Chapter Text
Missing Family
"Chibiusa?"
Usagi called the name of the girl as she headed towards the stairs to go upstairs.
The teenager had recently returned home after a day spent at school,and most of the afternoon being dragged around the various jewelery shops in the city by Naru. She was only able to return home late in the afternoon,almost evening since the sun was about to set.
Strangely today they hadn't got attacked by any enemies,but she and her friends were able to experience a bit of normality,so she didn't complain too much. She just hoped it could last a little longer.
Her father was at work,her mother was out shopping and Shingo went out to go to a friend's house,Luna had told her that for today she would be at Minako's to be with Artemis and little Diana,so only the 2 of them remained in the house. But it was too quiet,almost too quiet.
Usually even when they were alone there was always noise because they were both energetic and hyperactive,Usagi didn't like the fact that the house was quiet,it meant something was wrong.
"Chibiusa?"
Usagi tried again but received no response.
She frowned as she lengthens her pace,deciding to take the steps 2 at a time.
Why did this scale seem to become infinite at such a time?
It's as if she's been walking them for 10 minutes and hasn't even gotten halfway.
Finally,after what she thought was an eternity,Usagi managed to go up to the second floor and in a flash she found himself in front of Chibiusa room.
She knocked once but getting no answer he decided to open the child's room. She placed her hand on the aluminum knob gently and turned it,opening the white door.
The room in front of her was nothing she hadn't seen before,except perhaps that it was cleaner than usual. Chibiusa wasn't as different from her as she made it out to be,she might be mature for a child,but they were both walking disasters when it came to the same things.The room had been tidied up impeccably,courtesy of her mother most likely,and nothing was out of place. The only thing missing,however,was the owner of that room. Chibiusa wasn't in her bedroom.
A feeling of dread it made its way into her heart and her muscles tense before she sprints and quickly checks every other room on the floor. Chibiusa wasn't in the bathroom or in Shinjo's room,or even in her parents' room and she wasn't even downstairs because no one had been there besides her,so checking back there would be a waste.
Where could she be? Did someone kidnap her? If they hurt her they won't get away with it. I hope she didn't run away again. I did nothing to make her take this drastic decision. Was she offended by something I did or said? What could I have ever done? It's impossible that I made her angry, we didn't see each other much this days. Maybe it was last week? I should call Mamo,he always knows what to do in this occasions,maybe Chibiusa is with him. And the girls,I should also ask them for help to find her. It's starting to get late,who knows where she might be,I need to find her as soon as possible. I hope nothing happened to her.
Usagi took out her phone to alert the others of Chibiusa's disappearance,when a creak caught her attention. She turned towards the source of the sound at attention,ready to transform in case someone wanted to make an attempt on her safety or Chibiusa's,only to find...the door of her room.
The door was ajar and she could see from the little crack left open the moonlight making its way and illuminating the corridor in the dim light.
The girl realized that among all the checked rooms there was still one missing:Her's.
The only room left to check was her,but Chibiusa usually rarely set foot in it in these days. Something to do with personal space and "I'm a big girl now Usagi,I can take care of myself,you don't need to check on me every hour" which to her seemed stupid. So there was no way she was there unless she had a good reason. But...But checking didn't cost anything,at least she would have confirmation that the pink haired girl wasn't home.
Usagi approached the door of her own bedroom on tiptoes,without making any noise,and peeking into the room.
Her room was a mess as usual,a contrast to all the other rooms in the house,and the windows were wide open letting in the light of the full moon,but her eyes immediately focused on the small figure that was lying on the soft pink blankets of her bed.
As an immediate response,her body relaxed and let go of all the anxiety and adrenaline she had felt up to that moment,she let out a sigh of relief as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
"Oh my,so you were here....I was so scared that something bad had happened to you..."
Usagi whispered as she approached the bed and looked at the little girl.
Chibiusa was still wearing her school uniform and her now messy hair was pulled back into her usual hairstyle,she slept peacefully sitting on the floor with her head leaning against the bed,while clutching the covers with one hand.
"And then I would be the troublemaker....let's take you to bed"
The blonde knelt on the floor and picked up Chibiusa and then placed her on her bed.
The hand,with which she was clutching the blankets,loosened its grip and a small metal object fell onto the carpeted floor.
"What-?"
Usagi picked up the object before realizing what it is.
"A key?...This is the Key of Space-Time that Pluto gave her."
The girl said as she turned the small white key in her hands and glanced at Chibiusa.
"You must miss your family..."
The blonde said as she lightly stroked Chibiusa's hair and got up from the floor to put the key on the nightstand.
She then tucked the girl in,avoiding moving her too much so as not to wake her. She would have liked to do more,but she doesn't think Chibiusa would have liked to wake up with her hair down and pajamas that she hadn't even remembered to put on. She would have yelled at her,for sure.
"Don't worry,I will make sure everything is resolved and you can be happy again. It's a pinky promise."
Usagi whisper as she took her pinky with hers and squeezed lightly,in a small promise.
As if hearing her words,the girl's lips curved slightly,giving life to a small smile.
Usagi sat back on the floor as she held the pink haired girl's hand hoping she didn't have nightmares but only happy dreams. The moon illuminated them and watched over them vigilantly as the night took over.
If the next day the golden-haired girl found herself with a sore back Chibiusa wouldn't have known anything.
Blood in the water
It was supposed to be a normal patrol,to check that there was nothing wrong and everything was fine,and then they would return home to eat the cake that mama Ikuko had prepared.
They never imagined that Ami would find an anomaly in the area and that it would lead to a fight. And she certainly never expected to fight on a rooftop with only Chibiusa to help her,since the others had all been knocked out.
