Karunā groaned as she shoved a pillow over her face, trying to block out the sunlight that came through her curtains.
Damn it….I am not getting up!
She thought moodily, curling up beneath her thick covers.
"Karunā! We're going into the city, you want to come?" Tsuki's voice called from the door, earning a groan from the teen.
"No! I stayed up all night because of your stupid mouth!" Karunā snapped back though Tsuki only chuckled.
"Fine, suit yourself. Try not to drive Yaten crazy today okay? She's in one of her moods." The soldier of darkness replied, knowing that both her wife and her new daughter would probably sleep until noon if left alone.
Tsuki had promised to take her younger daughters to the park, though unknown to the quartet Michiru and Hotaru was going to meet up with them there.
Walking past the living room Tsuki heard the sounds of gun fire and groaned as heavy language filtered from the large screen.
"Akemi! I don't mind you playing those games because heaven knows you've heard everything but please…for the love of all things holy put on some headphones!" she lectured, causing her niece to pause the game.
"Sorry…I didn't know it cussed that bad. Um I wanted to talk to you before you go into town." The young teen stated
"Sure, what's up?" Tsuki replied, taking a seat on the couch beside the younger soldier who suddenly looked nervous.
"Seiya and Taiki and a few others I've meet has me thinking….gender really doesn't matter does it?" Akemi questioned earning a sigh.
"Gender is a spectrum, what you identify as is no less invalid that what I identify as. Why do you ask?" Tsuki responded, earning a sigh.
"Well…It doesn't bother me what pronouns you use with me….I don't feel like I'm a certain thing though and I….I present myself Masculine. What would you call that?" the red eyed teen asked nervously.
"Well I'd call that gender queer or gender nonconforming." Tsuki answered then added in a careful tone "so any pronoun would be okay?"
Akemi nodded and then whispered "am I weird that I'm not sexually attracted to anything?"
Tsuki had heard this conversation once before on Kinmoku and sighed.
"Not at all….Some people just don't get sexually attracted and that's fine. Though if you question anything you'd better ask Taiki because she's better at answering this kind of thing."
Akemi smiled at that and then suddenly hugged the sun kissed woman who instantly hugged back. Tsuki know how hard some things was, even if she didn't experience them herself.
"I hope you guys have fun today." The teen stated as she pulled away.
"You know you could always come along." Tsuki suggested earning a sheepish grin.
"I have hidden Chaos eternal three remember? Maybe I won't get nagged at once the kids are out of the house." Akemi retorted teasingly, earning a playful bop on the head by her aunt.
"That game is seriously fucked up….I saw the trailers online." Tsuki whispered, earning a giggle.
"Maybe you're just old?" Akemi suggested teasingly, earning a light glare.
"Shut up before I show you old." Tsuki grumbled, her eyes twinkling playfully even though she had managed to keep laughter out of her voice.
"They're hyper this morning." Hawk's eye stated, earning a laugh from Tsuki who looked up to find the pink haired man dressed in a pink apron.
"Taka….they're always hyper." She retorted as she got up and walked to the kitchen, only to find the girl's arguing over something and Shin looking annoyed.
"Guys…calm down!" Tsuki scolded lightly, a small smile on her face as she petted Shin.
"Mom! Tell her she's too young to want to watch that movie Karunā and Akemi are going to!" Junjun stated, earning a glare from cerecere.
"How about you all chill? Seriously do I have to stick you in time out this early of the morning for fighting?" Tsuki sighed before sitting down.
"Well she's being a jerk!"
"You started it!"
"I did not! Vesves did!"
"Leave me out of this!"
Tsuki sighed, some things never changed.
"Guys! Enough…we're going to the park. Let's keep it pleasant okay? I don't care who started it I'm ending it." Tsuki retorted, her gone soft and calm. A far cry from the yelling she would have done as a teen.
Parapara wordlessly climbed into Tsuki's lap, looking up at her.
"Parapara didn't do nothing." The little girl stated, earning a grin.
