You Don't Remember How I Feel
By Doug Helm and "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "You Don't Remember How
I Feel" are copyrighted (c) 1999 by Douglas Helm & Will Wolfshohl.

This fanfic and hundreds of other Sailor Moon fanfics reside in "Tuxedo"
Will's SM Fanfics Archive at http://members.xoom.com/questails/gateway.htm
and http://rivendell.fortunecity.com/traveller/861/

Send comments to: Douglas "Candle Light Author" Helm (dhelm@log.on.ca)
or "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl (wwolfshohl@logicon.com)


Chapter 13 - Zeroing In

Shortly after lunch, Misako was standing near the window in the living
room and looking longingly out at the soggy backyard. It had started to
rain again and it looked like it would rain intermittently throughout
the afternoon. Turning away from the enticing view, she looked sadly at
her father and asked, "How come I can't go outside?"

"Misako," Endymion responded gently, "Your Mother and I decided that
since you broke the rules, you should have to stay inside today."

<There's something strange about that...> Misako thought as she chewed
over the implications but the old yearning had returned. She glanced out
the window and gave a little sigh, <What a perfect mud puddle.> It
looked rather deep too. Reluctantly pulling her eyes away from the
backyard, she tried to concentrate on what her father had said. After a
moment, she realized what was bothering her. "Ne, Dad, if I'm grounded
'cause I broke the rules, what'd happen if you broke them?"

Endymion blinked, opened his mouth, and then closed it again. "I don't
think we gave it much thought, Misako," he finally answered. Chuckling,
he shook his head in wonder. "Don't you think it's fair that since you
broke the rules, you have to accept some type of punishment?"

"Hai," Misako chirped simply. "I broke the rules so there are
consequences," she admitted reluctantly, "But these rules apply to all
of us and you're already confined to the Royal Suite, ne? I mean you and
Mom aren't kids..." <Anymore.> "So you don't go outside to play."

"Hey, that's right!" Usagi piped up from her position on the couch.

Endymion turned and asked, "Would you like to be restricted to indoors
play as well, Small Lady?"

Usagi shrugged and said, "Why not? Who'd go out in that stuff but
Misako?"

"Nothing's wrong with a little rain," Serenity chimed in. <I had fun
playing out in it last week,> she giggled at the thought and winked at
Misako. "Or are you too sweet and afraid you're gonna melt?"

While her father tried to moderate the ensuing tongue war between
Serenity and Usagi, Misako skipped from the living room and down the
hallway to her bedroom. <That'll give them something to think about,>
she thought. <I wonder if Mom likes mud now? Nah, probably not.> Once
inside her room, she allowed her posture to slump slightly and the smile
she had put onto her face slipped away.

She walked over to her bed and sat down on it with a little sigh. She
noticed her diary sitting on the desk but somehow, she couldn't bring
herself to write in it. <I want to talk to somebody but who?> She had
been trying to work out the unexpected and mixed up emotions she was
experiencing but she found it difficult without vocalizing them.
Normally, she'd talk to Usagi but she was doubtful if she could be of
help and it would hurt her sister's chance at forgiving their mother.
She took the tongue war between her mother and sister as a good sign.

Hopping from her bed, she walked over to the window and gazed out at the
rain again. It wasn't as heavy as the night before. Giving a little
shake of her head, she turned and saw her favorite teddy bear sitting on
the bed. A solution to her problem came into her head and Misako gave a
small, genuine smile. A solution she hadn't tried in years. Walking over
and lifting the teddy bear up, she walked back to the window and sat
down. "I know I'm almost a teen," she explained to her bear, "And I
guess I really shouldn't be doing this... On the other hand, I'm in a
six year old's body." A six year old body that had a lot of energy built
up inside of it. She giggled. "We'll talk but let's play first, ne?"

                                 ******

Usagi pressed her ear close to Misako's door while holding her breath.
<It's awfully quiet in there.> She gave a yelp of surprise and leapt
into the air as someone tapped her on the shoulder. Clutching her hands
to her chest, she could feel the pounding of her heart; color rose into
her cheeks as she saw that her mother was looking down at her sternly.

"I thought," Serenity began, "That your father told you to give Misako
some space." <Not that I can fault your concern, Onee-chan.>

"She's been in there for more than an hour, Mom," Usagi remarked, "And
it's really quiet."

Before Serenity could respond, Misako's door opened and the little girl
peered out into the hallway, "What's all the noise about?"

"Whatcha doin', Miko-chan?" Usagi asked.

"I'm finishing my homework, Onee-chan. 'Member, I was late." She giggled
then and grinned, "I'm not like you. I wouldn't be sleepin'."

"Hey!" Usagi squawked in protest. Misako giggled again. "Come have a
snack, Imouto."

"If I'm gonna have my homework done for when Mizuno-sensei comes, I need
to work on it now," Misako explained, "'Sides, Dad already brought me a
snack."

"Come on, Usagi," Serenity instructed while gently pushing her daughter
ahead of her down the hallway, "Let's go get that snack." Usagi grumbled
and glanced back over her shoulder just in time to see Misako's door
close. Turning around, she preceded her mother into the kitchen. Once in
the kitchen, she turned sharply to face her.

