Being a mother is the most important job in the world, and Ikuko Tsukino doesn't take it lightly. She always knew her daughter would grow up to be someone special. What she didn't know was that someone else did too… Mostly Anime canon. Written for Ikuko's 30th Anniversary and maybe someone else too...
Rated: T - Family/Hurt/Comfort - Words: 2,544 - Usagi T./Serena/Bunny/Sailor Moon, Queen Serenity, Ikuko T., Kenji T.
A/N: Many thanks to AReptileDysfunction and disaster_bi_jupiter for beta reading this fic for me. You can check out Reptile's work under the names areptiledysfunction1107 on tumblr and A_Reptile_Dysfunction on Ao3 and disaster on Ao3 also under the same username.
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Ikuko couldn't hear anything. She was barely even aware of her panting breaths, or the chatter commencing around her, nor even the utter exhaustion that consumed her body. She was blind and deaf to absolutely everything. Everything… except the cries escaping the blanketed bundle in the doctor's arms.
Slightly trembling, she reached out as the infant was passed over to her. Carefully, as if she was made of glass, she brought the girl close to her bare chest. Slowly, rhythmically, Ikuko inhaled and exhaled. The baby's cries grew quieter as her breaths fell into sync.
When they finally fell silent, Ikuko looked down, her umber eyes locking with tiny, bright blue ones. Moments later she began to rock her arms gently, eliciting soft coos from, in her totally unbiased opinion, the single most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
Hours passed, during which everyone vacated the room, letting mother and daughter get some well-needed rest. Ikuko however found sleep elusive, simply wanting to hold her baby again. She found her excuse when a soft cry escaped the basket next to her bed. Though the crying swifty subsided on its own, Ikuko got out of bed, scooped up the wiggling contents of the basket and began slowly pacing the floor.
As she walked, she noticed that the only light in the room was coming from the window. She moved towards it, vaguely interested in seeking the source of the illumination. However, another soft coo returned her concentration to the contents of her arms.
With one hand, Ikuko reached out and parted some of the thin hair crowning the tiny head. Her eyes narrowed in bewilderment for a moment as she could have sworn her child's locks had been golden blonde earlier. Now however, they seemed more of a silvery white.
She must have been even tireder than she'd initially thought. Looking up, she soon found the cause of her confusion. The looming (and waning) crescent Moon was the only luminescence within the darkened room.
Drinking the sight in for a moment, she noticed the darker patches upon the silver surface. From the ether of her memory she remembered old folklores and fairytales her own mother had told her about the Moon. About how those dark patches were supposed to be a…
Suddenly, Ikuko was struck by inspiration! Or maybe it was just her exhausted brain at work again? Either way, her heart swiftly settled on the idea (and she doubted Kenji would object).
Quietly, as if she was sharing her most intimate secret, she whispered just two words.
"Hello, Usagi."
It was early evening. Early enough that there was still some daylight, but late enough that the street lights had started to turn on. Ikuko was on the front porch, down on one knee with her arms outstretched.
A few feet in front of her Kenji was bent over, his hands around the waist of a little blonde girl.
"Come on Usagi, you can do it," encouraged Ikuko.
She gave a tiny nod to Kenji, who let go of Usagi; though his hands hovered behind her. Usagi began to wobble, but found her balance when she reached out her own arms to Ikuko. Slowly, she began to take shaky, uneven steps towards her mother.
"That's it! You're doing great!"
Usagi's face broke into a bright smile as she began to increase her speed. Arms still outstretched, Ikuko wriggled her fingers, beckoning her daughter closer, closer, clos-
The world stopped. Disaster had struck! This was without doubt the worst moment of Ikuko's entire existence!
Usagi had tripped.
Scooping her up, Ikuko examined the now scrunched up, wailing face which now had a small red mark upon it. She shot daggers at her husband for being a split second too late to catch Usagi, before wiping away the tears with her sleeve.
"There, there. It's okay. We all fall down sometimes. I promise you won't be stumbling about when you're older."
As they went back inside, Ikuko failed to notice the shy, sad-looking waxing crescent Moon starting to become visible in the sky.
"Hold still, for goodness sake."
Ikuko practically had to force the wriggling Usagi into the cardigan.
"But Mama, I wanna go read manga!"
