7: "Actions Which Led to Equal and Opposite Reactions"

Ikuko Tsukino froze for only a moment, her hand covering her mouth in surprise, before she relaxed. "You scared me for a moment there, Usagi! What are you..." Everything had happened so quickly that she didn't even register her daughter's transformative state until she had collapsed. Ikuko screamed for her daughter, picked her up, placed her gently on her bed, and caressed her hair until she came to again. Sailor Moon looked like she had just been through a war, with a catalog of injuries spanning her entire body, her clothes shredded and threadbare, her trademark buns coming undone, golden hair frazzled and unkempt, eyes bleary, and skin blackened by smoke and dirt. Worse still, she was utterly spent, too weak to even revert back to her normal state, let alone give any conscious response. Ikuko fretted about what to do with her daughter— no way could she be taken to the hospital in this condition— she stammered and struggled with the brooch Sailor Moon kept her powers focused in, hoping to unlock the mysteries of her metamorphosis. A feeble, thin hand rose and covered hers, and Sailor Moon's eyes batted weakly.

"Mom…it's okay. Let me do it."

It took every last ounce of her energy to return to normal. The wounds vanished in kind— at least the minor ones did; the larger ones concerned Ikuko to tears— and she laid her head back down on the pillow, smiling with relief.

"That's better."

"Do you need me to take you to the hospital, sweetie?"

"No, mom, it's— " Pain shot throughout her body as she sat up, electric tendrils sapping her strength. She laid back down, wincing, breathing hoarsely. "Mmn…maybe you should. How bad is it?"

Ikuko didn't sugarcoat it. Her tears and pale expression sufficed for an answer.

"I'll take you right away. Which one does your friend Ami work at?"

"No, mom, not there. I don't want to…nnnggh…worry her about this. Let's go somewhere else."

"Usagi, your friends are going to find out what you did tonight. I came here because I saw you on the news. They had live footage."

"Really? Did I look okay?"

"Usagi, you…!" Ikuko caught herself, closing her eyes, swallowing. She took a deep breath, and calmly stroked her daughter's hand, as she had done so many times before whenever Usagi had gotten herself into a scrape. "Yes, darling, you were fantastic. But you nearly caused your father to spit out his coffee."

"Dad saw it, too?" She tried laughing, but even that caused her pain. She coughed, groaning. "Can't imagine what sort of spin he'll put on this."

"Me neither. He'll have to tell the public something; you were on nearly every channel. They're calling you a vigilante."

"Nobody thinks Sailor Moon is back?" Ikuko sighed, standing up again, getting her keys and opening the door.

"Sweetheart, most people in this country have forgotten about her. There certainly aren't any diehard fans in the media, at least. Can you stand?"

"Only if you help me." Ikuko didn't need to be told twice, so she picked her daughter up and helped her down the stairs outside, into her car. The two of them were silent for awhile, mostly because Ikuko didn't want to disturb her daughter's rest, but eventually Usagi spoke up, clutching the place where the monster's nails had torn.

"So why aren't you scolding me? Or at least assaulting me with questions? I've done something foolish and dangerous. Isn't it a mother's job to correct their child's destructive behavior?"

"I see you've grown up a lot," she smiled. Ikuko became serious after a moment and added, "When you first told me who you were, and what you did, and why you did it, I wanted to. Every mother's instinct I had told me to save you from yourself. Even when I realized that your other four friends were going through the exact same crucibles, I wanted to pull you out of that fire. You can't blame me, though. Even though you're a hero with powers beyond my comprehension, you're still my daughter, and even though you may be responsible for the fate of the world, I was responsible for you. But by that same rationale, I knew I'd only get in the way if I stopped you, so I spent quite a while coming to grips with it all— reasoning with it. And in the end, I decided to simply let it go, give you my blessings and support, and be there for you when you needed me.

"I won't bother scolding you, Usagi. You're a grown woman; you can make your own decisions. If you want my advice, I'll share it freely, but you've clearly given this a lot of thought. You had so many opportunities to become Sailor Moon these past ten years, and you never did. I don't understand what's going on, and it scared me to death to see those monsters and those…helicopters going after you, but I told myself you only acted that way because you had great conviction. You're strong, Usagi, and very wise. You're always following your heart, and I'd be a terrible parent if I stopped you from doing that. So I want to tell you that even though I worried about you today— and you'll probably give me many more gray hairs before all this is over— that I'm going to support you, and give you my blessings. Just promise me one thing, darling."

"What is it, mom?" She stopped the car; they had arrived. Ikuko helped her daughter out of the car, and gave her a gentle hug.

"Promise me you'll only do it when you have to. Save the world if you must, but if there's an easier way, do consider it."