"I don't buy it, Mom," Usagi commented, "She had to finish this morning
or you wouldn't've let her go play after lunch." She felt surprise when
Serenity gave a little shake of her head. "You mean..." Usagi said with
her eyes wide, "You let her skip doing homework?" Serenity blushed a
little bit. "Well?"

"Well..." Serenity began while she reached back and scratched the back
of her head nervously, "You see... um... it has to do with work ethics."

"Nani?" Usagi asked in confusion.

Blushing even more, Serenity elaborated, "Your father and I trust Misako
to do her homework, Mesume."

"And you don't trust me..." Usagi asked in a hurt tone of voice.

"Past records speak for themselves. Gomen," Serenity stated. She smiled,
trying to soften the impact of that statement. She was guilty of the
same thing when she was a teen.

Usagi gave her an evil grin and commented wistfully, "The way I'm
feeling, it's a good thing you don't trust me about homework. I'd
probably never do it." She then walked over and hugged her mother around
the legs. Smiling, she pulled back and looking up at her huge mother
said, "Now where's that snack, Mom. I'm starving!" Her stomach rumbled
as proof of this statement.

                                 ******

Sometime later, Endymion was watching Serenity root through several
boxes that had been pushed to the back of the storage room that was off
of the dining room. "What did that child do?!?" Serenity demanded as she
opened up another box, "Pack up her entire life and put it in here?!?"

Endymion gave a helpless shrug. "It was Misako's choice, Serenity. I
tried to convince her but Misako can just be as stubborn as Usagi..."
<And you...> "Sometimes." He frowned a little and asked, "Why are you
going through her stuff anyway?"

"I didn't know it was Misako's," Serenity answered, "When we took out
all the teen stuff from Misako's room, I thought she should've had
more." She smiled a little and commented, "Usagi certainly had enough
junk." Serenity paused in her searching and turned to regard her
husband. "Speaking of Usagi... would you go and talk to her?" Endymion
straightened from where he had been leaning against the doorframe and
looked questioningly at his wife. "There's something bothering her. I
tried to get her to talk but she didn't want to... at least with me.
Maybe you can help her."

"I'll try," Endymion replied and headed for his daughter's bedroom. <I
know Misako's behavior has been bothering Usagi but what else could it
be?> He halted outside of Misako's room when he heard Misako's voice.
<Nani? Is Usagi with Misako?> Gently tapping on the door, he opened it
and looked inside, "Ne, Miko-chan, is Usagi in here?"

"Iie," Misako replied.

"Oh... Who were you talking to then?" Endymion asked. Misako held up her
teddy bear. "Oh, I see..." he said before withdrawing and closing the
door. <Now I can see what would be worrying Usagi.> Misako's outburst of
that morning had been uncharacteristic but talking to a teddy bear was
really out of character for the "teen" Misako. Turning, he made his way
down to his eldest daughter's room and knocked on the door.

After a few moments of silence, he opened the door and saw that Usagi
was lying on her bed, face buried into a pillow. The muffled sounds of
crying floated to his ears. Quickly coming into the room, Endymion shut
the door and walked over to the bed. Sitting down, he reached out and
touched Usagi's back. The little girl gave a start and turned to stare
up at her father; after a moment or so, she scrambled onto his lap and
hugged him tightly.

"Shhh..." Endymion soothed gently while hugging Usagi and stroking her
puffy pigtails. He spent the next few minutes reassuring Usagi and
calming her down. How many countless times had he done this for both the
Usagis in his life? When her crying had subsided to a few sniffles,
Endymion asked softly, "Usagi-chan, what's the matter?"

Usagi sniffled for a moment or so, then said, "I never did this before,
Dad. Gomen..."

"Nani?"

Usagi gave her father a tight smile and said, "It's always Mom I go to,
if I got a problem." <At least before...>

"And what is your problem?" Endymion asked. He had a pretty good idea
what it was.

Usagi gave another little sniffle and hiccuped. "It's Misako... She's
acting so weird and it's all because of Mom. Imouto needs Mom but I
can't just go and tell her that. And I don't think Mom knows what's
really bothering Misako. I don't think she even knows what's bothering
me." She felt so helpless.

Giving his daughter a tighter hug for a moment, Endymion offered,
"You're Misako's onee and you feel like you have to protect her, ne?"
Usagi nodded. "And sometimes, you can't solve her problems and that
makes you feel even worse, ne?"

"I knew you'd get it, Dad," Usagi said, "You might say you treat us
differently but I know you try to treat us the same." Usagi rubbed at
her eyes for a moment and added, "I guess I'm not being fair to Mom but
with Misako flippin' out this morning, I think it's too much."

"I understand how you feel because I was you, Mesume," Endymion
countered, "I remember feeling very proud of my imouto and I remember
wanting to protect her and feeling bad when she got hurt. I'm sure your
mom knows what it means for Misako to be your imouto."

Usagi gave her father a dubious look and asked, "If that's true, why
isn't she doing anything? I think Misako's even talking to her teddy
bear now!" Shifting so she was kneeling on her father's lap, she
pleaded, "Get Mom to change her back. You can keep me small longer but
get Mom to change Misako back! Please Dad!"

