How Love Should Be

Summary: Usagi is happily engaged to Mamoru. They're labeled as the perfect couple, so what's wrong? Everything. Minako is a single mother who strives to take care of her children. What happens when someone wants to love her? Everything. How should love really be?

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.

A/N: You must read it even if you have done so before. This is an edit! Have a happy new year!

Chapter Four

Usagi cried as she kneeled on the floor and laid her head in Minako's lap. Her older sister tried to calm her down, but it was no use. She sighed as she stroked Usagi's hair. She cooed softly, staring vacantly at her reflection in the mirror. Usagi lifted her head and stared at Minako. It took a few seconds, but she soon gave the younger girl her undivided attention. She wanted to smile and act as if everything was okay, but she couldn't. Everything wasn't okay.

"It's not fair, Minako."

"I know."

"Why did this happen to only me?"

Minako sighed and looked back at the mirror. "He's your father, not mine. He doesn't have the right to do that to me." Usagi sniffed as she put her head back down on Minako's lap. Minako looked at Usagi for a few seconds before kneeling on the floor and wiped her tears. She attempted to smile softly and tilted her head slightly. Usagi knew that Minako was having difficulty keeping that smile. What had just happened moments before couldn't make you smile. It only made you sad and upset; it made you anything but happy.

Minako carefully unwrapped her sister's right odango. Usagi relaxed a little and inhaled. She closed her eyes and felt a part of her hair fall to the floor. She leaned closer to Minako. Her head rested on her shoulder. "No, Usagi, I want to brush your hair," Minako giggled. "Don't fall asleep on me now." Usagi felt Minako unwrap her other odango. She cuddled up next to her sister. This meant she was going to fall asleep at any moment.

In her dreams, everything she wanted would be granted while everything else was irrelevant.


Usagi opened her eyes slowly. She blinked a couple of times before yawning. She stretched, but it didn't occur to her that she should have hit Rei. However, she wasn't there. Looking to her right, she only saw the bookcase with manga and novels on its shelves, the dresser, and the door. She sat up and rubbed her neck. She thought about the dream she had had. She remembered when it happened. She was seventeen at the time. That event was devastating, but what isn't devastating in life?

Usagi stretched once more and yawned. She smiled to herself, noting that she still had her clothes on. She gave herself a mental pat on the back and got out of bed. Her mind was now on food. She snickered devilishly to herself as she opened the door.

"What's that look for, Usagi?"

Standing in front of the blonde was Rei. With her towel around her neck, she wore a red bathrobe. It seemed slightly large, as her left shoulder was exposed. It caused Usagi to divide her attention. Her stare was directed to her friend's shoulder and to her face. Rei gently grabbed her chin, making sure Usagi looked into her eyes. "You're not thinking dirty thoughts, are you?" she whispered. Usagi gulped and shook her head. Rei grinned. This was Usagi. She couldn't think a dirty thought without blushing and getting a nosebleed. However, the blonde had changed a lot, and there was always a first time for everything.

"Mamoru's in the kitchen." Rei leaned closer to Usagi. "He's skeptical of the lie you told him. Until I get dressed, act normal," she whispered. She kissed Usagi's neck, making her blush. "You still have your clothes on, so that shouldn't be hard, ne?" Usagi shook her head. Rei walked into the room and looked through her drawer for clothes while Usagi quickly made her way to the kitchen. When Mamoru was in sight, she gulped. 'Why did Rei have to do that?' she thought. Putting on a smile, she greeted Mamoru. He was sitting at the table. He was drinking a cup of water as he looked up. He smiled and set the cup on the table.

"Hey, Usako." Usagi gave him a peck on the lips and sat on his lap. His arms wrapped around her waist, and his head rested on her back. "So, Usako, you and Rei rearranged her grandfather's room, right?"

"Hai."

"What does it look like?"

Usagi tried to remember what the room looked like. She had been in the room once before, but that was it. There had been manga all over the place. Books on the bookshelf were probably thrown there, as everything was disorganized. The TV had had lots of dust on it, as if it hadn't been touched. At least, that's what she thought it looked like.

"Why don't you go see for yourself?"

Rei was leaning on the wall with her arms crossed. Mamoru released Usagi and stared at Rei. He felt she was helping the blonde out of a tight spot. Rei broke eye contact and told them to follow her. Usagi was close behind. Mamoru got up slowly and followed. The three reached their destination after passing Makoto's room. Rei opened the door to her grandfather's room. Usagi poked her head inside. The room was spotless. It even amazed Usagi.

"We moved the TV to Makoto's room. We put the manga into piles on either side of the bookcase. One side is for the H-manga and the other is for whatever isn't hentai."

