@------
Forever More
Chapter 3 - Chibi-Usa's Secret
By: Bethany
Editor: Meara
Rated: PG
@------
There was a haze of light, like staring at a television though
thick fog. My head hurt worse than I thought anything could ever hurt;
the pounding was so hard that my vision seemed to blur every time it
throbbed. I could feel something wet on my face, splattering me
occasionally. I tried to move, but I felt so detached, my body wasn't
responding to the commands I gave.
"Chibi-Usa?" I moaned, hearing my voice echo in my head. Had I
spoken? Was that my voice? I couldn't tell; nothing seemed right. All I
could remember was Chibi-Usa, screaming, the terror in her voice
piercing me to my very soul.
Pushing myself further than I thought was possible at the moment,
I tried again to focus my vision and turn my head. This time I could
make out street lights above, shining down, and a low grumbling that
seemed to be getting louder. I lifted my head, causing it to pound
more, and struggled against the darkness that threatened to consume me
in an attempt to see where I was; and where my daughter was. Slowly it
came back to me, Chibi-Usa screaming, the blinding light. But anything
after that was gone, nothing but the sound of Chibi-Usa's voice and a
feeling of fear left behind in the pit of my stomach.
Focusing all of my strength, I summoned the Silver Crystal to me.
Unable to speak - I willed it to restore me, if only long enough to get
Chibi-Usa to safety. It seemed to take forever, though it may have been
just a few minutes, but finally I could feel the power of my heritage
flowing through my body and restoring my strength. Careful not to use
too much energy, I pulled myself away from the sweet luring of the
light and back to the pain of reality.
"Chibi-Usa?" I whispered. Vaguely I could hear sirens in the distance,
but I wasn't worried about them. My main focus was finding my daughter.
I must have hit the tree head on, because surprisingly I couldn't
see another car anywhere. The passenger side door was open and the seat
empty. I unlatched my seatbelt and tried to get out, but the dash had
caved in over my legs and into my lap. "Chibi-Usa!" I screamed,
planting both hands on the dash and trying to pull myself from under
it. I could feel a choke of tears rise in my throat, making me want to
scream.
There was a blinding blur of oncoming headlights from the street,
but we had steered off the road and down into a large dip. They
couldn't see us from the road--nobody knew we were down here.
Desperately I tried to pull myself out of the car, mentally willing
whoever was on the road above to hear my plea. As if answering my
silent prayer, I heard a voice in the distance, growing steadily
louder.
"USAKO!!" I heard screamed and my heart jumped. It was Mamo-chan,
he could get Chibi-Usa. We'd be ok!
"USAKO, ANSWER ME!" I could hear his feet crunching the dry
leaves on the ground as he came down the hill towards the car.
"Usagi!" more voices joined in; Rei and Makoto.
"Mamo-chan!" I called back, again trying to pull myself out from
under the dash.
Suddenly my husband was on the driver's side of the car, trying
to open the door. I could see him straining with all his strength, but
the door was so banged up it wasn't coming open. Then Makoto was behind
him, and Haruka. Together they pulled on the door, wrenching it off the
side of the car and throwing it to the side. Mamo-chan was at my side
instantly, cupping my face between his hands. "Usako," he breathed, as
if just being able to touch me relived him. "My God, are you ok?"
"Chibi-Usa..?" I whispered, tears falling down my face as the
impact of what had happened sank into my mind. He pushed my bangs to
the side, searching for something. "Chibi-Usa?" I asked again, more
forcefully.
"Chibi-Usa's fine, sweetie. But you're bleeding... where is all
this blood coming from?" he mumbled, not to me, but to his self.
"My legs," I told him, trying unsuccessfully to move them again.
"I can't get them out..."
My husband took a sweeping look at the dash, at my legs trapped
under it, and cursed lightly under his breath. I could barely see Rei
and Haruka just on the other side of him, moving back and forth and
looking nervously inside the car. Mamo-chan placed his hand behind the
seat, causing it to lay back with me in it. "If I could just get this
moved a little," he said to himself, glaring at the dash as if he could
will it to move with his eyes.
Suddenly Makoto was in the passenger seat, pushing on the dash
with all her might. I glanced over, surprised, as she gritted her teeth
and pushed. I could see the veins in her arms rising and her face
turning red with the effort. Haruka stuck her arms in next to Mamo-
chan, pulling on the dash at the same time. I heard it groan and then
slowly the pressure lifted off my legs.
"NOW!" Haruka spat through gritted teeth, her feet slipping in
the grass as she dug her heels in the ground.
Mamo-chan put one arm behind my back and one under my legs and
pulled me out sideways, nearly falling back onto the ground himself.
Haruka slid down onto the ground, bringing a shaking hand up to wipe
the sweat off her forehead. I could see Makoto, lying back in the
passenger seat, a shaky smile on her lips.
Rei was knelt down beside me, worriedly looking at my forehead.
"How did you all ...?" I mumbled. Coming down the hill as fast as they
could without tumbling down headfirst were Ami, Michiru and Setsuna--
followed closely by two men in uniforms carrying a portable stretcher
between them.
I couldn't get a word in edgewise as I was securely strapped to
the stretcher and carried back up the hill to the waiting ambulance.
Mamo-chan climbed in the back with the paramedic and we took off the
hospital. Every time I tried to speak, Mamo-chan would whisper
everything was going to be ok, and place his finger over my lips. Was I
worse than I thought? Why wouldn't he let me speak?
In less than five minutes time we pulled in front of the hospital
and I was wheeled inside, Mamo-chan running alongside the stretcher the
entire time. The abruptness of the bright light and the tiles speeding
by on the ceiling made my head pound and my vision blur. I groaned,
closing my eyes to block out the sight.
I must have fainted, though I didn't realize it at the time. When
I next opened my eyes, I was laying in a hospital bed in a semi-dark
room. The room was silent save for my breathing. I tilted my head to
the side towards the door where I could see a light from under the door
and hear voices. "Mamo... chan..." I whispered, my mouth dry and my
lips so chapped they burned when I moved my mouth. "Minna...?"
"Usako?" a deep voice mumbled from my other side. "Hey baby," my
soul mate whispered, reaching over from where he was sitting in a chair
next to my bed to grab my hand and squeeze it in his own. "How do you
feel?"
"Thirsty," I mumbled, smiling slightly. Mamo-chan brought a cup
of ice water with a straw to my lips like he would one of our children
and allowed me to drink. Thankfully I ran my tongue over my parched
lips so that they moved more easily. "Thanks."
After putting the cup down, Mamo-chan reached out, running his
fingers down the side of my face. "Your head still hurt?" he whispered
softly, his eyes full of emotions that caused them to glass over and
shine in the light spilling from under the door.
Confused, I burrowed my eyebrows together. "Um, no," I replied. I
couldn't recall ever saying my head was hurting, although it had been.
In fact, there was so much I couldn't recall--but one thing stood out
among them all: "Mamo-chan, where's Chibi-Usa? Is she all right?"
"She's fine, baby," he whispered in my ear, brushing my bangs
away from my forehead. "Just rest, ok? The kids are fine."
I tried to move towards him, but something was holding me down. I
pushed against the bed sheets, yearning to reach out to touch my
husband's face, but couldn't. Panic crept into my eyes as I writhed and
struggled. Mamoru stood up, gently but firmly holding me to the bed.
"Don't, ok? Just rest. I'm right here," he whispered, sitting back down
and reaching out to entwine his fingers with my own.
I felt tears fill my eyes and I turned from him to look at the
door. My mind was racing, trying to remember anything that happened
from the time I had seen the white light to when I woke up--and from
when we entered the hospital to now. But try as I might, I couldn't
remember. That time was gone and nothing but blankness greeted me when
I tried to recover something. I bit my lip, trying to move my legs up;
to turn over--but I couldn't move. I turned my head again towards my
soul mate, tears falling down my face. "Mamo-chan, why can't I move?"
I saw Mamo-chan bite his lip, as he struggled with words. His
mouth moved like a fish out of water, but no words came out. He sighed,
reaching over to kiss my forehead gently. "Just rest, please. I promise
I'll be right here beside you."
He looked away and again I tried to move my legs. "What is it
you're not telling me, Mamo-chan?" I whispered through my tears. "Why
can't I get up? What's going on?!"
I could see my husband struggling with himself, his face still
turned so that all I could see was half his face and his dark hair.
Moments ticked by and still he didn't look at me. Again I tried to get
up, pressing my legs against whatever was holding me down. "Please,
Mamo-chan," I cried. "I can't move..."
Suddenly Mamo-chan jumped up, fumbling around with something on
the side of the bed. As he worked the pressure from my legs and chest
suddenly released. Mamo-chan put the side railing on the bed down and
swept me into his arms, nearly in tears when he spoke. "I'm sorry,
Usako. I'm sorry..." he mumbled, his arms locked tightly around me as I
felt his lips kiss my head over and over again.
All the while I struggled to understand what was going on. But I
couldn't remember... "Mamo-chan, what? What's happening? Please tell
me," I moaned, my arms wrapping tightly around his neck. "Please..."
