Author: Bunny_chan
Email: Bunny_chan85@hotmail.com
Mare Serenitatis
Prologue
9/13/03
Hey, just a few notes I wanted to let people know. Yeah, I disappeared for like. a year. ^^;; Sorry about that. I took that long break because: 1. I was out of ideas. Plain and simple. 2. I felt the quality of writing had gone down a bit. Not to say that everyone was horrible and would never improve, but I felt ideas were being recycled and reused so many times that it all seemed very monotonous and boring.
I've just started college this year, and because of a class I'm taking, I've felt the urge to write and improve even more. So hopefully from now on you may see more updates and revised fics from me. ^^ Happy reading, and please review!
-Bunny-chan
-----*****************-----
Our world is filled with secrets. There are some that are as simple as hiding a birthday present to some that are as horrible as murder. Everyone has a secret. Those who are more open and accepting will share their secrets; others can't and thus are no longer trusted. Those people who hold their secrets to their death are sometimes shunned in society. Seriously, when was the last time some one held a secret from you and you didn't feel betrayed?
I have many secrets. Will you still trust me?
**********
"Usagi! Come down for breakfast would you?" Ikuko Tsukino yelled up the stairs for her 16 year old daughter. She sighed as she finally heard rustling upstairs signaling that her daughter had finally gotten out of bed.
"Is Hurricane Usagi coming or what?" Shingo Tsukino asked while sipping his glass of orange juice. He rolled his eyes as he heard a thump that could only mean his older sister had either tripped or fell while trying to do something.
"Be nice to your sister, Shingo. She's the only one you have." His mother scolded him for his comment. She shook her head. She knew her children loved each other, but she just wished they were more decent to each other. "You know, Shingo. I've been worried about Usagi these past few weeks. She's been holed up in that room of hers. only coming down for something to eat. I don't think she's gone to school at all-"
"Why tell me this, okaasan?" Shingo interrupted her, wondering where she was going with it.
Ikuko turned to her son. "Have you noticed anything wrong? I know Usagi doesn't have many friends. But, there must be something wrong for her to be acting so solemn." She suddenly stopped talking as their topic of conversation entered the room, slightly dragging her feet.
"Ohayo, 'kaasan. Ohayo, Shingo." She said, trying to be cheerful, but it was obvious it was a very forced response. She sat down at the table and began chewing on a piece of toast.
Shingo stared at her languid motions. "You're acting more like an Odango than ever today! What's up with you?!" He said this merely to get a rise out her from her hated nickname. But what he got was something completely unexpected.
"Nothing's wrong." She said quietly and continued to chew on the same bite of toast.
Shingo stared slack-jawed at his sister. 'What the.? Usagi is acting so weird!'
Ikuko patted him on the shoulder as she walked by, "Don't let your mouth hang open like that Shingo, it's not very attractive. What would Mika say?"
He immediately closed his mouth and frowned. "I dunno what's wrong with you, Oneesan." Usagi looked up as he spoke, "But, get better. You're acting too weird, even for you."
Usagi watched him leave the room with their okaasan. She held her hands together in front of her, almost as if in prayer. "Shingo-kun. I'm sorry."
**********
Ikuko stepped into her daughter's room with the intent of picking some laundry. As she was grabbing a few shirts that were lying over her desk, she spotted a picture frame which she had never seen before. This was hard to fathom considering she was in Usagi's room just about every week getting dirty clothes.
She picked up the silver frame and smiled slightly as she noticed the small pink and yellow crescent moons that decorated it. The picture inside was one she was sure she had never seen before. It was her daughter in the arms of a tall, dark-haired man. There was also a tiny girl with cotton candy colored hair hanging on to both Usagi and the man. She smiled as the three of them looked so happy to be together.
She also noticed that the little girl's hairstyle mimicked her Usagi's. Their eyes and face were also similar but she thought no more about it. She didn't know Usagi had any other friends than Naru and Umino. Well, she knew Umino wasn't really her friend, and just kind of hung around her and Naru, but he was better than nothing.
There were a few more pictures scattered on the desk, and Ikuko's curiosity got the better of her and she picked them up. One was another picture of Usagi and the pink-haired child. They were sitting underneath a tree and smiling joyfully. She sighed and wondered when she'd see her Usagi smile like that again.