Endymion felt tenderness for his daughter and brushed her wet cheek
gently. "Iie, that wouldn't work." When Usagi started to protest, he
placed a finger to her lips. "Shhh... Usagi-chan, if I didn't think your
mother wasn't dealing with the situation properly, I'd seriously
consider your suggestion."

"Nani? What makes you think she is?" Usagi argued, "She never has
before."

"Because I think your mother is finally thinking with her heart instead
of her head and I've always trusted my Usako's heart."

"She better be," Usagi warned, "I might be six, physically, but I can
still raise a big stink if I have to." That seemed to be a cue because
Usagi suddenly passed gas very loudly, prompting her to turn beet red.
Endymion's mouth twitched for a moment before he howled in laughter;
Usagi became insulted and lunging forward, knocked her father backwards.
Once sitting on top of his chest, she started tickling him.

                                 ******

It was around three o'clock that afternoon when Usagi stood outside
Misako's bedroom door again. <I don't care what Mom 'n' Dad say, I'm
gonna talk to MY imouto.> Softly she opened the door and looked inside.
Misako was sitting on her bed and talking with her teddy bear. <Oh
Kami-sama...> Usagi thought, <Mom's made her snap.> She was rather
surprised when Misako suddenly stopped talking and instead, broke into
tears. Quietly slipping inside the room, she closed the door before
quickly walking over to the bed. She climbed onto it and hugged her
sister.

"Imouto, what's wrong?" Usagi asked.

"Nothin'," Misako responded but she hugged her sister tightly and
continued to cry. Usagi return her sister's hug and struggled to keep
herself from crying herself.

<Maybe I can cheer her up.> "Ne, Miko-chan, I'm glad you let Mom put
that medal up," Usagi said after a moment. Misako's crying came to a
shaky halt and she looked at Usagi with some surprise. "I'm really proud
of you, Imouto. I remember you worked really hard for that medal. You
were the bestest onee and..." Instead of cheering Misako up, it made the
little girl renew her crying. "Miko-chan, what's wrong? Don't you want
me to be proud of you?"

"I-I do. It's just... just... I'm sorry I didn't take you with me,"
Misako choked out. Usagi blinked in confusion. How could Usagi be proud
of her when she had treated her so badly in the past? After a few
moments, Misako amended, "I meant when we were in the past and you
wanted to go with me to the meet and I wouldn't take you." <Gomen nasai,
Imouto.>

"Misako, that's in the past. I was a little kid then and you couldn't
have taken me even if you wanted to," Usagi countered softly. <This
can't be it.> Misako took a few shaky breaths and gave her sister a
sheepish smile. "Is that's all that's bothering you, Onee-chan?"

"Well..." Misako said while sniffling, "I guess so..." She looked into
her sister's face and asked, "Are you really proud of me, 'Sagi-chan?"

"Hai. Of course, I am," Usagi replied, "Did you think I'd be jealous?"
Misako just looked at her and Usagi could feel her temper starting to
rise. <I knew it!> "Didn't we have this out before?" Misako looked
properly embarrassed then. "You honestly think I'd be upset because Mom
finally decided to show off some of your achievements?!?"

"Don't be mad, 'Sagi-chan," Misako requested softly. She pulled away and
sliding from the bed, walked over to the window. "I guess it wasn't
really you. It's just that... I don't know, something was bothering me
about it." She couldn't define it; all of her emotions were jumbled up
together.

"Maybe we should ask Mom to turn us back to normal." It was Misako's
turn to blink in confusion. "You aren't actin' normal, Miko-chan..."

"Neither are you," Misako retorted.

Usagi gave a silent sigh. <I'm not gonna get anywhere. She's not even
listening to me now.> Smiling, she said, "Ne, Imouto, want to play
something?" Misako perked up and smiled back.

"Hai! So what do you want to play?"

"Got a foam ball?" Usagi asked.

"I can get Luna-P to make us one, Onee-chan. Why?"

"Good, because I'm declaring the first ever INDOOR Youma Catch game!"
she grinned evilly and her sister just giggled.

"You do realize Mom 'n' Dad will kill us."

"Only if we let the Youma win..." Usagi replied. Misako's eyebrows rose
at the implications of that statement.

"This should be interesting," Misako predicted after a short time before
calling Luna-P over to her.

                                 ******

Sometime after midnight, Misako stirred from her slumber. At first, she
wasn't sure where she was; the room was dark and there was no
illumination coming from her window. In the large room, her breathing
sounded loud to her ears and she could feel the emptiness of her bed.
Hugging her teddy bear closer to her, she gave a small whimper. "'Sagi?"
she questioned sleepily but there was only silence and a gently
pattering of rain against the window. <I wish 'Sagi were here,> Misako
thought but her sister was likely sleeping in her own bed.

She tightened her grip on her teddy bear but the feeling of loneliness
only deepened as the seconds passed. She wanted to cuddle and didn't
want to be alone; sleepily getting up, she left her room, all the while
clutching her teddy bear as if it was some type of lifeline. Quietly
opening her parents' door, she slipped in and closed it again. She
padded forwards towards the large bed.

