A/N: 1. Ok, so the summary of this story implies that it will be a betrayal fic. Before I get reviews (specifically guest reviews) from readers who value originality and cannot stand when people use the "overused betrayal plot" of Usagi's friends turning on her and kicking her off the team, resulting in her leaving and then coming back to show everyone she's changed, even coming back with replacements for the Inner Senshi, PUT. THOSE. BRICKS. DOWN. Though this story may or may not have some moments similar to those of the classic betrayal fic plot, I promise it will surprise you.

2. Unlike my previous stories, this story is manga-based, taking place after the Dead Moon Circus arc, meaning everyone has achieved their Eternal forms and Tuxedo Mask has unlocked his Golden Crystal, but their personalities will be from the 90's anime.

3. This story is set in the 21st century. I can't tell you how badly I wanted to see the Senshi using modern technology in the anime. Surely I'm not the only one who's pictured Usagi playing Fruit Ninja or Angry Birds on an iPad (called FinePad in Crystal), or Minako taking massive amounts of selfies on an iPhone (will be called FinePhone in this story), right?

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters.


"IT'S GONNA BURN! IT'S GONNA BURN!"

"NO, IT'S NOT! STOP PANICKING!"

Usagi and Chibiusa ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Usagi hurriedly put on a pair of oven mitts and cautiously opened the over door to remove a circular metal pan. After setting it down on a baking rack, she removed her oven mitts with a flourish and let out a relieved sigh. "See? I told you it wouldn't burn! And look at it! It looks delicious!"

Chibiusa gave the cake a suspicious look. "I don't know, I've learned from experience that looks can be deceiving."

"Hey! When I let you lick the cake batter, you said it tasted good!"

"Yeah, well, now I think I must've been hallucinating and I should probably get my affairs in order!"

After a few more minutes of squabbling, Usagi and Chibiusa removed the cake from the pan and frosted it smoothly with buttercream icing, then decorated the top with a ring of roses made of red frosting.

"Finished!" Usagi declared, wiping some red frosting off her cheek.

"I have to admit Usagi, this actually does look pretty good!" the future Senshi of the Moon complimented, her eyes twinkling with delight at the cake. "It's about time you found something you're good at other than drawing!"

Usagi ignored the jab from her future daughter. "And it's thanks to the ever-patient Mako-chan, who taught me how to bake at the expense of her kitchen!" She cringed as she recalled the times she went over to the Jovian Senshi's apartment for baking lessons and plastered the walls of the kitchen with flour, frosting, eggs, and occasionally cake batter.

Thankfully, Makoto had the patience of a saint and assured Usagi that she would clean up the messes herself, however the blonde had often heard Makoto sobbing at how her "pristine kitchen had been defiled".

"So, are you going to shovel down this cake with some strawberry soda and a manga?" the pink-haired girl asked cheekily.

"That does sound pretty good..." Usagi tapped her chin thoughtfully, but shook her head. "But no, I'm going to give this to Mamo-chan before he goes to work tomorrow!" Her cheeks turned a rosy pink color. "He'll be so grateful to me for baking him a cake filled with such love and affection!"

"EHHHH?! No fair! I can't let you hog all the glory! I helped with that cake too!"

"Fine! You can come with me when I deliver 'The Usagi Vanilla Rose Cake Special'!"

"Why is it only your name involved in that title? I want some credit too!" Chibiusa demanded.

"Alright! Alright!" Usagi cupped her chin as she thought. "We'll call it, 'Double Moon's Miracle Cake'!"

"Double Moon's Miracle Cake," Chibiusa repeated, trying out the name. After a moment, she nodded vigorously with approval. "I like it! The name has character!"

CRASH!

A loud crashing sound made Usagi and Chibiusa jump out of their skins and bolt out of the kitchen.

Chibiusa sped into the living room and jumped on the couch, burying her face in a pillow. "I hate storms!" she expressed, though it came out a bit muffled.

Usagi tried to make it to the stairs, but when lightning flashed by the living room window, she paused and let out a shriek. "KYAA!" She promptly closed the curtains then hopped on the couch, bringing a pillow up to her face, mimicking her future daughter's actions.

At that moment, Ikuko entered through the front door, carrying wet grocery bags. It was obvious that she hadn't expected the sudden storm as she was dressed in a sundress, which was now soaked and clung to her body. "Weathermen these days... so unreliable," she grumbled, wiping a strand of wet blue hair out of her face. When she noticed her daughter and alleged niece sitting on the couch and covering their faces with pillows, she gave them a peculiar look. "Did the storm frighten you two?"

Without taking the pillows off their faces, Usagi and Chibiusa nodded.

A small smile played on Ikuko's face as she shook her head. "I swear, sometimes you two don't act like cousins. You're more like sisters!" she remarked before sauntering off to kitchen with the groceries.

That comment made Usagi and Chibiusa remove their pillows, revealing their flushed faces as they gave each other aghast looks.

"BACK OFF, YOU CAT!"

Both girls jumped at the loud voice and realized it was coming from upstairs. They reluctantly got off their safe place on the couch and headed upstairs. They followed the noise to Usagi's room and fought the urge to laugh when they saw the source of noise had come from Shingo.

Shingo was curled up in the corner, fearing for his life as Luna approached him menacingly. When he noticed Usagi and Chibiusa snickering at him by the door, he shot them a glare. "Usagi! Call off your cat!"

"Hm, I don't know. Luna isn't normally a violent cat, so you must've done something to provoke her."

"All I did was check out that brooch of yours!" Shingo pointed to Usagi's Eternal brooch that was on the nightstand.

Alarm, then anger, flashed across the odango-haired blonde's face. "What were you doing messing with my brooch, Shingo?!" She then turned to Luna with a proud smile. "Good job keeping him away from my property, Luna!"

After the black cat crept away from Shingo, he slowly stood up with his back against the wall. "I was just walking to my room, minding my own business, when I walk by your open door and see something glowing on your nightstand!" he informed. "I go over to check it out, and I find out it's another one of those brooches you wear! I open it up and see some weird glowing crystal! Apparently, that was the wrong thing to do, since Luna came and tried to slice off my face!"

Usagi rushed over to her nightstand to inspect her brooch and noticed that the Silver Moon Crystal was in fact, glowing. She closed down the lid of her brooch and glared at her younger brother. "She was right to do that! You shouldn't have been touching my stuff!"

Shingo huffed. "What kind of crystal is that, anyway? It looks like it costs a fortune! There's no way you could've bought anything that nice, Stupid Usagi!"

Usagi glanced at Chibiusa, who was still standing by the door, for an answer, but she only shrugged. "The crystal is actually a glow-in-the-dark trinket I thought would look nice in my brooch!" she managed to say. "It's not expensive at all! You can get it at a gift shop for 1000 Yen!"

Shingo looked skeptical. "But why do you always get a new brooch for that thing?" he asked. When Usagi looked confused by his question, he went on, "I've noticed you've gone through a lot of brooches in the past two years. Were they really for that dumb crystal?"

Usagi was a little surprised that Shingo had noticed the transformation brooches she wore in the past, but she covered up her shock with feigned anger. "I was just trying to figure out which brooch looked best with the crystal, which is not dumb!" 'I've saved billions of lives with it, including yours, you little troll!'

"Whatever!" Shingo rolled his eyes. "It's actually pretty embarrassing that a high school girl who's going to turn 16 would want a glow-in-the-dark toy!" He finished with a laugh as he left his older sister's room.

Once he left, Chibiusa quickly closed the door behind him.

"That little brat," Usagi grumbled.

Luna hopped on the bed then onto Usagi's shoulder. "You're lucky I was in here to stop him before he could do anything foolish to the crystal."

"Speaking of which," Chibiusa hopped on the bed near Usagi, "was it really glowing like he said?"

Usagi's only response was a grim nod.

Luna nervously scratched the top of her head with her paw. "What could this mean?"

"The Silver Crystal normally glows when there's danger," the Moon Princess recalled.

"But why didn't the crystal in my brooch react like yours did?" Chibiusa looked down at the brooch she wore on her blouse.

"I don't know. Maybe my crystal was reacting because someone unworthy to wield it was near," Usagi theorized, setting her brooch down on her pillow.