Panic crept into her mind. As they fought and dodged the blows of... whatever was attacking her,her gaze went to rest on Sailor Chibi Moon for seconds too long.
Chibiusa was further away from their attacker than she was,but that didn't put her out of his attack range. This was something she didn't like,she had to defeat this ugly thing before anything could happen.
Sailor Moon dodged another blow to the side before leaping back and calling on her crystal to summon her scepter.
But before she could even use it,the enemy,caught up in her moment of distraction,launched himself at Sailor Chibi Moon with an impact so strong that it sent her flying off the roof. The roof of a 50-story skyscraper.
"SAILOR CHIBI MOON!"
Sailor Moon screamed in terror as she saw the little girl's body fall from a terrifying height.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Sailor Chibi Moon screamed as she fell towards the ground at an exorbitant speed.
"SAILOR MOON!"
Small tears began to form in her pink eyes as she raised her hand towards the sky.
"CHIBIUSA!"
Usagi leaned towards the roof and without thinking twice she threw herself into the void to grab her.
The meters that separated them decreased more and more as gravity dragged them towards the asphalt. Usagi reached out her hand,the same way Chibiusa had done before her,to reach her,with a little effort (and desperate tears) she managed to grab her arm in an iron grip and bring her close.
"I got you,I got you Chibiusa,don't worry"
Sailor Moon said as she brought her to her chest and flipped the positions: She turned with her back to the ground while holding the little girl close.
If we would have died this way,at least I would have been the one to take the full brunt of the blow and maybe Chibiusa would have been saved.
Usagi felt pressure on her clothes and realized Chibiusa's hands were gripping her uniform,small gray spots appeared on the part of the uniform where the chest was.
Chibiusa is crying...
"Hey...it's ok...Do you trust me?"
The blonde asked as she stroked her hair.
"Mhm-mhm"
The little girl nodded as she trembled in her grasp.
"Then don't worry,nothing will happens to you. I promise."
As long as I'm there,you don't have to worry about anything,even in these situations no one will be able to hurt you. Even if that means sacrificing myself.
Her heart beated fast as she thought about all the difficulties she had gone through to get here and about her future. What would have become of Chibiusa if they hadn't survived the fall? And Crystal Tokyo? Would the thirtieth century still exist? Would Chibiusa have a home to return to? Who would have ever imagined that it could end like this...
Just 10 meters into their landing on the concrete,a black figure saved them from their fateful death by taking Usagi into his arms,carrying her in princess style,and placing them gently on the ground,while Chibiusa was still in Usagi's arms.
"I'm sorry If it took me so long,are you two okay?"
Tuxed Kamen asked once he put the most important people in his life to safety.
"TUXED KAMEN!"
The two girls yelled,they both threw themselves into his arms as Chibiusa leaned out of Usagi's hold towards Mamoru.
But Sailor Moon's grip didn't let up,it remained firm and hard,with the knuckles of her delicate hand now turning white as her arms trembled slightly. After this experience she wasn't ready to let go of Chibiusa yet.
Mamoru,ever observant,said nothing and pulled her into a tight hug.
"It' ok,you two are safe now. Did that monster hurt you?"
He asked patting Chibiuss's head.
The pink haired girl shook her head as a small smile formed on her face.
"Sailor Moon was with me and she helped me. I'm good now,Mamo-chan"
Sailor Chibi Moon answered him.
Good,if Chibiusa was ok then the rest didn't matter. She just hoped she would never notice her trembling figure and the look of pure terror she has right now.
Chibiusa is safe,she had nothing to worry about anymore. But...
"Usako?"
"Uhm-yes! I'm totally fine!"
Sailor Moon replied,placing Chibiusa in Mamoru's arms. She wasn't much of a liar but she hoped they would buy it right now.
"Usa-"
"I need to defeat our enemy,you two stay here,I'll be right back!"
Usagi ignored Mamoru who had started screaming her name and rushed back to the entrance of the skyscraper.
The battle wasn't over yet,her friends were still left up there,each of them unconscious,hurts and exhausted from the fight and Sailor Moon was going to finish this. She didn't know what kind of enemy this was,she hoped it was just a one-time thing and that no others would appear,this means that a new enemy had arrived and that they would have to start another battle.
This meant putting Chibiusa in more danger than she already was.
Usagi was aware that her future daughter would never be safe,she was her blood after all. The lunar bloodline was famous for having...enemies popping up from everywhere just to take over their powers and the world. She honestly didn't know what she had done in her past life to deserve all this pain,and the same was true for Mamoru.
Serenity and Endymion only wanted to love each other,certainly not to bring destruction and an end to the era of a kingdom now lost in their memories. All these bad guys coming back to take revenge on them,when they didn't even remember who they were or know them,were seriously bad luck.
But it was done,that was their life now and she certainly couldn't cry over spilled milk. Especially because she didn't regret any of this in the slightest,she would have done it a thousand more times just to be with the people he loved. She would protect her future and allow Chibiusa to live in peace and avoiding a tragic end.
When Neo Queen Serenity,her future self,had written to her to take Chibiusa under her wing in training to be a senshi,it almost made her heart stop. She knew in her heart that she would never want her little girl to be on a battlefield,but....but this was Chibiusa's wish. And her future daughter could be as stubborn as a wall,it was rare that once she said something she took it back.
So she allowed it,hoping that nothing at all would happen during this time,and that no evil being would come forward to destroy the Earth again. The Black Moon Clan was already enough for her (Usagi sometimes still had nightmares about when they took Chibiusa away from her and turned her into Black Lady),she didn't need someone else trying to kill her and the people she loved most.
So she really hoped that this situation wasn't the start of something bigger than them.
Chibiusa was now with Mamo-chan,she would be safe from whatever would happen on that roof. Now,all that was needed was to knock out the bad guy and everything would go back to normal.
