Hey again! For the first time in quite a few months, here it is! The third chappie! Enjoy!

We don't own Sailor Moon!


FIRST ENCOUNTER: MINA and CELESTE (Maya)

"Moshi, Moshi!"

"Hey, Mina! It's Serena. We're meeting in an hour at Rei's temple. I have something to tell you all. Can you make it?"

"Well, let's see: my shift here, at "Blue Moon", finishes in 20 minutes; it'll take me 10 to change and that leaves me half an hour to get there... Yeah, Rena, I think I can be there!"

"Great, Mina! We'll be waiting for you so, please, don't be late!"

"Ok! Ok! I got it!"

"Arigato, Mina! See'ya soon."

"Bye, Rena!"


Of course, Mina's shift ended half an hour later, because of some no-good old street army captain, who thought he could have his way with her, after having a "little" too much to drink.

Just because she was dressed in a tight and very short black skirt and only a black bra (club's "uniform") that didn't mean that she was a hooker. Just because most of the girls who "danced" there offered "special services" too, it didn't mean that she would too.

Even in the state Japan and half of the world were, with wars and military dictature- all pure chaos- wasn't going to make her sell her body... No way! She survived without doing it for 17 years- and Kami knows that it was a very hard time for her- but she survived her parent's death, her moving back to Japan, the orphanage, the school, the streets...and all of the things a young and alone girl faced in this sick "world order", So she wasn't going to let that so-called "people's protector" make her less than she was and step on her dignity...And she showed him some tricks of her own.

Mina smiled brightly and jumped on his lap moving in a sensual manner; she then touched him lightly on his face, on his shoulders, she got to his chest and slowly down to his manhood...she touched it carefully, drawing circles with her fingers, making him moan… the atmosphere was hot and then...CRACK! Mina squeezed hard his "precious" making him cry out in pain and then she slowly approached his ear and whispered something that only made him nod. She sat up from his lap, retrieved the empty glasses and wished a good night to the "gentleman" who, in return, smiled forcefully through his teeth whispering "Bitch!".

'That was fun', she thought while getting dressed in order to get on time at Rei's temple. 'It teaches him to take advantage of every woman!'

So she got dressed in her jeans, white T-shirt, black leather jacket and shoes and headed towards what was left of that area's park. The sky was grey - 'as always!'- and people wore their usual sad faces. It looked like Mina was the only one smiling...smiling at everyone and everything. Some of them looked suspiciously at her, for it was odd indeed, because no one ever smiled anymore...they didn't really have a reason to do so.

But she did! LIFE was something to be grateful for and you had to live it with a smile on your face, even in the worst moments; 'With your smile, you hide all the pain inside, and you make the others forget about theirs' for a while!' - that was what her mother told her when she was a little girl, so Mina wore a smile every time, for herself...and for the others.

She figured that she had at least 25 minutes to get to Rei's on time, so she decided to spare 5 minutes and visit the old deserted park.

She liked the park even if the remaining trees didn't have leafs anymore and the lake was more of a "mud hole"... sometimes one could almost hear a bird trilling- or was it just her imagination?

She decided to sit on a bench near the "lake" and then, closing her eyes, she listened to everything surrounding her: the wind that moved the leafless branches, the insects busying themselves with work, the distant rumble of the streets...

After concentrating a bit more, she heard faintly something like a silent sobbing. She concentrated on the direction from where the noise was coming and found its place under a large oak-tree; the same tree where she always sits on a "picnic-day" with her friends.

She got up and walked slowly to the tree, not wanting to scare the person there. When she came close, she saw something that made her heart break: sitting under the oak-tree was a little girl - she couldn't have been older than a six-year old, with her clothes torn and bruises all over her face and body. The pair of dirty white trousers and yellow shirt were ripped mostly and showed all of her bleeding wounds.

While she got closer, Mina could see that the child had long silver hair with many golden highlights, but the face was shielded by her hands. The scene made her remember something from her childhood, after her mother's death, when she was only four. A flash of images invaded her brain...Pain!...crying nights in a dark room and an empty bed...Pain!... running through dark streets and crying her mother's name...Pain!... a fat and ugly woman dressed in a grey uniform yelling at her and cutting her golden hair...Pain and again pain!

Soon, the memory flash ended and she found herself kneeling in front of the little girl, slowly touching her head.

"Hello, honey! What are you doing here at this hour?", Mina asked with a soft voice.

The little girl instantly stopped crying and lifted her small head to see Mina. The child had the most stunning sky-blue eyes Mina had ever seen, but they were teary and sad. For a while the two just looked at each other, but suddenly the little girl asked on a fearful, yet hoping tone: "MOMMY?"