'That's where she got it from!' Usagi thought. "The books on the bookshelf were finally organized and everything is clean," Rei finished. Mamoru nodded with a smile. "And my Usako helped you with all of this?" he asked. Rei nodded. Mamoru pulled Usagi closer to him. "Great job, Usako." Usagi scratched her head and smiled sheepishly. She liked it when Mamoru praised her for something, but in this case, she didn't. She didn't deserve any of his praise. Mamoru then sneaked in a kiss. Usagi blinked with surprise. He pulled away and smiled at her. When Usagi began blushing, Rei rolled her eyes.

"This is a jinja, not a love hotel. If you're done here, Mamoru, then please leave."

Rei stared at the black-haired man. He kept his smile and tilted his head. The miko knew he was going to say something, so she waited with her arms crossed. Usagi looked from Rei to Mamoru. She didn't like where this was going one bit.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you envy me."

"And why would I?"

Mamoru shrugged as if he didn't know the answer to Rei's question. He told Usagi to wait for him in the car for a few minutes. Usagi slowly nodded and reluctantly left the two alone. When Mamoru was sure Usagi was far enough, he came up with an answer. "I just think I have something you want." Rei narrowed her eyes. Mamoru definitely hit a sore spot. The man shrugged again. "But that's only making assumptions," he said.

Rei didn't say a word. Mamoru was definitely smarter than she thought. He was wrong about one thing, though. She didn't want Usagi. She needed her. "Well, that's what men usually do, isn't it?" she spoke. When Mamoru raised an eyebrow, she continued, "Making assumptions on things you have no idea about aren't the best things to do. I don't want anything of yours, nor would I ever." She gave him a fake smile. "Now, I suggest you leave now."

Mamoru left without his smile on his face. That pleased Rei thoroughly.


"You have apple-hair! I threw a pancake into the river! A pancake!"

Minako couldn't help but laugh. Almost everything that came out of Hana's mouth was hilarious. She leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. Yuriko stared at her, wondering what was so funny. However, she still didn't know the difference between regular typical mornings and the typical mornings where Hana was sugar-high from cereal. Hana smiled as she bit her lip. She loved making her mother laugh. It was something she never got tired of. She ran towards Minako and embraced her. She smirked at Yuriko. Making Yuriko jealous was also something she never got tired of. Yuriko put her hands on her hips with a grin.

When Minako calmed down and was able to open her eyes, she looked at Yuriko. She leaned against the wall farther away from her. Her back was facing her mother and her sister. She sniffed for a moment. She appeared to be wiping tears away. Minako frowned. Hana stepped away and clenched her teeth. Yuriko always ruined everything! She would pretend to cry to get their mother's affection. It made Hana so mad!

"Doushita no, my little Yuriko?" Minako asked softly. Yuriko turned to Minako slowly. Tears fell down her cheek. She said nothing as Minako wiped her tears and cupped her cheek. She glanced at Hana quickly. Hana was definitely angry. Trying not to ruin her façade, she answered, "Mama loves Hana more than me. She makes you laugh a lot and you pay attention to her more." After a couple of sniffs, Yuriko began wailing. If she didn't look like Minako, the blonde would think she was Usagi's child.

Minako calmed her down by telling her what any mother would say. "I love you both the same. I can't love one of you more than the other," she explained. "You're both special to me." Yuriko blinked and sniffed. Minako squeezed her into a hug. Yuriko smirked at Hana. The tears were real. She said what she thought. However, she knew when to cry and when not to. It was a beautiful gift. She stuck out her tongue.

"Mama, she's faking again!" Hana shouted. Minako looked at Yuriko's face. It was the same as before. However, she noticed Yuriko trying to keep back a grin. Her lips twitched slightly. It was almost unnoticeable. Minako then rolled her eyes. "I did that when I was your age," she said. "I thrived for attention by saying stuff like that." Yuriko frowned. If it weren't for Hana, she would've gotten away with it! Minako kissed her forehead. "I love you anyway." The small girl smiled a little. Of course, Hana got a kiss from Minako as well. When both girls were happy, they ran to their room. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Minako stood up and went to the door. She was surprised when she saw Ami. "Hey, Ami, what's up?" she asked. With a serious demeanor, Ami said, "When did you first see Makoto?"

"Few days ago. She slept over since the jinja isn't the closest place in the world. Why?"

Ami shook her head with a little laugh. "I feel like I was the last one to see her." Minako smiled backing, knowing exactly what Ami meant. If she hadn't been the first one to see Makoto, it would have felt like she was seeing her after everyone else. However, she was the one who saw Makoto first. Rei saw her almost everyday, so she didn't count.

"Mama, Yuriko's throwing stuff at me again!"

Minako groaned. She wanted to do nothing, but that was out of the question. "Remember when I used to complain to everyone and told you never to get pregnant?" she asked. Ami nodded. "After I got used to taking care of Hana and Yuriko myself, I said I lied," Minako continued. "But then this happened." Ami giggled without meaning to. The way Minako said it was funny. "Seriously, Ami, never get pregnant if you know the father's gonna be a deadbeat."