My husband picked me up like a baby cradled in his arms and sat
down in the chair beside the bed, my body still curled up in his lap.
There was a slight twinge of pain that shot through my body, but I
ignored it. The crystal had obviously been restoring me, even as I
slept, because the rest of my body didn't hurt at all. My legs hanging
over the side of the chair, I laid against Mamo-chan's chest, hearing
his heartbeat thudding underneath his thin t-shirt. "Mamo-chan?" I
whispered.
"Shhh," he mumbled, his face still pressed in my hair. He
swallowed hard, his heart beat seeming to speed up slightly. "You...
you don't remember anything?"
I shook my head, finally able to trap my tears in my eyes. Mamo-
chan took a deep breath, his arms pulling me tighter against his body.
"They brought you in and you started screaming..." his voice shook as
he arms held me even tighter still, almost like he was afraid I'd
disappear if he didn't hold me with all his strength. "You screamed and
said your head hurt... your eyes... oh God..." he shuttered, trying to
clear his throat to speak. "And your whole body was shaking, and
convulsing and... and they tied you to the bed so you wouldn't hurt
yourself..." And he stopped, tears falling on my head as his chest
shook. "God Usako, I was so... so SCARED. I'd never felt so useless...
I couldn't do anything... and you were screaming for me even though I
was there... and I was so USELESS..."
As he stopped talking, only crying, my body began to tremble.
What had happened to me? Why couldn't I remember it? "Mamo-chan," I
whispered, though my voice squeaked at the end. "What's wrong with me?
I... I don't remember any of that. I'm... I'm scared, Mamo-chan."
Mamo-chan dipped his head down, kissing my forehead, eyes and
softly my lips. "It's ok, Usako. I'm here. Remember that. I'll NEVER
leave you; never." His body was still shaking, his salty tears falling
onto my face and sliding down my cheek. I leaned up, burring my face in
his neck as he held me close to him, his lips at my ear whispering over
and over again: "I love you, Usako. So much..."
I don't know how long we sat there, holding each other tightly.
It was as if the world was falling down around us and in a way it was.
Our world was crumbling, the happy world that I had grown accustomed to
in the last two years. It had started the night Chibi-Usa had woken up,
her face locked in terror... and she hadn't known I was there... just
like I hadn't realized Mamo-chan was. "Oh God," I whispered,
realization dawning on me. "Mamo-chan... Chibi-Usa..."
"What about her?" he mumbled, his face still pressed in my hair.
"What you just said about a minute ago, it was just like Chibi-
Usa, Mamo-chan. That night she was in the kitchen, and she didn't know
I was there..."
My husband's body suddenly felt rigid and tense under me, and he
stood, placing me on the bed. I opened my mouth in question, but he
kissed me on the lips, his fingers lingering on the side of my face.
"I'll be right back," he said and the next thing I heard was the click
of the door shutting behind him.
I lay back, wondering where my clothes were. If I could find
them, I thought, I'd go after him. The overwhelming feeling of just
wanting to hold my girls next to me was making my body tremble and my
heart pound. I just wanted to feel that everything was all right; that
they were all right-- when I knew, deep down, it wasn't. Everything was
so very wrong. Would this ever end?
The door opened again and I jerked my head up curiously. "Mamo-
chan?" I breathed, waiting to see his blue eyes and dark hair as he
turned the corner.
But it wasn't my husband that came in my room, it was Minako and
she was holding a bag in her left arm. Like a spy hiding from the inky
minions of evil, she stole into the room quietly, shutting the door
behind her. She walked quickly over to the bed and deposited the bag at
my feet. "Come on, Usagi-chan, we're getting you out of here," she
whispered, taking out a pair of jeans, t-shirt, and shoes.
I nodded, not questioning how I was going to walk out of a
hospital without being released. I assumed Mamo-chan was taking care of
that. I stood up, another slight pain coursing through my body as
Minako untied the hospital gown at my back and I slid on the jeans and
shirt. I was just tying my sneakers when Mamo-chan came back in the
room. "You ready?" he asked, looking anxiously to the door.
"Why are we leaving?" I mumbled. I trusted Mamo-chan with my
life, but still I was puzzled when clearly this was a quick descision,
not thought out completely. And that wasn't Mamo-chan's way.
Mamo-chan pulled the bandage from my head, revealing the smooth
skin beneath that he slowly slid his finger across. "Usako, as helpful
as the Ginzuishou is to your health, I'm afraid that it would be hard
to explain it away." Mamo-chan pulled me close to him, kissing my
forehead gently. "Have you got everything?"
I nodded and we started out; Minako searched over the room again
before following us to the hall. She caught up with us, her eyes
betraying a slight worry and excitement. We walked out of the hospital
without incident and got into Mamo-chan's car. I stared at the passing
scenery with little interest as she flew down the practically empty
streets of Tokyo. I caught sight of Minako in the rearview mirror and
turned in my seat. "Minako-chan?"
"Hmm?" she mumbled, focusing her eyes on me rather than the
window. "Did you say something?"
I smiled softly and she seemed to relax some. "You ok?" I asked.
She nodded, but didn't look very convincing. I reached back, placing my
hand on hers. "You can tell me, Minako-chan," I assured her.
She let out a deep breath upwards that caused her bangs to blow
up and away from her eyes. She shook her head, smiling slightly. "I
can't believe we just did that."
"Did what?" I mumbled, looking at her questionably.
"You know," Minako continued, again shaking her head as if to
convince herself it was ok. "We're Senshi, so we do things different
than everyone else, right? Bend the rules once in a while. But we've
never... well, out right broke a law in the process."
I blinked, still confused. Out of the corner of my eye I saw
Mamo-chan smile. "Minako, we didn't break a law getting Usako out of
the hospital. I'm a doctor there, I signed the release papers."
"But you weren't suppose to," Minako pointed out.
My husband shrugged as we slowed down and pulled into Minako's
driveway. "It's ok, though. I'll smooth it over," he assured her,
putting the car in park and opening his door. His eyes seemed to catch
something and he sat back down in his seat, looking worried. "Eh,
Minako, whose car is that?"
The blonde in the backseat blinked, leaning forward to squint out
at the dark drive. Her eyes wondered from the car to the lights on in
the house and she suddenly frowned. "Oh no, my parents..." she
whispered, her hand unconsciously reaching up to her throat. "What are
they doing home?"
Mamo-chan got out of the car, pulling the seat up for Minako to
get out as I got out on the other side. I had never meet Minako's
parents. They traveled from country to country on a seemingly endless
holiday. From what I had gathered from small bits Minako had said, they
hadn't been home for more than three weeks since she was sixteen. They
paid the bills and sent money and gifts to buy their conscience away
and Artemis had practically been Minako's parent from then on.
Minako stood next to the car, her hand gripped tightly on the
door handle and she looked like she was debating going in. I came
around the car, putting my hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Come on,
MinaP*, it can't be that bad. We'll go in with you."
"We'd better," Mamo-chan suddenly said, still studying the look
of horror on Minako's face. "Our kids are in there."
I let out a deep breath, putting my arm around Minako's shoulders
and hugging her reassuringly. "Come on, we have to go in. No use in
putting it off."
She nodded, though didn't look much relived by my words. We went
up the walkway and to the front door where Minako fumbled with her key
for a moment, still casting longing looks back at the car. She finally
got the key in the door and opened it. The foyer light was on, but
silent as we stepped in. We took our shoes off and followed Minako into
the empty living room. "I wonder where they--"
Her words were sharply cut off. And I mean sharply. A slim blonde
woman came through the double doors on the far end of the living room
that lead to the opposite hall, her high pitched shrill voice enough to
make me long to cover my ears. "Mina, darling! There you are! We've
been looking for you!" she greeted. Minako groaned so quietly that I'm
sure Mamo-chan and I were the only ones to hear it.
Quite frankly, all I could do was stare at this wisp of a woman.
She looked like a china doll on acid. That's how shrill and bubbling
her voice was. Her face was made up so perfectly, her skin smooth and
wrinkle free. Her slim body was adorned with a black floor length dress
that made her peaches and cream skin seem to glow. Her blonde hair was
swept up in a French twist with small pearl clips gently holding it
back. Her blue eyes looked identical to Minako's, only Minako didn't
wear make-up to exaggerate her eyelashes like this woman did. She
grasped Minako's shoulders lightly, pecking each of her cheeks so
lightly I'm not sure she even touched her skin at all. "Well, dear,
come on!" she laughed. "Is this a way to greet your mother?"
"Hello, mother," Minako bit out, her hands still at her sides. In
all my years of knowing Minako, I had never heard her sound so hateful.
She took a curious look behind the woman, almost as if she were afraid
of what she might see. "Where's father?" she mumbled, trying to back
away from her mother's ever tightening grip on her shoulders.
The woman acted like Minako had bubbled over at the sight of her,
taking no notice to how her daughter's jaw was clenched. She ignored
Minako's question and cast a sideways glance at Mamo-chan and I,
debating, it seemed, on whether to introduce herself or ask Minako to
do it. Finally she smiled, though forcefully, at Minako. "Are you going
to introduce me to your... friends?"