BOOM!

CRASH!

A flash of lightning and a thunderous boom caused both Soldiers of the Moon to cry out and jump in Usagi's bed, hiding under the covers.

Luna sweat-dropped at the girls' behavior. 'Hard to believe you two scaredy cats are worthy to wield such powerful artifacts...'

"USAGI! CHIBIUSA!" Ikuko's voice boomed from downstairs. "WHY DOES THE KITCHEN LOOK LIKE A WAR ZONE?!"

Usagi and Chibiusa shot up from under the covers and gave each other sheepish looks before they headed back downstairs to face the blue-haired housewife's fury.


That same evening, at the Hikawa Shrine, Rei sat in front of the Sacred Fire, chanting a few prayers. She thought meditating would take her mind off the storm. Clasping her hands together with two index fingers pointing outwards, she chanted, "Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!"

To her surprise, the flames started to dance wildly and displayed a peculiar image.

"The... the Solar System?" Rei realized.

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and the Moon were shown in the Sacred Fire.

Though the Martian Senshi appreciated the image of the planets, she was confused as to why the Sacred Fire chose to display such a vision, but was soon dismayed by a truly startling sight.

One by one, dark shadows covered the planets like thick veils, including the white moon, with its pure light being shrouded in darkness. The last planet to be corrupted was Earth. Once the shadows took hold of it, it corroded the blue and green planet until it crumbled away into specks of dust floating through space.

Rei drew back in horror at what she'd seen. She got up and ran away, bursting through the sliding doors, breathing heavily as she stared up at the cloudy sky. She didn't care about the pouring rain drenching her from head to toe; it was worth it when she saw the clouds part and the white moon shine down on her with its pure light.

All at once, the rumbling ceased and the rain stopped falling. No gray clouds tarnished the night sky, leaving only the shining moon.

A small smile spread on the miko's face. She would protect that shine no matter what.


The next morning...

At 6:00, Usagi was surprisingly awake and already dressed for school. With the lamp light on, she sat cross-legged in bed and drew in her sketch pad.

The rays of light from the lamp bothered Luna, making the drowsy cat open one eye at what was causing the disturbance and was floored to see her princess awake and ready for school. She was so shocked, she actually fell on the floor with a hard THUD! "U-Usagi!" she exclaimed as she pawed her way back onto the bed. "Why are you up so early?! Is an enemy attacking?!" She nervously darted her head around, searching for a threat.

The Moon Princess' cheeks flushed red with anger. "Why is it such a big deal that I can wake up early?!"

"What's with all the noise?" asked the groggy voice of a child. "I can hear it all the way from the attic." The door slowly opened to reveal a tired Chibiusa. Her pink hair was loose from its odangos and she was dressed in a mint green nightgown. "W-What? Usagi! You're awake?!"

Usagi puffed out her flushed cheeks in irritation. "Is it really so hard to believe that I'm awake at such an early time?!"

Chibiusa was about to make a retort when she noticed Usagi's sketchpad. "You woke up early to draw?" She occasionally saw Usagi doodling in her sketchpad and always wondered what she was drawing, but she always looked very serene while doing so, so she couldn't bring herself to disturb her peace. She scampered over to her future mother's bed and hopped on it to get a good view. "Ooh!" she crooned.

Now fully awake, Luna hopped on Usagi's shoulder to see what all the fuss was about. "This is actually pretty good!"

Usagi had drawn a wolf, a fox, a raccoon dog, and a bunny huddled together in front of a cave with a large blue Chinese dragon coiled around them protectively. Shining on them in the night sky, was a luminous full moon.

"I didn't know you had such talent, Usagi!" Luna praised.

Usagi's cheeks turned bright pink. "It's all thanks to Michiru-san! I asked her to teach me how to draw since she's such a great artist!"

Chibiusa was also impressed, but said nothing, instead staring dreamily at the drawing.

"Chibiusa?" Usagi cocked her head at her future daughter's behavior.

"I've seen this before," the future Senshi of the Moon said at last.

"You have? But that can't be. I've been working on this for the past few weeks and you've never been around me while I was drawing it."

Chibiusa shook her head. "I've seen this at home at the Crystal Palace," she clarified. "Mama has a painting just like your drawing hanging in her room. She said it invokes strong feelings in her."

"Eh? Really?" Usagi looked back at her own drawing. "While I was drawing this, for some reason I couldn't help but feel nostalgic."

Chibiusa gave her a quizzical look. "Mama said something like that. She said while the painting made her happy, she always felt 'haunted by the past'."

'Haunted by the past,' Usagi mentally repeated. Before she could dwell on the thought any longer, her eyes fell on the digital clock on her nightstand. "I almost forgot!" She bolted up in bed, knocking Luna off her shoulder and making her plummet on the floor. "I have to deliver the cake to Mamo-chan before I go to school!" Grabbing her schoolbag, she dashed out of the door with bullet speed.

That reminder flipped a switch in Chibiusa, making her spring into action, jumping off the bed and nearly stomping on Luna as she sped out the door.

"Those two..." Luna's eyebrow twitched. She wondered how she had survived so long while in the company of those two unruly princesses.


Mamoru was sitting on the couch, watching TV, while drinking a cup of coffee when he heard thunderous knocking on his door.

"I want to give it to him!" he heard one child's voice demand.

"No way, I'm giving it to him!" he heard a more mature female voice declare.

Knowing exactly who those voices belonged to, he set down his coffee and opened the door, immediately greeted by his future wife and future daughter. "Usako, Chibiusa." He stepped aside and let both girls inside, where they proceeded to stand before him rather ceremoniously, holding a container together.

"Mamooo-chaaaaaan," both girls crooned. "To you, we present Double Moon's Miracle Cake!" They removed the cover with a flourish, revealing the buttercream frosted vanilla cake they worked on.

"Oh?" Mamoru inspected the cake with a smile. "This looks wonderful," he complimented, turning to Chibiusa. "Chibiusa, you made this, right?"

"Actually, it was Usagi and me who made it," Chibiusa admitted.

Mamoru let out a little chuckle as he patted his future daughter on the head. Looking to his girlfriend, he said, "Usako, it was sweet of you to help Chibiusa with her gift."

The odango-haired blonde's face scrunched up in confusion. "But it was me who—"

"And Chibiusa," he turned back to the pink-haired girl, taking the cake from her, "it was nice of you to let Usako help you, considering the messes she normally makes in the kitchen."

Chibiusa blinked in uncertainty, but played along. "O-Of course! I am a caring, generous soul, after all!" she boasted.

Usagi looked crestfallen, but anger soon graced her pretty features as she turned around sharply, slipping her shoes back on and leaving her boyfriend's apartment, loudly announcing, "I have to get going to school!" To properly showcase her vexation, she loudly slammed the door.

Both Mamoru and Chibiusa flinched at the noise, wondering what made Usagi so upset.

"Usagi! Wait for me!" Chibiusa called, hurriedly slipping her shoes back on as she exited the apartment.

~0~

After Chibiusa caught up with Usagi, she was prepared to complain about how she left without her, but when she saw how steamed the blonde looked, she held her tongue.

"I can't believe you just took credit for the cake!" Usagi finally exclaimed. "I was the one who actually made it while you only helped decorate!"

Chibiusa blushed and lowered her head in shame. "S-Sorry about that..." she muttered. "But next time you make him something, I'll let you have all the credit!"

"But that's just it! I wanted to give him something nice before I left!" Usagi clasped her hands together with a dreamy look. "Something to let him know he'll be in my thoughts even when I'm thousands of miles away!"

The pink-haired girl gave her a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?"

A wide grin spread across Usagi's face. "I didn't tell you? In the next two weeks, Ami-chan, Mako-chan, Minako-chan and I will be off on a school field trip overseas!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHH?!" Chibiusa's mouth hung open and her eyes were bigger than her odangos. "No fair! You guys are jetting off somewhere cool and leaving Rei-chan behind!"

Usagi pouted. "It's not like she's being left out on purpose! The field trip is for those who go to Juuban Municipal High School and Rei-chan goes to a classy, all-girls private school!"