Her heart broke hearing the child's question and her eyes got watery, but instead of crying, Mina hugged the little girl as tight as she could.

"No, honey! I'm not your mother… I'm sorry... But tell me, what's your name?"

Still hugging Mina, the child answered that her name was Maya and then she began sobbing even harder than before.


The alarm bell was heard, signalling that it was 10 o'clock: patrol time! The law stated that after 10 PM no citizen of Tokyo, without a special permit for emergencies or work, could walk or stay on the streets. But these days, rules were even stricter because of the rumour that the "Rebellion" had its headquarters right in the capital-city. Lots of new troops and highly trained soldiers were sent to search Tokyo and find the Rebellion's hideout, in order to stop it from achieving its goal: Tokyo's, and afterwards Japan's, freedom!

Even though the alarm was loud enough, Mina didn't hear it because she was too concentrated on the sleeping form in her arms. She was too concentrated on whispering soothing words and singing her favourite song: "Angel"

" In the arms of the angel,

Fly away from here...

From this dark, cold hotel room

And the endlessness that you feel.

You were torn from the racket

Of your silent reverie...

You're in the arms of the angel…

May you find… some comfort… here..."

She didn't remember the song's author; she only heard it once, a long time ago when she was in England with her mother, but she remembered it clearly. "Angel" became her favourite song; it always made her smile bittersweet whenever she would be sad, happy or simply bored. It also reminded Mina that no matter how bad life seemed to be at one moment, there would always be someone out there (maybe an Angel) who will, someday, take all her pain away.

And that was exactly what she wanted to do at the moment: take away all the pain the child felt, comfort her somehow...!


She was brought back to reality by the loud noise and the sound of footsteps coming their way. That was when she remembered to check her watch: 10:30 PM! 'Oh, Kami-sama!' - she hadn't realised it was so late. In a flash she took off her jacket and covered little Maya with it, while getting up and wanting to hurry home before any of the military guards found them. She could be accused of many things like spying or rebellion against the government.

Luck wasn't on her side tonight because, just when she was a few steps away form the park's exit, a loud voice yelled at her to stop. Three guards showed up in front of her, but the bad thing was that one of them was exactly the "gentleman" from earlier, at "Blue Moon"! This was bad. Very BAD!

"Identify yourself!" barked the one on the right.

"There's no need!" cut the one in the middle. "I know this bitch! She's the one from that strip-club earlier, who thought herself to good for me. And what do we have here?" he continued cruelly looking at the jacket covered form in Mina's arms.

"She's my daughter!... Let her go, she has nothing to do with this!" jumped Mina defiantly, while holding Maya tighter.

"Damn' right it's not her fault! Not her fault for having such a mother, a whore of a mother..! But, then again, it doesn't matter to us." he answered while laughing, eyes shinning maliciously. "You know…" he continued after a little pause, slowly approaching her. "People at the club say you don't fuck for money. Hahahah! So maybe you do it for free, right?" He finally reached Mina, dug his hand in her golden hair and pulled her to him. " It would have been wise to suck only me earlier at the club, because now there's three of us... and you're not going to leave before each one of us gets his share!", he whispered in her ear and then started to laugh.

"As for your daughter here...I'm sure she'll find her way home. If not, the wolf-dogs will be delighted to help her! Hahahah!"


In the shadow of another large tree in the park, sat a lone, dark figure. The only way one could have seen him was by the way the Moon's rays shone through his hair, reflecting only silver tones. He saw the whole scene in the park and he was absolutely mad with rage. It was true that Dark Kingdom's troops weren't known as being ethical, but he didn't imagine they were this low.

Their whole purpose was to ensure safety and security in Tokyo and to stop the growing Rebellion by using all the necessary means. They were supposed to control citizen's activity on a certain level, not to abuse them. It was clear to him that these new recruits weren't taught to respect in order to be respected. They weren't fit to be part of HIS troop. No way in Hell! His men were guided by a set of unwritten rules, ethical and authorial rules, and the ones who didn't follow by it...He personally dealt with them!


The guard couldn't move; it all happened in a flash and the three of them felt still as a rock. Even breathing was hard for them. The middle guard, the one who threatened Mina, collapsed on his knees and started chocking from the lack of air. It was like some unknown force was strangling him, but there was nobody except for them.

In an instant, Mina felt the change in the air and chills began creeping up her spine. Slowly turning around, she saw a big, cloaked figure hovering over her. She found that she only reached to his upper chest, so she rose her eyes to the place where a face should have been. Because of the hood, Mina couldn't see his face, instead she found a pair of intense lavender eyes, shinning brightly in the dark.

"My Lord...please...!" begged one of the guards from the ground, but the figure's eyes began to shine brighter and, after almost 30 seconds, all three guards vanished into thin air.