"I know….You have been actually eating." Tsuki replied, kissing her youngest on the forehead.
The others were still bickering but not as loudly so Tsuki stayed mostly out of it.
"Imaimashī, anata ga ōgoedesu." Yaten grumbled in her native tongue, disgruntled by the loudness.
"Sorry Mama." Junjun said instantly, even if she didn't understand what the silver haired woman had said.
"Sure you are monkey." Yaten retorted, ruffling her hair then yawned "where's feisty pants and the walking earthquake?"
"Feisty pants is still asleep and I left Akemi in the living room playing games." Tsuki replied, earning an eye roll.
"And I guess Mr. Date a fifty year old cooked breakfast? Why can't he be like the other two and settle down besides couch surfing?" Yaten stated, kissing Tsuki on the cheek before sitting down beside her and stealing her coffee.
Tsuki just glared fondly at her wife and rolled her eyes.
"You're such a child...jeez." she grumbled.
"You know you love me." Yaten retorted nonchalantly though Tsuki just grinned.
"Of course I do, Saiai." The dark senshi stated, causing the starlight to blush.
"Oh wow…You embarrassed her Mom! What does that word mean?" Vesves snickered, earning a halfhearted glare from Yaten and a smirk from Tsuki.
"It's equal to the word dearest." Tsuki explained, causing Yaten to blush more.
"That's so sweet. I bet you two don't fight do you?" Cerecere stated, causing the two to share a look.
"Not really…we only really fought one time….and I thought I had lost her for good." Tsuki admitted, her expression darkening.
"Suki-Chan, we were eighteen and you were drunk. Plus you have spent all these years making that up to me." Yaten replied, concerned as she took her wife's hand however the dark haired woman just gently remove parapara from her person and stood.
"I need some air."
With that Tsuki was gone and Yaten sighed.
"What's wrong?" the youngest asked, earning a sigh.
"She still beats herself up over that one time even after all these years. You see…Tsuki had really bad depression when she lost you…..she started drinking alcohol a lot and that was before the silver crystal made our systems different. One night after a concert she was drunk and we had a fight because she was being an jerk to Usagi for no good reason and I don't even remember what I said but she slapped me…..hard enough to knock me down."
Yaten revealed, tone even though her eyes darkened.
"What she hit you!?" Junjun exclaimed, earning a nod.
"Yes but as soon as she realized what she had done she looked….horrified. The emotions that started boiling off her then she ran. We didn't talk for a week and I thought she wanted to end it. Then she called and wanted to meet me…..and it looked like she hadn't slept in months. She actually broke into tears apologizing and knelt on the snow covered ground in front of me." Yaten replied softly, glancing at the girls.
"Did mom stop drinking then Mama?" Vesves asked, earning a sigh.
"sometimes it's still rough with her but she never let herself get that drunk again….and she worked so hard to prove she loved me after that….she even suckered money out of her dad and Setsuna to take me to resort for a week. She didn't want you to find out….she doesn't want you to think badly of her."
"Why would we? But it was….our fault." Vesves stated.
"Don't you ever say that!"
The sharp yell startled the children who turned to the door.
"It's not your fault! I should have had better control….but no. I was hurting….but I had no excuse! You four are not to blame….fuck…..it was because I wanted to become better for you that I even kicked the habit!" Tsuki stated, her eyes flashing red as she reach out and placed a hand on the girl's head.
"It was my love for all of you that brought me through it all." She added gently.
"But….we…." Cerecere began, earning a sigh.
"You saved everyone….Girls….At that time you were soldiers….now I want you to focus on being kids. You got a second chance at childhood and I want to make sure that it's a good one so no more worrying about the past." Tsuki cut her off, kneeling down to be near her eye level though the young girl glanced away.
"Girls….I kept you at arm's length when you first moved in…..I don't think I actually sat and spent time with you and I'm sorry for that. This time….I want to be there for you…even if you just want to goof around okay?" Tsuki admitted, earning surprised looks.
"You were fun sometimes!" Parapara stated, hugging her.