Minako's still posture didn't relax a bit as she stared at her
mother with loathing. "This is my best friend Chiba Usagi and her
husband, Mamoru."
Her mother blinked, obviously she knew nothing about us at all. I
gave a weak smile as she grasped my hand for a split second then
recoiled from it back like I had a disease. Her eyes lingered on Mamo-
chan for a moment longer before a smile rose up on her lips. A smile I
had seen on many girls when they stared at Mamo-chan; a look of
appreciation and lust. I felt disgusted as she reached out to grasp
Mamo-chan's hand, holding it far longer than she had mine or even
Minako's. "Hello dears," she greeted, talking mainly to my husband who
looked dumbfounded at her affectionate gaze. "My name is Mayumi. It's
such a pleasure to meet you," she beamed.
Anger boiled up in my throat as I watched her. Without hiding my
feelings in the slightest, I moved closer to my husband and he put his
arm around me. "Mamo-chan, let's go check on the kids, ne?" I said.
She let go of Mamo-chan's hand almost instantly. "Kids, you
say?" she mumbled, disappointment dripping from her voice.
"Yes, they have two children," Minako barked out, walking past
her mother to the doorway. "If you had been searching for me as well as
you say, you would have seen them asleep in my bedroom." Minako stalked
out into the hall, leaving Mamo-chan and I to silently follow her.
Without a word, Minako stomped up the carpeted steps and down the hall
to her room.
Lying in the middle of the bed was Makoto. She peeked one brown
eye open then jumped up, nearly crashing into me with a force not
unlike that of a hurricane. "Usagi-chan, you're ok?! Thank God you're
here!" she gasped, throwing her free arm around Minako. "Did you *see*
that woman with the animal hung over her shoulders?" She gave a shiver,
hugging herself. "I'll have nightmares for weeks! She opened the door,
saw me, screamed and went out."
Minako sat down in a chair adjacent to the bed, a smile finally
breaking out on her lips. "That was my mother, Mako-chan. I imagine she
was just as appalled by you as you was her," Minako explained, again
giving a hateful glare towards the door.
Makoto sat down on the bed again, her hands twisting in front of
her. "Your mother? Wow, I've known you for seven years and I've never
meet her," Makoto mumbled, not sounding disappointed, but surprised.
Keri, hearing the racket around the room, sat up in the travel
crib she had been sleeping in and blinked around curiously until her
eyes fell on me. Suddenly she scrambled to her feet, her arms waving in
the air. "Mama! Mama!" she yelled. At the same time on a pallet in the
floor, Chibi-Usa also sat up, her eyes staring at me in disbelief.
I scooped Keri up and sat down on the floor, holding her close.
Chibi-Usa crawled over to me, burying her face in my chest as I wrapped
an arm around her while she cried. I felt a familiar stinging of tears
in my eyes as I heard her sobs, but I couldn't say anything to her. To
either of my children. I could only hold them close to my pounding
heart. The two most precious things in my life, safe and with me. If
only this could last forever...
Keri contently fell back asleep after fighting it for half an
hour. Mamo-chan gently pulled her from my arms and kissed her small
cheek before placing her back in the crib and covering her up. Chibi-
Usa had stopped crying, but still sniffled every now and then. I pulled
her into my lap, kissing her forehead as I rocked back and forth, a few
silent tears falling from my eyes. There had been a time, not too many
hours ago, that I feared I would never be able to hold my daughters
again. My heart thudding painfully in my chest, I now hugged Chibi-Usa
as close to me as I could get her.
I hadn't noticed that Makoto and Minako had left the room, I paid
little attention as Mamo-chan reached down, kissed Chibi-Usa's head and
walked quietly out of the room. I just hugged my arms around Chibi-Usa
and rocked back and forth, beginning to hum a tune I knew so well...
Chibi-Usa's small, tear induced voice rose up to me as if from far
away.
"You are my sunshine.... my only sunshine...." she sang, her
tears stopped and her huge blue eyes, so like Mamo-chan's, staring at
me as her lips moved. "When you're not happy, my sky's are gray..."
"You'll never know, dear, how much I love you," I whispered,
staring into those eyes. This life I had carried inside of me for seven
months... those beautiful eyes... "So please don't take my sunshine
away..."
I finished singing, still rocking Chibi-Usa back and forth
slightly. Her hands reached up to wrap around my neck and I held her
close to me, kissing her head while staring at long wavy strawberry
colored hair. "Mama?" she whispered softly in my ear. Without a doubt
it was the most beautiful word ever created. "I'm ready to tell you my
secret."
I nodded as she settled back down in my lap, her blue eyes
staring up at me. I slid my hand over her forehead and down her cheek,
cupping her face so that I could kiss her head. "It's ok, Chibi-Usa.
Take your time."
She played with the edge of my sleeve for a moment, staring
intently at it, though I'm not sure she was seeing anything but what
she was thinking about. "Mama, there's a... a boy. He's trapped and he
can't move..." she ground a tear out of her eye with her fist, still
not looking directly at me. "He... he needs me, he said. He becomes
this beautiful horse, with wings and a golden horn sticking out of his
head. That's how he comes to me. But he's not safe, because a bad woman
is hurting his body... Mama," she sat further up, staring at me with
her watery blue eyes. "Can you and Papa help him? Can you stop the bad
lady from hurting him anymore? He... he needs help."
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice calm as I spoke.
"Chibi-Usa, is that what was in your bedroom?"
She nodded, looking down. "I know you were mad at me," she
whispered. "But he said if I told someone the evil lady would know
where he was and she would hurt him... she would... kill him. And he's
my friend, Mama! I don't want the lady to hurt him anymore!"
I hugged her closer, trying to work through all she had said. So
Ami had been right, that *had* been unicorn blood she found at my
house. A flying unicorn. My mind reeled. My daughter had been keeping a
flying unicorn in her room! "Chibi-Usa, why couldn't me or your Papa
seem him? Or Minako?" I asked softly, gently urging her to tell me more
details.
Chibi-Usa shrugged. "I guess you don't believe." She again stared
up at me, more wisdom trapped in her eyes than I thought possible for a
four (nearly five, I amended) year old. "Mama, he saved me tonight. The
bad lady gave you bad dreams, but he came and took me away before...
before..." Flashes of the passenger side of the car, empty, came back
to me. "I told him to help you, but he is weak... he hurt because he
helped me. Mama, I'm scared for him. You will help him, won't you?"
I nodded, rocking her back and forth again. "Hai, Chibi-Usa, I'll
do what I can," I mumbled, my mind nearly in shock. An evil lady who
sent nightmares? A flying unicorn who turns into a boy? ...who turns
into a boy... Oh my God--Helios! What Ami said was true!
Chibi-Usa had fallen asleep in my arms, which I was thankful for.
In sleep she would be able to forget all that had happened for a few
blissful hours. Carefully I placed her head back on the pillow and
covered her up, getting to my feet shakily. Keri was still asleep, her
small hands curled up beneath her chin. I reached down, kissing her
warm forehead before going out the door and downstairs where I found
Minako, Makoto and Mamo-chan sitting in the living room. I sat down
next to Mamo-chan, burying my face in my hands.
"Usako?" Mamo-chan said worriedly, his hand rubbing my back
soothingly. "You ok?"
I shook my head, longing to bury myself in his arms and forget
everything. Instead I lifted my head up to greet three sets of worried
eyes staring at me intently. "We... we need to call minna..." I
mumbled.
Makoto didn't even ask, she just fumbled in her pocket for her
communicator. She looked up before pushing the button, looking not at
me or Mamo-chan, but Minako. "Do you think we should do this at Usagi's
place? I don't know what your parents would say about having six more
people coming over in the middle of the night."
Minako nodded, looking worriedly at the doorway like she expected
her parents to come bursting through it any moment. "Yeah, that would
be better. I don't really want to stay around here tonight anyways. Not
with my mother on the loose somewhere."
Makoto smiled reassuringly at Minako and pushed the button on her
communicator. As she filled everyone in on what was happening, Mamo-
chan and I went back upstairs to get the kids. Minako followed,
gathering everything back into the small suitcase with the kid's things
in it. "Probably for the best anyways," she said, putting some of her
own belongings into a backpack. "I don't think Haruka and my mother
would get along too well."
I stifled a giggled, picking Keri up and putting her head on my
shoulder and putting a blanket over her. Mamo-chan was carrying Chibi-
Usa in much the same fashion in one arm, holding the packed up portable
crib in the other. As we went down the hall, one of the double doors to
her parent's suite opened up, revealing her mother in a long fancy
nightgown, her hair still pulled up like she was going to throw a dress
on and go dancing. "Mina, dear, where are you going?"
"I'm staying at Usagi's for a while," Minako replied stiffly, not
looking back as she started down the steps.
Her mother smiled, again seemingly oblivious to the fact that
Minako seemed to want to get as far away from her as possible. "Okay,
dear," she said in a singsong voice. Keri looked up and her mother
gasped, as if just realizing Mamo-chan and I were holding children.