Chibiusa folded her arms and huffed. "It's still unfair that I'm being left behind!" Little teardrops hung from her eyes as she wistfully spoke, "I never get to go anywhere fun!"

"What about your home in the 30th century?"

The future Senshi of the Moon's self-pity came to a halt as she looked to Usagi with befuddlement. "Huh?"

"Don't you go to places all over the Earth as part of your duty as the princess?" Usagi clarified.

Chibiusa was astonished by the question, but she shook her head. "I always traveled all over Japan, but I never left the country. Mama, papa, and the Inner Senshi said it was safer if the Crown Princess of the Earth and Moon stayed in the country of her birth," she said with a bit of an edge. She was over 900 years old, a full-fledged Sailor Soldier with an evolved Sailor Crystal, had her own team of Sailor Guardians, yet she was still treated like a baby by her parents and the older Senshi. Was it because she was the only one who was physically a child? The Sailor Quartet were younger than the Inner Senshi, but they were physically in their teens. 'After all the battles I helped their younger selves fight, you'd think they'd finally see me as a strong Soldier worthy of inheriting the Sailor Moon legacy.'

Noticing the dejected look on her future daughter's face, Usagi tried to cheer her up. "Well then, I'll be sure to get you a cool souvenir while I'm away!"

Chibiusa's youthful face brightened up at her future mother's promise. "Thanks, Usagi." She blushed and looked away, suddenly feeling shy. "By the way, where are you going?"

An impish smile settled on Usagi's face as she let out a few giggles.


"LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA!"

A loud squeal filled the hallways of Juuban Municipal High School, belonging to none other than Minako Aino.

"Minako-chan, people are staring..." chided a flustered Makoto Kino.

"Well, let them stare at some of the lucky students who get to travel overseas to America!"

"It's supposed to be an educational field trip," Ami reminded.

The Venusian Senshi scoffed. "How can they honestly expect us to focus on education with all the sights we're going to see!" she countered. "Like the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Little Tokyo!"

"And the Universal Studios and the Santa Monica Pier!" Usagi gushed.

"And Rodeo Drive and the Los Angeles Zoo!" Makoto added.

"And the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Griffith Observatory!" Ami expressed with a shy smile. When the others gave her odd looks, she blushed furiously and looked away. "S-So, we all have everything in order, right?" she asked, wanting to take attention off herself.

"I have all my forms signed and I just got my passport renewed!" Makoto said.

"All I have to do is take a cute new photo for my passport, and I'm good to go!" Minako informed.

"What about you, Usagi-chan?" Ami questioned when Usagi didn't immediately speak.

The Moon Princess pouted. "My passport recently expired and there isn't enough time to get it renewed before the trip!"

"Oh, well, you could just use your birth certificate."

"I've been looking all over my house for it, but I can't find it anywhere! And my parents don't seem to know where it is either!"

Makoto gave her an odd look. "How could your parents not know where your birth certificate is?"

Usagi tapped her cheek thoughtfully. "Well, they never actually said they didn't know where it was, but they've never given me an answer," she explained. "Whenever I start talking about my birth certificate, they get distracted and start talking about something else."

"Hmmm..." Ami hummed, cupping her chin. "That sounds a little suspicious."

"It can only mean one thing!" Minako announced. "Usagi-chan," she approached Usagi with a serious expression and rested her hands on her shoulders, "you're adopted!"

Ami and Makoto dropped dead at the bow-wearing blonde's statement, while Usagi stared at her with her mouth trembling and slack-jawed.

"Just think about it!" the blonde went on. "Any normal parent would answer any questions their child would have about their birth certificate! Unless they weren't their actual parent!" She draped an arm around her princess' shoulder and continued dramatically, "The reason your 'parents' won't answer your questions is because your birth certificate is with your true mother and father, who regret giving their precious Usagi-bunny-baby away, but still keep in contact with the couple they gave you to, so they can stay updated on what's going on in your life!"

Once Minako was finished with her dramatic theory, everyone stared at her as if she had snakes for hair.

"Or..." Makoto started, still nonplussed by Minako's adoption theory.

"I'm certain Usagi-chan's parents would tell her if she's adopted," the blue-haired genius stated with a chuckle. "And Ikuko-san and Kenji-san's absentminded behavior should be proof that they are, in fact, Usagi-chan's biological parents."

That remark produced a choked sob from the Moon Princess as she clung to the Jovian Senshi for support. "Ami-chan, you spend too much time with Rei-chan!" She sniffled, wiping her eyes on Makoto's uniform.

After few moments, the bell for first period rang and students flooded the hallways until they reached their respective classrooms.

"Oh no!" Usagi exclaimed, wiping a few tears from her eyes. "I just remembered I didn't do my homework!"

With a small smile on her face, Minako opened up her schoolbag and reached inside, shuffling through papers and other school necessities until she found an orange folder and a pencil. After taking a piece of paper out of the folder, she erased her name and replaced it with Usagi's. "Here you go, Usagi-chan!" She placed her homework assignment in the odango-haired blonde's hands. "You can have my homework!"

Usagi gaped the Soldier of Love's generosity and at the fact that she had actually done her homework. "Minako-chan! I couldn't!"

Minako waved a dismissive hand. "Yes, you can! It's fine!"

Though Usagi was a bit relieved to have her homework dilemma, she could not, in good conscience, pass Minako's work off as her own. "I don't know about this..."

"Don't worry about it! I insist!" Minako assured. Before Usagi could refuse her charity any longer, she grabbed her firmly by the wrist and led her off to class.

~0~

At 1:00, Usagi wandered around outside, looking for a nice place to eat lunch. Finally, she found a nice-looking bench in the sun. Once she sat down, she opened her bento and dug in, noisily enjoying her meal.

"Usagi-chan!"

With the tail of a shrimp hanging out of her mouth, Usagi looked around for the owner of the voice until she saw Makoto jogging up to her. After sucking the tail of the shrimp into her mouth and devouring it completely, she greeted, "Mako-chan!"

"Usagi-chan," the Jovian Senshi handed Usagi a bento contained in a green bag, "the cooking club needs me to help prepare a full-course meal for the club exhibitions later this week and I won't be able to eat lunch this period, so you can have my bento!"

"EEEEEEEEHH?! Are you serious?!" Usagi looked back and forth between Makoto and the bento she'd given her.

Makoto giggled and nodded. "Yup! It's the least I can do after all the kindness and friendship you've given me over the years!"

The Lunarian Senshi's cheeks flushed bright pink. "Aw, well if you insist, I guess—" Before she could even finish her sentence, Makoto was already gone. With a shrug, Usagi continued to enjoy her lunchtime, ecstatic that she now had two bentos.

~0~

At 3:30, school let out and students went to their lockers to change from their indoor shoes to their outdoor shoes.

Usagi trudged over to her locker, with her stomach nice and full from her double bento lunch. After taking out her outdoor shoes, she bent over with a groan to put them on.

"Usagi-chan!"

Once the blonde got her shoes on, she rubbed her stomach and faced the one who called out to her. "Ami-chan!"

"Usagi-chan, I want you to have something." The Soldier of Wisdom reached into her schoolbag and took out a translucent blue folder with papers inside, gently placing it in Usagi's hands. "These are the notes for the entire history unit we're going over."

If Usagi had a wrench, she would use it to pick her jaw up off the floor and tighten it. "Are-Are you serious?!" she exclaimed. "When did you even have the time to do these?!"

"I had trouble sleeping last night, so I decided to take notes until I fell asleep," Ami said casually.

Usagi sweat-dropped at the blue-haired girl's cavalier attitude about something so unusual. "Ok... But are you really serious about giving me your notes?"

"I am! There's even a filled out test review packet in there!" Ami informed. "Oh! I almost forgot!" She reached into her bag once more and took out a small, red, heart-shaped tin with a black ribbon tied around it. "It's a box of chocolates from Minako-chan! She couldn't give them to you herself since she has plans after school, so she asked me to deliver them!"

"Wow, really?! I'm so lucky!" Usagi happily accepted the chocolates and held them with the notes she received from the Mercurian Senshi. "Tell Minako-chan I said tha—" But before she could express her gratitude, Ami was already gone.