And if for the rest of the week after that terrible experience Usagi didn't let the pink girl out of her sight for at least a minute,Chibiusa wouldn't have known anything.
Don't touch her!
"Usagi calm down,I'm sure Chibiusa is fine. She's just a little late"
Makoto tried to reassure her,but the blonde shook her head.
She had been walking back and forth in the living room for 10 minutes,checking the clock hanging on the wall every minute,while her friends looked at her like she was crazy.
Usagi was aware that they had noticed the change in her lately,she was much more protective than Chibiusa and they rarely argued,sure they teased each other constantly,but there were no more arguments. It was as if she had matured.
Which was a good thing for them,they loved her despite her behavior obviously,but seeing her be more responsible towards Chibiusa was...it was something they never expected. But it brought joy to each of them.
There was only one small thing that they would have preferred not to have changed...her protectiveness. Usagi was becoming really overprotective of Chibiusa,and as good as it was,at the same time they had noticed how it was starting to bother Chibiusa.
There were days when she couldn't leave the house without Usagi,and the little girl,who until now had been independent and had always managed on her own,didn't like being confined too much. She wanted her privacy.
So they had taken the initiative to start loosening up Usagi a bit to prevent the situation from becoming a disaster,especially now that they had buried the hatchet.
They were at Minako's house for a girls' day out when Usagi's mother called them to ask about Chibiusa,she apparently had not yet returned home from her outing with Otaru.
The problem is that it was now late evening and the sun had already set. They had called Michiru,Haruka and Setsuna to ask if Chibiusa was at their house,but they denied it and Otaru also replied that one hour had passed since they separated.
That response was enough to send Usagi into a complete mess. She had called Mamoru to ask if Chibiusa had come to him,but her boyfriend had responded by telling her that he was at work and hadn't seen her all day.
Each of them had tried calling Chibiusa,but she didn't answered to any of them. They had thus proposed to wait another couple of minutes,hoping that Chibiusa had gathered in who knows what playground or arcade (she had taken after Usagi in this),or at the house of some of her school friends and that she was only late.
10 minutes had passed since then and Usagi was growing worried more and more every minute,she almost ran out the door looking for the pink-haired girl.
"That's it! I won't wait a minute longer! Chibiusa might be in trouble right now!"
And with these words Usagi rushed towards the door,barely remembering to put on her shoes,running in an unknown direction.
"Running like that without even a specific destination or an idea of where Chibiusa is....typical of Usagi"
Rei sighed as she got up from the couch and straightened her skirt.
"I mean you aren't wrong but the heart cannot be commanded...Artemis?!"
Minako called out to her partner in crime,while Artemis rushed to her upon hearing his name.
"Mina what's wrong? Do you need anything?"
The cat asked,climbing onto the table that was in the center of the room.
"Do you know where Diana is?"
Minako asked as she began to get ready.
Makoto tidied up the room while Ami helped her carry the various plates and glasses to the kitchen–they had spent half the afternoon eating the desserts Makoto had made for them.
"Diana? She's with Luna at Usagi's house. Luna told me that she didn't feel very well and preferred to stay at home rather than follow Chibiusa"
Artemis explained,remembering the morning conversation with the black cat regarding their future daughter. He had planned to visit them in the evening,but now he felt something was up.
"So she's alone,and either Diana or Otaru know where she is..."
Makoto said,making Artemis even more curious.
"If she's alone,she's most likely at the park. I highly doubt she stopped around somewhere far away as it's late. Chibiusa is very responsible when it comes to not making Usagi's family worry"
Ami had said as she finished tidying up.
"Who? Chibiusa? What happened?"
"Chibiusa's missing. She was supposed to go home an hour ago, but she hasn't returned yet and no one knows where she is. Usagi just left home to look for her."
Rei explained quickly as she looked at the sky.
There was little wind and there were no clouds,perhaps she could use Phobos and Deimos to help with the searches.
"What?! That's impossibile! Do you need any help to find her?"
Artemis proposed,now worried about the girl's fate. Diana would have been devastated if something had happened to her princess without her being able to do anything.
"Thanks Artemis,If we find anything suspicious I will update you. Girls,let's go,we got a princess to find"
Minako said before receiving a chorus of positive responses and walking outside the house.
Meanwhile Usagi was running like a madwoman screaming the pink-haired girl name.
Chibiusa has 900–almost 901–years,she wasn't small at all and it was an almost thousand-year-old living being. But she had lived most of his life safely within the walls of the crystal castle that would be their future home.
From what the Queen had told her when she wrote to her,apart from school Chibiusa had never had real contact with the outside world. And her school was located in the center of Crystal Tokyo,which was pretty close to the castle. Outside of the children of her school she had never interacted much with other people alone,she was always accompanied by guards or the senshi. She didn't know how much normal people could be evil.
Chibiusa wasn't incompetent or stupid,she knew how to recognize danger...in alien enemies coming from the darkness of the universe.
Usagi doubted she knew how dangerous adult humans alone were.
She had told her a few times about mean kids at school–there was this boy in her class who made fun of her– but an adult who puts on a facade of kindness when in reality he is planning something vile? She would never have expected it.
"CHIBIUSA?!"
Usagi increased her pace as she continued to call out to the kid,hoping to see her little pink head pop up in some corner of her vision.
Unfortunately this didn't happen and she had to continue screaming continuously as she ran towards where she might be.
Her (their) favorite sweet shop,the arcade,her favorite clothing store or her favorite flower shop and so on were all closed or voids of her stubborn pink head,the only thing missing was the park. She hoped with all her heart that Chibiusa was there.
Out of breath Usagi pushed her muscles towards the park as a last effort,before starting to glimpse 2 figures from afar: one was small and petite while the other was tall and large. She could also hear female screams.
