The last hours had passed quickly to Mina after they had left the Dursleys. She was sitting with Harry and Artemis, who was back in his cat form, to await the arrival of her friends.
Vernon and Petunia had been arrested while Harry and Mina had gotten into the ambulance. They were now in the hospital, Harry in a bed.
Mina watched over Harry in his hospital bed, Artemis perched on the bed next to him. After the heat of the moment had passed, her mind had fully processed what had been happening to the sweet, adorable little boy on the bed. The fact that an innocent child could suffer so much was too much, and it drove her to tears. She knelt by his bedside, his hand clasped in hers, and sobbed miserably for what felt like hours.
"I've never been so mad...Not even at Sailor Galaxia... Artemis... why? How can a normal human be so much crueller than the monsters me and my friends have fought?" Mina asked her companion, remembering the diagnostics.
Had it not been for the assistance from Artemis and the mysterious way in which the child's body seemed to be healing, the situation would be much worse. Even so, the poor boy had symptoms of malnutrition for his short stature, and there was not one part of his skin that was not, cut, burned, or marked in some way. To make matters worse, an X-ray had revealed that he was also suffering major internal bleeding and broken bones.
"I understand it no more than you do, Mina..." Artemis replied solemnly. "It is a terrible thing that man has done... But he's in good hands now. I know you will be the ideal mother for a child such as this." Mina blushed and smiled at the thought.
"His mother..." She breathed. She would be lying if she said the thought didn't appeal to her. The idea of taking care of him, making sure he was eating, singing him lullabies at night, comforting him when he was sad... She was beginning to feel rather giddy at the thought of it.
"And you will not be alone." stated Artemis, seeing some doubt in her eyes. "You have my full support, and that of Luna, and I'm sure the girls will not hesitate to help with the little guy." This contributed to further encourage Mina to go through with her desire to adopt Harry.
"Yes. You're right. He's going to have the best childhood ever. I'll make sure of it." Mina turned to Artemis with a grateful smile. "I'll bet Katherine and Alain can help me become his mother very soon." She then adopted a bitter expression. "And make sure the fat bastard stays put away for a long, long time..."
She heard a soft whimper, and looked down to the unconscious Harry. He seemed to be suffering a nightmare, as his face was contorted in fear and he was shaking, tossing and turning slightly.
Instincts took over, and the blonde tightened her grip on the little boy's hand. "Shhhh..." She whispered in his ear as she stroked his head. "It's okay. It's over now." Her actions seemed to have an immediate calming effect on the boy. He hugged her arm as he slept.
While in his dreams, Harry relived again and again the constant beatings, abuse and insults he received from the Dursleys, wishing with all his heart that someone could help him.
And in that moment, he felt a warm sensation. Loving, protective..., This helped him get into a more restful sleep. The feeling...It was what he would imagine having a mother felt like...He swore he could hear the soft, tender voice of a woman whispering in his ear, telling him it was okay, that he was safe, that his pain and misery was all over now... The little boy whispered one thing in his sleep.
"Mommy..."
Mina swore she heard the little boy whisper something under his breath. She wasn't sure what it was, but for some reason, it envoked a feeling of warmth and love inside of her.
Even though she had just met him, she knew she already loved him, like a mother would.
At that time, Artemis decided to remind Mina of one very important detail.
"On one hand, you don't have to worry about the economic aspect of raising the poor boy, as you're really quite well off... But how will you raise him? I mean, to help this little boy, you'll need to give him all the love and attention you can, and you have such a busy schedule... When you start your next tour and presentations, what will happen to him then?"
Mina looked down at the little boy sadly and stroked his face.
"...I could always bring him with me when I'm on tour...But...How would he make friends...?"
"Well, for one thing, when you can't be by his side, you have a crew that could support you... And it's not as though he's the only child on board. After all, there are members of your crew that bring their children along with them."
"Yes! You're right!" responded a livelier Mina. "My makeup artist and stylist brought their kids with them in our last tour, and it didn't seem too complicated...And I could keep an eye on him all the time!"