"Come on, mom, you know me. I always go for the easy way first."

"Yes," she smiled, wiping a tear away, "you certainly do. All right, enough of that. Let's get you fixed up. I hope you have very good insurance, sweetie, because I'm certainly not paying for this!"

"Mom, don't worry!" she laughed. "I work for the police, remember? All expenses paid!" Ikuko smiled softly, trying very hard to take heed of her daughter's assurances. But what could she do?— even superheroes' mothers worry about their children.

…

A week and more had passed before Usagi forgot all about her injuries and her pain. She was soon back on the street, teamed up with Toha as they scoured Shibuya, mopping up all the problems caused by the paranormal breakout. The media had erected a nine-ring circus around the events of that day, and every spin doctor in the country— and even some from other countries— had a new theory about what those monsters were, and who had plucked up the courage to stop them. Theories about inter-dimensional travelers, aliens, biological weaponry, terrorism, and even races of underground lizard-people were yoked with the small, indistinct voices of people who swore that a champion of justice had returned to save the world from an evil threat once more, and that the media and police should just leave her alone. Politicians and police commissioners all had something to say; even the people Rei worked under put in their two cents (sadly, no voice of reason from Usagi's favorite former miko). Toha didn't offer any opinion, though, and Usagi didn't ask. She was perfectly content to ride around in silence.

"Damn things busted up everything real nice," he commented ironically. "Wonder how many people got killed. Bet that'll be hard to sweep under the rug. Well, with a death toll like that, nobody'll be able to say it was a promotional stunt. No matter what these freaks were, all this is real. What hath God wrought, indeed…"

"That's a handy explanation," Usagi muttered. "Fits right in with all the other crackpot theories."

"Hey, I don't have any theories. I just say that it happened, and we should go on with it. Who cares what they were or where they came from?"

"Or if there's more of them," she added grimly. He smirked and relented to her point.

"You know, I was impressed when I heard those freaks put you in the hospital. I mean, I thought you was just some dumb rookie fresh off a pencil-pushing cubicle, but then you go and attack those things directly. Even took a few of em' down. Most impressive."

"Yeah," she said lightly, "especially the way they tore me apart."

"Hey, that's not so bad all things considered. Even yours truly got tossed around. Almost thought I had died." Usagi grinned.

"I hear from Hayashida that you spoke with the mystery vigilante. What was she like?"

"No comment."

"Nothing? No impression at all?"

"None at all." She smiled and sat back, watching the city as it slowly healed itself.

When Usagi came home that day, she noticed that her cell phone had a message in its inbox, and the familiar number attached to it nearly caused her to shriek. She shakily opened her inbox and selected the message, turning the volume up so she could hear. Minako had finally returned her call.

[Hey, bunny-girl, wussup? Heheh, sorry that this call is so late; I've got a REALLY super-busy schedule. And yes, I am in Rio de Janeiro right now, and yes, it is totally awesome. At least…some parts are. Like…I'm always being shown around these really gorgeous places, with these wonderfully upscale hotels and apartments, and I see all these beautiful people, but…there's so much poverty here, too. I mean, it's incredible. It feels like I'm violating this place just by being here. I really wanted to do something for them, but my stupid managers didn't want to hear about it. 'You're here to do a photo shoot, Mina-san, not start a charity drive!' Of course, that didn't stop me from writing a few checks and slipping them into a few envelopes, heheh.

[Anyhoo, I just wanted to get back in touch with you so you wouldn't think I had dropped off the face of the earth, heheh. And I haven't forgotten about you all, either. I'm just busy with work…and on the other side of the world…but as soon as I get some free time, I'm heading back to Japan, and we're all gonna get together and have a huge-ass party! So let everyone know they need to clear out their schedules, cuz' Minako's comin' back! Mwahahahahahahaaaaa!]

"Same old Mina," Usagi whispered with a smile. The message concluded:

[Oh! Before I let you go, I need to let you in on some juicy romantic tidbits! Now I already let Ami know, and she's fine with it, so you don't need to worry about that, but…I'm actually dating a guy and a girl! Eeeeeeee! Isn't that awesome?! Okay— first, the guy. His name is Belenus, and he's from Iceland! He's UNBELIEVABLY gorgeous, Usagi! Whoo! You'd just MELT if you saw him! We met while I was doing a tour of the Netherlands. Can't understand a darn thing he says, though, but MAN! Is he ever sexy! And now for the girl— well, woman, really. It's actually someone you know. Can you guess who it is? Huh, huh? Do you know? Should I tell you? Okay, brace yourself: it's Setsuna! Yeah! OUR Setsuna! Okay, you know how she's a designer, right? Well, let's just say that…um…working together like that, where she's constantly dressing and undressing me, gets a little, um…amorous! Heheh! YOU get the idea!

