A/N: This is my first attempt at a fanfic in a long, long time (10+ yrs) so any reviews/comments/critiques are very welcome! I won't be using honorifics (with the exception of Mamo-chan; I consider that more an entire name) because I really don't understand how they work well enough. Warning: this will have some adult scenes/themes surrounding abuse, etc.

I don't own anything but the story - characters are not mine.

Chapter 1

Kino Makoto stared out her living room window at the dull drizzle of the day, thunder rumbling off in the distance. Almost immediately, her phone beeped; incoming text.

You ok, Mako? It was supposed to be sunny today.

She couldn't help but laugh as she read the brief message on her phone. Like he was one to talk, that man brooded more than anyone she'd ever met in her life.

I'm fine, Mamoru. Going to head into work early and clear my head (and hopefully the weather!)

A few minutes passed, then another message.

Good, I'll keep an eye out. Usako and I were thinking of stopping by the restaurant for dinner later tonight – think you can find us a table?

Last minute reservations on a Friday night… sure, why not? the auburn haired girl thought to herself as she rolled her eyes and typed her reply: I'll see what I can do; it'll have to be early if I can do it. Come by at 530.

Thanks, Mako! You're the best. See you tonight!

She pushed herself off the couch and made her way down the hall to her room; it was time to get out of this funk. So what if she was the only single one left in her little circle of friends. There were worse things in life. At 24, she had a damn good life. She was the executive chef of the hottest restaurant in Tokyo, lived comfortably on her own and had the best friends a girl could ask for. Add to that she was also Sailor Jupiter, the soldier of protection, master of nature and storm.

Frustrated with her sour mood once more, Makoto grabbed a white button down and some black slacks from her closet and changed quickly, pulling her hair back into her usual ponytail and stuffing her phone into a pocket. A quick glance in the mirror revealed sad green eyes staring back at her. She sighed and quickly slid a long chain over her head, gently fingering the three rings for a moment before hiding them beneath her shirt.

"Here we go, Mako," she mumbled to herself as she headed for the door of her apartment, grabbing her keys from a bowl set atop a stand by the door and slipping into her black ballet flats. Her hand barely touched the knob when she heard a slurred voice yell from the other side.

"Makoto! You're supposed to be cleaning my apartment right now!"

She froze, her heart pounding in her ears. Sparks danced from her fingers to the doorknob as she struggled to calm her anger.

"Where are you, little bitch?"

Screw it. I can take the drunk bastard, she thought as she turned the knob to open the door. "Kenji, this has to-" she was cut off mid-sentence by the door slamming into her face. She stumbled backwards, tripping over the small step between the doorway and living area as the imposing drunk man barreled through the open doorway.

Makoto landed hard on her butt, shaking her head to try and clear her head enough to regain her balance to fight back. She felt blood draining from her nose and figured it was most likely broken. As she struggled to stand, Kenji grabbed Makoto by her hair, pulling her to her feet. He smacked her hard across the face with his free hand. "I'll teach you to stand me up," he spat at her.

Makoto felt her face start to swell where she'd been hit and struggled to keep conscious as he slapped her again and again. It was no use, however; the darkness won.

Chiba Mamoru stared out at the worsening storm from the balcony of his apartment. Something was nagging at the back of his mind, something he couldn't quite shake. The day after tomorrow was 16 years for Makoto, and he couldn't help but think something was wrong.

"Penny for your thoughts, Mamo-chan," his wife's soft voice broke through his thoughts as she came up behind him, her swollen belly pressed into his side as she put her arms around him.

He smiled down at her, taking in her delicate features. Golden spun hair, tied up in her usual odangos, innocent, yet piercing blue eyes and angelic face. She was a tiny little thing, even at 7 months pregnant. She barely reached his chin. "I'm alright, Usako. I'm just a little worried about Makoto; her anniversary is coming up this week," he admitted quietly.

Usagi's eyes darkened slightly. He seemed to be worried about Makoto more and more often lately. "I see… is that why you wanted to go out for dinner tonight?" she asked quietly.

Mamoru sighed and ran his hand through his jet black hair. His relationship with Makoto was something that Usagi could never seem to understand, not that he could fault her for that. "Usako, we have to look out for her… I have to look out for her. You know that," he said gently, pulling her into a tight hug and kissing the top of her head.

Thunder rumbled again in the distance, causing Usagi to shudder slightly. Mamoru laughed softly. "Still afraid of the thunder, even after all this time?" he teased gently, causing his sapphire eyes to twinkle with mirth. Usagi stuck her tongue out at him in reply making him laugh harder. "Go on inside, I'll be there in a bit." She nodded and went up on her toes to give him a quick kiss before disappearing back into the apartment they shared.

He smiled to himself and turned back to the storm, watching a few minutes longer. He closed his eyes, feeling the wind and rain swirl around him and breathed in the clean scent that always accompanied a fresh rain. A soft buzzing broke his spell, and he pulled his phone from his pocket. A new message from Mako.

Help

For a moment, he stared blankly at the small device, struggling to register what the short message could mean. The next he was in motion, grabbing a coat and his shoes and heading out of the apartment, calling to Usagi that he'd be back as soon as he could.