Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon and other characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi.

So I learned these past couple of days that I have the best readers ever! Thank you for all the reviews that were posted! The feedback has been so positive that it makes me REALLY happy! Here's my end of the bargain!

So here's the long awaited for confrontation (of sorts) with Ikuko! Thank you again for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!

Luna was relieved that the latest of the Sailor Scouts was more than eager to do her duty, and that her parents were willing to be supportive in the endeavor. It would make things easier in the long run, as she reflected on it. Usagi wouldn't have to lie about where she was going and what she was doing or about any injuries that she might pick up on the way. She was ready to start giving Usagi instructions on her duties when Ikuko interrupted her.

Ikuko could see Luna start getting excited as she saw Usagi eager to toss her lot in as a Sailor Scout. She was more than willing to be a supportive pillar in this case, but she wanted to make it clear to Luna that she expected sound leadership and intelligent tactics.

"Before we go into the details of Sailor Moon's responsibilities, I would like to address something with you first Luna. As I understand it, you are the advisor and mentor for these girls," Ikuko stated. Luna nodded waiting for her to continue.

"First I want you to know that I respect you in the matters of the Sailor Scouts and the direction that you feel is best for our planet's safety. However, I seriously think you need to reconsider your methods of awakening these girls," Ikuko's voice was calm and steady. "After hearing from Usagi, about her first night as a Sailor Scout, I was aghast. You led a girl of fourteen years old, without knowing anything about her, into a battle against an enemy she knew nothing about. You didn't explain the cause, you didn't explain who she was as a Sailor Scout or even what any of her powers were?!"

Luna had the decency to look ashamed. She had never thought about her procedures under that light and being told so, made her more than ashamed.

"I don't want to belabor the issue. What's in the past is in the past, and it all turned out for the best, but I do not want my daughter going into battle being so little prepared. From what you say, these enemies aim to kill. They will not have mercy on her because she is a girl or because she's only fourteen. I need your promise that you will be a better advisor to these girls. There is no reason why any of them should risk injury or death because of your negligence!" Ikuko's voice hadn't risen like Luna thought it would have. Instead, her voice was at an even low volume. Kenji, Usagi and Shingo all looked nervously on as this interaction occurred. Luna couldn't understand why they looked so intimidated until she looked up into Ikuko's eyes; they blazed with a ferocity that rivaled even Ares' temper. The mama bear had awoken, and she was ready to make a meal out of Luna.

Ikuko continued to dress the feline down, "You cannot expect these girls to be able to perform their best by only instructing them in the midst of battle. You cannot expect these girls to be seasoned warriors minutes after they find out that they are Sailor Scouts. And you Should Not, by any means abandon them!"

Ikuko was gripping her hands together so tightly that her knuckles were white. Her fury at the feline's initial actions with her daughter knew no bounds. The mama bear in her roared. She knew that if she didn't get all of this off her chest, that she would be forever questioning the cat's motives and orders. "You not only left Usagi with no answers on that first night, but instead of giving constructive criticism and praise for her first battle, you left her. How do you think that feel, Luna? You. Abandoned. Her. And you expect her to trust you enough to follow your orders?! I'm not sure how knowledgeable you are on human nature, but teenagers specifically need a lot of encouragement and supervision to be able to build their confidence; an insecure soldier will only prove to be a weak one. Remember that."

Silence filled the living room. At that moment Usagi felt so loved. She felt that her mother was being a little harsh on the Lunar feline, but she did have a point; hadn't she also brought up her own trust issues with not knowing the cat earlier?

Luna was flabbergasted. She had never received a dressing down of these proportions. But as Ikuko's words penetrated her, she could see that she was right. Ikuko, was right. Her treatment of Sailor Moon was unfair and unjust. She had only wanted to see and utilize the soldier within the girl, not taking into account the very human girl that the soldier resided within. She was rightly shamed and humbled. She would never take the Sailor Scouts for granted again.

Trembling at the sheer force of Ikuko's demeanor, Luna whispered solemnly, "You have my word. I will treat these girls as if they were my very own, and promise if I do not up hold my end of the bargain, that they have the right to out vote me."

Ikuko nodded, "Thank you."

