Usagi quickly grabbed the robe from Rei and covered herself up.
"Oh you know me, I'm just clumsy." Usagi laughed nervously.
Rei strode over to her friend and yanked an arm of the robe down. "Those are hand prints Usagi. Who did this to you?"
Usagi winced at having the material so roughly scraped over her tender skin. Tears welled in her eyes, but not because of the pain from the bruise. "Please Rei, you can't tell anyone."
"Like Hell I won't!" Rei slammed a left fist against her open right palm. "I'm gonna hunt down whoever did this to you and make them pay"!
"No!" Usagi shouted. Rei startled. "No - you can't. He - he didn't mean it. It was all my fault, actually... I shouldn't have..."
"You can't mean?" Rei trailed off. "Mamoru did this to you?"
Usagi nodded, the tears in her eyes spilling onto her cheeks. "It's just the stress from work and the new baby." Usagi wiped the tears from her face using the sleeve of her robe and gently pulled the robe up over her bruised arm and shoulder. "You have to promise to me Rei, you can't tell anyone."
"Usagi, if Mamoru's hurting you -" Rei began.
Usagi cut her off. "No, Rei, I can handle this. I don't need to be saved."
Rei bit her lip, but nodded. "If - if you ever need help."
Usagi squared her shoulders and smiled the first genuine smile she'd had in a while. "Thanks, Rei."
"Anytime, Princess." Rei smiled and left the room. Usagi sat on the bed and wept.
It was almost dark when Usagi arrived at her home, Chibiusa sleeping soundly in the strolled she pushed. The lights in the house were off.
"Good, maybe Mamoru's at work." Usagi thought. She slid the key into the doorknob and quietly opened the door, being careful not to awaken her napping daughter. She only got as far as the living room when a lamp was turned on. She blinked against the sudden light, using a hand to shield her eyes.
"Mamoru?" she asked timidly. "Is that you?"
"Where have you been?" Usagi froze at the iciness in his voice. "Oh god." she thought. "Not in front of the baby." She lowered her hand and looked at her husband. He was sprawled on the couch, a cup of sake in his hand, a nearly empty bottle besides him.
"Just with the girls." Usagi said, false cheeriness in her voice.
"Did I say you could leave the house?" Mamoru was clearly drunk, but he didn't slur any of his words, and he didn't seem unsteady. Mamoru didn't become any of those things when he became drunk - he became violent.
"Sorry isn't good enough!" He threw the heavy glass sake bottle at Usagi and it barely missed her.
"Please... don't!" Usagi sobbed. She glanced down at her daughter.
"Don't tell me what to do in my own house! Who the fuck do you think you are?!" Mamoru leapt off the couch and before she could react he had a handful of her hair.
"Mamoru... please..." Usagi could barely speak around the sobs that were choking her.
"Mamoru, please!" he mimicked in a cruel high pitched voice. "Don't worry about the brat, she'll be fine." He struck out at the strolled with his foot, causing it to sail into a corner of the room. It did not turn over, though. Chibiusa awoke and started wailing.
"Chibiusa!" Usagi tried to run to her daughter, but Mamoru still held her fast by her hair.
"Uh-uh, I don't think so bitch." Mamoru tugged cruelly at her hair. He ripped open her blouse and buttons exploded in the air. Mamoru bit her on the part of her breast that was exposed above her bra. Usagi cried out in pain. "I think it's time you and I had some fun..."