Bumping into the bed, Misako stood for a moment trying to remember
through the haze of sleep which side her father slept on, when a soft
voice called out to her, "Misako?"

Changing directions, she walked to the side where the voice was and
without saying anything, crawled under the covers next to the person.
She sniffled a little and felt arms lovingly wrap around her. Snuggling
back against one of her parents, she relaxed a little and quickly fell
back into slumber.

                                 ******

Misako yawned expansively and snuggled deeper into the warmth and
security she felt. <Dad must be laying funny,> she thought sleepily.
Slowly she opened her eyes and stared at the sight before her. Instead
of the strong masculine features of her father's face and the soft black
hair that she had so recently had, Misako was confronted with a flowing
stream of golden blonde hair. She brushed a little aside and saw the
soft features of her mother's face.

Through her sleep came the realization that her mother was hugging her.
That her mother must have been the one who had taken away the loneliness
of last night. Hot tears welled up into her eyes and flowed down her
small cheeks, blurring her vision of the mother she had longed so for.
She buried her face against her mother's shoulder and silently cried.

<Why did I come to her?> Misako wondered in confusion, <She doesn't care
about me... Why didn't she tell me to go back to bed?> She hadn't
intended on giving her mother such a sign. <Now she'll think everything
is okay.> But it wasn't "okay"! It never could be okay. Through the
feelings of sadness, confusion, and hurt, Misako felt someone gently
stroking her hair. Turning her red eyes upward, she saw Serenity looking
down at her, tenderly, traces of worry showing on her face and in her
eyes.

Sniffling, Misako rubbed at her eyes and turned away from her mother.
Serenity let her and Misako was both glad and hurt that her mother
didn't try to stop her from leaving. Quickly she slid from under the
covers, padded across the room, and out the door. It was only once
inside her own room did Misako realize that she didn't have her teddy
bear. Upon searching the room, it became apparent that she had left it
in her parents' bedroom. She couldn't or at least wouldn't go back to
get it. Sniffling a little, she walked over to the bed and climbed up on
it. Hugging herself, Misako lay there feeling alone once again.

She wasn't sure how long she laid there before the door quietly opened
and her mother walked in. Misako sat up and wiped at her eyes again.
"Gomen, I didn't mean to wake you up, Mom," Misako stated.

Serenity closed the door and came over to the bed. Sitting down, she
held out Misako's favorite teddy bear and said, "You left her on the
floor."

"Arigato," Misako replied while taking the bear. Hugging it close to
her, she wondered, "How did you know it was a she?"

"You told me, Miko-chan," Serenity answered. Misako's eyes widened a
little. "Ne, something bothering you? I might not be your dad but I'll
listen."

Misako sniffled a little and then sighed. "Well, it does sorta have to
do with you, Mom," Misako began while she stared at the floor, "I'm
sorry about throwing that book at you." She turned to look at her mother
and continued, "I'm glad you didn't say anything to 'Sagi about it."
Turning her gaze back to the floor, she asked, "So I'm grounded again,
ne?"

"For the book?" Serenity asked. When Misako nodded, she continued,
"Miko-chan, I can understand you being angry with me. I didn't handle
the decision about your gymnastics very well."

Misako shrugged and countered by saying, "You did something I couldn't.
I wasn't gonna go anywhere really. That was only my second medal. You
were doing me a favor really, Mom." <I'm no good.>

Misako had managed to barely win that gold medal at a small regional
competition. <If only she believed I'm proud of her...> Serenity reached
out and gently turned Misako's head. "Ne, don't get like that, Misako.
You were good. Your coach wouldn't even have thought about promoting you
to the senior division, if she didn't think you could compete. But, it
would've meant you giving up being a Sailor Senshi. I know your coach
told you there would be a lot of extra work involved."

"But what about the Nationals though?"

"I think that was me and bad timing. Mesume, you just came back from the
past and had been out commission as a Senshi and a gymnast for a year.
Wouldn't it have been tough to get ready for Nationals with your
schedule?"

"But Mom... I told ya I could give up being a Senshi until after
Nationals. You didn't go for that. I wouldn't have been taking on too
much then and I only would have been out of Senshiing for a few months.
They're lots of Younger Senshi around so they wouldn't even miss me!"

"When you decided to become a Sailor Senshi," Serenity began seriously,
"When you chose that first transformation, you gave an oath that simply
can't be put aside for your personal convenience." Misako rolled her
eyes at this. "Miko-chan, I lost my ability to transform because I
didn't want to be a Senshi. I didn't want to fight anymore. It took
Queen Serenity's magic to allow me to transform again. To be able to
save my friends. Being a Sailor Senshi isn't like gymnastics. You can't
stop and start it on a whim."

<Mom's right,> Misako thought, <I had lost my conditioning.> It had been
an effort to get back into shape. <I wanted to be with 'Sagi and I had
to be with Yuki and Yumeko too...> She sighed a little and shook her
head. <I had this figured out when I was Dad if only I could remember...
I know Mom was worried about me when she said I had to stop... She just
didn't make me quit because of 'Sagi...> It hurt though. Gymnastics had
been her only hope and now, it was gone. "I guess you're right, Mom,"
Misako conceded dejectedly, "but I thought I could do both."