"Oh, what a sweet baby," she giggled, coming over to peer closer at
Keri. Keri, most unlike her normal chipper self, recoiled back from the
woman who had woke her. Mayumi poked at her side, trying, I assumed, to
tickle her. She was rewarded with a loud, blood-curling scream from my
youngest daughter.
Mayumi, taken aback, moved quickly backwards, nearly tripping
over her long nightgown. "Oh my," she mumbled. Mamo-chan, looking
angry, took Keri from me and tried to calm her down as I picked up the
crib. He kissed her forehead gently, whispering soothing words in her
ear while she continued to scream. Of course, hearing a loud wailing
like that was enough to wake the dead, and Chibi-Usa blinked back her
sleep, looking up curiously to see who was trying to kill Keri.
Mamo-chan put her down, and instantly my four year old stumbled
over to me, hugging my leg and glaring at Mayumi for making Keri cry. I
looked back up to see someone else emerge from Minako's parent's suite.
I couldn't help the gasp that came from my mouth. The man standing in
his pajama pants and robe was easily Mamo-chan's age, if not younger.
Minako obviously had no idea either, because behind me I heard her
stifle a gasp. She came back up the stairs, glaring at her mother.
"Who the hell is that?!" she demanded, staring him up and down.
Mayumi's face turned deathly pale, making her make-up seem loud
and clownish. Her eyes were huge as they skipped guiltily from Minako
to the man standing beside her. "This is... this is..." the older woman
faltered, her hands moving around like they had minds of their own.
"This is not good..." she muttered.
The man beside her stepped forward, though I could see Mayumi's
eyes practically begging him not to. He extended his hand to Minako,
who glared at him, daring him to take another step closer. "I'm Hui
Nakaga, you must be Minako. I've heard so much about you."
"I can't say the same," Minako spat, her eyes locked on her
nervous mother. "What is the meaning of this? Where is father?"
Mayumi looked pathetic, so different from the poise woman I had
seen downstairs just an hour before. She ran forward, grasping Minako's
hands in hers. "Mina, darling, you must listen to mother. I was
miserable with your father... and Nakaga has saved me from that..."
I turned, feeling it wasn't our place to listen to this
conversation. Mamo-chan took the hint and followed me downstairs where
we meet up with Makoto. "Chibi-Usa, go with Mako-chan and your Papa,
ok? I'm going to make sure Minako-chan is ok."
My eldest nodded and Mako-chan lifted her up. "Mo**, Chibi-Usa-
chan, you're getting so heavy," the taller woman mumbled as she carried
her outside.
Swallowing, I went into the living room and waited. I didn't
have to wait long. Just a few minutes later I heard Mayumi screaming
for Minako as the blonde ran down the stairs, tears shining in her blue
eyes. Mayumi came to the top of the steps, Nakaga right behind her.
"Mina! Please don't leave! Say you'll come back!"
Minako turned, her fist clinched at her side. "NO! I won't be
back! I don't care if I EVER see you again!"
"Minako-chan?" I said softly from where I stood in the living
room.
She gasped, turning to me. "Usagi-chan?" she whispered, her eyes
darting to the stairs again where her mother stood. She shook her head
and went to the front door. I followed her, feeling so sad for her as
she shut the front door and wiped the tears from her face determinedly.
I climbed in the car with Mamo-chan quietly, Minako getting in
Mako-chan's car. We started off for my house, arriving just as another
vehicle pulled up behind us. I squinted through the brightness of the
headlights. "That's Haruka's car," I told Mamo-chan.
Chibi-Usa suddenly squealed from the back seat. "Hotaru-chan?"
"Not tonight, young lady," I told her as we got out and I hoisted
Keri up on my shoulder. "It's nearly 3a.m. you're going to bed." I went
ahead and took the children in the house as Mamo-chan waited for
everyone else. I had just gotten Keri down when Minako slipped in the
nursery looking more nervous than I had ever seen her. "MinaP?"
She gave me a halfhearted smile, going over to the crib and
looking down at Keri. "Usagi-chan, I have a question..." she began,
still looking nervous. "I... I don't want to go back to that house
again. I just... just can't. I was wondering if I could--could stay
with you and Mamoru-san for a couple of nights. And then, I dunno, I
could stay over at Mako-chan's for a while, I guess... until I can get
my own place."
Biting my lip, I walked over and hugged her tightly. "Minako-
chan, you know you can stay here as long as you like. Don't worry about
a thing, ne? We're all here for you."
Minako hugged me just as tightly as I did her. "Thank you, Usagi-
chan. I promise I won't be a burden, really. I'll help with the kids
and everything."
We parted and Minako wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. I
laughed softly, going to the door. "After a few days here, you might
not be thanking me so much," I told her, thinking about Keri's
destructiveness, not to mention every other weird thing that had been
happening lately. Which reminded me of all Chibi-Usa had told me. "We'd
better get in there. I guess Ami-chan and Rei-chan are here by now."
Minako nodded and we went into the living room.
Just as I had predicted, there were seven senshi waiting
patiently in the living room when I walked in. "What took you?" Haruka
said as soon as she seen me in the doorway. My bad; six patient senshi.
"Just putting the kids back to bed, hopefully for the last time
tonight," I said, sitting next to Mamo-chan, his arm automatically
wrapping around my shoulder. Minako sat in the floor in front of the
couch. "So, since I called you all here, let's begin, ne? I'm sure by
now everyone knows the story of what happened with Chibi-Usa a couple
of nights ago, right?" Everyone nodded their heads before I continued.
"Ami found a weird substance in Chibi-Usa's bedroom, on the broken
glass. She suspected it to be unicorn's blood."
"Unicorn?" Makoto asked dumbfounded. She looked over at Ami.
"There's no such thing, right? I mean, that's just a myth..."
I gaped at Mako-chan, as well as half of the other people in the
room. No one had ever, as far as I knew, questioned what Ami said. We
all took it as if her word were law, it was just common knowledge that
Ami--well, she just *wasn't* wrong.
Ami smiled at Makoto like she were a child who had to be told
fire would hurt her; she just didn't know any better. "The Moon Kingdom
existed, did it not? The Silver Millennium, life on other planets,
magic powers, reincarnation--we are all living proof of that. Yet if we
were to go broadcast our story, people would say what you just did--
that it was just a myth. Now, the sample of silvery liquid on the
broken glass was unicorn blood, am I not right, Usagi-chan?" The blue
haired senshi looked at me, and quite frankly, if I had disagreed with
what she said, I wouldn't have admitted it then. She looked on the
border of insanity.
"H-Hai," I said quickly. "There is a story in Greek Mythology
that speaks of a Golden Kingdom that exists beneath our world, a
beautiful kingdom where a priest rules. Helios. At will, he can turn
into a flying unicorn, a Pegasus."
"Wait," Haruka said, not looking totally convinced this had
anything to do with the new enemy. "Are you saying that this flying
horse, this Helios, is what was in Chibi-Usa's bedroom?"
I nodded my head, leaning back softly. Ginzuishou healing or not,
I was still slightly sore. Rei's mouth opened and closed, but she said
nothing. Haruka was staring at me with the most peculiar expression on
her face; in fact, only four people seemed to believe me at that
moment--Ami, Mamo-chan, Setsuna and Hotaru.
Haruka leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and
spreading her hands wide. "Okay, let's say for a second that there is a
Golden Kingdom, and that this horse is real. Why Chibi-Usa? Why can't
we see it?"
"We don't have the pure eyes of a child," Setsuna suddenly said,
having said nothing so far, I had almost forgotten she was leaning
against the kitchen door frame.
I nodded again, letting out a deep breath. "When I asked Chibi-
Usa why I couldn't see Helios, she said I didn't believe. She also told
me his body was trapped by an evil lady who hurt him. And that same
lady had sent bad dreams to me."
"I think that's why Usako wrecked the car tonight," Mamo-chan
said beside me, his arm tightening it's grip on my shoulders. "So this
is a formidable enemy, but thankfully she seems to be in the first
stages of her attacks. We may still have a lead on her if we start
looking now."
How wrong it was.
--End Chapter 3.
*MinaP is a nickname Usagi had for Minako in the manga, she pretends to
not like it, but I think she does ;)
**Mo translates to "geez" in Japanese. Just a slang word or something.
And here we are! Yay! Chapter 3! Now, it might be a while before the
next chapter, I'm going to get the remaining chapters of "Beyond the
Staff" out so that I can focus mainly on this story.
HUGE thanks to everyone who emails me! And reviews! *huggles minna,
grabs her editor in, along with random people from the street* Yes,
it's a group hug!! ^_^ Heehee, life has been pretty good as of late,
I'm just all happily. But ya gotta keep those reviews coming! *hint,
hint*
Disclaimer: Things Bethany owns: a 99' Sunfire, a doggie named Copper,
a job that works me to the bone, a shed full of junky furniture that
means a lot to me no matter what my grandma says I should do with it,
and this story line. Take any of these, you'd better be ready for some
serious problems and/or telling off at least ;) I don't, however, own
Sailor Moon or any related characters that I have borrowed to write
this story, please don't sue me, Christmas is coming up and I have to
have gas money to do volunteer work ^_^
Love, hugs, reviews and japanese food!