The next picture held about 10 people. There was a tall tanned woman with dark green hair, a tall sandy-haired female (though she looked masculine, Ikuko decided she was female), a woman with aqua-marine colored hair. In front of those three there were four other girls. One had blonde hair like Usagi except it was kept in a bright red bow; there was a girl with blue hair, another tall girl with auburn hair in a pony tail and an exotic looking girl with black hair. She noticed that some girls were wearing school uniforms different than the Juuban school uniform. And in front there was Usagi with the pink- haired girl and another small girl with short black hair.
The next picture had all of those people in the last one except the pink-haired girl was nowhere to be found. There were also three new boys, all with ponytails. One had black hair, slightly curly; the next had silver hair and the last and tallest of the boys had brown hair. In this picture, Usagi's smile was still there. but it wasn't as strong or happy as she knew it was.
The final picture was of Usagi, the three pony tailed boys, and a woman with red hair. They all had faint smiles, but Usagi's was only a ghost of a smile. In fact, her eyes looked rather dull and sad. She flipped the picture over and the date on the back was only a few weeks ago. Ikuko frowned. This was when Usagi started acting strangely.
"Okaasan?" It wasn't even loud enough to startle anyone, but it made Ikuko jump. She turned around and saw Usagi standing in the doorway watching her. After a few moments of silence, Usagi walked forward and took the pictures from her mother's hands. "What were you doing?"
Ikuko's feature's hardened as she looked at her daughter. "I've never seen those people before, Usagi-chan. Why haven't you ever introduced me to them?"
Usagi closed her eyes. 'You have met them before, Okaasan. You just don't remember. No one does.' "I." Usagi didn't know what to say. She half expected her mother to scold her for not bringing them over. She half expected her ask where she met them. She even expected her to ask how long she knew them. But she never expected what happened next.
Ikuko put her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Usagi-chan? What's wrong? Did something happen between you and these people that you're not telling me about?" Her voice was strained, and when Usagi looked up to her, there were tears shining in her mother's eyes. "I always thought we could tell each other everything, Usagi-chan. What happened between us that you're keeping secrets from me?" Ikuko covered her face with her hands and started to softly sob.
Usagi immediately went to her mother's side and hugged her. "No... 'kaasan. Please don't cry over this, 'kaasan. I never meant to keep anything from you. I just. I just needed time for myself." Usagi gulped. This was it. "I'll tell you about them, okaasan. I'll tell you everything."
************
It was hard for Ikuko. She listened to her daughter tell her stories of long dead kingdoms, evil monsters, brave warriors, and brave friends who died for a cause. It was a heart felt story, and Ikuko couldn't believe how grown up her 16 year old was. She never even noticed all of the times when Usagi left the house late at night, or came home crying over something she couldn't even fathom.
"Oh, Usagi, I've been such an awful parent to not see any of this! How can I call myself 'mother' now when my baby has had such a horrible time! I never even knew what was wrong! Why couldn't you tell me?" The tears were still visible in her dark brown eyes as she stared at Usagi.
"I just couldn't," Usagi started to say. "I mean, if you knew, would you have let me out to fight the youma? Would you have been safe? What if one of my enemies knew who you were and came after you, Otousan, and Shingo? I would've never forgiven myself if that happened!"
Ikuko nodded at her daughter's logic. But she still couldn't believe it. Her baby was so smart and brave. She always thought Usagi was too immature and hoped she would grow out of it. "I was wrong then." Ikuko whispered.
"Nani, 'kaasan?" Usagi stared. What did her mother mean?
Ikuko placed her hands over Usagi's. "I'm so sorry all of this has happened to you. And I want you to know, that I have a secret as well. It's something I've been waiting a very long time to tell you. I was afraid that you weren't grown up enough for it. I was afraid you'd leave us if you found out." Her voice was shaky and it looked as if she was about to burst into tears once more.
"Okaasan, what are you talking about?" Usagi asked, almost afraid of what answer she might get.
Ikuko looked into her daughter's sapphire blue eyes with her own dark brown ones. "Usagi-chan, I'm not your real mother."