"For the last time, we have to make sure this fits. I'm not having you look a mess for your first day of school."
"Can I take my manga with me to school?"
"Absolutely not! You are there to study and learn, not goof off and have fun!"
Ikuko immediately regretted her words as she spotted Usagi's bottom lip beginning to quiver. Before she could do anything, the cardigan was wet with the three-year-old's salty tears.
"I don't wanna study!" she wailed. "That's just way too hard!"
Ikuko clasped her hands around her ears and prayed this aversion to studying would not last too long.
Through the window behind them, the Blood Moon shone red, almost as if it were blushing in embarrassment.
Ikuko shivered slightly and shut the small window, keeping out the winter air. A second later she heard the door click and a gaggle of voices emanate from her genkan. A small smile creased her mouth as she removed her apron and left the kitchen. Sure enough Usagi and her four friends were all there in the hallway.
"Good evening girls."
"Good evening Mrs. Tsukino," they choroused.
"Social gathering is it?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Oh no, Mrs. Tsukino, we're here to study," Ami assured.
"That homework won't do itself," Makoto said with a shrug.
"And you know," began Rei, placing her hands around Usagi's shoulders, "someone needs all the help she can get." Usagi stuck her tongue out at Rei, who returned the gesture.
"So immature," decried Minako, "You two should try acting your age, not your bra size."
Ikuko's eyes widened.
"Mina," said Ami in an embarrassed whisper, "It's 'shoe size', not… not…"
Ami's face went crimson. Usagi hugged her as Makoto laughed and Rei rolled her eyes. Meanwhile, Mina simply blinked in confusion.
Ikuko smiled and beckoned them through to the next room, returning to the kitchen to prepare snacks. She felt a strange sense of pride and gratitude that Usagi had found such wonderful friends.
Not that Usagi had trouble making friends, but something told her the five of them were a tight-knit group. Perhaps it was the fact that they had gone so far as to invent code words so they could gossip in private. Ikuko had done much the same as a teen, though even she had no idea what a 'Cardian' might be.
Putting it out of her mind, she backed into the TV room with the tray of food and drinks. As she departed though, she caught sight of Luna perched on the windowsill, silver moonlight reflecting off her black fur. The ebony feline was glaring at the five giggling girls as though she were a disciplinarian, the crescent moon upon her forehead almost furrowed in disapproval. The thought made Ikuko chuckle and she left the room, not wanting to discourage the girls from studying any more.
For the third time in an hour, Ikuko left the kitchen to peep through the living room curtains. This time though, her nosiness paid off.
Just outside the front gate she spied two figures, one tall and one short with twin pigtails trailing from her head. She knew they couldn't see her, she was barely moving the curtains after all. But she could see them well enough, lit up as they were in the silvery light from above. She watched them for about a minute, only moving away when the shorter of the two moved in close and stood on her tip-toes.
She took a moment to compose herself and the curtain, then waited a few seconds after she heard the door click. As far as they would know, she had been in the kitchen the whole time.
"Mama?"
Ikuko took that as her cue.
"Hello Usagi. Oh, I see you brought your friend over," she said in a pretense of casualness.
Usagi blushed pink. "Um… yeah. Mama, you remember… um… er…"
The young man was blushing too, but apparently decided to save her. Stepping forwards he gave a polite bow.
"I'm Mamoru Chiba. It is very nice to meet you properly, Mrs. Tsukino."
Ikuko politely inclined her head. "And you, Mr. Chiba."
Stealing a glance at her daughter, she recognized the look in her eyes all too well. Back when she had first met Kenji, she had often seen that look in her own reflection…
Hats flying in the air.
Cheers and applause erupting from the crowd.
Kenji's camera snapping Usagi and the girls in their gowns.
As they sat at the restaurant, Ikuko chatted to Doctor Mizuno. She was rather enjoying herself, though she wished Kenji would stop blubbering. Finally, it came time to pick up the cheque and depart.
"The car is over here," indicated Ikuko.
"Oh. Well… me and the girls were actually going to go on to somewhere else," said Usagi.
Over Usagi's shoulder, Ikuko spotted Rei and Mamoru, dressed up and clearly eager to get going. Slowly, she shifted her gaze back over to her daughter.
"No problem. Just be careful, dear."
"I will, Mama. Although I'm sure I'll be fine. Mamoru'll be with me after all."