Oh no.
Her blood froze in her veins as she stood and looked at the scene in front of her,a few meters away.
The tall figure,a middle-aged man clearly in his late 40s,was holding the smaller one by the arm,a pink-haired girl who was squirming as she tried to free herself from his grip and was screaming the worst insults.
"Leave me,you stupid idiot! You hurt me! Let me go I told you!"
Chibiusa was trying to escape from the other's iron grip,trying to step on his feet or kick his shins,almost considering also biting his hand.
"Come on little girl,it's not my fault. I asked you if you wanted to follow me by hook or by crook,you're the one who started screaming. It's your fault if you are in this situation"
The man in front of her said as he tugged her with impressive ease. As if she weighed nothing and could be dragged without resistance.
This shouldn't have happened.
She had gone out with Otaru all afternoon to spend time together now that she had regained her age,and they had fun eating sweets,reading books and playing games. She had passed a good day with her.
On the way home,after they had said goodbye,she had decided to stop at the park because she wanted to have a breather free from Usagi's presence.
She didn't understand why but he was starting to act strangely than usual. It seemed to her...she had started to remind her of her mama.
The way she started talking or acting,the way she looked at her or how her gaze and presence had changed. She seemed too similar to her current mother.
It was in these moments that Chibiusa seriously remembered that the Usagi of this time,in a couple of years from now,would become pregnant and she would be born. That she was her mother,but without the silver hair and the long beautiful white dress,and her personality matured over the years as queen of Crystal Tokyo.
While she was spending time on the swing a man approached her smiling and asked her if she wanted some candy.
"Small lady remember to never talk to strangers,you never know what their intentions might be"
Her dad had told her a couple of times.
But this gentleman seemed kind,he was dressed in cheerful and bright colors and he certainly couldn't be so bad if he was offering candy to the children he met. He seemed friendly. Surely he couldn't have bad intentions.
Oh how wrong she was. If she could go back a couple of minutes she would never have taken up his offer and would have walked away immediately.
The candy –he had told her it was strawberry,one of her favorite flavors– tasted funny and completely different from usual candy. She began to feel dizzy and decided right then and there that it was best to go home.
Except the man had grabbed her arm before she could move away and was trying to drag her who knows where.
Her body began to tremble. Chibiusa had been faced with many desperate and scary situations,she was a senshi now! She was a grown up! She could certainly handle this. But then why...why was she afraid? Why did she want to cry?
She wanted her mom and dad,she didn't want to be here alone with this man. Her body no longer responded to her commands and she could do nothing but scream to let her go. She was afraid! She wanted her mother,where was her mama?!
"CHIBIUSA!"
The man's grip was forcibly removed as she saw him fall to the ground.
In his place now,in front of her,there was a woman with long golden hair and eyes as blue as the sky. A familiar face that she needed to see right now.
"Usagi!"
The pink haired girl called out the name relieved to be pulled out of everything that was going on. She clutched Usagi's white shirt as the blonde knelt in front of her.
"Shhh,shhh it's ok. Everything's fine,nothing's happened,you are safe now. Let's go home together,ok?"
Her voice was a reassuring whisper,a promise that whatever happened from now on wouldn't matter,that she was protected and not alone.
Chibiusa nodded and Usagi pushes her away from the man,not wanting her future child near such a vile and disgusting being.
Unfortunately for them,the man had not given up and got back up.
"What the–you fucking bitch! How do you think about pushing people to the ground!"
The man spat poisonously as he strode closer to the 2 girls.
Usagi hid Chibiusa behind her as she watched him approach. She wasn't a violent person,she had never voluntarily hurt anyone or killed any of her enemies but...but perhaps this would have been the first time. One more step and he would have become meat for slaughter.
"Oh,you're in big trouble,woman. If you really want to,I'll let the little girl go,but on the other hand I want you!...you also have a nice body,I wouldn't mind us–"
"DON'T YOU DARE TO GET CLOSER!"
A punch to the stomach made him fly a couple of meters,before collapsing on the ground and spitting blood.
Makoto in front of him was fuming with anger,ready to throw another one at him if she hadn't been stopped by Rei.
"Girls!"
Usagi shouted,happy to see them.
"It took us a while to find you but I'm glad you're okay. Didn't that man do anything to you Chibiusa?"
Ami asked her,noting that she was fine.
"He gave me a piece of candy...I feel strange though,I don't know what he put in it."
Usagi's face darkened at the girl's words but don't let it show.
"It will be better to check it. Maybe it's even better to take you to the hospital"
Minako said to them,worried about what might happen to the youngest in the group.
"I... alright,it's fine by me."
Chibiusa squeezed herself a little closer between Usagi's legs,gripping the fabric of the white skirt with her hand.
She was nervous. And how can you not blame her,the last time she had gone to hospital was when she had become a vegetable,almost dead.
Anyone would be anxious about returning to a place after a last experience like this.
If for the rest of the evening Usagi didn't move from Chibiusa's side,that even the doctors had to ask her to leave so they could examine the child (her child),that was just their problem.
That's my daughter!
Usagi and Chibiusa were walking together (a regular occurrence these days) through various stores to find the perfect gift for Mamo-chan's birthday.
The date was approaching and they had decided to throw him a surprise party. They had already bought the decorations and Makoto was in charge of the cake and appetizers,all that was missing was a perfect gift.
"How about buying him a suit?"
Chibiusa had proposed to her while they were passing a clothing store.
"A suit? He already has many of those...how about a watch?"
Usagi asked again as she thought back to the amount of suit her boyfriend had.
Being a non-magical masked vigilante had its drawbacks.
"Nope,he has too many of those too. And they are also a boring gift!"