-------******************-------
Email: Bunny_chan85@hotmail.com
Mare Serenitatis
Prologue
9/13/03
Hey, just a few notes I wanted to let people know. Yeah, I disappeared for like. a year. ^^;; Sorry about that. I took that long break because: 1. I was out of ideas. Plain and simple. 2. I felt the quality of writing had gone down a bit. Not to say that everyone was horrible and would never improve, but I felt ideas were being recycled and reused so many times that it all seemed very monotonous and boring.
I've just started college this year, and because of a class I'm taking, I've felt the urge to write and improve even more. So hopefully from now on you may see more updates and revised fics from me. ^^ Happy reading, and please review!
-Bunny-chan
-----*****************-----
Our world is filled with secrets. There are some that are as simple as hiding a birthday present to some that are as horrible as murder. Everyone has a secret. Those who are more open and accepting will share their secrets; others can't and thus are no longer trusted. Those people who hold their secrets to their death are sometimes shunned in society. Seriously, when was the last time some one held a secret from you and you didn't feel betrayed?
I have many secrets. Will you still trust me?
**********
"Usagi! Come down for breakfast would you?" Ikuko Tsukino yelled up the stairs for her 16 year old daughter. She sighed as she finally heard rustling upstairs signaling that her daughter had finally gotten out of bed.
"Is Hurricane Usagi coming or what?" Shingo Tsukino asked while sipping his glass of orange juice. He rolled his eyes as he heard a thump that could only mean his older sister had either tripped or fell while trying to do something.
"Be nice to your sister, Shingo. She's the only one you have." His mother scolded him for his comment. She shook her head. She knew her children loved each other, but she just wished they were more decent to each other. "You know, Shingo. I've been worried about Usagi these past few weeks. She's been holed up in that room of hers. only coming down for something to eat. I don't think she's gone to school at all-"
"Why tell me this, okaasan?" Shingo interrupted her, wondering where she was going with it.
Ikuko turned to her son. "Have you noticed anything wrong? I know Usagi doesn't have many friends. But, there must be something wrong for her to be acting so solemn." She suddenly stopped talking as their topic of conversation entered the room, slightly dragging her feet.
"Ohayo, 'kaasan. Ohayo, Shingo." She said, trying to be cheerful, but it was obvious it was a very forced response. She sat down at the table and began chewing on a piece of toast.
Shingo stared at her languid motions. "You're acting more like an Odango than ever today! What's up with you?!" He said this merely to get a rise out her from her hated nickname. But what he got was something completely unexpected.
"Nothing's wrong." She said quietly and continued to chew on the same bite of toast.
Shingo stared slack-jawed at his sister. 'What the.? Usagi is acting so weird!'
Ikuko patted him on the shoulder as she walked by, "Don't let your mouth hang open like that Shingo, it's not very attractive. What would Mika say?"
He immediately closed his mouth and frowned. "I dunno what's wrong with you, Oneesan." Usagi looked up as he spoke, "But, get better. You're acting too weird, even for you."
Usagi watched him leave the room with their okaasan. She held her hands together in front of her, almost as if in prayer. "Shingo-kun. I'm sorry."
**********
Ikuko stepped into her daughter's room with the intent of picking some laundry. As she was grabbing a few shirts that were lying over her desk, she spotted a picture frame which she had never seen before. This was hard to fathom considering she was in Usagi's room just about every week getting dirty clothes.
She picked up the silver frame and smiled slightly as she noticed the small pink and yellow crescent moons that decorated it. The picture inside was one she was sure she had never seen before. It was her daughter in the arms of a tall, dark-haired man. There was also a tiny girl with cotton candy colored hair hanging on to both Usagi and the man. She smiled as the three of them looked so happy to be together.
She also noticed that the little girl's hairstyle mimicked her Usagi's. Their eyes and face were also similar but she thought no more about it. She didn't know Usagi had any other friends than Naru and Umino. Well, she knew Umino wasn't really her friend, and just kind of hung around her and Naru, but he was better than nothing.
There were a few more pictures scattered on the desk, and Ikuko's curiosity got the better of her and she picked them up. One was another picture of Usagi and the pink-haired child. They were sitting underneath a tree and smiling joyfully. She sighed and wondered when she'd see her Usagi smile like that again.