...

With the air cleared between the Tsukinos and Luna they were able to get to more productive issues. The family talked about Usagi's newfound powers and how she might be able to practice them to perfect them. Likewise, the family told Luna of how they had enrolled Usagi into a dojo to improve her fighting and self-defense skills.

All in all it was a wonderful meeting. Usagi and her family learned so much more about what it meant to be a Sailor Scout and how to best support her. They talked about how Usagi was to report to them about every and any battle she was in, and that she would need to be upfront and honest about any injuries she might sustain. At this Usagi scoffed that she would do that for all Sailor Scout business only, if she added all her daily injuries from being so clumsy, she would end up living at the hospital. To this her family chuckled as Luna looked on inquisitively.

Shingo grinned at the confused cat, "Just wait until you've been around a bit, Luna," he began to explain, "Usagi is the kind of girl that walks into walls."

Usagi decided to ignore the chuckling with a pout and a disclaimer, "I'm not THAT bad. It's not my fault they were built to be in the way."

Luna in turn also learned about some of Usagi's strengths and weaknesses. She learned about Usagi's almost inhumane speed and also her inability to manage her time and also that she was a bit of a cry baby; as soon as it looked like something might not go her way, her bottom lip would start to tremble and alligator tears would fill her eyes. Though some teasing on Shingo's part would snap her out of it. It was a trait Usagi herself said she was trying to grow out of; the young teen knew that crying doesn't always fix things. She observed the girl interacting with her brother; the care and loving relationship was very inspiring.

But what really struck Luna was the love that emanated from Usagi. She was a girl that clearly held a lot of love in her life, and considering her relationship with her parents and brother, she could see why. She was not overly familiar with human households, but from her limited research on the subject, it seemed that Usagi's family was not of the norm.

The greatest surprise to Luna came later once their talks and discussions were done with. She was getting ready to excuse herself when Usagi turned to her.

"Um, Luna?" the blonde girl asked timidly; she still wasn't sure on how to interact with Luna.

"Yes, Usagi?"

"Do you have somewhere you stay?"

Luna was shocked at the questions, "Oh! Um, well… We have a headquarters actually, under the Fruits Parlor Café. So sometimes I work there."

Usagi frowned, "Okay, but do you also live there?"

"Well.. that is to say,.. in not so many words…" was the stuttered response.

"Yes or no, Luna."

"Well...no," was the reply.

Usagi nodded to herself. She could tell that Luna had a lot of pride and wouldn't want to admit that she really didn't have anywhere to go to call home. She couldn't just let her newly acquired advisor live in the alleyways like some common cat. She was glad she had thought to ask her parents beforehand before breaking a question to the prideful cat, "Would you like to live here with us?"

Usagi's words made Luna speechless for a moment. She didn't think, with the way their relationship had started out, that Usagi or the Tsukino's would be willing to be so considerate towards her. She looked into Usagi's eyes that were filled with compassion and understanding. She could see that even if they did start out rocky, that she was willing to put the past aside and start on a fresh new page. She was beginning to learn just how big Usagi's heart was.

It was too much for Luna, tears welled in her eyes, "Th-thank you, Usagi. I would like that very much."

Usagi bent and picked Luna up into her arms and gave her a squeeze, "You're so welcome Luna!" Luna purred in her ears. "Now, I need to go upstairs and finish my homework. Want to help me with it?"

And with that, the newest Sailor Scout and Lunar Cat went upstairs.

Ikuko and Kenji looked at each other with sad smiles. Their baby girl was already growing up so fast. She would be growing up even faster with these kinds of responsibilities on her shoulders.

"Are we doing the right thing by her, mama?" Kenji asked his wife and he pulled her into an embrace.

Ikuko rested her head onto her husband's shoulder, eyes still on the stairs where Usagi and Luna has just disappeared from, "It was her decisions, we have to let her fulfill it, papa. But I do think it's the right thing; maybe even the only thing we could have done."

And there you have it. I know it's a short chapter, but it's a midweek update, so yeah... Stay tuned again for the next chapter next Sunday!Thank you again for all your reviews and kind words. They keep me writing. Until next time!

x0~