"I wish I had had your energy when I was your age," Serenity remarked
and gently tapped Misako's head, "It would have made things a lot easier
when I became Sailor Moon."

"So you're not mad about the book?"

"Iie, I'm not mad, Miko-chan, but could I have a hug?" Serenity asked.
Misako moved and hugged her mother around the neck. She felt Serenity
hug her back and it was all she could do not to cry again. It was with a
little reluctance that she pulled away. Sliding from the bed, she walked
over to the window and looked out at the wet and soggy backyard. The sky
had begun to clear and only a few gray clouds lingered in an otherwise
blue sky. The sun was just starting to peek over the eastern wall of the
backyard. "We okay about the gymnastics then?"

Misako turned away from the window with a smile and said, "Sure, Mom, if
I wasn't a Senshi, who would make 'Sagi look good?"

Serenity swung her legs around so she was sitting on the bed facing her
daughter. Sliding forward so her legs were over the side of the bed, she
queried, "Miko-chan, are you really upset about those textbooks?"

Misako blushed a little and replied by shaking her head. Glancing at the
ground, she sighed and then regarded her mother. "I know 'Sagi deserved
most of them. And I know I didn't do much but I still don't think it's
fair."

"Why?"

Misako squirmed and then asked, "Do you promise not to tell 'Sagi what I
say?"

"Nani? Do you think I tell Usagi everything we talk about?"

"You're her onee. You tell her EVERYTHING," Misako replied. Serenity
looked a little hurt but made the necessary promise to Misako's
satisfaction. "I don't think it's fair because 'Sagi gets all the good
stuff, Mom." Serenity blinked, opened her mouth, and closed it again.
"She goes to the past and saves the world THREE times! I go to the past
and get amnesia, sick, and pain. It's my own fault for winding up in the
wrong time period but Mizuno-sensei treats it like I had a choice about
fighting. I had to hold back because it's 'Sagi who's important to the
timeline. Kami-sama, even if I went to the right timeline, I wouldn't've
done anything. All the enemies were gone and if I had gone when the
Starlights were there, I would've gotten amnesia anyway."

"So why did you want to go to the past then, Misako?" Serenity asked.

<She has to ask?!?> Misako thought bitterly. "Because I thought the you
of the past would love me. But when I get there, all I hear about from
you is about Usagi, Usagi, and USAGI! So, I came home and all I hear is
Usagi! So iie, I'm not jealous of 'Sagi. It's her destiny to have
everything and I guess it's mine to be an exact copy of her!" Tears had
started running down her face again and she looked bitterly at Serenity
who was regarding her with compassion. Her mother's blue eyes glittered
with unshed tears and she hated it.

"Oh Mesume... is that why you wanted to be a Senshi?"

"I wanted to be a Sailor Senshi," Misako stated in a thick voice,
"Because my onee was. I love being a Senshi but I don't want to be
Usagi. Even if that means you won't love me, I can't be Usagi but I have
to. That's what everybody wants from me."

Serenity pushed herself from the bed and kneeling on the floor, held out
her hand to Misako. The little girl ignored it though. "I don't want
that, Misako. Try to believe me, I..."

"Of course not!" Misako burst out, "All you want is for us to be normal
again but we can't. You want me to forget wasting seven years of my
life. You mentally abused me for seven years and now you think cuddling
with me and saying, `There, there,' will make it all better!" Turning,
she ran into the bathroom and slammed the door before locking it.

Serenity gave vent to her own tears then. She wrapped her arms around
herself and cried. Hot tears stung her face and ran down her cheeks
while the shudders of her sobbing shook her body. She was not crying
because Misako had hurt her, but because of the truth, her daughter had
spoke. How easy it would be to go to Endymion now, have him comfort her,
and pretend, as she had before, that everything would be normal. She
couldn't though. Something deep within her ached to simply hold Misako
and comfort her and apologize; yet she knew that such an apology would
do little to heal the wounds she had inflicted.

                                 ******

Sitting in a corner, knees drawn up to chest and head resting on them,
Misako cried until she couldn't cry anymore. She could her hear mother's
crying in the next room but ignored it, hated it, yet at the same time,
she wanted to comfort her mother. When the bathroom filled with silence,
Misako sat up straighter and listened. There was no crying coming from
her bedroom; her mother must have left. Pushing herself up, she walked
over to the door and pressed her ear against it.

<She's gone,> Misako thought sadly, <I didn't want her to cry.> But she
had wanted to make her mother understand. Unlocking the door, she pulled
it open and gave a start. Serenity was still there, sitting on the bed,
her face a mask of sorrow and regret. Dried tears could be seen on her
cheeks and her normally blue eyes were red from crying. Misako tried to
rally her anger but she felt empty and defeated. Stepping out into the
bedroom, she asked, "Why are you still here, Mom? What do you want?"

Serenity took a shaky breath and said, "Misako... It doesn't matter if
you saved the world or not, people DO care about you."