The next picture held about 10 people. There was a tall tanned woman with dark green hair, a tall sandy-haired female (though she looked masculine, Ikuko decided she was female), a woman with aqua-marine colored hair. In front of those three there were four other girls. One had blonde hair like Usagi except it was kept in a bright red bow; there was a girl with blue hair, another tall girl with auburn hair in a pony tail and an exotic looking girl with black hair. She noticed that some girls were wearing school uniforms different than the Juuban school uniform. And in front there was Usagi with the pink- haired girl and another small girl with short black hair.
The next picture had all of those people in the last one except the pink-haired girl was nowhere to be found. There were also three new boys, all with ponytails. One had black hair, slightly curly; the next had silver hair and the last and tallest of the boys had brown hair. In this picture, Usagi's smile was still there. but it wasn't as strong or happy as she knew it was.
The final picture was of Usagi, the three pony tailed boys, and a woman with red hair. They all had faint smiles, but Usagi's was only a ghost of a smile. In fact, her eyes looked rather dull and sad. She flipped the picture over and the date on the back was only a few weeks ago. Ikuko frowned. This was when Usagi started acting strangely.
"Okaasan?" It wasn't even loud enough to startle anyone, but it made Ikuko jump. She turned around and saw Usagi standing in the doorway watching her. After a few moments of silence, Usagi walked forward and took the pictures from her mother's hands. "What were you doing?"
Ikuko's feature's hardened as she looked at her daughter. "I've never seen those people before, Usagi-chan. Why haven't you ever introduced me to them?"
Usagi closed her eyes. 'You have met them before, Okaasan. You just don't remember. No one does.' "I." Usagi didn't know what to say. She half expected her mother to scold her for not bringing them over. She half expected her ask where she met them. She even expected her to ask how long she knew them. But she never expected what happened next.
Ikuko put her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Usagi-chan? What's wrong? Did something happen between you and these people that you're not telling me about?" Her voice was strained, and when Usagi looked up to her, there were tears shining in her mother's eyes. "I always thought we could tell each other everything, Usagi-chan. What happened between us that you're keeping secrets from me?" Ikuko covered her face with her hands and started to softly sob.
Usagi immediately went to her mother's side and hugged her. "No... 'kaasan. Please don't cry over this, 'kaasan. I never meant to keep anything from you. I just. I just needed time for myself." Usagi gulped. This was it. "I'll tell you about them, okaasan. I'll tell you everything."
************
It was hard for Ikuko. She listened to her daughter tell her stories of long dead kingdoms, evil monsters, brave warriors, and brave friends who died for a cause. It was a heart felt story, and Ikuko couldn't believe how grown up her 16 year old was. She never even noticed all of the times when Usagi left the house late at night, or came home crying over something she couldn't even fathom.
"Oh, Usagi, I've been such an awful parent to not see any of this! How can I call myself 'mother' now when my baby has had such a horrible time! I never even knew what was wrong! Why couldn't you tell me?" The tears were still visible in her dark brown eyes as she stared at Usagi.
"I just couldn't," Usagi started to say. "I mean, if you knew, would you have let me out to fight the youma? Would you have been safe? What if one of my enemies knew who you were and came after you, Otousan, and Shingo? I would've never forgiven myself if that happened!"
Ikuko nodded at her daughter's logic. But she still couldn't believe it. Her baby was so smart and brave. She always thought Usagi was too immature and hoped she would grow out of it. "I was wrong then." Ikuko whispered.
"Nani, 'kaasan?" Usagi stared. What did her mother mean?
Ikuko placed her hands over Usagi's. "I'm so sorry all of this has happened to you. And I want you to know, that I have a secret as well. It's something I've been waiting a very long time to tell you. I was afraid that you weren't grown up enough for it. I was afraid you'd leave us if you found out." Her voice was shaky and it looked as if she was about to burst into tears once more.
"Okaasan, what are you talking about?" Usagi asked, almost afraid of what answer she might get.
Ikuko looked into her daughter's sapphire blue eyes with her own dark brown ones. "Usagi-chan, I'm not your real mother."
-------******************-------
