This takes place ten years after Sailor Stars, so the inner senshi are in their mid-twenties, Haruka and Michiru are in their late-twenties, Setsuna is in her late-twenties or early thirties, Hotaru is twenty-two or twenty-three (not sure how old she was in Stars, but I'm estimating her age here since she was 12 in the S series), and Chibi-Usa is almost 5.

Summary: When their four-year-old daughter Risa becomes ill, Rei and Yūichirou take her to the hospital and learn that she has leukemia.

The Little Warrior

Prologue: Happy Birthday Risa!

- March 25, 2007 -

Hikawa Shrine was buzzing with activity as Rei and Yūichirou, with the help of their friends, decorated the house in preparation for their daughter's fourth birthday party. Risa had asked for a Hello Kitty themed party and her parents were more than happy to oblige. They couldn't believe she was already four. It didn't feel like that much time had passed.

Rei and Yūichirou got married after Rei's graduation from Tokyo University and a few months later, Rei became pregnant. They were overjoyed with this news. Her grandfather passed away the year before due to complications of triple bypass surgery, but Rei knew that if he were alive, he would have been just as proud.

Risa was born on March 25, 2003, named after Rei's late mother. She was the picture of health, never sick beyond a common cold and always energetic and strong-willed like her mother with her father's mild temper. Her hair was dark brown and her eyes a deep violet.

"Rei-chan, you need any help with that?" Ami offered as she walked into the main room to see Rei carrying wrapped boxes to the table.

"No thanks Ami-chan. I got it." the raven haired woman replied as she organized the gifts.

"You know, you shouldn't work yourself so hard." the blue haired senshi chastised mildly as she pointed to the small bulge in her friend's belly. Rei was currently three, almost four months along with her second child and due in early September.

"I know. Yūichirou gets on me about it all the time." She chuckled.

"Is there anything else you need help with?"

"Yeah. Could you please put up the rest of the streamers? Usagi tried to do it earlier, but the klutz nearly fell off the ladder so I made her help with something else instead." Ami laughed and carefully taped the pink and lavender crêpe paper strips with Hello Kitty faces along the walls and doorways. The two women had just finished decorating when they heard the sound of a car horn outside. Rei went to check it out and saw Makoto lifting bags of food out of the trunk of her black 2001 Toyota Corolla.

"Here, let me grab those, Mako-chan." Rei said, picking up some of the bags.

"Sure. I appreciate it." Yūichirou, Ami, Minako, and Usagi rushed to help as well and in almost no time at all, they brought the bags inside.

Yūichirou kissed his wife on the lips and went to Risa's room to wake her from her nap. A little while later, Risa excitedly ran through the house dressed in her favorite purple dress, white tights, and black patent leather dress shoes. Her hair was in a partial ponytail which was held in place by a glittery pink heart clip. The weather was still a bit chilly, so she wore a white button-down sweater over her dress.

"Wow! Look at all these presents, Mama!" She shouted as she saw the mountain of gifts all over the table. Minako giggled and attempted to lure the child away from them.

"Why don't we save those until your party, Risa-chan. How about we go check out the bounce house?" She offered.

"Yay! Can you go in with me, Auntie Minako?"

"You bet!"

"Get your jacket, Risa. It's cold out there." Yūichirou warned.

"Okay Papa." He helped her put on her jacket and Rei couldn't help but grin as he started to put a hat, scarf, and heavy gloves on her as well.

"Yūichirou, it's fifty degrees. She doesn't need all that!" The girls laughed in amusement at his almost comical attempt to dress his daughter.

"I guess you're right, Rei."

"Wait up, guys! I'm going with you." Usagi said as she readjusted her jacket and followed them out to the inflatable play structure. Rei, Ami, and Makoto put the finishing touches on the food as Mamoru arrived with Chibi-Usa, who greeted the girls quickly and ran to the bounce house to play with Risa. Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna arrived not long after. Hotaru called earlier, telling Yūichirou she'd be a little late because of her part time job and she had to stop home to pick up her gift. Risa's friends from preschool came too and they went bananas at the sight of the 'jumping thing' as they called it and even more so, the cake. It took some sort of convincing or bribery from their parents to keep them from sticking their fingers into the icing before anyone had a chance to slice it.

Hotaru finally arrived around 4:30 or 4:45, just in time for Risa to open her gifts. Risa beamed with delight as she tore through the bows and wrapping paper.