Mina was starting to feel a little threatened by the figure and the recent vanishing scene. Almost like sensing her fear, Maya woke up...

"Mina?!..." asked a sleepy Maya, but her question was immediately cut off by Mina.

"Yes, honey. Mommy's here... don't worry. We'll get home soon."

"Mommy?!!" the child asked in astonishment and tried to raise her head from Mina's chest to the silent dark figure.

"You shouldn't be here at this hour!" started the mysterious man to speak. "Especially with a child. Streets aren't safe at night and only a fool or a mad man would dare to break the law…" his voice was cold, devoid of any emotions, but Mina's indignant tone cut him off:

"I know the law! Everybody does...because you do so well on reminding us every time, through any method!..." she seethed in rage.

For a moment the air got so heavy, that it was hard to breathe at all. She realised the danger and immediately began explaining in a more polite manner:

"It's just that my daughter, Maya, wanted to go for a walk in the park...We began playing hide-and-seek and we lost track of time. I don't believe it is a sin for a child to want to play…ne?!"

Noticing her change of tone, but also the bruises on the child, the dark figure asked coldly:

"And why does your daughter have so many bruises?!"

Mina stared right into his eyes, defiantly but, in her mind, praying to Kami-sama for help:

"We played a lot and Maya fell often, thus gaining these bruises. Now, if you'll excuse me -my Lord-…", she continued angry while trying to get away from him. But, to her surprise, her body wouldn't move, she felt like she was being forced by an unknown force to stay still.

"If I EVER catch you on the streets at this hour..." the figure threatened in hidden anger, "especially with your daughter...You alone WILL suffer the consequences! Is that clear?!"

"Crystal clear…-my Lord-!...", she answered gritting her teeth and forcing herself to stay calm.

In a flash, without Mina's realisation, the mysterious figure vanished as suddenly as he had appeared. Vanished into thin air, just like the three guards...


But the figure reappeared from where he had seen the earlier scene, and he wasn't alone either. Another dark figure, just a little shorter than the first one was right under the old tree.

"These human guards can really be annoying sometimes…Want me to take care of them?" the new figure asked in fake seriousness.

"You will be gentle, won't you, Jeadite?" the other one asked in the same manner, but a bit colder.

"Why, Kunz...you hurt my feelings! Haven't I always been gentle?" was the second one's answer.

The air got all heavy again and a cold wind started to blow hard, thus forming a little tornado. In the middle of the tornado appeared a third form, looking like a human for an untrained eye. But the other two knew better and they were barely surprised to see their companion, one of DK's generals. The third general was dressed in the grey military suit with deep blue trimmings and white gloves. He had deep leaf-green eyes and curly long dirty-blonde hair. His expression was a combination of shock and deep rage; while looking at his two companions he began desperately:

"She beat me at chess!..."

It sounded more like a tragedy or a declaration of war, and his voice got strangely whinny as he continued:

"Can you all believe it?!.. The nerve of that little... And she wasn't even half as prettier as I am!!!!", he finished indignated.

"Now, now, Zoi... I know that truth hurts, but… now you have the proof that you're just plain...stupid!"

Jeadite couldn't hold his tongue longer after Zoicite explained them the incident down at the Public Library, where a young girl had beat him - the "Master of Chess". Imagine the general's the first reaction - shock! He couldn't believe his eyes when she whispered the fatal words: "Chess mate!". Honestly speaking, they all knew that Zoicite was the best strategist DK had. He had always invented the best plans for the army, after a thorough analyse and all sorts of calculations. It was indeed a surprise that a mere human woman had beaten him at his own game. To their knowledge, not even Sapphire had managed to do so, even if he had been very close.

" She looked like a bookworm…" Zoicite continued, not bothering to answer Jadeite's statement. "Totally unattractive, totally unfeminine. Why that, that little... If I meet her again I'll...I'll…"

"Give her a prize!?" offered Jeadite with a grin. But the curly general couldn't take it anymore and began shouting in anger.

"I'm the most intelligent being in this group of primates!..". But the sudden death glare he received from Kunzite made him add quickly: "Except for our fearless leader, our prime general…"

"Cut it, Zoicite! Calm down. We have better things to stress about." the prime general ordered.

"Yeah, Zoi! Just go eat a banana... It always calms you when you realise that... well... you're just plain stupid!"

"I'm going to hurt you so BAD, "Jeddy"..." Zoicite reddened in rage and almost managed to cut the nose of the still laughing Jeadite.

In the whole ordeal, they didn't notice the fourth figure's appearance, until it spoke the fatal words:

"Can you feel it, my fellow companions? Change!... It's coming again…"


She got home half an hour later with a half awake Maya in her arms. It got cold outside, the wind was howling hard and little Maya shook like a leaf because Mina's jacket wasn't enough to warm her chilling body.