Suddenly, there was a thud. Minako groaned again. "I have a question for you, so can you come in?" Ami nodded and sat on the couch. Minako closed the door behind her and rushed to the twins' room. Ami only had to wait a couple of minutes. Whatever happened in that room happened quickly and quietly. Minako definitely knew what to do when it came to being a mother.

Minako entered the living room. She carried Yuriko with one arm and held Hana's hand with the other. "Okay, these two just won't stop fighting," the blonde sighed. "They compete for my affection, and they throw crayons and markers. The three things that can stop them from doing these things for just a couple of hours are Usagi, my mom, and Makoto." Hana and Yuriko forgot about their anger towards each other when they heard their idol's name. "I always leave these two with Usagi, my mom would disown me if I tried to leave them with her for selfish reasons, but I'm sure Makoto wants to see them more often, so…"

All three blondes put on big smiles. If only Minako did it, Ami wouldn't have given into her. Damn those kids for being so cute. "Hey, guys, why don't we go to the jinja and visit Makoto?" she asked as if it were her idea. "Alright! Ikimashou!" Minako ran to Ami's car with her kids. They didn't even bother to change out of their pajamas. Ami shook her head as she sighed. "Blondes will be blondes."


Rei entered the kitchen. Makoto looked up for a moment and went back to eating her cereal. Neither said a word. It was just one of those typical mornings. Rei sighed as she leaned against the counter. Makoto gave her a questioning look. "Mamoru was here, wasn't he?"

"Yeah."

Makoto suddenly let out a laugh. "Are you sure this is just a jinja? From what I heard, this definitely turned into a love hotel when I wasn't here." Rei narrowed her eyes. "You were eavesdropping?" Makoto put her hands up and gulped. "I didn't mean to," she explained. Rei shook her head as she stared blankly at the floor. Thinking back to the event that had taken place, she remembered the kiss between Usagi and Mamoru. She didn't want to see anything like that happened again. She had to find a way to get Usagi away from Mamoru. But how was she supposed to do that when Usagi was his fiancé?

"Hey, Rei."

Rei looked up. Her eyes met Makoto's. "For now, don't think about Usagi," the brunette said. "Everything will seem easier if you do." Makoto smiled, causing Rei to break eye contact. She hated how her friend could just smile and make her want to smile. It was contagious. Damn her. "How would you know?" she finally asked. "When I block out all the important things, I find living a bit easier." Rei glanced at Makoto out of the corner of her eye. She was now eating her cereal.

"If you can do that, then you have a short attention span."

Makoto stuck her tongue out at her friend. Rei grinned and put her hands on her hips. "You're a twenty-something-year-old, and you're finally picking up on Usagi's habits?" she teased. "Act you're age for a change." Makoto crossed her arms stuck her nose in the ear. "I would appreciate it if you didn't speak that way to me. I am not Usagi." The two continued bickering until Makoto was at a loss for words. She didn't really care if she didn't win the argument. It seemed Rei had taken her mind off Usagi already.

"Well, since I cleaned Grandfather's room, I might as well revel in my accomplishment," Rei sighed. Makoto watched Rei leave the kitchen. "Just because you're over eighteen doesn't mean you should read the H-manga!" she called after the woman. In response, Rei laughed. She could do whatever the hell she wanted.

Makoto sighed and shook her head. Sometimes, the miko never took her advice. H-manga was bad for the mind! Why didn't Rei understand that? She finished her cereal in silence. When she was finished, she put it in the sink. She went to her room, wondering what she should do for the day. Soon, her thoughts traveled to Minako. She was sure she would see the blonde again today. And wherever she was, the twins were always by her side. They would definitely make the day interesting.

That was when she heard it.

At first, the sound was faint. She left her room in curiosity. The sound was getting louder. She went to the steps of the jinja and found the source. Ami, Minako, Hana, and Yuriko were there. For some reason, Hana was crying. That was the first time Makoto had ever heard her cry. It was actually a puzzling sight. She noticed Minako couldn't calm her down. Makoto stood there for so long, she didn't even see Rei standing next to her. "What's up with her?" the miko asked. Without answering her question, Makoto walked towards the little girl and picked her up.

"Hey, Hana, what's wrong?" she asked. The girl tried to wipe her tears, but there were so many of them. "I saw…I saw…" Yuriko smirked as she leaned against Minako. "Dead squirrel." Hana cries worsened. The girl was seriously distraught. "Hana, that squirrel wasn't dead," Makoto explained as she set Hana down. "It was sleeping." Minako and Rei emitted a sound. Minako bit her lip when Makoto glared at her. Rei scratched her head. "Sleeping? Are you sure?" she asked.