3 Bethany
11-13-02
Forever More
Chapter 3 - Chibi-Usa's Secret
By: Bethany
Editor: Meara
Rated: PG
@------
There was a haze of light, like staring at a television though
thick fog. My head hurt worse than I thought anything could ever hurt;
the pounding was so hard that my vision seemed to blur every time it
throbbed. I could feel something wet on my face, splattering me
occasionally. I tried to move, but I felt so detached, my body wasn't
responding to the commands I gave.
"Chibi-Usa?" I moaned, hearing my voice echo in my head. Had I
spoken? Was that my voice? I couldn't tell; nothing seemed right. All I
could remember was Chibi-Usa, screaming, the terror in her voice
piercing me to my very soul.
Pushing myself further than I thought was possible at the moment,
I tried again to focus my vision and turn my head. This time I could
make out street lights above, shining down, and a low grumbling that
seemed to be getting louder. I lifted my head, causing it to pound
more, and struggled against the darkness that threatened to consume me
in an attempt to see where I was; and where my daughter was. Slowly it
came back to me, Chibi-Usa screaming, the blinding light. But anything
after that was gone, nothing but the sound of Chibi-Usa's voice and a
feeling of fear left behind in the pit of my stomach.
Focusing all of my strength, I summoned the Silver Crystal to me.
Unable to speak - I willed it to restore me, if only long enough to get
Chibi-Usa to safety. It seemed to take forever, though it may have been
just a few minutes, but finally I could feel the power of my heritage
flowing through my body and restoring my strength. Careful not to use
too much energy, I pulled myself away from the sweet luring of the
light and back to the pain of reality.
"Chibi-Usa?" I whispered. Vaguely I could hear sirens in the distance,
but I wasn't worried about them. My main focus was finding my daughter.
I must have hit the tree head on, because surprisingly I couldn't
see another car anywhere. The passenger side door was open and the seat
empty. I unlatched my seatbelt and tried to get out, but the dash had
caved in over my legs and into my lap. "Chibi-Usa!" I screamed,
planting both hands on the dash and trying to pull myself from under
it. I could feel a choke of tears rise in my throat, making me want to
scream.
There was a blinding blur of oncoming headlights from the street,
but we had steered off the road and down into a large dip. They
couldn't see us from the road--nobody knew we were down here.
Desperately I tried to pull myself out of the car, mentally willing
whoever was on the road above to hear my plea. As if answering my
silent prayer, I heard a voice in the distance, growing steadily
louder.
"USAKO!!" I heard screamed and my heart jumped. It was Mamo-chan,
he could get Chibi-Usa. We'd be ok!
"USAKO, ANSWER ME!" I could hear his feet crunching the dry
leaves on the ground as he came down the hill towards the car.
"Usagi!" more voices joined in; Rei and Makoto.
"Mamo-chan!" I called back, again trying to pull myself out from
under the dash.
Suddenly my husband was on the driver's side of the car, trying
to open the door. I could see him straining with all his strength, but
the door was so banged up it wasn't coming open. Then Makoto was behind
him, and Haruka. Together they pulled on the door, wrenching it off the
side of the car and throwing it to the side. Mamo-chan was at my side
instantly, cupping my face between his hands. "Usako," he breathed, as
if just being able to touch me relived him. "My God, are you ok?"
"Chibi-Usa..?" I whispered, tears falling down my face as the
impact of what had happened sank into my mind. He pushed my bangs to
the side, searching for something. "Chibi-Usa?" I asked again, more
forcefully.
"Chibi-Usa's fine, sweetie. But you're bleeding... where is all
this blood coming from?" he mumbled, not to me, but to his self.
"My legs," I told him, trying unsuccessfully to move them again.
"I can't get them out..."
My husband took a sweeping look at the dash, at my legs trapped
under it, and cursed lightly under his breath. I could barely see Rei
and Haruka just on the other side of him, moving back and forth and
looking nervously inside the car. Mamo-chan placed his hand behind the
seat, causing it to lay back with me in it. "If I could just get this
moved a little," he said to himself, glaring at the dash as if he could
will it to move with his eyes.
Suddenly Makoto was in the passenger seat, pushing on the dash
with all her might. I glanced over, surprised, as she gritted her teeth
and pushed. I could see the veins in her arms rising and her face
turning red with the effort. Haruka stuck her arms in next to Mamo-
chan, pulling on the dash at the same time. I heard it groan and then
slowly the pressure lifted off my legs.
"NOW!" Haruka spat through gritted teeth, her feet slipping in
the grass as she dug her heels in the ground.
Mamo-chan put one arm behind my back and one under my legs and
pulled me out sideways, nearly falling back onto the ground himself.
Haruka slid down onto the ground, bringing a shaking hand up to wipe
the sweat off her forehead. I could see Makoto, lying back in the
passenger seat, a shaky smile on her lips.
Rei was knelt down beside me, worriedly looking at my forehead.
"How did you all ...?" I mumbled. Coming down the hill as fast as they
could without tumbling down headfirst were Ami, Michiru and Setsuna--
followed closely by two men in uniforms carrying a portable stretcher
between them.
I couldn't get a word in edgewise as I was securely strapped to
the stretcher and carried back up the hill to the waiting ambulance.
Mamo-chan climbed in the back with the paramedic and we took off the
hospital. Every time I tried to speak, Mamo-chan would whisper
everything was going to be ok, and place his finger over my lips. Was I
worse than I thought? Why wouldn't he let me speak?
In less than five minutes time we pulled in front of the hospital
and I was wheeled inside, Mamo-chan running alongside the stretcher the
entire time. The abruptness of the bright light and the tiles speeding
by on the ceiling made my head pound and my vision blur. I groaned,
closing my eyes to block out the sight.
I must have fainted, though I didn't realize it at the time. When
I next opened my eyes, I was laying in a hospital bed in a semi-dark
room. The room was silent save for my breathing. I tilted my head to
the side towards the door where I could see a light from under the door
and hear voices. "Mamo... chan..." I whispered, my mouth dry and my
lips so chapped they burned when I moved my mouth. "Minna...?"
"Usako?" a deep voice mumbled from my other side. "Hey baby," my
soul mate whispered, reaching over from where he was sitting in a chair
next to my bed to grab my hand and squeeze it in his own. "How do you
feel?"
"Thirsty," I mumbled, smiling slightly. Mamo-chan brought a cup
of ice water with a straw to my lips like he would one of our children
and allowed me to drink. Thankfully I ran my tongue over my parched
lips so that they moved more easily. "Thanks."
After putting the cup down, Mamo-chan reached out, running his
fingers down the side of my face. "Your head still hurt?" he whispered
softly, his eyes full of emotions that caused them to glass over and
shine in the light spilling from under the door.
Confused, I burrowed my eyebrows together. "Um, no," I replied. I
couldn't recall ever saying my head was hurting, although it had been.
In fact, there was so much I couldn't recall--but one thing stood out
among them all: "Mamo-chan, where's Chibi-Usa? Is she all right?"
"She's fine, baby," he whispered in my ear, brushing my bangs
away from my forehead. "Just rest, ok? The kids are fine."
I tried to move towards him, but something was holding me down. I
pushed against the bed sheets, yearning to reach out to touch my
husband's face, but couldn't. Panic crept into my eyes as I writhed and
struggled. Mamoru stood up, gently but firmly holding me to the bed.
"Don't, ok? Just rest. I'm right here," he whispered, sitting back down
and reaching out to entwine his fingers with my own.
I felt tears fill my eyes and I turned from him to look at the
door. My mind was racing, trying to remember anything that happened
from the time I had seen the white light to when I woke up--and from
when we entered the hospital to now. But try as I might, I couldn't
remember. That time was gone and nothing but blankness greeted me when
I tried to recover something. I bit my lip, trying to move my legs up;
to turn over--but I couldn't move. I turned my head again towards my
soul mate, tears falling down my face. "Mamo-chan, why can't I move?"
I saw Mamo-chan bite his lip, as he struggled with words. His
mouth moved like a fish out of water, but no words came out. He sighed,
reaching over to kiss my forehead gently. "Just rest, please. I promise
I'll be right here beside you."
He looked away and again I tried to move my legs. "What is it
you're not telling me, Mamo-chan?" I whispered through my tears. "Why
can't I get up? What's going on?!"
I could see my husband struggling with himself, his face still
turned so that all I could see was half his face and his dark hair.
Moments ticked by and still he didn't look at me. Again I tried to get
up, pressing my legs against whatever was holding me down. "Please,
Mamo-chan," I cried. "I can't move..."
Suddenly Mamo-chan jumped up, fumbling around with something on
the side of the bed. As he worked the pressure from my legs and chest
suddenly released. Mamo-chan put the side railing on the bed down and
swept me into his arms, nearly in tears when he spoke. "I'm sorry,
Usako. I'm sorry..." he mumbled, his arms locked tightly around me as I
felt his lips kiss my head over and over again.
All the while I struggled to understand what was going on. But I
couldn't remember... "Mamo-chan, what? What's happening? Please tell
me," I moaned, my arms wrapping tightly around his neck. "Please..."