Seeing her like that, Mina decided she would prepare a hot bath immediately. She laid the child on a fluffy couch and covered her with a warm blanket. Then she went to her closet and started searching for clean towels and some clothes for Maya. She found only a small blue T-shirt, a memory from her childhood. It was actually a cute T-shirt with a sleeping little white cat on it.

After she filled the tub with hot water and put some bath soap in it, she went into the living room to get Maya. But the little one was already sleeping so peaceful, looking like a small angel. For a couple of minutes Mina just looked at the child, contemplating her and remembering herself; remembering a young Mina, just as helpless and sad as little Maya... just as alone and frightened. Another flashback invaded her mind, a combination of her dark childhood and a bright adulthood; the faces of her friends and how she met each of them... all the people she loved so much… the people that took care of her and brightened her life. She decided then that she will do the same to Maya; she'll take care of her, raise her like her own child, love her and show her the true beauty of life and love. Now that Serena was almost on her own two feet, and the others were helping her too, she will have time for the sleeping child.

Mina kneeled slowly at Maya's side and gingerly kissed her hair but, unfortunately, the little girl woke up. She turned to Mina and offered her a small smile asking:

"Are you my mommy now, Mina?"

"Until we find your parents, honey, I'm going to take care of you and love you just like a real mother." Mina answered warmly and offered her own smile in return.

"That means I can call you mommy anytime?"

"Yes, dear. You can call me mommy anytime and anywhere. Come now, let's go to the bathroom. I've prepared you a hot bath. You'll like it." Mina continued with a smile and proceeded to undress Maya from her ragged clothes. Doing this she saw better the bruises and cuts on her body… and it made her mad and sad at the same time.

The water wasn't very hot, but Maya was beginning to fell warm again. After they seated themselves comfy in the tub: Mina, with her back supported by the tub, and Maya in her arms, they relaxed for a while. But the silence was soon interrupted by Mina's curiosity:

"Tell me about yourself, sweetie."

"What do you want to know, mommy?"

"First of all: your full name."

"I don't know, mommy. My friends only call me Maya and I don't remember much of anything else." the child answered calmly.

"Your friends, honey?!… Who are they? Where are they?..."

At this question, Maya raised her head from Mina's chest and looked at her straight in the eyes, as if searching for something... for a sign that it was indeed all right to tell her. And she found it because she started telling Mina about her friends:

"They're the girls from the orphanage. We were brought in the same day. The orphanage attendant said that they found us on the streets unconscious..." she smiled sadly at that, but continued. "They're my best friends. Amely and Rhy are smaller than me, but Momoko has the same age, but she's just taller and seems more mature..."

The story continued with Maya telling about the things she did with the other girls, the mean caretakers, the bad food and how they tried to escape.

"That night we woke up after everyone fell asleep, we rushed to the backyard and we started climbing the high fence. I was the first to climb it and Momoko helped me a lot. Then it was her turn and I helped her up. But when Rhy and Amely tried to climb, the alarm went off. We told them to hurry up, but it was too late. They've already taken out the dogs... so Rhy told us to leave and save ourselves... She promised we'll meet again… So we ran, but it was useless, the dogs were tracing us. That's when Momoko said we should split up; that maybe we have a better chance like that… She hugged me tight and I didn't want to let go... but she did. And I ran… I don't know how long... but I ran fast… and found that park... I left them behind, mommy."

Maya's voice was calm, but her eyes told Mina everything: she was blaming herself for leaving her friends. Surprisingly, the little girl didn't begin to cry, she just hugged Mina and buried her head in Mina's neck.

"Don't worry, sweetie. We'll find your friends and we'll get them out of there. I promise!" Mina tried, after minutes of silence, to comfort Maya.

Maya raised her head from Mina's neck and smiled while asking:

"Promise, mommy?"

"Promise, sweetie!"

After the bath, Mina dried Maya's hair and dressed her into clean clothes of her own, promising that tomorrow she'll buy her some clothes fit for her age. After that, she went into the bathroom again and started cleaning the mess the two of them made while fighting with soap bubbles. When she finished and came into the living room, Maya was again asleep on the couch. She still looked like an angel, but cleaner and almost happier.

Mina took the child in her room and tucked both of them in bed. They had a busy day tomorrow, especially with the part of explanations that she'll have to give to her friends. But tomorrow seemed so far tonight, and Mina took Maya in her arms whispering slowly:

"Good Night, honey!"

"...G'Night, mommy!"


Some parts might seem a bit strange, but we promise to explain it all in the future chapters. Until then, R&R please ;)