"Mochiron!"

"But that means it was dead!"

"But you sleep every night and wake up in the morning, right?"

Hana nodded at Makoto's conclusion. She wiped her tears and nodded again with a smile. "No, it was dead. You killed it, Hana," Yuriko smirked. Hana turned to her. "Liar!" She lunged for her sister. Makoto grabbed Hana before anything could happen. Makoto stared at Minako with surprise. Minako threw Yuriko over her shoulder. "This is the story of my life," she sighed. She walked towards the jinja. She kissed Makoto on the cheek, thanking her for detaining Hana. She lingered there longer than she was supposed to. She smiled and continued walking. Makoto watched her. She knew the kiss had its double meaning.

Then, Makoto turned her attention to Hana. Lifting her in the air, she frowned, "How come you tried to fight with Yuriko?" she asked. "She's always mean to me," Hana answered. "She started it anyway." Throwing Hana over her shoulder, Makoto sighed. "You know, I think you're lucky to have a sister."

"Makoto-sama doesn't have one?"

"Iie," Makoto smiled. She walked to her room.


"Yuriko, did you really think it was okay to start a fight like that?"

"But mama…"

"But nothing! Doing that to your sister isn't nice! Why would you do that?"

Yuriko jumped off the bed and ran out the room. She ran passed Ami when she opened the door. The other woman tilted her head and stared at Minako. The blonde groaned with frustration. She lied on the bed and covered her face with the pillow. Ami sat next to her and put her hand on her leg. Minako threw the pillow to the floor and turned away from Ami. "Ami, be selfish for the rest of your life," she muttered. "Never have children." Ami shook her head as she tried to tell Minako not to say things like that. Minako turned again to face Ami. "I don't understand how the hell I'm supposed to do this," she stated. Ami grabbed her hand and smiled. "Minako, you've gone through things like this," she reminded. "You can't crack now."

"I can, and I think I'm going to."

"Don't think like that," Ami frowned. "You've endured this for almost five years! Hana and Yuriko will find other ways to vent their anger with time." Minako tilted her head slightly. These four years hadn't been all that glamorous. But then again, Hana and Yuriko were just children. They still had a vague idea about what was right and what was wrong. She smiled. When they turned five, they'd understand a little better…hopefully.

"You know what, Ami?" Minako spoke. "I think you're right." She embraced the blue-haired genius with a grin as if she were clever. She had had a new idea. It was very simple. Minako was officially a mother on a mission.

"Hey, Ami, can I borrow your car?"


"Usagi, what happens when you baby-sit Hana and Yuriko?"

Usagi shrugged. "Nothing really. We just have fun." Minako glanced at her sister for a second. She found that hard to believe, but this was Usagi. She never had a reason to lie. "So, they never fight or anything?"

"They argue, but they don't physically fight."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Usagi leaned away from Minako. She didn't understand what this about. Why had Minako even picked her up in the first place? She hadn't even done anything. "Minako, are you okay?" she asked softly. "Sorry, I'm just really aggravated right now," Minako sighed. She came to a stop. She got out the car and told Usagi to do the same. They had arrived at their destination.

When Usagi realized where they were, she groaned and she pushed Minako. She had totally been tricked! Minako drove all the way to their former home! She had no idea how Minako got the keys to Ami's car, but this just wasn't right! "Minako, why the hell would you drag me here?" she exclaimed. "When you come here, you and mom talk about motherhood and suddenly bring me into the conversation!"

"Maybe if you had a kid or two, you'd enjoy this!"

"You're the one who tells me not to have a kid on a regular basis!"

Minako opened her mouth, but the door opened. Both blondes saw Tsukino Kenji staring at them. He had a few wrinkles here and there. 'He's finally aging,' Minako mentally quipped. Usagi immediately embraced him. "Here for it?" he asked Minako as he rubbed Usagi's back. Minako nodded.

Kenji smiled weakly at her and told them to enter. When they did, Minako ran to the living room. She squealed when she saw Tsukino Ikuko. The woman also showed the signs of old age approaching. However, in Minako's eyes, she was still the young, beautiful mother from her youth. "Mama!"

She embraced the woman trying to clean the living room from behind. She laughed, "Well, well, if it isn't my lovely Minako." Minako released her. She knew this would take a while. After all, she was a mother on a mission.

--End Chapter Four--

Well, I know this chapter was kind of boring, so gomen nasai! It's kind of a filler chapter and hopefully, the next one won't be. If any of you still enjoyed the chapter, then I unexpectedly accomplished something! The apple-hair thing is from Grey's Anatomy. That was the most random moment ever! Also, I know some of you are wondering about the father of Hana and Yuriko. Heh, you'll find out soon enough. Again, happy new years! Til next year!

Serenity101