My husband picked me up like a baby cradled in his arms and sat
down in the chair beside the bed, my body still curled up in his lap.
There was a slight twinge of pain that shot through my body, but I
ignored it. The crystal had obviously been restoring me, even as I
slept, because the rest of my body didn't hurt at all. My legs hanging
over the side of the chair, I laid against Mamo-chan's chest, hearing
his heartbeat thudding underneath his thin t-shirt. "Mamo-chan?" I
whispered.
"Shhh," he mumbled, his face still pressed in my hair. He
swallowed hard, his heart beat seeming to speed up slightly. "You...
you don't remember anything?"
I shook my head, finally able to trap my tears in my eyes. Mamo-
chan took a deep breath, his arms pulling me tighter against his body.
"They brought you in and you started screaming..." his voice shook as
he arms held me even tighter still, almost like he was afraid I'd
disappear if he didn't hold me with all his strength. "You screamed and
said your head hurt... your eyes... oh God..." he shuttered, trying to
clear his throat to speak. "And your whole body was shaking, and
convulsing and... and they tied you to the bed so you wouldn't hurt
yourself..." And he stopped, tears falling on my head as his chest
shook. "God Usako, I was so... so SCARED. I'd never felt so useless...
I couldn't do anything... and you were screaming for me even though I
was there... and I was so USELESS..."
As he stopped talking, only crying, my body began to tremble.
What had happened to me? Why couldn't I remember it? "Mamo-chan," I
whispered, though my voice squeaked at the end. "What's wrong with me?
I... I don't remember any of that. I'm... I'm scared, Mamo-chan."
Mamo-chan dipped his head down, kissing my forehead, eyes and
softly my lips. "It's ok, Usako. I'm here. Remember that. I'll NEVER
leave you; never." His body was still shaking, his salty tears falling
onto my face and sliding down my cheek. I leaned up, burring my face in
his neck as he held me close to him, his lips at my ear whispering over
and over again: "I love you, Usako. So much..."
I don't know how long we sat there, holding each other tightly.
It was as if the world was falling down around us and in a way it was.
Our world was crumbling, the happy world that I had grown accustomed to
in the last two years. It had started the night Chibi-Usa had woken up,
her face locked in terror... and she hadn't known I was there... just
like I hadn't realized Mamo-chan was. "Oh God," I whispered,
realization dawning on me. "Mamo-chan... Chibi-Usa..."
"What about her?" he mumbled, his face still pressed in my hair.
"What you just said about a minute ago, it was just like Chibi-
Usa, Mamo-chan. That night she was in the kitchen, and she didn't know
I was there..."
My husband's body suddenly felt rigid and tense under me, and he
stood, placing me on the bed. I opened my mouth in question, but he
kissed me on the lips, his fingers lingering on the side of my face.
"I'll be right back," he said and the next thing I heard was the click
of the door shutting behind him.
I lay back, wondering where my clothes were. If I could find
them, I thought, I'd go after him. The overwhelming feeling of just
wanting to hold my girls next to me was making my body tremble and my
heart pound. I just wanted to feel that everything was all right; that
they were all right-- when I knew, deep down, it wasn't. Everything was
so very wrong. Would this ever end?
The door opened again and I jerked my head up curiously. "Mamo-
chan?" I breathed, waiting to see his blue eyes and dark hair as he
turned the corner.
But it wasn't my husband that came in my room, it was Minako and
she was holding a bag in her left arm. Like a spy hiding from the inky
minions of evil, she stole into the room quietly, shutting the door
behind her. She walked quickly over to the bed and deposited the bag at
my feet. "Come on, Usagi-chan, we're getting you out of here," she
whispered, taking out a pair of jeans, t-shirt, and shoes.
I nodded, not questioning how I was going to walk out of a
hospital without being released. I assumed Mamo-chan was taking care of
that. I stood up, another slight pain coursing through my body as
Minako untied the hospital gown at my back and I slid on the jeans and
shirt. I was just tying my sneakers when Mamo-chan came back in the
room. "You ready?" he asked, looking anxiously to the door.
"Why are we leaving?" I mumbled. I trusted Mamo-chan with my
life, but still I was puzzled when clearly this was a quick descision,
not thought out completely. And that wasn't Mamo-chan's way.
Mamo-chan pulled the bandage from my head, revealing the smooth
skin beneath that he slowly slid his finger across. "Usako, as helpful
as the Ginzuishou is to your health, I'm afraid that it would be hard
to explain it away." Mamo-chan pulled me close to him, kissing my
forehead gently. "Have you got everything?"
I nodded and we started out; Minako searched over the room again
before following us to the hall. She caught up with us, her eyes
betraying a slight worry and excitement. We walked out of the hospital
without incident and got into Mamo-chan's car. I stared at the passing
scenery with little interest as she flew down the practically empty
streets of Tokyo. I caught sight of Minako in the rearview mirror and
turned in my seat. "Minako-chan?"
"Hmm?" she mumbled, focusing her eyes on me rather than the
window. "Did you say something?"
I smiled softly and she seemed to relax some. "You ok?" I asked.
She nodded, but didn't look very convincing. I reached back, placing my
hand on hers. "You can tell me, Minako-chan," I assured her.
She let out a deep breath upwards that caused her bangs to blow
up and away from her eyes. She shook her head, smiling slightly. "I
can't believe we just did that."
"Did what?" I mumbled, looking at her questionably.
"You know," Minako continued, again shaking her head as if to
convince herself it was ok. "We're Senshi, so we do things different
than everyone else, right? Bend the rules once in a while. But we've
never... well, out right broke a law in the process."
I blinked, still confused. Out of the corner of my eye I saw
Mamo-chan smile. "Minako, we didn't break a law getting Usako out of
the hospital. I'm a doctor there, I signed the release papers."
"But you weren't suppose to," Minako pointed out.
My husband shrugged as we slowed down and pulled into Minako's
driveway. "It's ok, though. I'll smooth it over," he assured her,
putting the car in park and opening his door. His eyes seemed to catch
something and he sat back down in his seat, looking worried. "Eh,
Minako, whose car is that?"
The blonde in the backseat blinked, leaning forward to squint out
at the dark drive. Her eyes wondered from the car to the lights on in
the house and she suddenly frowned. "Oh no, my parents..." she
whispered, her hand unconsciously reaching up to her throat. "What are
they doing home?"
Mamo-chan got out of the car, pulling the seat up for Minako to
get out as I got out on the other side. I had never meet Minako's
parents. They traveled from country to country on a seemingly endless
holiday. From what I had gathered from small bits Minako had said, they
hadn't been home for more than three weeks since she was sixteen. They
paid the bills and sent money and gifts to buy their conscience away
and Artemis had practically been Minako's parent from then on.
Minako stood next to the car, her hand gripped tightly on the
door handle and she looked like she was debating going in. I came
around the car, putting my hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Come on,
MinaP*, it can't be that bad. We'll go in with you."
"We'd better," Mamo-chan suddenly said, still studying the look
of horror on Minako's face. "Our kids are in there."
I let out a deep breath, putting my arm around Minako's shoulders
and hugging her reassuringly. "Come on, we have to go in. No use in
putting it off."
She nodded, though didn't look much relived by my words. We went
up the walkway and to the front door where Minako fumbled with her key
for a moment, still casting longing looks back at the car. She finally
got the key in the door and opened it. The foyer light was on, but
silent as we stepped in. We took our shoes off and followed Minako into
the empty living room. "I wonder where they--"
Her words were sharply cut off. And I mean sharply. A slim blonde
woman came through the double doors on the far end of the living room
that lead to the opposite hall, her high pitched shrill voice enough to
make me long to cover my ears. "Mina, darling! There you are! We've
been looking for you!" she greeted. Minako groaned so quietly that I'm
sure Mamo-chan and I were the only ones to hear it.
Quite frankly, all I could do was stare at this wisp of a woman.
She looked like a china doll on acid. That's how shrill and bubbling
her voice was. Her face was made up so perfectly, her skin smooth and
wrinkle free. Her slim body was adorned with a black floor length dress
that made her peaches and cream skin seem to glow. Her blonde hair was
swept up in a French twist with small pearl clips gently holding it
back. Her blue eyes looked identical to Minako's, only Minako didn't
wear make-up to exaggerate her eyelashes like this woman did. She
grasped Minako's shoulders lightly, pecking each of her cheeks so
lightly I'm not sure she even touched her skin at all. "Well, dear,
come on!" she laughed. "Is this a way to greet your mother?"
"Hello, mother," Minako bit out, her hands still at her sides. In
all my years of knowing Minako, I had never heard her sound so hateful.
She took a curious look behind the woman, almost as if she were afraid
of what she might see. "Where's father?" she mumbled, trying to back
away from her mother's ever tightening grip on her shoulders.
The woman acted like Minako had bubbled over at the sight of her,
taking no notice to how her daughter's jaw was clenched. She ignored
Minako's question and cast a sideways glance at Mamo-chan and I,
debating, it seemed, on whether to introduce herself or ask Minako to
do it. Finally she smiled, though forcefully, at Minako. "Are you going
to introduce me to your... friends?"