Ikuko fought hard to keep her face composed as she nodded, smiled, and bid Usagi goodbye. It was only later, when she noticed a distinctly empty night sky, that tears began to well in her eyes.
Shingo got through the door first, eager to take off the dress clothes and go to bed. Ikuko sympathised.
It had been a long, though wonderful, day, but she felt a wave of relief when she kicked off her shoes, removed her earrings and replaced the expensive hat in its box. She was so exhausted, she didn't even care about the confetti and rice that were falling on the carpet she would no doubt have to clean tomorrow.
Kenji was tired too and nodded off pretty quickly; but not before he shared a sad little smile with his wife and pecked her on the cheek. Ikuko, however, waited a while before going to bed, fixing herself a small snack in the kitchen.
From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a little blonde girl scribbling on the dining table in the adjacent room. She imagined the sound of giggling and laughter from the TV area behind her. She pushed the faux sights and sounds from her mind and trudged upstairs. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but stop on the landing. Slowly, almost trembling, she peered inside the empty, deceptively large bedroom. Gently, she traced her fingertips across the pink wallpaper as she entered the room, stopping at last at the cold, vacant bed.
Possibly because of her exhaustion, Ikuko sat down, running her hand through the fabric of the sheets. Then, against her better judgment, she picked up the pillow and hugged it to her chest. As her eyes grew watery she curled up with the pillow and lay back upon the bed, her tiredness finally taking her.
She was standing on a promenade of alabaster white tiles, flanked either side by tall ivory lanterns and crystal-blue water. Looking down, Ikuko saw she was wearing a simple gown of smooth silver silk. Raising her gaze to the horizon, her breath caught. A majestic sapphire sphere loomed large in the inky black sky.
"Yes. It is the Earth."
Ikuko turned around slowly. She wasn't afraid, nor even startled. The voice was anything but threatening. On the contrary, it was gentle and reassuring. Dimly, Ikuko thought it fitted the speaker well.
She was slender, fair skinned, with bright, kindly silver eyes. Her gown and hair were of a similar hue, and the latter was done up in an all too familiar style. Ikuko was so taken by the elegance and beauty of the woman she didn't even notice the massive domed palace that stood behind her.
As the woman descended the stairs, Ikuko instinctively moved forwards so that they both met at the foot of the alabaster steps. The woman stared deep into Ikuko's eyes for what felt like a long time. Ikuko might have found the experience discomforting, if not for the sheer warmth of the silver woman's smile. Finally, the woman took Ikuko's hands in hers and gently squeezed them.
"Thank you," the woman whispered. "Thank you for being there for her every day that I could not."
At the tiny tears in the woman's eyes, Ikuko slowly withdrew her hands. Then, the two embraced one another like sisters.
Ikuko woke up, Usagi's pillow still clutched close.
Once she righted herself, she found the room bathed in a cool, soft light. She blinked once before her eyes moved over to the window. There was a strange, yet wonderful, lightness in her chest. She turned her head towards the window, letting go of the pillow as she got up and moved around to face it more directly. Through it, she saw a shining silver orb hanging in the sky.
For the rest of the night, and every night thereafter, Ikuko never felt lonely ever again.
A/N: I'm hoping to maybe do another fic specifically for Queen Serenity later in the year, but if that doesn't wind up happening, consider this as her 30th anniversary celebration story too.
And honestly, the idea was just too appealing/obvious to not do. I'm 99% sure someone else must have also done something like this (and probably better lol) but what would you do for Ikuko's and Queen Serenity's anniversaries besides focus upon them being a mothers to Usagi? Originally, I was going to literally have scenes of Queen Serenity raising Princess Serenity back to back with each of Ikuko's scenes, but I ultimately preferred the idea of Queen Serenity silently accompanying Usagi and Ikuko through the years and then 'revealing' herself only when Usagi had 'left' Ikuko. Plus, Ikuko was the subject of my very first fic so it felt right to give her primary focus here and deliver a kind of happy ending for her.
Also just to let you know I am involved in a discord called 'Moonlight Legends' which is dedicated to sharing all sorts of Sailor Moon fanworks, including other fanfics. If you would like to join so you can share your own work, get help with your current projects or just connect to other fan creators shoot me a PM and I'll send you an invite. All are welcome!