The little girl shook her head. "I wish it were true... I could go away
tomorrow and nobody but 'Sagi and Dad would even miss me." She looked at
Serenity and added, "Don't worry about me. It's 'Sagi that needs you."
<I won't take that from her.>

"Don't YOU need me, Mesume?" Serenity asked in a pain filled voice.

"I-I... had to go it alone before. I can manage now," Misako replied
haltingly.

"You're wrong about people not missing you. What about Atsuko?"

"'Sagi's her godmother. Why would she need me? Heck, when Kimeko has a
baby, you or 'Sagi will get the job as her godmother. Why even bother
with a second place princess?"

"So you think Atsuko doesn't need you, ne?" Serenity retorted, "And I
suppose Sakuya and Masao giving you such an honor was a fluke?" Misako
nodded and Serenity replied with a snort of disbelief. "Young lady, you
have been accorded a privilege that I haven't even received yet."

"Nani?"

"I haven't even held Atsuko and Usagi says Atsuko wants to know where
you are when she visits. Usagi may be her godmother but you're her
onee." Misako smiled a little. "And I dare you to tell Sakuya, or
especially Kimeko, what you just told me about not being missed. And why
do you think everybody wants you to be Usagi?"

"'Cause, 'Sagi has all sorts of friends and you always hear people talk
about her. They don't even know I exist unless I really screw up. That's
why I went with gymnastics. Somebody could watch me and see that I'm not
'Sagi."

"I think Yuki and Yumeko would be hurt that you don't think they're very
good friends, Miko-chan."

"They're my best friends," Misako stated, "It's just... I don't know."
She gave her mother a serious look and said, "That still doesn't answer
my original question, Mom. What do you want? If you want me to just
forgive you, then forget it." <I know I should for 'Sagi but that would
be another lie.>

Serenity moved and knelt in front of Misako so she was looking at the
little girl directly in the eyes. "What I want, and what I think
everybody who cares about you wants, is for you to be happy. I want you
to get your Younger Designation and to do well in school. I want you to
grow up to be a fine young lady. That's all."

Misako sniffled a little and said, "So you don't want me to forgive
you?" <Doesn't she even care?> She swallowed hard and sniffled again.

"Hai. Of course, I do, but I know it'll take a lot of work from all of
us. Misako, you gave me a gift I never had before. I knew how you felt.
I had an onee who loved me. I know how special your relationship with
Usagi is." She smiled sadly as fresh tears ran down her cheeks and she
continued, "I know how much you want a mom." Reaching out, she stroked
her daughter's blonde-white hair and added, "I can't undo the past. What
I guess I want is a chance, just a chance, to be a mom to you. Maybe not
now but sometime."

Misako's bottom lip trembled for a moment and as new tears welled up and
flowed from her eyes, Misako walked forward and hugged her mother
tightly. Serenity returned the hug almost desperately and started
rocking gently as both mother and daughter cried.

End of Chapter 13


Chapter 14 - Light in the Gloom

Endymion stared at Misako's bedroom door with a worried expression on
his face. He had noticed his wife getting up but had not followed. When
he was sure that Serenity was inside Misako's bedroom, he got up and
stealthily came out into the hallway. While he couldn't hear what his
wife was saying, he could hear his daughter very clearly. It was an
effort for Endymion to stand there and listen to Misako shouting in
anger at her mother. It was even more of an effort not to enter the room
after what must have been the bathroom door slamming shut. He could hear
Serenity's heaving sobs. It tore his heart apart.

A few moments after Serenity had began crying, Usagi's bedroom door
opened and the little girl came stalking out of her room looking very
upset. Her strawberry-blonde hair, which had been taken down for the
night, was in disarray and her eyes were red from lack of sleep. Her
dark blue eyes were also filled with anger that blazed brightly as
walked she purposefully down the hallway, her fists clenched tightly.

Endymion realized what his eldest daughter was about to do and moved
quickly to intercept her. "Iie," he hissed softly but Usagi kept coming
forward, "Small Lady, let it be."

"I don't care anymore!" Usagi ranted in a voice that was louder than
Endymion would have liked, "I'm going to tell Mother exactly what I
think of her." She had reached her father. "So much for her big heart!"
<She's not like the Onee-san I remember!>

Endymion looked back quickly at Misako's bedroom door before looking
down at Usagi. "We'll be in the way, Usagi," he countered, "Now go back
to bed."

"Are you nuts?!?" Usagi demanded in a shout. She gave a muffled cry as
Endymion wrapped one arm around her and used his other hand to cover her
mouth. Hurrying down the hallway, he prayed that Serenity hadn't heard
her. "Lemme go!" Usagi's protested indignantly into his hand, "Daaaad!"

"Usagi..." Endymion hissed in warning as he pushed open her bedroom door
with his foot. He gave a muffled cry as Usagi clamped her teeth onto his
hand. It took all of his will not to let Usagi go before the door was
closed. Once it was and he was in front of the door, he dropped the
squirming child and inspected his hand. While Usagi hadn't broken the
skin, her teeth marks were clearly visible. "Do you know what they were
talking about?"