"And you didn't tell us you didn't have time. We just didn't ask because we didn't want you to feel weighed down." Vesves stated.
Tsuki sighed and gave a glare at the kids
"Well if you want me to play or whatever you ask….you won't be a bother." She stated, only to be crushed into a four way hug.
Tsuki didn't complain and just tried her best to wrap them in a group hug.
Yaten chuckled at the image.
You're nothing like you were back then…you're much more open.
She thought.
Much later that day Tsuki and Michiru sat on the grass watching as the five girls played on a jungle gym nearby.
"Be careful! We don't need any broken bones!" Tsuki called at them, though Junjun just waved her off.
"You'd think they'd be tired after all the running we all done." Michiru laughed, referring to the long game of kickball that they had played as well as a tag like game that used the different colored bases if the playground equipment as a base.
"At least they are having fun. Though I think Hotaru threw my back out when she leaped on me like that!" Tsuki laughed, glancing fondly over at the kids.
"She's use to horsing around with Haruka." Michiru retorted with a small chuckle then fell back unto the grass.
Tsuki grinned at that and leaned back onto her hands.
"It's weird for things to be this peaceful huh?" she stated after some time, glancing over at the mermaid like woman.
"Yeah…but there's going to be one more battle." Michiru replied, earning a sigh.
"Don't remind me." Tsuki grumbled, letting herself fall back onto the ground.
They lay in silence for a while until Michiru asked
"What was that word you use to call me when you got back from Kinmoku?"
Tsuki was caught off guard by this and blushed "Imoto. It means sister."
Michiru turned to her then, smiling slightly.
"You've always looked at me as a sister haven't you?"
Tsuki nodded, using her arms as a head rest as she stared up at the white clouds that floated by
"Yeah….I mean you worried about me when no one else did and that mean a hell of a lot to me back then. No one had cared that much so of course I looked up to you."
Michiru chuckled at that.
"It's kind of weird…how much you've changed. Though….I agree with everyone else…you looked better with short hair."
Tsuki laughed then and glared over at the aqua haired beauty.
"Gee thanks a lot." She chuckled, glad to have a moment of peace to just enjoy her family for once.
However suddenly a flash of red lightening caught both of their attention, causing Tsuki to jump to her feet.
"Shoku….So pathetic…acting like these scum." The tall man with black and red hair and scarlet eyes stated.
"Mom!" Vesves called as the man took a step toward her though he then turned toward them.
"Oh…wow….how typical." He stated the smirked "looks like you failed yet again Shoku."
With that he formed a blast toward the kids however suddenly Tsuki stood between them.
"I'm not Shoku you son of a bitch! I am Tsuki….Daughter of Daichi and I will not let you hurt anyone, let alone those that I love!"
Tsuki suddenly was surrounded by a dark aura with red lightening surrounding her, a loud scream coming from her before the blast knocked everyone back.
Michiru watched as Tsuki reappeared, two jagged blue stripes across each cheek as her eyes glowed a bright red.
"Michiru, transform!" stated the dark senshi who nodded.
"H….how are you able to hold that form?" Akuma barked, charging at Tsuki though he got knocked back by her sword.
Tsuki glanced at her reflection in the crystal and saw her new form.
"Because I need the power to protect the ones I love!"
Tsuki blasted the man away from them then and then turned to the group that had appeared.
"Combined your powers…..end this!" she barked.
As the combined blast hit him Tsuki teleported the children away from the scene, not wanting them to hear the sound of death.
"Momma?" Junjun stated, timidly touching one of the stripes though Tsuki just smiled.
"It's okay….It'll wear off now that my family isn't in danger." She replied as they landed right in middle of the throne room.
"Akuma is gone…." She told Serenity who looked shocked
"He attacked this soon?" she asked and Tsuki growled.
"Yeah…And had the gall to threaten these runts. Only trash would hurt a kid." With that Tsuki's aura disappeared and she returned to normal, though she was panting hard.
"Get her to the medical bay." Endymion ordered Jadeite who nodded.