Usagi walked back to her house with a smile on her face, humming a little tune called Fall in Love with the New Moon. Not only did Minako solve her homework problem, but she also received a second lunch from Makoto, notes from Ami, and even a box of chocolates from the Soldier of Love which she planned to devour as soon as she reached her home.

But still, something gnawed at her. Her friends had been acting very strange for a while. Whenever they were at the shrine studying, Ami would help Usagi with any problem she was having trouble with, not even telling her to try it on her own like she normally did. The Ami she knew abhorred it when people sought the easy way out for answers instead of working hard for them.

She couldn't remember the last time she got into an argument with Rei. The shrine maiden hadn't once teased her or started an argument with her, instead offering her snacks whenever she visited the shrine and even letting her borrow her manga, which she was normally so stingy about.

Makoto always found some excuse to give her some kind of treat. Though the Jovian Senshi was the "resident chef" of the Senshi and Usagi was the "certified taste tester", her culinary presents had become more and more frequent in the past few months. She made Usagi breakfast, lunch, to-go dinners, even a strawberry shortcake, her favorite dessert, whenever she asked.

And Minako started treating Usagi to "super fun girls' nights out", taking her to the park, the arcade, her favorite restaurants, and even getting her tickets to the new Sailor V movie months in advance. When Usagi asked the Venusian Senshi about her sudden burst of generosity, she said she was merely being a good companion to her dear friend and princess. She even once jokingly stated it was because Usagi looked so much like her and she couldn't help but put a smile on a face similar to that of the Goddess of Love and Beauty.

'They must be vying for my extra ticket to the Sailor V movie,' Usagi theorized. 'And Minako-chan must be trying to persuade me into giving her the ticket too. I know how interested she'd be in seeing a movie about herself.' She giggled at the thought. But wait... If Minako could get her two tickets to the Sailor V movie, surely she could get one for herself, right? After all, she is, or was Sailor V.

The Moon Princess had no more time to dwell on the thought, however, as she finally reached her home. As soon as she opened the door, the first thing she saw was Shingo looking disdainfully at her.

"Stupid Usagi, why weren't you with Chibiusa?" he sneered. "She walked in here looking half dead and could barely make it up the stairs!"

Usagi's eyes grew wide and her mouth popped open at the news. 'What's wrong with Chibiusa? She looked fine this morning. Could she have caught a cold?' she wondered. She wanted to ignore Shingo's glare, but the bratty child clearly wanted an answer from her. "Something at school kept me," she said, not wanting to mention her delay was because she had gotten chocolate from Ami.

Shingo rolled his eyes at his sister. "You're so unreliable!" the younger boy mocked, not noticing the stern look he was getting from his father, who was sitting in a recliner and reading the paper. "I don't know where mom and dad found you, but I hope they return you and get me a new sister!"

Smack!

Kenji got up from his chair and smacked Shingo on the back of the head with a rolled up newspaper. "Shingo! Usagi is your elder sister! Show her some respect!"

"Sorry..." Shingo muttered, rubbing his head.

"And Usagi, you and Chibiusa should be extra careful whenever you come home from school." Kenji unrolled his newspaper and showed Usagi a section titled, "Mysterious Disappearances Occurring All over Tokyo". "Over ten people have gone missing in the past few months, so don't stay out to late for a while," he advised. "But if you absolutely have to, I suggest you go with one of your friends, especially that tall girl, Makoto or even your... boyfriend, Mamoru," he said with a cringe. Though he wasn't all that fond of Usagi dating someone three years older than her, he appeared to be accepting of the strong young man capable of protecting his daughter.

"I understand, papa," Usagi said. Though the number of missing people was definitely concerning, she was a little nonplussed by it. Perhaps the years of fighting the forces of evil desensitized her to normal human threats. Desensitized or not, she would definitely be looking over shoulder for a while.

"What's all this excitement about?" Ikuko asked upon entering the living room with a plate and a washcloth in her hand.

"Mama," Usagi slowly approached her mother, "I need to know where my birth certificate is. I won't be able to go on the overseas field trip without it."

The blue-haired housewife's eyes slowly darted around the room as she slowly wiped the already clean plate with her washcloth. "Oh, well... It should be in a box in the basement."

"Thanks, mama!" Usagi made her way past her mother and over to the door leading down to the basement. With a shudder, she opened the door and carefully stepped down the creaky wooden stairs. One time, when she was 10, she had tripped down those same steps and received splinters and several bruises. That was the first time she had ever been klutzy and ever since the incident, she had blamed those "vile, slippery steps" for her lack of coordination. It had been nearly six years since then, and she was still afraid to venture down the stairs.

Once she reached the bottom of the steps, she let out a heavy sigh of relief. Her sapphire blue eyes scanned the monochromatic area until she spotted several boxes resting in a gray corner. She swatted away cobwebs as she walked, until she reached the boxes, kneeling down to open one of them. A small smile played on her lips when she saw dozens of old video tapes. 'I remember these,' Usagi thought as she picked up a tape labeled, "Usagi's first steps". "Oh man! Did they really have to record this? " She cringed as she held up a tape labeled, "Usagi's first time on the toilet".

Being the sentimental parents that they were, Ikuko and Kenji made dozens of home movies of the key points of Usagi's life, from her first steps to her first day of high school. They used to store the tapes in the attic, but since it was converted into a room for Chibiusa, they moved them down to the basement.

The odango-haired blonde sifted through all the tapes until she felt the soft touch of paper at the bottom of the box. With a squeal of delight, she pulled the paper out of the box and held up the desired document; her birth certificate. 'Finally!' she mentally cheered. She held her certificate close to chest as daydreams of her vacationing in Los Angeles with her friends flooded her mind.

But first, she had to check on a certain pink-haired terror.

~0~

Covered in a protective layer of blankets and pillows, was a shivering Chibiusa. The pink-haired princess was trembling like a dog Usagi had compared her to one time. Sometime during school, cold chills went up her spine and the next thing she knew, she was coughing like mad, prompting her friend Kyuusuke to ask if "she wanted any toast with that lung butter". The coughing got so bad, she had to be sent to the nurse where she was given some cough medicine and a few lozenges. But not even those seemed to help her. She hid her coughing from her classmates and even from her dear friend Momoko until school was over.

Usagi had already alerted her via their Senshi communicators that she would be a little late to pick her up. Not wanting her future mother to know of her sudden ailment, she told her she would walk home by herself. Though she started to regret it as she wished she had someone with her when she started to feel faint. Her uncle Shingo wanted to help her to her room, but she kindly refused his aid, stating she was fine, although her pitiful hobbling up the stairs betrayed her words.

A brutal tickling sensation assaulted her throat as she was overcome with violent coughing. As she covered her mouth with her elbow, she wondered what could have caused this strange illness. 'Wait a minute,' she thought, her ruby eyes widening with realization. A groan escaped her as she concluded, 'This is because of my late night snacking...' Unbeknownst to the other members of the Tsukino family, for the past week, Chibiusa had been sneaking out of her room at night to go down to the kitchen and take desserts out of the fridge. But because she was so afraid of being caught, she ate in front of the open fridge until she was done. 'Of course it was a bad idea to go downstairs without shoes and sit on the cold floor, eating cold treats, in front of the cold fridge.' What a mess. And she was supposed to hang out with Hotaru later this week.

"Chibiusa!"

Chibiusa's head popped up from under the blankets and the first things she saw were two blonde odangos coming up the stairs with the adult body of the Moon Senshi coming into view shortly after. The future Moon Senshi noticed she was carrying a silver tray with a white teapot and teacup.

"Shingo told me you weren't feeling well, so I brought you some orange jasmine blossom tea!" Usagi set the tray down beside Chibiusa.

"Oh, thanks!" Chibiusa held the teacup in her slightly trembling hands and sipped the hot tea. Its sweet taste reminded her of the treats Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Juno would sneak to her during stuffy dinners with visiting dignitaries. The looks on their faces when Sailor Venus and Sailor Ceres caught them were hilarious.

Usagi regarded Chibiusa with a look akin to pity. To her, she looked like a sickly child; her bubblegum pink hair was free from its usual hairstyle, but it was wild and matted. The shine in her ruby red eyes dimmed a little and her skin was looking a little pale. "So, uh... How are you feeling?"