"Iie, I don't care," Usagi spoke angrily but her voice was lower now,
"All I know is Mom's put my imouto 'round the bend and for two days in a
row, Misako's been screaming at her. That isn't like Misako at all!"

Endymion crouched and started to put out his hand but thought better of
it. Pulling it back, he said, "Usagi-chan, Misako was yelling. But I
think it was something that she needed to do. We both know how bad it is
to bottle up emotions." The little girl appeared less than convinced.
"Let's give OUR imouto a little more time, Mesume."

Usagi's bottom lip trembled a little as tears started to trickle down
her cheeks. "Dad, Misako needs me... I mean I can't..." she choked out.
"Kami-sama, this isn't the way things were supposed to be." The trickle
of tears became a steady stream then.

"Come here, Usagi-chan," Endymion said gently and held out his arms
which Usagi walked into. Hugging his daughter close, he stood up and
walked over to her dresser and picking up a hairbrush, walked back over
to the bed where he sat down. Setting the brush on the bed, he hugged
Usagi for another minute or so before she calmed into sniffles. "These
early mornings are for the birds, ne Mommy?"

A brief smile appeared. "Yeah," Usagi sniffled and wiped at her eyes.
"Dad... I'm sorry I bit you. Gomen." Endymion just smiled at her and
picking up the brush, started to brush out her hair. After a short time,
she asked, "Think they killed each other, Dad?"

"Iie," Endymion remarked, "Maybe a good cry and some yelling will do
both of them some good." Usagi grunted noncommittally.

                                 ******

Usagi walked down the hall slowly. It was an effort to do even that but
her father's description of the consequences if she decided to interfere
was motivation enough. Not that she really believed her father would
follow through, he was as worried about Misako as she was. She paused
before the open bedroom door and looked into her sister's room
cautiously. No one was in sight.

<Did they go back to bed?> Usagi wondered. She turned towards her
parents' bedroom and found Endymion looking at her sternly. She stuck
out her tongue and turning around, walked the rest of the way into the
living room and stopped abruptly at the sound of a familiar voice.
<That's Misako, and she's in the kitchen.> Turning, she started towards
the kitchen slowly.

She stopped again when she heard a strange noise, then Misako squeaked,
"Ow!"

Serenity's voice was mildly disapproving, "I told you to stop eating the
batter. Besides, you'll get a tummy ache and we won't have enough for
pancakes."

<Pancakes?> Usagi's stomach rumbled at the thought of pancakes. She
could almost hear Misako pouting.

"But I like the blueberries, Mom," her sister whined. Hurrying forward,
Usagi saw Misako standing on a chair beside the counter. Their mother
was standing beside the chair and looking with mild exasperation at her
youngest daughter.

"I thought you wanted to help make breakfast."

"Hai, I do," Misako replied. Her expression was sober looking but her
voice held a note of mischief in it.

"Then," Serenity instructed, "Stir don't eat."

"'Kay," Misako replied sulkily but she soon smiled.

Usagi was staring in wonder at this surreal scene when Serenity turned
and saw her. "My you're up early, Small Lady. Would you like some
juice?"

"How's anybody s'pposed to sleep with all the yelling and slammin'
doors?" Usagi asked, "Ne, what was it all about this time?"

Misako paused in her stirring but didn't turn her head. Her little
shoulders hunched slightly and Usagi narrowed her eyes at that. "MOM,
were you picking on her 'cause of yesterday?"

"Usagi," Endymion warned from behind her but she didn't turn around.
Instead, she just stared at her mother.

"What your sister and I discussed is between us," Serenity stated
simply. "Now, would you like to set the table please, Usagi-chan?"

"What'd she threaten to do, Misako?" Usagi asked her sister as she moved
out of her father's reach.

Misako turned around, wooden spoon in hand, and looked at Usagi with a
strange expression on her face. "Mom's right, Onee-chan. What we talked
about is between us. I don't ask what you 'n' her or you 'n' Dad talk
about." Giving her sister a genuine smile, she suggested, "Now go set
the table so we can eat."

"Is there any batter left?" Serenity asked with some humor. Misako
audaciously stuck her tongue out and got a similar response in return.

Endymion sighed and drew a hand over his face. "Kami-sama, not you too.
Bad enough Serenity and Usagi blow raspberries. I'm beginning to think
I'm the only adult in this entire suite." He gave a start backwards as a
small amount of pancake batter splattered over his face.

                                 ******

<I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought it was,> Usagi thought as she
peeked at her sister. She turned her gaze back to her history book and
gave a little sigh. <This is Misako's subject, not mine.> She'd already
done her art assignment and was regretting it. Her coordination wasn't
quite up to her normal standards.

<I wonder what Mom and her talked about?> Usagi had watched her mother
and sister closely. While there was still tension there, both showed
some relief and happiness. Misako in particular seemed happier than she
had been in awhile. More importantly was that her happiness seemed
genuine to Usagi.

Still, the tension between Serenity and Misako seemed constrained
somehow. Serenity's eyes took on a worried look as if she slipped into
thought too deeply. Except for the breakfast, which Usagi's very
overstuffed tummy deemed excellent, things seemed fairly normal. They
were both hustled off to wash up and change in their school fuku for
that morning's session of homework.