"You'd have to talk to your agent, then to your team. Then there's the issue of the paparazzi and the press..."
Mina's eyes glimmered with excitement. She was going to make this work. She was going to have this little boy as her child. And nothing was going to stop her.
Then followed a series of calls between Mina and her manager, Azusa, to explain the situation and decide the best course of action, because the news that such a famous celebrity like Mina adopting a child would be a bomb. There was no telling how it could affect her career. Despite these risks, Mina did not budge from her determination to raise the little boy.
"I don't care what anyone says." Mina said firmly. "I'm adopting this little boy, and no one is going to tell me otherwise."
"But Mina...Are you sure?"
"I'm positive." Mina replied. "The little boy needs someone to love him...And...I do love him!"
With a sigh of resignation, Azusa continued. "Well, you know that you have my support, but I need every detail about him." Azusa said with a tone of no discussion. Mina began to tell her the story of how Harry had been rescued, and what happened to the Dursleys.
"Now I know why you want to help him..." Azusa said sadly. "Does he have a name?"
Mina blinked, then realized she had forgotten something very important.
"Oh dear...I didn't get his name before he fell unconscious..." She said sheepishly.
"I don't think we can go through the procedures without knowing his name." Was Azusa's reply.
Just then, Harry stirred, showing signs of awakening. "Ooh! Azusa? He's waking up now. I'll find out his name...Talk to you later!" And with that, she hung of the phone, ignoring the call of "Mina, wait-"
Harry's eyes slowly fluttered open, and he found himself looking at a small white cat. He cringed and closed his eyes in fear.
"Don't be scared." Harry's eyes opened once more at the familiar voice. He looked up to see the blonde woman who had saved him kneeling by his bedside, smiling warmly at him. "Artemis is a good kitty."
"I told you not to call me that." Artemis replied indignantly. Harry's eyes widened upon seeing a talking cat. Mina rolled her eyes at the cat's response.
"M-Miss? Am...Am I still dreaming?" Harry asked softly. Mina smiled.
"No, sweetheart. You're not dreaming. What gave you that idea?"
"Th-This has to be a dream...Cats don't talk...and pretty people don't talk to people like me nicely..."
Mina giggled at his words.
"You're so sweet." She said softly. "Don't worry, sweetie. This is really happening. You're out of that terrible place, and we're here to get your owies better." She bent over and kissed his forehead. "Now lie down and relax."
Harry lied back down, and looked curiously over to Artemis, who smiled.
"Hello, there. My name is Artemis. What's yours?"
"M-My name is Harry, sir..." Mina was unable to contain herself. She let out a squeal of delight.
"SO ADORABLLLLLLE!" She gushed before kneeling by Harry's side. "Hi, sweetie. I'm Mina. I'm the one who's gonna take care of you from now on."
Harry looked up at Mina, as if she had grown seven heads.
"H-Huh?" He asked, unsure if he had heard correctly. Mina giggled.
"I said I'm going to take care of you." She said.
"What? Why? I'm a freak. Everyone hates me. You should be hitting me, not wanting to take care of me..."
Mina and Artemis exchanged a glance and sighed sadly. Then, Mina sat on the bed with Harry and pulled him into a loving, motherly embrace. "No, honey..." She whispered in his ear with a syrupy sweet tone. "You're NOT a freak. The freak is the man that did this to you...Anyone who would hurt a cutie like you is a freak. But it's okay now. Don't think about that man, or anything he told you, because it's not true. And I won't do anything to hurt you..."
Harry looked down. "D-Do I still have to cook dinner and clean your house and garden?"
Mina frowned. "Well of course not." She said gently.
"But what do I have to do? I have to earn my keep...I can't be useless or you'll throw me out on the streets..."
Mina's shoulders sagged, and she held him tighter and gave him a sad smile.
"You don't have to worry about a thing." She said softly. "Just keep being adorable."
"Y-You really won't leave me?" Harry asked. Mina kissed his cheek.
"I promise I'll always be there for you." She said gently before giggling. "And what kind of superhero would I be if I couldn't keep that promise?" She said with a wink.