"I've got the chills and I've been coughing like crazy," Chibiusa said, taking another sip of her tea. "But my throat doesn't hurt, which is weird."

The Moon Princess tilted her head. "Hm, I wonder how this happened." She tapped her chin in deep thought. She suddenly snapped her fingers and said, "I know! Maybe it's because of your late night escapades to the kitchen!"

Chibiusa flinched, but didn't meet the blonde's intense gaze, instead pretending to be fascinated by her rippling reflection in the tea.

"That's right, I know you've been sneaking food out of the fridge! Did you honestly think that I wouldn't be aware of how many snacks are in this house?!"

The pink-haired girl's pale cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Of course the eternally-feasting Usagi Tsukino would keep track of all the delicious treats. She needed to make sure there were some for herself, after all. Her eyes nervously darted around the room as she wiggled her fingers around her teacup. "So... are you all packed for your trip to Los Angeles?" She hoped the mention of the overseas field would be enough to distract the blonde.

Luckily, it was.

Usagi's anger evaporated in a flash and was replaced with panic. "Oh my gosh, I'm not! I've been so busy looking for my birth certificate, I haven't packed a single thing!" She bolted up and frantically looked around the attic as if it contained anything that could help her with her dilemma. When her eyes landed back on the ill Chibiusa, she felt a little guilty for placing a field trip over her future daughter's health... But the field trip was going to be so much fun! "Ok! So, um... Get lots of rest, drink plenty of tea, eat healthy food, stay away from the fridge, call in sick for school, and get better!" she said in one large breath before sprinting out of the attic, nearly tripping down the steps.

Chibiusa's eyebrow twitched at the blonde's zeal. With a sigh, she continued to drink her tea.


The next morning...

"I'M OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFF!"

The front door burst open as Usagi bolted out of the house with her schoolbag clutched in her hand and Luna hanging on her right shoulder with her tail end flailing in the wind.

"Usagi! What's the hurry?!" Luna questioned, struggling to stay onto the princess' shoulder. She didn't know Usagi had this much speed and stamina, and now she wished she'd never chosen to go with her to school.

"I have to get to school early so I can bring my birth certificate to the office and have someone check it so I can go on the field trip!" she exclaimed as she ran, sharply turning a corner. But as soon as she did, she ran straight into someone, resulting in the both of them falling to the ground.

When Usagi realized she was in an undignified position, she quickly sat upright and clapped her hands together in an apologetic gesture. "I'm so sorry!"

The sound of a head being scratched and a groan filled the silence. "Usako?"

Usagi snapped her head up and realized she had bumped into her beloved prince. "Mamo-chan!"

Mamoru picked himself off the ground and dusted off his tank top and jogging pants. "Usako, you shouldn't be running so recklessly in the street. It isn't proper for a girl, especially not for one who's the future Queen of the Earth and Moon."

Sadness flashed across the Moon Princess' face; she was clearly hurt by the Earth Prince's admonishing, even more so when he didn't make a move to help her up. "I'm sorry," she apologized, scooping Luna up and placing her back on her shoulder.

"Why are you in such a hurry, anyway?" Mamoru questioned.

"I just wanted to get to school early so I could confirm some things and be able to go on the overseas field trip," she explained. She felt a twinge of pain when she noticed his eyebrows shoot up in surprise, as if the idea of her being early for anything was completely out of the realm of possibility. "I-I'll really miss you, Mamo-chan." She mustered up a small smile.

"You won't be gone long," he said, shrugging off her sentiments.

Usagi's smile nearly crumbled. "R-Right..."

"Well, I'm going to finish jogging. You run along to school and try to keep up this sudden punctual behavior." He soon brushed past Usagi and continued to jog without another word.

Usagi watched her boyfriend's retreating form with a hint of sadness, but snapped her head back in the direction she was heading, this time walking slowly.

"Usagi-chan, don't you want to get to school on time to present your birth certificate?" Luna asked.

The blonde shook her head. "I woke up early, so there's no need to rush," she said in a flat tone.

Luna was surprised and a little concerned about the Moon Senshi's slow gait and emotionless tone, but didn't know what to say to cheer her up. Her daughter was much better at pep talks.

~0~

Once Usagi made it to school safely, Luna left her side and proceeded to go back home with Artemis.

The Lunarian Senshi headed to the school office and approached the front desk where she was greeted by a chubby woman with black hair tied in a low bun, wearing thick-lensed glasses, akin to those of Gurio Umino.

"How can I help you?" she asked.

Usagi reached into her schoolbag and pulled out her beige birth certificate. "I'm turning this in instead of a passport so I can go on the Los Angeles field trip."

"Ooh! Thank you very much!" She accepted the document from the blonde and gingerly placed on the desk beside her. "I hope you have fun overseas!"

~0~

"Hey Minako-chan, you can speak English pretty well, right?"

It was lunchtime, and Usagi and Minako were sitting on a bench eating their bentos.

"Of course!" Minako answered, slurping up some ramen. "Thanks to my time in London, I can speak fluent English, why?"

Usagi's cheeks flushed bright pink. "Well, since I can't speak English very well, I wanted you to stay by my side when we're in Los Angeles and translate some things for me."

The Venusian Senshi's face softened. "Of course, I will. I wouldn't leave my dear princess' side in her time of need."

A wide smile spread across Usagi's face, but it wavered when she noticed the look in Minako's eyes. The gentle blue eyes of the Princess of Venus that almost matched her own, always filled with zeal and spirit, were filled with an emotion that Usagi couldn't quite place. Was it sadness? Or perhaps pity? "Minako-chan..."

"Yes?"

Usagi looked away and trained her eyes on her bento. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Minako cocked her head to side. "What do you mean?"

"You, Ami-chan, Rei-chan, and Mako-chan have been really nice to me lately," Usagi said in a quiet tone. "But is it because I'm your princess," she paused, opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish before asking, "or because you have something terrible to tell me?"

Shaking her head, Minako placed a tender hand on the Moon Princess' shoulder. "Usagi-chan," she spoke in a soft tone, bringing the princess' eyes back to her own. "You're our dear princess and best friend. We're nice to you because we love you. If we had something bad to tell you, we would just say so instead of trying to hide our shame with generosity."

Usagi's face brightened up at the bow-wearing blonde's affirmation, feeling a bit silly for doubting her and the others. Of course the cheery leader of her Guardian Senshi would want to spoil her princess and make her feel as happy as possible. It was not only her duty as a guardian, but as a friend.

With that resolved, the two blondes went back to eating their lunches. Usagi happily ate her chicken tempura, while Minako slurped up more ramen, drawing the eyes of students passing by.

~0~

After school, Usagi went to her locker to change her shoes. To her dismay, there was gum on one of her outside shoes. "Ugh," she groaned. Not knowing whose mouth it was in or where it had been when she stepped in it, she left it be and slipped her shoes on. As she was walking out of the school building, a husky female voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Tsukino-san!" Jogging up to Usagi was the plump woman from the front desk at the office. Once she caught up to her, she stopped to catch her breath, hunched over with her hands resting on her knees. "Tsukino-san," she let out a breath as she stood up straight with her face flushed, "there is something we need to discuss."

"What is it, Nakano-san?"

Mrs. Nakano reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a folded up document. "I noticed something... odd with your birth certificate." She unfolded the certificate and adjusted her swirly-lensed glasses. "You see this spot above the doctor's signature?" She held up the certificate for Usagi to see and tapped on the aforementioned spot with her blue-painted finger. "There's supposed to be an official government seal above the signature of the doctor who delivered you, but it's not there."

Worry was etched across the blonde's face. "What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying, this is not an official birth certificate, and therefore cannot be used for you to go overseas." Mrs. Nakano handed the fake document back in the confused student's hands. "This is an informational copy at best and I suggest you get the original one."


Chibiusa knelt down on her bed with her eyes shut, looking as though she were meditating. Because of her constant coughing and pale appearance, Ikuko and Kenji insisted she stay home from school, which proved to be a blessing for her. With her future mother and future uncle away at school and her future grandparents at work, she now had the privacy to do something a tad reckless.

