having to do with trees and the scraping of pencils on paper. Rei glanced towards Usagi who seemed to be deep in thought. As Rei watched her friend, Usagi smiled slightly and started writing again after only a few minutes.