[Okay, sorry I rambled, but it has been WAY too long since we've spoken! Sorry, that's my fault! I promise I'll call you again as soon as I can! Maybe we can actually talk for a change! Hopefully! Right? Okay, hugs and kisses until then. Take care of yourself, Usagi. Love ya lots!]

Usagi decided to save the message, at least until she got in touch with the real thing. Feeling happier than she had ever been in a long time, she turned on the TV and sat munching as her favorite cartoons flickered before her. Yes, she was a grown woman still watching cartoons— and she didn't care one whit.

…

The next time she had some days off, Usagi visited Makoto and her family again. This time around, the lady of the house was present, and gave Usagi a long-overdue embrace as she welcomed her inside. Motoki was at work ("But he sends his love," Makoto added with a wink), so that left them alone with the children. Naoko and Shinozaki were always overjoyed to see their "Aunt Bunny" again, and soon the two women were playing with the kids.

Makoto looked fantastic for a mother of two. Although she no longer wore her hair in that trademark ponytail, she still kept some of it tied with that band, and it was still lustrous russet, thick and wavy and endlessly beautiful. She had grown taller and more muscular in the decade since retiring from Senshi life, but she had also become more feminine as well, making the unusual distinctions all the more pronounced (Motoki certainly didn't have any complaints!). Usagi was amazed to learn she still had time to work out, but Makoto kept to a strict daily regiment, slipping in exercises here and there whenever she had some leisure time.

"Don't you ever feel like collapsing?!" she gawked. Makoto laughed.

"Only after a long, hard, sweaty night of passionate lovemaking!"

"C-come on, you know that's not what I meant," she blushed. Makoto smiled, rolling a ball to her son. He caught it and tried chewing on it for awhile before handing it to his Aunt Bunny.

"Not really. Sometimes. It's not like I keep myself busy twenty-four-seven. But I always have lots of energy, and Motoki takes really great care of me. And we always manage to find time for some serious fun. For example, we went surfing a few months back."

"Ah, so that's the reason you called me so early that day!"

"Yeah, sorry," she giggled. "We also have a camping and hiking trip planned. There's a nursery somewhere near the sight, so the kids'll be in good hands. I'd like to invite you, but it's sort of a 'Motoki and Makoto' thing, if you catch my drift."

"I gotcha," she winked. "Time to rekindle the old romance, eh?"

"Who says it needs rekindling?" she winked back. They ribbed each other and grinned; then Makoto became very serious and withdrawn, so much so that Usagi felt like she had said something wrong.

"Wh-what's the matter, Mako? You look sick."

"I'm sorry…it's just that I'm going to have to say some rather harsh things to my best friend, and I hope she takes them as expressions of my love for her." Makoto glanced at her with crestfallen eyes, attempting to smile even though there was a hint of anger in her face. Usagi drew her legs to her chest; she knew what this was about.

"I…take it you saw all that on the news."

"Yeah. Has anyone else mentioned it to you?"

"Only my mother. And you?" She shook her head.

"If Ami and Rei know, they're keeping it to themselves. Minako's so far out of the loop that I don't even think she knows about Shin here."

"Mimi?" Shinozaki replied. Makoto smiled and reached for her boy.

"That's right, Aunt Mimi. You've never met her before— she's the one with really long, blonde hair." He reached for Usagi, gurgling "Mimi, Mimi?" "No, that's Aunt Bunny, Shin. Mimi has an orange ribbon in her hair. She takes her clothes off for strangers and gets paid to have her pictures taken."

"Mako…!" Makoto snickered and put her son down.

"Just kidding. Don't think I'm letting you off the hook that easily, Usagi. I'm not going to yell at you or anything, but I would like to know what you were thinking."

She shrugged. "Just that I knew the police couldn't handle it themselves. I had to do something, Mako. I had the ability to change things, so I did."

"And from what I saw, you almost got yourself killed in the process. Just like always."

"Come on, you know me," she murmured. "I know I can be selfish sometimes, but when I'm putting someone else ahead of me, I really go all out."

"No kidding. My heart almost stopped when that police chopper shot at you."

"Mine, too," she scoffed.

"Usagi, this is serious," she whispered. Usagi glared and scooted closer.

"What choice did I have, Makoto? When I healed those monsters, do you know what I discovered? They used to be people! Someone, or something, had turned them into those creatures! If I had let the police have their way, they would've…" She faltered, tearing up, and backed away slowly. Shinozaki looked upset, and Naoko reached up to wipe the tears off her aunt's face.