Chibiusa snarked back.
"Ok,ok. Jeez,there's no need to be so cruel you little pest"
Usagi said as she pulled the girl cheeks making them pink.
"Hey! It's hurt! Stop it!"
"Now you understand how you broke my poor heart"
Chibiusa stuck her tongue out at her and Usagi finished pulling her cheeks. They looked at each other in silence for a couple of seconds before Usagi bursted out laughing.
"Your face is all pink!"
The blonde teased,receiving a kick in the shin that made her cry in pain.
"Chibiusa!"
"Look who the red one is now"
This time it was Chibiusa turn to laugh.
It was genuine moments like these that remembered that Chibiusa was still a child. Sure,she was 901 years old and a princess and a senshi of justice,but still a child.
"Anyway,how about starting with a jewelrys store? Let's exclude watches though. If we find something he might like we decide it together,all right?"
Usagi offered,looking around to find the first store to start with.
"Ok!....I like that! Can we start to see from here?"
Chibiusa caught her attention,pulling lightly on the hem of her skirt,and pointing to a nearby jewelry store.
Usagi recognized it almost immediately:it was the jewelry store that Naru's family owned. She haven't been here for a while,given the rather...not nice previous times.
But seeing Chibiusa's shining and curious eyes,she couldn't help but accept the proposal. Who knows,maybe she could have seen Naru again or she could have taken advice from her.
"Ok but before we go remember not to go too far,that jewelry store is large and is always full of people. Let's try not to get lost"
She had recommended,receiving a snort and an:'I'm grown up now,you don't have to worry about such trivial things. I know what I'm doing,I'm not a child anymore' from Chibiusa.
Ugasi will let it go this time.
Unfortunately,however,her recommendations were in vain because,the second they set foot inside the shop,they were separated.
Usagi was aware that the store would be full of people,but she had never imagined so much crowding that she couldn't even walk or breathe. Everywhere she went she bumped into other people.
"Sorry,permission. Could I go through? I'm sorry....."
She continued to say as she made his way through the crowd of people to reunite with Chibiusa.
Luckily,by some miracle,she could still see her little pink head,so she knew she was close and that she hadn't lost her completely. If that had been the case she would never have forgiven herself.
Usagi still hadn't digested what had happened that evening in the park,since then she had decided to never leave Chibiusa alone,not wanting it to happen to her again.
Passing between so many people was almost an impossible quest but finally she managed to see the figure of Chibiusa again-with a woman next to her,Naru's mother...
Naru's mother was a golden person,always ready to help and give discounts for any kind of jewelry she and Naru wanted; but she was a stern woman too. Usagi could already imagine how difficult it would be to convince her that she and Chibiusa were related. The hypnosis she used had worked on her family,the rest of the people she knew were outside their family so it wasn't a problem. But she and Naru had been friends since they were little,her mother had known her family for years. And Chibiusa had only appeared in their lives for 2 years...
This will end bad...
"Mrs. Osaka! How are you?"
Usagi waved as she approached the two.
"Oh Usagi! Haven't seen you in a long time! You've grown taller. I'm good,how about you? When are you coming to visit us again? Naru always talk about how she wants you to see the new jewelry we have."
Mrs. Osaka replied as she smiled kindly at her.
"I'm fine,don't worry. Really? I'm not free these days,but I'll come as soon as I can. I can't miss your spectacular jewels"
Usagi said nervously,breaking into a cold sweat deep inside.
Chibiusa watched the exchange in confusion,not remembering at all that Usagi knew this woman. Yet from the way they spoke they seemed to be close acquaintances.
"Anyway,I see you've met Chibiusa here"
Usagi pointed to the pink haired girl.
"Oh? This lovely little girl? She was lost so I decided to stay by her side until her parents found her."
Naru's mother explained,smiling.
Chibiusa could only murmuring 'I'm not little' under her breath.
"I see...bhe,you don't have to worry anymore. Let's go Chibiusa,they are waiting for us at home."
Usagi took the girl's hand,waiting for her to stand up before starting to walk. Fast.
"Wait a moment Usagi. Where are you taking this kid with you?"
The shop owner questioned her actions.
"Uhm? Where I'm taking her? Well,a-at home with m-me,of course"
Had she stuttered? Yes. It wasn't her fault though,this woman's intensity was something else.
"At your home? And since when do you bring strangers into your home? Who's kid is this?"
And then her scary side emerged. Usagi was officially over,she would not have survived this experience.
"Uhm-well,she's not a stranger,she's one of my relative...a distant relative...who came to visit us for a couple of days."
Naru's mother narrowed her eyes at the blatant lie.
"Really? Because last time I checked your parents were both only children and you had no distant relatives or cousins"
The bad thing about being friends with the child of someone who is friends with your parents? That you can't lie about your family tree because they already know it.
"Well,uhm,she is...."
Usagi bit her lip. From her peripheral vision she looked at Chibiusa who was next to her.
It would have been so easy to tell her that she was actually her daughter,but it would have only complicated things for Chibiusa. And it was the last thing Usagi wanted. She just had to try and come up with a decent,believable excuse,she could do it...sort of.
Mrs. Osaka,however,impatient with waiting for what was another obvious lie,decided to act by taking Chibiusa by the arm.
"Hey!"
Chibiusa tries to protest only to be ignored by the woman who so claimed to be helping her.
"Listen Usagi,you are a dear girl and friend of my daughter,but I don't tolerate lies. This little girl is clearly not your acquaintance or relative. You don't even have the same genes,you are completely different. Her parents will surely be here somewhere to wait for her worried and–"
"I'm her mother!"