Minako's still posture didn't relax a bit as she stared at her
mother with loathing. "This is my best friend Chiba Usagi and her
husband, Mamoru."
Her mother blinked, obviously she knew nothing about us at all. I
gave a weak smile as she grasped my hand for a split second then
recoiled from it back like I had a disease. Her eyes lingered on Mamo-
chan for a moment longer before a smile rose up on her lips. A smile I
had seen on many girls when they stared at Mamo-chan; a look of
appreciation and lust. I felt disgusted as she reached out to grasp
Mamo-chan's hand, holding it far longer than she had mine or even
Minako's. "Hello dears," she greeted, talking mainly to my husband who
looked dumbfounded at her affectionate gaze. "My name is Mayumi. It's
such a pleasure to meet you," she beamed.
Anger boiled up in my throat as I watched her. Without hiding my
feelings in the slightest, I moved closer to my husband and he put his
arm around me. "Mamo-chan, let's go check on the kids, ne?" I said.
She let go of Mamo-chan's hand almost instantly. "Kids, you
say?" she mumbled, disappointment dripping from her voice.
"Yes, they have two children," Minako barked out, walking past
her mother to the doorway. "If you had been searching for me as well as
you say, you would have seen them asleep in my bedroom." Minako stalked
out into the hall, leaving Mamo-chan and I to silently follow her.
Without a word, Minako stomped up the carpeted steps and down the hall
to her room.
Lying in the middle of the bed was Makoto. She peeked one brown
eye open then jumped up, nearly crashing into me with a force not
unlike that of a hurricane. "Usagi-chan, you're ok?! Thank God you're
here!" she gasped, throwing her free arm around Minako. "Did you *see*
that woman with the animal hung over her shoulders?" She gave a shiver,
hugging herself. "I'll have nightmares for weeks! She opened the door,
saw me, screamed and went out."
Minako sat down in a chair adjacent to the bed, a smile finally
breaking out on her lips. "That was my mother, Mako-chan. I imagine she
was just as appalled by you as you was her," Minako explained, again
giving a hateful glare towards the door.
Makoto sat down on the bed again, her hands twisting in front of
her. "Your mother? Wow, I've known you for seven years and I've never
meet her," Makoto mumbled, not sounding disappointed, but surprised.
Keri, hearing the racket around the room, sat up in the travel
crib she had been sleeping in and blinked around curiously until her
eyes fell on me. Suddenly she scrambled to her feet, her arms waving in
the air. "Mama! Mama!" she yelled. At the same time on a pallet in the
floor, Chibi-Usa also sat up, her eyes staring at me in disbelief.
I scooped Keri up and sat down on the floor, holding her close.
Chibi-Usa crawled over to me, burying her face in my chest as I wrapped
an arm around her while she cried. I felt a familiar stinging of tears
in my eyes as I heard her sobs, but I couldn't say anything to her. To
either of my children. I could only hold them close to my pounding
heart. The two most precious things in my life, safe and with me. If
only this could last forever...
Keri contently fell back asleep after fighting it for half an
hour. Mamo-chan gently pulled her from my arms and kissed her small
cheek before placing her back in the crib and covering her up. Chibi-
Usa had stopped crying, but still sniffled every now and then. I pulled
her into my lap, kissing her forehead as I rocked back and forth, a few
silent tears falling from my eyes. There had been a time, not too many
hours ago, that I feared I would never be able to hold my daughters
again. My heart thudding painfully in my chest, I now hugged Chibi-Usa
as close to me as I could get her.
I hadn't noticed that Makoto and Minako had left the room, I paid
little attention as Mamo-chan reached down, kissed Chibi-Usa's head and
walked quietly out of the room. I just hugged my arms around Chibi-Usa
and rocked back and forth, beginning to hum a tune I knew so well...
Chibi-Usa's small, tear induced voice rose up to me as if from far
away.
"You are my sunshine.... my only sunshine...." she sang, her
tears stopped and her huge blue eyes, so like Mamo-chan's, staring at
me as her lips moved. "When you're not happy, my sky's are gray..."
"You'll never know, dear, how much I love you," I whispered,
staring into those eyes. This life I had carried inside of me for seven
months... those beautiful eyes... "So please don't take my sunshine
away..."
I finished singing, still rocking Chibi-Usa back and forth
slightly. Her hands reached up to wrap around my neck and I held her
close to me, kissing her head while staring at long wavy strawberry
colored hair. "Mama?" she whispered softly in my ear. Without a doubt
it was the most beautiful word ever created. "I'm ready to tell you my
secret."
I nodded as she settled back down in my lap, her blue eyes
staring up at me. I slid my hand over her forehead and down her cheek,
cupping her face so that I could kiss her head. "It's ok, Chibi-Usa.
Take your time."
She played with the edge of my sleeve for a moment, staring
intently at it, though I'm not sure she was seeing anything but what
she was thinking about. "Mama, there's a... a boy. He's trapped and he
can't move..." she ground a tear out of her eye with her fist, still
not looking directly at me. "He... he needs me, he said. He becomes
this beautiful horse, with wings and a golden horn sticking out of his
head. That's how he comes to me. But he's not safe, because a bad woman
is hurting his body... Mama," she sat further up, staring at me with
her watery blue eyes. "Can you and Papa help him? Can you stop the bad
lady from hurting him anymore? He... he needs help."
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice calm as I spoke.
"Chibi-Usa, is that what was in your bedroom?"
She nodded, looking down. "I know you were mad at me," she
whispered. "But he said if I told someone the evil lady would know
where he was and she would hurt him... she would... kill him. And he's
my friend, Mama! I don't want the lady to hurt him anymore!"
I hugged her closer, trying to work through all she had said. So
Ami had been right, that *had* been unicorn blood she found at my
house. A flying unicorn. My mind reeled. My daughter had been keeping a
flying unicorn in her room! "Chibi-Usa, why couldn't me or your Papa
seem him? Or Minako?" I asked softly, gently urging her to tell me more
details.
Chibi-Usa shrugged. "I guess you don't believe." She again stared
up at me, more wisdom trapped in her eyes than I thought possible for a
four (nearly five, I amended) year old. "Mama, he saved me tonight. The
bad lady gave you bad dreams, but he came and took me away before...
before..." Flashes of the passenger side of the car, empty, came back
to me. "I told him to help you, but he is weak... he hurt because he
helped me. Mama, I'm scared for him. You will help him, won't you?"
I nodded, rocking her back and forth again. "Hai, Chibi-Usa, I'll
do what I can," I mumbled, my mind nearly in shock. An evil lady who
sent nightmares? A flying unicorn who turns into a boy? ...who turns
into a boy... Oh my God--Helios! What Ami said was true!
Chibi-Usa had fallen asleep in my arms, which I was thankful for.
In sleep she would be able to forget all that had happened for a few
blissful hours. Carefully I placed her head back on the pillow and
covered her up, getting to my feet shakily. Keri was still asleep, her
small hands curled up beneath her chin. I reached down, kissing her
warm forehead before going out the door and downstairs where I found
Minako, Makoto and Mamo-chan sitting in the living room. I sat down
next to Mamo-chan, burying my face in my hands.
"Usako?" Mamo-chan said worriedly, his hand rubbing my back
soothingly. "You ok?"
I shook my head, longing to bury myself in his arms and forget
everything. Instead I lifted my head up to greet three sets of worried
eyes staring at me intently. "We... we need to call minna..." I
mumbled.
Makoto didn't even ask, she just fumbled in her pocket for her
communicator. She looked up before pushing the button, looking not at
me or Mamo-chan, but Minako. "Do you think we should do this at Usagi's
place? I don't know what your parents would say about having six more
people coming over in the middle of the night."
Minako nodded, looking worriedly at the doorway like she expected
her parents to come bursting through it any moment. "Yeah, that would
be better. I don't really want to stay around here tonight anyways. Not
with my mother on the loose somewhere."
Makoto smiled reassuringly at Minako and pushed the button on her
communicator. As she filled everyone in on what was happening, Mamo-
chan and I went back upstairs to get the kids. Minako followed,
gathering everything back into the small suitcase with the kid's things
in it. "Probably for the best anyways," she said, putting some of her
own belongings into a backpack. "I don't think Haruka and my mother
would get along too well."
I stifled a giggled, picking Keri up and putting her head on my
shoulder and putting a blanket over her. Mamo-chan was carrying Chibi-
Usa in much the same fashion in one arm, holding the packed up portable
crib in the other. As we went down the hall, one of the double doors to
her parent's suite opened up, revealing her mother in a long fancy
nightgown, her hair still pulled up like she was going to throw a dress
on and go dancing. "Mina, dear, where are you going?"
"I'm staying at Usagi's for a while," Minako replied stiffly, not
looking back as she started down the steps.
Her mother smiled, again seemingly oblivious to the fact that
Minako seemed to want to get as far away from her as possible. "Okay,
dear," she said in a singsong voice. Keri looked up and her mother
gasped, as if just realizing Mamo-chan and I were holding children.