"Why you sad, Aunt Bunny?" Usagi didn't have an answer for her— not one that Naoko would understand, anyway.

"Just thinking about what might have been, sweetheart. Makoto, I had to. You would've done the same if you had been there."

"Usagi, it's been so long since I've given that a thought that I sometimes wonder if Sailor Jupiter was even real. And then here you come, bringing back all those memories…"

"And that's a bad thing? Doesn't it make you want to do something, too? Don't think I forgot about the first time we gave our powers up. You were still trying to fight those creatures even without them! You rushed in without thinking, because you knew it was the right thing to do…"

"But I've changed, Usagi. I'm a mother now. I have a family— children."

"I know."

"I have to put them first now. I can't be endangering myself. I don't want them to grow up without a mother…like I did."

"I know that. I guess…you and I are just different. I respect your decision, Mako, so please respect mine. Ultimately, as much as I wanted to forget about Sailor Moon, I just couldn't help myself."

She smiled wearily, and even though she was still angry and fearful and concerned, Makoto was also very proud of her friend, and smiled in return.

"That's why I love you, I suppose. I'm sorry I got mad at you."

"No, it's okay. I know you did it out of love. I'm grateful for that. So can we please let it be, and worry about what we're gonna feed these kids for lunch?"

"Yeah, okay," she smiled— but Makoto still couldn't shake off a nagging feeling in the back of her mind, even when she put a warm bottle of milk to Shinozaki's greedy lips. As Usagi helped spoon mouthfuls of pasty vegetables into Naoko's mouth, Makoto said quietly, "So what do you suppose was behind that? Will there be more?"

"I can't say. Given our track record, though…"

"Yeah. So we'll probably see more of the beautiful mystery vigilante before long."

"I hope not, Mako," she sighed. "I honestly hope not. But she'll be ready all the same. Would it…"

She hesitated. Even though she knew the answer, Usagi had to ask.

"Would it be too inappropriate of me to ask if Sailor Jupiter would ever join me? …I'm sorry, Mako, I shouldn't have— "

"I don't have an answer, Usagi. But probably not. You can go do what you want, but honestly, Sailor Jupiter's days came to an end a long time ago. You'll just have to settle for Makoto Kino instead."

"Hey, that's still pretty good! I hear she's a real force to be reckoned with."

"You better believe it," she winked. "Maybe Ami or Rei might be able to help. I'd hate for you to do this alone."

"I won't. I do have my connections. Honestly, Makoto, I couldn't have won without the police."

"You also could've been killed by them."

"Catch twenty-two," she sighed. Usagi stayed until evening, just long enough to greet Motoki as he came home, and made sure to return Makoto's embrace before leaving (also making sure she left her house with lots of great food). On the long train ride home, she contemplated talking to Ami and Rei about what had happened, to hear what they thought. More than likely their minds were the same as Makoto's, and they'd probably end up repeating what she said. She ended up keeping quiet about the matter, all the way home into her bed, and collapsed into a sleep that seemed years overdue.

…

"You return. What have you to report?"

"O my master, the spells of possession have all been repulsed. No longer have you any means to survey the lands or subjugate those who dwell on them."

"Quite an unexpected turn of events. Know you who, or what, might be responsible?"

"My lord, from what I was able to observe, it can be none other than one of the Apkallu. I swear on my life I heard them declare allegiance to the virtues we once beheld them with. Also, they chose to remove the possession my lord introduced and restore the bodies of my lord's servants, rather than slay them. Nothing but an Apkallu would extend such mercy to the sons of Ahriman."

"An Apkallu…fascinating. What else could you learn?"

"That perhaps they are an acolyte of Nanna."

"Then I am sure Nanna would be as interested to hear this report as I am. Where is this Apkallu presently?"

"Taking a rest, my lord. They have shown power equal to our own, so it comes as no surprise to learn they require rest. As opponents, they would be dangerous, but as allies…"

"Indeed. Allow the Apkallu of Nanna to rest, my friend. He has earned it. But continue to monitor him all the same. When the time is right, I would like to extend my warmest greetings and congratulations."

"As you declare it, my lord, so shall it be. But I must beg my lord infinite pardon, for this Apkallu is not man, but woman."

"Is that so? Fascinating. Most fascinating indeed. Then allow her rest, my friend, at least for now. Considering what my companions and I have in store, she may very well need it."

Author's notes:

This'll be quick. I figured that if Usagi couldn't at least let her mother in on her secret identity, then who COULD she trust? Also, I will certainly feature Setsuna in future chapters, and it's very likely I'll have Haruka show up, but I'm on the fence regarding Hotaru and Michiru. And Chibi-Usa? Let me just say that if you're expecting her, then you're reading the wrong fan fiction.