Maybe it was the fact that she didn't like seeing Chibiusa taked away from her abruptly (it had happened too many times since she knew her),or that Naru's mother had started talking about how much they didn't look alike (she was aware of it too),or the situation itself (a very bad one),but Usagi explosed.
The owner of the shop gasped and released her grip on the little girl's arm in surprise. Chibiusa walked away returning to the position she was in before–beside Usagi.
"Your–what?!"
"You heard me right. Chibiusa is my daughter. And I don't accept that anyone can talk about her that way,genetics are strange"
Especially if mixed with the thousand-year-old power of 2 magical crystals.
"Now,it was nice to see you again Mrs. Osaka,but the two of us have to go,goodbye....let's go Chibiusa"
Usagi took Chibiusa's hand,making sure to hold it tightly this time,before returning to the group of people.
She could hear Naru's mother calling her name back,but she ignored her in favor of getting out of there as soon as possible. Only once they left that jewelry store could he breathe a sigh of relief.
Is it possible that every time she visited it,a disaster always happened?!
"Usagi...."
Chibiusa's low voice made her jump,only now realizing what she had done.
"Chibiusa I'm so sorry,I know I shouldn't have told her that bu–"
"It's ok,really.....it's fine"
"...you sure?"
"Yeah"
And Chibiusa really meant it.
Ever since she entered that shop she felt anxious,there were too many people talking over each other,with annoying music in the background,which made her feel disoriented and confused.
She should have listened to Usagi's advice,but as soon as she entered she was sucked into the vortex of people.She only managed to free herself when a woman approached her and had helped distancing her from the crowd.
She then spent 5 minutes waiting for Usagi to find her,submitting to the woman's boring chatter. And then when Usagi had finally found her,ready to go,the woman had stopped them from being able to leave.
And then she started saying all those things and Chibiusa got angry. How dare such a person talk about her and the future queen of the Earth like this? Didn't they know how grateful they should be to her for saving them every time?
When Usagi told her she was her mother Chibiusa looked incredulous. She felt a sudden warmth in her chest and her cheeks had turned slightly pink. She didn't show it though. She didn't know how to take it,whether to be happy,angry or worried.
And then Usagi had finally taken her out of there and now they were together away from nuisances. They were at peace. Unfortunately without a gift for Mamo.
Usagi watched as Chibiusa's face scrunched up and she pouted a little.
"What's wrong?"
She asked her worriedly.
"We didn't get the gift for Mamo-chan..."
Chibiusa complained dejectedly that she couldn't find anything.
"Aww,don't worry,there are plenty of other store and time to find it. Let's get to work!...if you're good I'll buy an ice cream later!"
Usagi told her,making her smile and regain her good mood.
Finally,they managed to find a perfect gift: A silver necklace with a pendant with a half moon and the earth set together inside.
The rest of the day was spent laughing and eating sweets. Usagi wouldn't have it any other way.
Judicial glances
Sometimes Chibiusa felt more like Mamo than her own. She was their future daughter,but sometimes she was like she was just Mamo's. She saw too many things of him in her.
She spent a lot more time with Mamo than with her,but that's okay,after all they hadn't had a very good relationship and only recently had she started to have a maternal instinct towards her. That didn't make Usagi love Chibiusa any less.
Of course,sometimes it bothered her that she never came to her for any advice,and she was always the last to know the things that concerned her (future) child,but she couldn't do anything about it. Chibiusa had to decide whether or not to open up to her,she couldn't force her.
However,it was pleasant to do all 3 shopping together like a family...
Chibiusa was sitting on Mamoru's shoulders while he held Usagi right hand and they were walking together.
The blonde smiled at the thought. She couldn't wait for the moment to meet the little bundle that would be their newborn daughter. She will be super cute for sure.
It was afternoon and they were heading to the mall to do some shopping since Chibiusa needed some materials for a school project. At the beginning only the two of them were supposed to go,Usagi had left Chibiusa in Mamoru's care for the entire day as she had to do some services on behalf of her mother,but on the way back she had met them and Mamoru had proposed that she join them.
Ah,Mamo-chan,always so sweet. No wonder she had fallen madly in love with him in their past life.
And so she had joined them on the way to the mall. Chibiusa did nothing but talk and talk about how her day had gone,while Mamo indulged her,Usagi was hearing them as she happily watched the two.
"and then the teacher handed over the tests we did last time–I got top marks! I was the only one in my class with a full score!"
Chibiusa said happily as she moved her little feet a little.
"Really? Is magnificent!You must have worked very hard"
Mamo-chan said,complimenting her.
"Mhm,mhm. But it was simple enough,and I studied. Not like someone else here who spends time on video games"
"Hey! That was uncalled for!"
Usagi he spoke as he pointed his finger at her,making Chibiusa stick her tongue out at her.
"Now now,I don't want my 2 favorite girls to fight. How about going for an ice cream together?"
Mamoru tried to calm things down,managing to receive smiles and affirmations of approval from both of them.
"Can we go to my favorite ice cream shop? The owner is always very kind and sweet to me"
Chibiusa proposed. Usagi and Mamoru looked at each other for a moment,then nodded at her request.
The walk to the ice cream shop was lively,with Chibiusa and Mamuro talking about their day, hile she listened with interest. The background noises to accompany everything. It was....it was domestic.
She felt a strange warm feeling in his stomach.
I hope we can do this kind of thing in the future too...
Queen Serenity had written to her often about the life Chibiusa spent in the palace. It was rare to be able to spend time together,and she was aware that in the future her baby would feel so much pressure from her mother shadow that she would be deceived by the Black Moon Clan.
Usagi really didn't want to think about how in the future she would have to relive the same thing as last time. Especially knowing already what Chibiusa will have to do and risk. Black Lady....her sweet child....yeah,she didn't want to remember the unpleasant things.