"S-Superhero...?" Harry said, confused. Mina smirked, then gently placed him down on his bed and climbed out, before activating her powers. Harry blinked when he saw his new caretaker was now wearing a sailor shirt, an orange miniskirt, and orange flat shoes.
"Yes, Harry. Superhero. I am a Sailor Scout, fighting for love and beauty. I am Sailor Venus, and I will take care of you in the name of Venus!" She said in a playfully dramatic voice.
Harry teared up slightly. A superhero had come to his rescue, and she was going to take care of him... Venus saw his tears, and frowned before approaching. She got back in the bed with him, and held him in her arms, gently rocking him to and fro while softly humming Moonlight Destiny, one of her hits, in his ear.
The sound of her soft, soothing voice made Harry drowsy. Snuggling in closer and clutching at the shirt of her sailor's uniform, he rested his head on her chest, and was asleep in the span of ten seconds. As soon as he was asleep, he raised his tiny fist to his mouth and began to suck his thumb, his other hand still clutching at Sailor Venus.
Mina's heart melted at the sight. She had never, in her life, seen something so beautiful and adorable...She made herself a promise. She would gladly give up everything, even her life, in order to see Harry living the happy life that he deserved.
Her cell phone rang, and she answered it, blushing when she remembered she had hung up on Azusa. "Sorry, Azusa..." She said sheepishly. "My son woke up...But he's asleep again...But...I found out my new baby boy's name is Harry. Harry Aino..."
"Good." Azusa replied, the sound of a pen writing on paper audible over the receiver. "Little Harry's in good hands."
"I'm glad you think so." Mina responded proudly.
"All right, I'll draft a note to send to the press...And you should let your parents know they're grandparents now. The press might seek them out too." Azusa said in an amused tone.
Mina giggled. "Of course! I'll tell my parents right away! Thanks, Azusa!" And with that, Mina hung up the phone.
"I'm sure your parents will be thrilled to finally have a grandchild." Artemis said warmly.
"Yeah." Mina replied fondly.
The sounds of approaching footsteps were heard. Mina chose that moment to ditch her Sailor Venus uniform and transform back to her regular clothes. The door opened, revealing Katherine and Alain.
"Hey there, Mina. How are you? How's our little friend doing?" Alain asked as Katherine and Mina exchanged a one-armed hug, Mina unwilling to put Harry down when he was all cuddly in her arms.
"We're both fine, thank you." Mina replied with a smile. "This is Harry." Katherine noted the amount of affection Mina said the little boy's name with. "It's a miracle he's doing as well as he is after what those MONSTERS did to him..." She then proceeded to explain to her friends everything Harry suffered thanks to Vernon Dursley. "And to make things even worse, the monster put horrible thoughts in the poor baby's head. He thinks he's a freak, and no one will ever love him...He thinks he doesn't deserve to be loved..." After she finished those words, she sobbed softly and pressed her forehead against Harry's own, looking mournfully into his eyes. The two officers of the law looked at Harry sympathetically.
"Don't worry, Mina." Alain said, anger evident in his tone. "We'll do everything we can to make sure that bastard NEVER gets out of jail."
"That's right. Don't worry your pretty little head about it." Katherine agreed, putting on her best "big sisterly" voice to calm Mina.
Mina bit her lip, then cried louder.
"It was awful...It looked like the man was actually trying to kill him...He's so tiny...He's lucky he survived a beating like that..."
It caused the two officers great sorrow to see someone as happy and lively as Mina so effected by this, but they understood why she was so upset.
"Hey...Don't think about that. What's important is that he's safe now, and he's got another chance at a new life, all thanks to you." Katherine said gently before wrapping her arms around her friend. Alain placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's all right. We'll help both of you get through this." He said.
"Thanks, guys..." Mina sniffled. "It means so much to have you here with me..."I also need you to put in a good word with the adoption agency so I can secure the little angel's future." Katherine blinked.
"You mean..."
"Yes. I want to adopt him, and give him all the love and care a sweetheart like him deserves."