"Mama, look! A Hello Kitty card!" She squealed, holding up a ¥5,000 gift card for the Sanrio store. Sanrio was one of her favorite shops. She knew exactly what she wanted to buy with it: a Hello Kitty drawing board.

"Wow! That's awesome."

"Can we go there after my party?"

"It'll be almost bed time when the party's over. Maybe another day, okay?"

"Okay."

"What do you say, Risa?" Yūichirou reminded, trying to get her to use her manners.

"Thank you Auntie Makoto."

"You're very welcome." Makoto replied and handed her another gift.

"To Risa, Happy birthday! Love, Auntie Usagi and family." Risa read, carefully sounding out the words on the gift tag, a skill she had learned when she was only three-and-a-half. Then she opened it and inside was a baby doll that came with its own food, bottle, and diapers. To go with it, she got a doll stroller that held two dolls. She thanked Usagi, Mamoru, and Chibi-Usa and finished opening the rest of her presents. She got new handmade outfits from Setsuna, a collection of children's books from Ami, a portable karaoke machine from Minako, ¥10,000 in cash from Haruka and Michiru, Easy Bake Oven from Usagi's parents complete with baking mixes, tickets to Tokyo Disneyland from Yūichirou's parents, Barbie dolls, a pretend food set, toy shopping cart, and a toy medical kit from her friends, a twenty-one inch Hello Kitty plush doll from Hotaru, and Hello Kitty outfits, dress-up costumes, kids' makeup and jewelry, and a gold aquamarine birthstone locket with her name engraved from her parents.

"Risa, close your eyes. Papa and I have one more special surprise for you," Rei told her. Risa smiled and did as she was told. After a couple minutes, Rei and Yūichirou returned with a gift too large to be wrapped.

"You can open your eyes now, Sweetie." Yūichirou said. Risa's eyes grew wide and she ran around screaming as she saw a Hello Kitty battery powered coupe.

"Yes! I got a car!"

"Way to go, Risa-chan." Ami replied.

"It's beautiful." Minako added.

"Yeah, it's awesome!" Makoto chimed in.

"Pretty sharp there, little lady." Haruka commented. The little girl got into her car and started to cruise around the house, but Rei made her turn around and take it outside.

"No riding in the house."

"Okay, I'll keep it outside, Mama. I promise." Risa pretended to buckle her seat belt and went for a drive around the property. Haruka and Michiru followed behind her to supervise and steal a few kisses from each other while her parents and the rest of the senshi cleaned up the wrapping paper. Some of the kids went back to the bounce house while the rest either followed Risa around hoping for a turn with the car or played games.

Later, Minako put on a concert for the kids, a clown gave out balloon animals and performed tricks, guests did karaoke and played games, went on pony rides, and pigged out. It was near the end of the night by now and it was time for cake.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Risa! Happy birthday to you!" The group sang as Risa clapped and giggled. She couldn't wait to blow out the candles and jumped at it the moment Rei told her to. The cake had a picture of Hello kitty on it and white frosting with pink, yellow, and purple flowers and the cake itself was a chocolate and vanilla swirl cake with cream and strawberries in the middle. Rei served it, along with cups of coffee and tea for the adults and milk, soda, and juice for the kids and whoever wasn't a tea or coffee drinker.

The party winded down and the guests said their good-byes and left. Rei and Yūichirou allowed Risa to play with her new toys a while before she got ready for bed.

"Alright, you little fireball. Time for your bath." Rei picked up her daughter and carried her into the bathroom. She filled the tub and adjusted the temperature, then she bathed her and dressed her in one of her new night gowns and tucked her into bed.

"What story should we read tonight?" Yūichirou asked her, going through the bookshelf.

"What about 'Sleeping Beauty?'"

"Excellent choice." Yūichirou read the book and by the time he finished, she was fast asleep.

"Sleep tight, Risa-chan. We love you." Rei said as she and Yūichirou kissed her on the good night. Rei turned off the ceiling light, leaving only the night light on and she and Yūichirou cleaned up and got ready for bed themselves.

She leaned towards him and kissed him passionately on the lips and she whispered, "I love you." as she laid her head on his chest.

"I love you too, Baby." He returned the kiss and wrapped one arm around her and placed his other hand on her belly as he whispered an "I love you." to their unborn son or daughter. The couple gave a final kiss and fell asleep.

Hope this turns out well. The plot will start to develop in the next chapter. ¥5,000 ≈ $50 US dollars and ¥10,000 ≈ $100 US dollars.