Holy Moon,why did power-hungry psychopaths always happen to her?!
Cold and hard hands that made space between her pale skin,a force that held her still without the possibility of moving,screams and desperation for what was about to happen. And then a light. She didn't remember anything else after that light
Usagi shook her head at the unclear and blurry image that appeared in her mind,deciding to focus on the shops around them,noting that she had arrived at her destination.
Chibiusa's favorite ice cream shop was called "Moncherry Cakes",lately it was becoming more and more popular due to their peculiarity in making ice cream,there were all kinds and the most absurd toppings. Some days it also prepared themed events,and as an optional menu they also sold desserts–even if it was an ice cream shop. It was really pretty store with a light pink walls and cream colored fence decorations,a red sign with the name elegantly written on it adding its flavor.
"We are here!"
At her request,Mamo placed Chibiusa on the ground after having carried her on his shoulders for the entire journey.
The pink-haired girl sprinted towards the door in a nanosecond,entering happily. Usagi and Mamoru looked amusing at each other and then burst out laughing.
The interior design was the same as the exterior,with peach flowers falling from the ceiling and white tables in the middle of rows of pink armchairs. For an ice cream shop it was quite sophisticated.
"Hello Kasugano-san!"
Chibiusa,excited,went straight to the ice cream counter waving at the woman behind it.
"Hello there little Chibiusa. It's been a while,how are you? Are you here alone?"
The owner of the ice cream shop was a woman in her late 40s,with long brown hair and violet eyes,asweet smile and soft features.
"I'm fine,thank you! Today I decided to came with someone! Mamo-chan,Usagi,this is the owner of the ice cream shop,Mrs. Kasugano Hiyori."
Chibiusa presented her (future) parents to the lady.
"Hello Mrs. Kasugano,it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Mamoru Chiba"
Mamoru introduced himself,shaking her hand.
"And I am Usagi Tsukino,nice to meet you Kasugano-san."
Usagi waved,smiling at her.
"It's a pleasure for me too. It is the first time that little Chibiusa brings someone with her. Please take a seats,the menus are already on the tables,feel free to order when you are ready."
The woman said,waving at them before returning to work.
There were already a couple of people inside the ice cream shop,but it wasn't that crowded. They decided to sit at a table near the window.
Chibiusa,for whatever reason,decided to sit next to Mamo-chan on the left side of the table,leaving Usagi in front of them,sitting alone on the right side.
"So chibiusa,what do you want to get?"
"Can I get a–"
“Don't they look like family to you?”
" You're joking,come on stop it,it's impossible "
Usagi looked away from Chibiusa and Mamoru,as they talked about what to order,to face the source of the voices.
2 friends–woman in their twenties,sitting at the table behind her,were whispering.
Great. Not again.
"Look at them though,they act like father and daughter...what a shame though,if I were her I would never have made a mistake like that..."
"Now now,we can't really talk about it...After all,it's her fault that she decided to not use protection and to keep the child."
"But have you seen him? He is so handsome...ah~I wouldn't mind baby trap him,so that he don't leave me for someone better."
"And make your baby's future horrible,living in a problematic economic situation and still having school to finish? Absolutely not."
"Yeah,maybe you're right. I don't want to be an horrible mother"
What?
Baby trap?
Ruining her baby's future?
Horribile mother?
She wasn't...she wasn't any of this...it would be a couple more years before Chibiusa was even conceived at this time,and when she will be born both she and Mamoru would have a stable financial situation and certainly with school finished. Her future would be secure because she would do anything to prevent the past from repeating itself again,and she certainly wasn't a horrible mother....right?
She wasn't a bad mother....right?
Her motionless,almost lifeless,body trapped in a protective crystal,Crystal Tokyo razed to the ground,King Endymion in spiritual form,her friends almost on a death bed,Chibiusa's desperate face,death, bodies,desperation,Chibiusa's loneliness,blood,hands that prevented her from moving and–
Usagi jumped up from her seat,slamming her hands on the table. Her vision blurry and her forehead sweaty,she felt like she was on fire.
"Usako?"
"Usagi?"
Chibiusa looked at her in confusion,while Mamoru was worried.
"I'm sorry...but suddenly I don't feel well,I'm going to go to the bathroom...order without me at the moment,I'll be right back."
And before they could say anything,with her head down she walked towards the bathroom.
"But have you seen? She doesn't have what it takes to take care of a child"
"So true"
The bathroom door closed slowly behind her as those were the last words she heard.
The blonde slumped against the metal surface and slid to the floor,sitting against the cold floor.
"I'm not a bad mother...I'm not..."
She sobbed as she hid her face against his knees.
She was trying.
Usagi knew she wasn't the best,for all the moons Makoto,Minako,Ami,EVEN REI will probably be better mothers than her,but she also knew she wasn't the worst.
There were so many parents who had abandoned their children for less than friviality or superficiality. But she wasn't one of them.
(In a way,she did though. Even though it was something bigger than her,her body remained in the silver crystal leaving her baby girl alone)
The others didn't care who she was: if she was Sailor Moon,the soldier of love and justice; Princess Serenity,the last legitimate heir to the throne of the moon; Queen Serenity,the future queen of Earth and Crystal Tokyo; or just Usagi Tsukino,a not teenager like all the others. They didn't care and never will,but they were certainly ready to drag her down for anything.
And she certainly couldn't scream to the world that Chibiusa was from the future,a distant future. They would have thought she was crazy. So she had to take all that criticism every time someone wanted to open their mouth,and be silent.
Usagi didn't want Chibiusa (her baby didn't deserve any of this) or Mamoru (really,she didn't want this to cause problems for his career) to know. It wasn't even the first time something like this had happened,and it wouldn't be the last. She had to get used to it.