"Oh, what a sweet baby," she giggled, coming over to peer closer at
Keri. Keri, most unlike her normal chipper self, recoiled back from the
woman who had woke her. Mayumi poked at her side, trying, I assumed, to
tickle her. She was rewarded with a loud, blood-curling scream from my
youngest daughter.
Mayumi, taken aback, moved quickly backwards, nearly tripping
over her long nightgown. "Oh my," she mumbled. Mamo-chan, looking
angry, took Keri from me and tried to calm her down as I picked up the
crib. He kissed her forehead gently, whispering soothing words in her
ear while she continued to scream. Of course, hearing a loud wailing
like that was enough to wake the dead, and Chibi-Usa blinked back her
sleep, looking up curiously to see who was trying to kill Keri.
Mamo-chan put her down, and instantly my four year old stumbled
over to me, hugging my leg and glaring at Mayumi for making Keri cry. I
looked back up to see someone else emerge from Minako's parent's suite.
I couldn't help the gasp that came from my mouth. The man standing in
his pajama pants and robe was easily Mamo-chan's age, if not younger.
Minako obviously had no idea either, because behind me I heard her
stifle a gasp. She came back up the stairs, glaring at her mother.
"Who the hell is that?!" she demanded, staring him up and down.
Mayumi's face turned deathly pale, making her make-up seem loud
and clownish. Her eyes were huge as they skipped guiltily from Minako
to the man standing beside her. "This is... this is..." the older woman
faltered, her hands moving around like they had minds of their own.
"This is not good..." she muttered.
The man beside her stepped forward, though I could see Mayumi's
eyes practically begging him not to. He extended his hand to Minako,
who glared at him, daring him to take another step closer. "I'm Hui
Nakaga, you must be Minako. I've heard so much about you."
"I can't say the same," Minako spat, her eyes locked on her
nervous mother. "What is the meaning of this? Where is father?"
Mayumi looked pathetic, so different from the poise woman I had
seen downstairs just an hour before. She ran forward, grasping Minako's
hands in hers. "Mina, darling, you must listen to mother. I was
miserable with your father... and Nakaga has saved me from that..."
I turned, feeling it wasn't our place to listen to this
conversation. Mamo-chan took the hint and followed me downstairs where
we meet up with Makoto. "Chibi-Usa, go with Mako-chan and your Papa,
ok? I'm going to make sure Minako-chan is ok."
My eldest nodded and Mako-chan lifted her up. "Mo**, Chibi-Usa-
chan, you're getting so heavy," the taller woman mumbled as she carried
her outside.
Swallowing, I went into the living room and waited. I didn't
have to wait long. Just a few minutes later I heard Mayumi screaming
for Minako as the blonde ran down the stairs, tears shining in her blue
eyes. Mayumi came to the top of the steps, Nakaga right behind her.
"Mina! Please don't leave! Say you'll come back!"
Minako turned, her fist clinched at her side. "NO! I won't be
back! I don't care if I EVER see you again!"
"Minako-chan?" I said softly from where I stood in the living
room.
She gasped, turning to me. "Usagi-chan?" she whispered, her eyes
darting to the stairs again where her mother stood. She shook her head
and went to the front door. I followed her, feeling so sad for her as
she shut the front door and wiped the tears from her face determinedly.
I climbed in the car with Mamo-chan quietly, Minako getting in
Mako-chan's car. We started off for my house, arriving just as another
vehicle pulled up behind us. I squinted through the brightness of the
headlights. "That's Haruka's car," I told Mamo-chan.
Chibi-Usa suddenly squealed from the back seat. "Hotaru-chan?"
"Not tonight, young lady," I told her as we got out and I hoisted
Keri up on my shoulder. "It's nearly 3a.m. you're going to bed." I went
ahead and took the children in the house as Mamo-chan waited for
everyone else. I had just gotten Keri down when Minako slipped in the
nursery looking more nervous than I had ever seen her. "MinaP?"
She gave me a halfhearted smile, going over to the crib and
looking down at Keri. "Usagi-chan, I have a question..." she began,
still looking nervous. "I... I don't want to go back to that house
again. I just... just can't. I was wondering if I could--could stay
with you and Mamoru-san for a couple of nights. And then, I dunno, I
could stay over at Mako-chan's for a while, I guess... until I can get
my own place."
Biting my lip, I walked over and hugged her tightly. "Minako-
chan, you know you can stay here as long as you like. Don't worry about
a thing, ne? We're all here for you."
Minako hugged me just as tightly as I did her. "Thank you, Usagi-
chan. I promise I won't be a burden, really. I'll help with the kids
and everything."
We parted and Minako wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. I
laughed softly, going to the door. "After a few days here, you might
not be thanking me so much," I told her, thinking about Keri's
destructiveness, not to mention every other weird thing that had been
happening lately. Which reminded me of all Chibi-Usa had told me. "We'd
better get in there. I guess Ami-chan and Rei-chan are here by now."
Minako nodded and we went into the living room.
Just as I had predicted, there were seven senshi waiting
patiently in the living room when I walked in. "What took you?" Haruka
said as soon as she seen me in the doorway. My bad; six patient senshi.
"Just putting the kids back to bed, hopefully for the last time
tonight," I said, sitting next to Mamo-chan, his arm automatically
wrapping around my shoulder. Minako sat in the floor in front of the
couch. "So, since I called you all here, let's begin, ne? I'm sure by
now everyone knows the story of what happened with Chibi-Usa a couple
of nights ago, right?" Everyone nodded their heads before I continued.
"Ami found a weird substance in Chibi-Usa's bedroom, on the broken
glass. She suspected it to be unicorn's blood."
"Unicorn?" Makoto asked dumbfounded. She looked over at Ami.
"There's no such thing, right? I mean, that's just a myth..."
I gaped at Mako-chan, as well as half of the other people in the
room. No one had ever, as far as I knew, questioned what Ami said. We
all took it as if her word were law, it was just common knowledge that
Ami--well, she just *wasn't* wrong.
Ami smiled at Makoto like she were a child who had to be told
fire would hurt her; she just didn't know any better. "The Moon Kingdom
existed, did it not? The Silver Millennium, life on other planets,
magic powers, reincarnation--we are all living proof of that. Yet if we
were to go broadcast our story, people would say what you just did--
that it was just a myth. Now, the sample of silvery liquid on the
broken glass was unicorn blood, am I not right, Usagi-chan?" The blue
haired senshi looked at me, and quite frankly, if I had disagreed with
what she said, I wouldn't have admitted it then. She looked on the
border of insanity.
"H-Hai," I said quickly. "There is a story in Greek Mythology
that speaks of a Golden Kingdom that exists beneath our world, a
beautiful kingdom where a priest rules. Helios. At will, he can turn
into a flying unicorn, a Pegasus."
"Wait," Haruka said, not looking totally convinced this had
anything to do with the new enemy. "Are you saying that this flying
horse, this Helios, is what was in Chibi-Usa's bedroom?"
I nodded my head, leaning back softly. Ginzuishou healing or not,
I was still slightly sore. Rei's mouth opened and closed, but she said
nothing. Haruka was staring at me with the most peculiar expression on
her face; in fact, only four people seemed to believe me at that
moment--Ami, Mamo-chan, Setsuna and Hotaru.
Haruka leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and
spreading her hands wide. "Okay, let's say for a second that there is a
Golden Kingdom, and that this horse is real. Why Chibi-Usa? Why can't
we see it?"
"We don't have the pure eyes of a child," Setsuna suddenly said,
having said nothing so far, I had almost forgotten she was leaning
against the kitchen door frame.
I nodded again, letting out a deep breath. "When I asked Chibi-
Usa why I couldn't see Helios, she said I didn't believe. She also told
me his body was trapped by an evil lady who hurt him. And that same
lady had sent bad dreams to me."
"I think that's why Usako wrecked the car tonight," Mamo-chan
said beside me, his arm tightening it's grip on my shoulders. "So this
is a formidable enemy, but thankfully she seems to be in the first
stages of her attacks. We may still have a lead on her if we start
looking now."
How wrong it was.
--End Chapter 3.
*MinaP is a nickname Usagi had for Minako in the manga, she pretends to
not like it, but I think she does ;)
**Mo translates to "geez" in Japanese. Just a slang word or something.
And here we are! Yay! Chapter 3! Now, it might be a while before the
next chapter, I'm going to get the remaining chapters of "Beyond the
Staff" out so that I can focus mainly on this story.
HUGE thanks to everyone who emails me! And reviews! *huggles minna,
grabs her editor in, along with random people from the street* Yes,
it's a group hug!! ^_^ Heehee, life has been pretty good as of late,
I'm just all happily. But ya gotta keep those reviews coming! *hint,
hint*
Disclaimer: Things Bethany owns: a 99' Sunfire, a doggie named Copper,
a job that works me to the bone, a shed full of junky furniture that
means a lot to me no matter what my grandma says I should do with it,
and this story line. Take any of these, you'd better be ready for some
serious problems and/or telling off at least ;) I don't, however, own
Sailor Moon or any related characters that I have borrowed to write
this story, please don't sue me, Christmas is coming up and I have to
have gas money to do volunteer work ^_^
Love, hugs, reviews and japanese food!
3 Bethany
11-13-02