With a deep breath, she held out her hands in front of her. The air shimmered above her palms and soon a pink, lotus-shaped crystal materialized. 'This is my best option. Hopefully, I'll soon be rid of this primitive illness.'

Back in her home in the 30th century, sickness was nearly extinct when Neo Queen Serenity took the throne. But that was mostly thanks to Sailor Mercury. With the miraculous healing powers of the queen and the genius intellect of the Soldier of Wisdom, Mercury was able to use a mixture of magic and science to create phenomenal strides in the advancement of medical science to the point where prophylactic care, such as vaccines and personalized medicine reached a point where diseases were prevented or controlled before symptoms developed.

When Chibiusa questioned why her mother couldn't just eliminate all illnesses and bacteria with the Legendary Silver Crystal, Mercury stated that it would be inhuman of them to prevent the growth and life cycle of the largest biomass on the planet with microbes that shared their world.

Taking a few more deep breaths, she raised her Sailor Crystal up high. "Pink Moon Crystal—"

A thunderous set of steps rushed up the stair to the attic bedroom followed by a panicked cry.

"CHIBIUSA!"

The pink-haired girl's concentration broke and the Pink Moon Crystal dissipated into shimmering lights. She slowly turned to see an irate Usagi across the room. "U-Usagi!"

"When I felt the energy of your crystal, I thought there might be an enemy nearby!" With a few large strides, the Moon Princess made her way over to her future daughter's bedside. "But I don't see any enemy! What's the meaning of this?!"

Chibiusa nervously twiddled with her fingers. "...I was going to use my Pink Moon Crystal to get rid of my illness."

Usagi's mouth hung open. "W-What?! What were you thinking?!" she exclaimed. "You can't use your crystal to deal with something as mundane as a cold! "

The future Senshi of the Moon scratched the back of her neck. As much as her pride forbade her from admitting it, Usagi was right. Their crystals were supposed to be used to help people and enforce the laws of love and justice. Her using it on herself simply to get rid of a cold was incredibly thoughtless and selfish. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Yeah! And—" Usagi cut herself off in surprise. It wasn't like Chibiusa to ever say she was right about anything. The blonde did a once over of her future daughter, noticing the bags under her eyes and her skin had become paler. Not the lovely, porcelain pale skin tone Hotaru had, but more of a light gray. 'Maybe it's not just a cold...' Usagi thought. She put a hand to her chest, as if she were about to summon her own crystal, then brought it back down to her side. The corner of her mouth curled up in a smile as an idea came to her. "Let's go see Mamo-chan."


The two Senshi of the Moon walked silently down the path to Mamoru's apartment, with Usagi holding Chibiusa's hand the whole way, making the two look more like the future mother and daughter they were rather than the constant bickering sisters they always appeared to be.

Normally, Chibiusa wouldn't let Usagi hold her hand like she was some kind of child (she was 902 years old, after all), but with the wobbly way she'd been walking, she was grateful for the support. "So why are we going to Mamo-chan's again?" she asked. Not that she minded spending a little more time with her future father.

"Mamo-chan may not be able to become a Senshi like us, but he has healing powers of his own," Usagi reminded. "Remember how he sustained your life after Mistress 9 stole your soul? Maybe he can use his power to get rid of your cold!"

Chibiusa's scarlet eyes widened at Usagi's reasoning. "That's actually a pretty good idea! How nice of you to suggest something like that!"

Usagi tossed her head with a giggle. "I am a caring, generous soul, after all!" she boasted, calling back to what the pink-haired girl said the day before.

"Whatever!" Chibiusa rolled her eyes.

After that, Usagi and Chibiusa continued on without another word, unaware of the marble black eyes watching them from around the corner.

~0~

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Two knuckles rapped lightly on the door of the Earth Prince's apartment.

Chibiusa's face scrunched up with a frown. "He's not answering."

Usagi made an identical face. "That's weird. I know he came home from work an hour ago," she said, tapping her chin. With a snap of her fingers, she exclaimed, "Aha!" She reached into her pocket and took out a small silver key. "It's a good thing I have this! The key to Mamo-chan's apartment which he gave me as a sign of our flourishing love!"

Chibiusa's eyebrow twitched. She knew Usagi and Mamoru were close, but didn't think they were close enough for Mamoru to give Usagi a key to his home. And that made her wonder... How often did Usagi go to Mamoru's apartment? And how long did she stay? And did she and Mamoru ever...

"Come on!" Usagi gently grabbed Chibiusa by the arm, interrupting her racy thoughts, and lead her into the Earth Prince's apartment. The first thing Usagi's eyes landed on was the green jacket on the couch. 'He's definitely here,' she concluded. She remembered the numerous times when Rei teased Mamoru about his fashion sense and begged him to go shopping with her so they could pick out new clothes for him. The odango-haired blonde soon wandered off into the kitchen and immediately went into the fridge.

Chibiusa frowned at the sight and put her hands on her hips. "Are you honestly thinking of food right now?!"

Usagi ignored her future daughter and continued rummaging through the fridge, eventually taking out a slice of the cake she and Chibiusa made. "It's not for me, it's for Mamo-chan," she explained, setting the cake slice down on the granite counter then retrieving a bottle of water from the fridge. "After work, Mamo-chan likes to take a nap. When he wakes up, I'm going to give him some cake and water to help him recharge!"

Chibiusa's shoulders drooped. "O-Oh, ok." She didn't realize Usagi could be so caring. 'Of course, she is. She has the purest heart of anyone I've ever seen,' she thought with a hint of envy. Would she ever grow up to have a pure heart like Usagi? She hoped so. Maybe then, would she finally achieve her dream of becoming a real lady. 'And maybe Helios would see me as more than just a sweet maiden.' A rosy glow burned on her cheeks as her thoughts drifted to the handsome priest of Elysion.

Suddenly, a deep, masculine groan echoed throughout the apartment, obviously belonging to none other than Mamoru.

'Mamo-chan must be awake now,' the pink-haired princess realized, sauntering off in the direction of the groan. Her search led her to a door that was opened just a crack. The closer she got, the louder the groaning became. 'Oh no! Is Mamo-chan in pain?! Maybe it's something he caught from me?' She rushed up to the door and was about to burst in when she heard another moan. A more... feminine moan. She slowly pushed open the door to see what her dear future father was doing and...

Oh dear Selene...

Two bare bodies, drenched in sweat, were locked in an intense passionate embrace and tangled in white linen that was stained in many places by a strange cloudy-white substance. On the bottom, was a young man with ebony black hair, repeatedly arching upwards and growling out words that made heat rise to Chibiusa's face. On top, was a young woman with long blonde hair and more of the strange white substance on her lower back, moving her hips with rhythm and ecstatically crying out, clearly too lost in the throes of passion to notice the shocked little girl standing in the doorway.

'Oh... my... gosh...' With her gaping mouth and tomato-red face, Chibiusa slowly backed away from the scene and stood outside by the door, but stood to the side so she could stay out of sight. 'I had no idea Usagi and Mamo-chan were so... adult! They really do have a mature relationship!' Chibiusa had to close her mouth with her hand and put the other one to her flushed face to calm herself. 'I never would've guessed that Usagi was the dominant type...'

"Chibiusa? What are you doing just standing there?"

"Wondering how you could be—" Chibiusa cut herself off and snapped her head around to see Usagi standing before her, fully clothed and her hair still in her odangos. "But wait! Weren't you just..." she trailed off, slowly poking her head back inside the Earth Prince's bedroom.

The young woman on top of Mamoru had long blonde hair like Usagi, but while the Moon Princess' hair was around shin length, this girl's was mid-thigh length. Plus, her hair color was buttercup yellow, while Usagi's was more of a golden shade. Chibiusa caught a few glimpses of her back and could tell that this girl had an athletic figure. Usagi also had a toned body as a result of fighting monsters, but this girl was clearly more well-built. But what really confirmed the girl's identity for Chibiusa was the red ribbon she spotted on the floor, lying next to a high school sailor uniform.

"No...way..." Chibiusa whispered, putting a hand to her mouth.

"What?" Usagi wondered, puzzled by her future daughter behavior.

"AAH!"

