disclaimer: I do not own sailor moon or any of those wonderful characters.
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"A Mother's Burden"
Ikuko padded silently down the hall towards he daughter's room. When she had woken abruptly only minutes earlier, she had felt a strong desire to check on her children. No, though, that's not right. Not her children, just her daughter. That was why she had just slipped past Shingo's room and stopped in front of Usagi's. Inwardly sighing, she fingered the plaque that hung in front of her. She could remember when she had bought this... her little girl had actually been a little girl. So innocent and sweet. Not that she had lost those qualities at all! In fact, they've only managed to intensify as Usagi grew into a teenager. It's just that she's so grown-up.
Quietly, she pushed the door open and smiled at the sailor senshi sprawled out on the bed. As her maternal instincts kicked in, she gently picked her daughter up and eased her under the blankets. Briefly, Ikuko thanked the heavens it was she, and not Kenji, who was tucking Usagi in. He would not have accepted the short skirt half as well as she did. When she was content that Usa was tucked in properly, she looked sadly down at her. Ikuko was not prepared for her baby to grow-up this quickly. She was only 15, for kamis sake. She was supposed to be worrying about homework and boys and dance, not those horrible youma that she fought night after night. Not for the first time, Ikuko cursed the higher powers for making it HER daughter that had to deal with all of this.
It hadn't taken long for her to connect the mysterious Sailor Moon with her own little girl. Enough video footage of the senshi fighting had shown a little klutz attack or signature wail that Ikuko knew could have only come from her daughter. Of course, the fact that both girls shared the same unusual hairstyle, the hairstyle that Ikuko used to create every morning, was also a huge clue.
That same video footage had also shown a brave, strong and powerful girl - no, WOMAN. Her little bunny had saved so many lifes, and fought so bravely! And all that power! Despite all her fears, Ikuko was so proud of Usagi. She knew that was Usagi did was good and right. She just wished, sometimes, especially on nights when her little girl crawled back into her window so exhausted she forgot to de-transform, that it didn't have to be her little girl. How was a mother supposed to accept all the bruises and cuts? What could she do except treat them and pretend to believe Usagi's excuses of klutz attacks.
It wasn't until a tear landed on Usagi's cheek that Ikuko realized she was crying. With a resigned sadness, she kissed Usa's forehead, gently smoothed back her golden hair and turned away. In the morning, she'd make sure to knock on her door before she entered, so that Usagi could de-transform quietly and think her secret was safe. For now, however, she could only close the door on her sleeping superhero.