"I'm not....a bad mother...I'm ok. I'm trying and I will learn how to be good enough...there is still time...I can do this..."
The blonde remained in the bathroom for a while longer before deciding to get up off the ground and wipe her face. In the mirror,a reflection of her dull blue eyes and pale face welcomes her. Usagi smiled bitterly before deciding to pull herself together and recover completely.
However,when she came out of the bathroom,she didn't expect to find himself faced with such a sight.
"How dare you say something like that?!"
Chibiusa was yelling at the 2 girls from before,who looked at her in disgust.
Mamo-chan was nowhere in sight,where the hell had he gone?
"See what I was telling you? It's all her fault,her mother,she didn't taught her good manners. Having children so young is always a problem."
One of them said as she looked indignantly the child.
"You should apologize"
The other said as she looked at Chibiusa as if she were just a passing gnat.
"Apologize? Me? You should! How dare you say things like that about my mother and think I would let you talk. Maybe it's because of your horrible personality that you're both single,never thought about it?!"
Her answer made the two women gasp,not expecting anything like that.
Even though a part of her was cheering and applauding Chibiusa,another part wanted to keep her as far away from those people as possible. They weren't as dangerous as their enemies or all the villains they had faced,but women were ruthless with each other.
"You-"
"Chibiusa!"
Usagi rushed to her side before the two could even try to say another word.
She gently moved Chibiusa behind her body,as if to protect her from the mean things they were saying. Women knew how to be endlessly poisonous vipers,capable of striking in the most painful places.
"Oh,look who's there. You should teach your daughter how to behave in public"
"She's been acting like a savage since she got here. She is too loud,and she certainly has no manners. What kind of mother are you?"
Something in Usagi snapped at those last words. She could ignore the things they said about her,but the things said about Chibiusa? Oh,these women didn't know who they were up against.
"Listen carefully bitches,because I'll only say it once. You can tell me anything you want,insult me all you want and despise me all you want. But don't you ever,ever dare bring my daughter into this,do you understand? I don't think it will take anything to make you disappear from the face of the Earth,and if you want a peaceful future I pray that you don't make the same mistake again. Do you understand?"
Sailor Moon had never killed her enemies,she had always managed to forgive everyone no matter how much pain they had caused her. But for these two? Murder is ok and it will be be on the agenda pretty soon.
The two women looked at her trembling and fearfully before nodding and disappearing.
Well...easier than expected.
Usagi felt a weight rest on her leg and turned to look at Chibiusa.
"Are you ok?"
He asked crouching down,noticing that her head was bowed.
"Chibiusa,hey,it's something wron-"
"You're a liar!"
....And she certainly hadn't expected to receive this response.
Chibiusa clutched the fabric of her long blue skirt, while small drops stained her garment.
She was crying....
"Chi-"
"You're stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"
Damn,so much for having a self-esteem. This child sure as hell has Mamo-chan genes.
"Why didn't you told us that those people were being mean to you?! You lied to us by saying you weren't feeling well,but you actually heard them,right?!"
Chibiusa had started punching her chest,but the hit had no force behind them and they certainly hadn't hurt her. She didn't even felt them,but she felt the pain behind.
Oh Chibiusa.....
"Chibiusa...listen. You can't fight everyone,and you certainly can't go against public opinion. It's no use,at the end of the day it won't change their view of you. Human beings are stubborn,they never learn from their mistakes or from history,and they make the same decisions. Unfortunately,we can't do anything about it,we just have to move forward. You have to remember that everything they say is not true,and that you know the real truth. Those people? They will continue to gossip for the rest of their lives."
Usagi told her as she wiped away her tears with her handkerchief.
Maybe this is something I need to remember too.
She bit his lip internally at this thought.
Give life lessons to her future daughter? Certain.
Remind herself that she had to carry on despite everything? She forgot this most of the time.
"But I don't like it,I don't like the fact that they think things that aren't true about you."
Chibiusa countered as she crossed her arms. By now her tears on her face dried and only her reddish eyes remained as evidence.
"I know,I know,but you can't wait the view of the world to change just because you see it in a different way and that's okay,sometimes you can't win....You have to remember that at the end of the day these people don't even know who you are. They criticize you for things they don't even know just because they don't know how to pass the time."
And I better remember it too....
Chibiusa remained silent and Usagi decided not to ask herself questions as to why. Rather....
"Chibiusa,where is Mamo-chan?"
She haven't seen him since she came out of the bathroom,and then the whole mess happened....
".....Told me he had to make a call. Something about a complaint for...defamation? to the police.And then he said he would talk to Kasugano-san about kicking out the 2 women who were bothering you. Apparently he had heard the whole conversation....."
The pink haired girl explained.
"WHAT?!"
Oh no.
While it was true that it hurt her to hear those horrible things said,Usagi certainly didn't take them so heavily as to declare them defamation. In the end she didn't have an important image to project from the world...at the moment.
And maybe she had to stop Mamoru before he could cause serious problems for those girls but...but her heart warmed at the mere thought that he had taken such serious measures for her.
Ah,love,what a beautiful feeling.
Maybe this time she would have let it go...she would have thought about how to prevent something serious later,right now she wanted to enjoy something sweet.
"You know what? Let's wait for the desserts and let's forget about everything. I know you're against it,but we too deserve a day of rest after all this."
And please,don't press the matter any further,I beg you.
Chibiusa must have understood because,after looking at her with a blank expression,she decided to nod and take his seat at the table again.
For the rest of the day Usagi avoided feeling the thoughts and doubts that were destroying her inside. Killing herself now for this was not the priority,only the time will declare if she would really be a good mother or not.
At the moment,the only thing she wanted was to enjoy her favorite flavor of ice cream without thinking about the future.