The loud shriek captured Usagi's attention as she finally became aware of the open bedroom door. When she poked her head inside, the color drained from her face and her eyes widened in horror with her mouth hanging open. '...Mamo-chan? Minako-chan...?'

When their love making had reached its peak, Minako slid off of Mamoru and laid beside him. "Oh, Mamo-kun, it's always fun the fourth time around!"

With a chuckle, Mamoru wrapped an arm around the blonde's thin waist and pulled her closer to him. "And here I thought Usako was the most energetic of the Senshi." He brushed Minako's bangs out of her face. "Oh, I almost forgot. Did you like the chocolates I gave you?"

Minako pouted and caressed the college student's face. "It was sweet of you to give me those, but they had white chocolate filling, so I gave them away."

Usagi's heart clenched at the Venusian Senshi's words. 'The chocolates Ami-chan gave me... Those were actually chocolates Mamo-chan gave to Minako-chan?!' She felt like throwing up, wishing she hadn't eaten the entire container of chocolate the day before.

"Aw, and I spent a lot of money on those," Mamoru said, feigning hurt.

Minako giggled and snuggled closer to the Earth Prince. "You know I'm way fonder of a different kind of creamy filling."

"How can I forget? It's all over your thighs." A perverse grin spread across Mamoru's face.

A sly glint flashed in Minako's baby blue eyes. "Maybe you would like to help me wash it off? Why don't we go take a shower together?"

"In a minute," Mamoru said, resting his face in the crook of Minako's neck. "I want to savor this moment a little longer."

That was it for Usagi. She tore her eyes away from the scene and slumped against the wall, covering her mouth as tears trailed down her cheeks. 'I... I can't... Why?! How could they do this?!' She found herself hyperventilating and shaking with anger and sadness.

Chibiusa's eyes were still glued to the lovers and looked at them with hurt, anger, and sadness. How could Minako steal her best friend's boyfriend and how could Mamoru hurt his girlfriend and future wife in the worst way possible?! She didn't care if they were naked and covered in a white substance she couldn't identify, she was going to storm in there and give them a piece of her mind, maybe even use some choice words she learned from the hot-tempered Senshi of Mars. She had already taken two steps into the room and opened her mouth to scream at the lecherous pair, but before she could scold them, she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders and the next thing she knew, she was being hoisted up and carried away.

With tears blurring her vision, Usagi held Chibiusa close to her chest as she ran away from the traitorous duo, quickly grabbing Chibiusa's shoes by the apartment door then slipping on her own. Without turning back, she fled the Earth Prince's apartment, not even bothering to close the door.


"Usagi! Let me go!"

Despite the little girl's pleas and the constant batting at her arms, Usagi continued to hold onto Chibiusa for dear life as she ran down the street with tears falling uncontrollably from her eyes. The strength in her arms eventually gave out, making her drop Chibiusa on the ground as she fell unceremoniously to her knees.

Chibiusa grumbled as she picked herself off the ground, dusting off her clothes. Had she been in a better mood, she would have yelled at Usagi for dropping her, but right now she just felt immense sadness. Mamoru, her father's younger self whom she adored and idealized from the moment she first fell out of the sky into the 21st century, had betrayed Usagi's trust and pursued one of her best friends. How could he? Did he even consider Usagi's feelings? Didn't he love her? Just then, a chill went up her spine, not because of her cold, but because of a horrifying realization.

Her chills, her constant coughing, her dizzy spells, her pale appearance... She wasn't sick, she was dying. Mamoru and Minako must've had altered the future when they chose to see each other behind Usagi's back. 'Reckless fools!' She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

"Mamo-chan..."

Usagi's weak voice caught Chibiusa's attention. It was debatable who was hurting the most, but Usagi was most definitely suffering a great amount of pain. Hesitantly, Chibiusa slowly turned around, her heart breaking at the sight: Usagi was on her knees, slumped forward like a lifeless doll with tears streaming down her face and onto the ground. Her shoulders shook with every pain filled sob that escaped her lips and an occasional hiccup was heard every now and then.

At this point, tears were trailing down Chibiusa's face as well. Her pale cheeks flushed red as she clenched her trembling fists, yelling, "This is all your fault!"

The pink-haired girl's shout made Usagi flinch. She slowly raised her head to meet her future daughter's glaring scarlet eyes. "W-What...?"

"If you had been a proper girlfriend and acted more like the princess and future queen you're supposed to be, then this wouldn't have happened!" Chibiusa's voice trembled as she stalked up to the Moon Princess. "Because of your silly, ditzy, crybaby self, Mamo-chan chose someone else!" She shoved Usagi in the chest and gave her a heated glare. "Now I won't be born and it's all because of... because of..." Her lip quivered uncontrollably as a pained cry tore from her throat. She tried to shove Usagi again, but instead collapsed in her arms with her words dissolving into incomprehensible sobs.

Usagi held the crying child closer to her. She knew Chibiusa's anger wasn't directed towards her, even though a part of her felt that it should be.

"You're our dear princess and best friend. We're nice to you because we love you."

A spasm of pain shot through Usagi as she remembered Minako's words from earlier. 'Lies... Nothing but lies...' This was Minako's fault. Because of her, Chibiusa was going to... 'How could they do this? Forget about my feelings, they put a child's life in danger!' She hugged Chibiusa even tighter. 'What am I going to do?' she thought, unintentionally drying her tears in Chibiusa's pink hair.

Usagi's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a low growl.

The blonde's eyebrows rose up in surprise. She knew Chibiusa was upset, but she didn't expect her to be that angry.

"U-Usagi...?" Chibiusa's small voice rang.

The growling sounded again, and this time Usagi realized it couldn't have come from Chibiusa. Also, it was coming from behind her.

Chibiusa's curiosity got the better of her as she pulled away from Usagi to see what was growling. "What the heck?!"

It was a creature with the body of a lion, large bat-like wings with some kind of metallic trimming, and a scorpion tail made out of metal. It had the head of a bearded man, but its eyes... its eyes definitely weren't human. They were nothing but black, pupil-less orbs.

From the books on mythological creatures she read with Sailor Vesta, Chibiusa could tell it was a manticore. Or, at least, a cyborg manticore? It doesn't matter what kind of monster it was, she couldn't deal with an enemy attack right now! She was still coming to terms with her own impending demise!

With Chibiusa still in her arms, Usagi rose up and slowly back away from the creature.

Not wanting its prey to get away, the manticore lunged at the girls, preparing to tear them to shreds with its claws.

Usagi quickly dove out of the way, letting the manticore's claws crash into the ground, creating a wave of spidery cracks.

Chibiusa wriggled free from the odango-haired blonde's hold and grabbed onto her wrist. "We need to get out of here!" She tried to drag Usagi away, but she wouldn't budge.

"No." Usagi stood her ground and freed her wrist from the little girl's hold. "We have to stay and fight." Her head was lowered, letting her bangs cover her eyes.

The pink-haired girl gave her an incredulous look. "You know neither of us is in any shape to fight!"

"That doesn't matter," Usagi raised her head, letting Chibiusa see her tear-stained face, "we can't let our personal feelings get in the way of our jobs," she said, sounding like a certain sandy blonde racer. "If you can't fight, that's fine." A tender smile made its way onto Usagi's lips. "I'll protect you."

"Usagi..." Chibiusa whispered. In that moment, her image of Usagi changed. In her mind's eye, her golden blonde hair was replaced by flowing silver tresses, with a pearl white tiara on top of her head, and a golden crescent moon burning on her brow. 'Mama...?'

Usagi turned away from Chibiusa and faced her opponent, taking out her brooch. "Moon Eternal, Make Up!" Pink ribbons burst from the brooch and covered Usagi's body, replacing her civilian clothes with her sailor uniform. Eternal Sailor Moon now stood in her place and pointed an accusing finger at the manticore. "How dare you attempt to harm two heartbroken maidens in their time of grief?! That is unforgivable!" she scolded. "For Love and Justice, I'm a Pretty Guardian in a Sailor Suit! Sailor Moon! And in the name of the Moon, I will punish you!" she declared, performing her trademark pose.

Her opponent did not look impressed. The manticore gave another low growl as its eyes changed. The sclera was now cyan and the irises were royal blue with robotic-like print. The manticore lowered itself on the road as its eyes scanned over the Moon Princess, as if running an analysis. It raked its claws on the road before charging the Moon Senshi.

The air shimmered before Sailor Moon and her Eternal Tiare materialized soon after. Taking hold of her weapon, she repelled the cyborg creature with a blast of pink light, making it skid a few feet across the road.

Chibiusa stared in awe at the Moon Princess. Even though she was struck with grief and a broken heart, she still pulled herself together to keep her safe. 'Sailor Moon really is a strong, beautiful lady. There's no way I could ever catch up to her.' She lowered her head and gritted her teeth. Was this really how she was going to spend what little remained of her life? Pitying herself?

With a shake of its head, the manticore recovered and stalked slowly towards the Lunarian Senshi. It pounced at her, but Sailor Moon smacked it in the face with a twirl of her Tiare. It snarled in annoyance, ready to strike her, but before it got the chance, a small shoe flew into its face.

"Huh?" Sailor Moon tilted her head in confusion.

"You leave her alone!" a high-pitched voice demanded as another shoe hit the creature in its face.

Sailor Moon whipped around to see a barefoot Chibiusa glowering at the manticore. "Chibiusa! What are you doing?!"

"You can't just expect me to sit on the sidelines while you hog all the glory!" Chibiusa exclaimed. 'If I'm going to die, then I want to die while being as strong as you!' "I, Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity, will help make sure that this monster never harms anyone ever again!" She raised her own brooch into the air and yelled, "Pink Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!" Pink ribbons surrounded her small body and changed her into her sailor uniform.

The manticore shielded its eyes from the display of pink light with its paw. When the light died down, it set its robotic blue eyes on the future Moon Senshi.

Eternal Sailor Chibi Moon gave a stone cold glare to the cyborg monster. She didn't know if it was the thrill of battle or the fact that her life may come to an end soon, but she was fired up and ready to go. She summoned her own Eternal Tiare and rushed over to the older Moon Senshi's side. "Let's defeat it together!"

"Right!" Sailor Moon nodded. Even with a monster and the possibility of being erased from existence soon staring her in the face, Chibi Moon was still the same stubborn, reckless child she's always been since they first met. And she was glad.

With a few powerful wing-beats, the manticore ascended and readied its claws as it plummeted towards the mother-daughter duo.

Sailor Moon and Chibi Moon raised their respective Tiares towards the creature. "Starlight Honeymoon Double Therapy Kiss!" Twin rays of swirling pink light erupted from the Tiares and raced towards the manticore.

The cyborg creature let out a pained roar when the two attacks slammed into it, tearing its body apart. When it couldn't take any punishment, its body exploded with a cloud of smoke, from which one robotic blue eye fell to ground with a tail of wires hanging out. From underneath the eye, a small black portal opened up and the eye disappeared, unnoticed by the two Soldiers of the Moon.

"We did it!" Chibi Moon exclaimed.

A small smiled graced Sailor Moon's face. "Yeah, we—"

"SQUAWK!"

Both soldiers jumped and whipped around to see that their battle wasn't over yet. Their next opponent was stalking behind them.

It was a creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion, the head and wings of an eagle, and an eagle's talons as its front feet.

"A griffin?" Chibi Moon realized.

The griffin was much faster than the manticore as it charged the two soldiers without warning, crashing into Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon landed on the ground with a hard THUD!. She tried to get back up, but the griffin's heavy weight prevented her from moving. When she tried to move her arms, the griffin used its talons to force them down onto the ground.

"Sailor Moon!" Chibi Moon cried out. Placing her thumb and index finger on the star-shaped gem on her tiara, she removed it and watched as it morphed, turning into a glowing circular blade. "Moon Tiara Boomerang!" She hurled the blade at the griffin, but she only managed to create a large gash in its backside.

The griffin let out a squawk, jumping off of Sailor Moon and inspecting its damaged posterior, watching the crimson fluid spill onto the road. Turning its head to Chibi Moon, it gave her an avian equivalent of a glare before stampeding towards her, with its talons creating large cracks in the road.

Chibi Moon was daunted by creature, but she stood her ground and brandished her Tiare. But just as she was about to use her attack, her vision was obscured by angelic white wings.

Sailor Moon had managed to outmaneuver the griffin and stood in front of her future daughter with her own Tiare in hand, extended into a staff. "I won't let you touch her!" Pink energy gathered at the top of the weapon. "Starlight Honeymoon—"

With a swipe of its talons, the griffin struck the Tiare, slicing it cleanly in half. The severed halves of the Tiare fell to the ground with a metallic CLINK! before dissipating into pink sparkles.

The force of the impact made Sailor Moon stagger backwards and fall on top of Chibi Moon. When she saw the griffin preparing to attack again, she knelt down in front of the pink-haired Senshi with her arms spread out wide to protect her.

But just as the griffin was about to strike Sailor Moon, it was halted by a bright silver light.

Sailor Moon looked down at her brooch to see rays of silver light peeking through it. 'Why is the Silver Moon Crystal reacting now?' she wondered, but during that moment she was distracted, the griffin recovered and advanced.

The silver light no longer bothered the griffin as it delivered a powerful strike across Sailor Moon's chest.

Sailor Moon let out a shriek as her hands flew over her chest in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but she couldn't cover all the gashes. As if things couldn't get any worse, she heard a sickening cracking noise. She looked down at her chest and was horrified when she saw that her brooch now had cracks in it and was releasing pink and silver sparks like a faulty electronic.

More cracks spread along the golden brooch, giving off multiple rays of pink and silver light. It gave off a low hum as it was encased in a pinkish-white light, prompting concerned looks from its owner. With a final display of light, the brooch exploded with a loud POP!, shattering Sailor Moon's transformation. Her wings crumbled away and her uniform dissolved into flowing pink ribbons that barely covered her nude form, but provided enough cover to protect her modesty.

"Oh no!" Chibi Moon cried. A spasm of pain shot through her, forcing her to clutch her chest in pain. '...What's happening?" Soon after, her own transformation dissolved, forcing her back into her civilian clothes.

Usagi was at a loss for what to do. Not only was her Tiare destroyed, but her brooch as well. She frantically looked around, swatting away the flowing mass of ribbons until she found the Silver Moon Crystal. Letting out a sigh of relief, she held her crystal in her hands.

The griffin let out a squawk and raked it talons on the road, as it taunting its opponents. It pressed its talons the road so hard that it crumbled, creating a small crater as it rushed towards the defenseless girls.

Chibiusa held onto Usagi's bare arm for dear life, almost accepting death, but then she noticed a silvery glow out of the corner of her eye. She felt Usagi move and looked to see the Moon Princess standing to her feet with the Silver Moon Crystal hovering above her palms. "Usagi?"

Usagi turned her head to Chibiusa with an assuring smile. "I promised I'd protect you, didn't I?" She turned back to face the incoming griffin that was ready to slash away at her. As the crystal gave off multiple rays of light, Usagi raised it up high. "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" The Silver Moon Crystal gave off a brilliant display of light so strong, Chibiusa had to shield her eyes. Even Usagi winced and slightly turned away.

The griffin let out a horrified squawk when the light struck it, burning its body with its brilliance. In a matter of seconds, the griffin was reduced to dust that was quickly blown away by the wind.

Chibiusa gaped at the frightening power of the Silver Moon Crystal. She knew it was of immense power, but she had never truly witnessed its potential.

With the threat eliminated, the Silver Moon Crystal disappeared in a flash of light.

"I did it..." Usagi mumbled, her vision blurring. A wave of lethargy hit her as she sank to her knees and collapsed on the road. She fought to keep her eyes open, but her vision was blurring as blue, green, red, and yellow lights danced across her eyes. After a final act of futile resistance, she let the darkness take over as her world faded to black.

"Usagi!" Chibiusa went over to her side and tried to shake her awake. "Usagi? What's wrong?! Come on, wake up! Wake up!"


A/N: Ok, yes, Mamoru cheated. But before you're all, "Oh great, another cheater fic. Just what this site needed," keep in mind that there is more to this story and I encourage you to stick around for the explanation. Now leave a review!