Now as Usagi sat and plowed through her history reading assignment, she
had to admit there was one slight change. Her mother seemed to be more
perceptive to Misako. She wasn't trying to force her help on Misako but
Serenity didn't seem so preoccupied with Usagi's homework problems.

<It's so strange,> Usagi thought, <But I kinda like it. I think even
Misako likes it.> Misako simply asked a question and if Serenity didn't
answer, she didn't raise a fuss. <So how come I still think it's some
type of trick?> Usagi asked herself, <It just seems so weird to me.
Yesterday, Misako goes off her rocker. Then, after she screams at Mom,
things are fine.> Something smelled rotten in Crystal Tokyo in her
opinion. <But what if it's true?> Usagi thought, <What if Mom is really
trying?> She quashed her rising hopes; she wouldn't believe such things
until there was more proof.

                                 ******

Shortly after ten, both girls were finished their day's assignments and
headed outside to play. At first, they contented themselves with the
swings and the slide that was still a part of the Royal Suite's
backyard. That soon lost its appeal for Misako and she started a new
game by stealing one of Usagi's shoes.

Usagi was so startled by the move that at first, she simply sat on the
swing, feet dangling, and stared after her mischievous sister. Then
leaping up, she started hop-running after her sister in a vain attempt
to keep her one sock clean. Usagi finally gave in and chased Misako who
took off running around the backyard with practiced ease.

Usagi slipped and toppled to the still soggy ground with a thud. This
set Misako off into a fit of giggles. Her face flushed in embarrassment
when she remembered that both her parents were watching them. Her sister
added insult to injury by taking the opportunity to grab her other shoe.
Usagi, once again, started chasing Misako until she came within easy
reach of the garden hose.

"Young lady, don't even think about it," Serenity hissed as Usagi picked
up the garden hose. "Misako, give your onee back her shoes."

"Aw..." the little girl pouted but dropped Usagi's shoes, either by
accident, or more likely on purpose, into a large mud puddle.

With a roar of annoyance, Usagi went after her sister with the hose,
spraying cold water as she went. Misako gave a yelp of panic and
retreated backwards, tripping in her haste and falling to the muddy
ground. Usagi stalked with an evil grin on her face. She was about to
give her sister a good dousing when Misako suddenly reached down and
started flinging mud. Usagi dropped the hose and quickly retreated from
the onslaught.

When she started running towards where her shoes were, so did Misako.
Her advance was cut short as Misako went sliding headfirst into the
large puddle, raising a fountain of muddy water. Grinning from ear to
ear, the little girl rolled over and held up Usagi's muddy shoes. "Come
and get 'em, 'Sagi-chan!"

"I don't think so, Imouto," Usagi huffed and retreated to the deck and
the safety of her parents. <No way I'm going in that stuff.> "Mom! Dad!
She won't give them to me. Make her give 'em back!"

"Well, she told you to come and get them, Usagi-chan," Endymion pointed
out. He grinned as Usagi gave him a sour look. "Well, she did."

"Mom, you go and get them," Usagi begged, "Please?!?"

"All right," Serenity sighed and started down the wooden steps and over
the soggy ground.

                                 ******

As she approached her youngest daughter, Serenity could feel her lips
curling up into a smile. "Ne, how's the mud?" she asked Misako softly.

"Have some!" Misako said and flung a handful at her mother.

<Why that little...> Serenity thought as she looked down at the mud
stain she now had on her blouse. "I see it's wet," Serenity observed as
she stooped down and picking up her own handful, threw it at Misako.
Only Usagi and Endymion's own expressions surpassed the shocked look on
Misako's face.

Serenity's smile faded as Misako's bottom lip trembled and she turned
away. <I didn't want her to cry.> She quickly moved forward, ready to
offer some type of apology. Crouching down, she said, "Miko-chan?"

"GOTCHA!" Misako yelled gleefully as she turned around. Lunging forward,
she toppled her mother backwards and sat astride her stomach. "You're
just too big," the little girl noted before she prepared another mud
attack.

Serenity, through her laughter, pouted, "You tricked me! That isn't
fair!" Misako's reaction had been a surprise to Usagi and Endymion but
what Serenity did next was even more of surprise. "Now you're really
gonna get it!" Serenity warned. Misako took on a panicked expression as
her mother sat up and put her tummy across her lap.

"Iie! Please, Mom, I was just playin'!" Misako wailed. She hadn't
thought her mother was angry enough to spank her.

Endymion had stood up, ready to intervene, and Usagi was already part
way down the steps when Misako howled. It wasn't because her mother was
spanking her though. Serenity had summarily stuffed a large handful of
mud down the back of Misako's T-shirt and another handful down the back
of Misako's jeans.

Misako retaliated and for the next few minutes, both Endymion and Usagi
looked on in shocked bewilderment as Misako and Serenity traded mud. By
the time it was over, both mother and daughter were on the ground
covered in mud, panting with exertion, and laughing at the same time.

<I don't believe it!> Usagi thought, <I just don't believe it! Mom never
liked getting dirty.> She couldn't remember a time that Serenity had
willingly played in the mud with Misako; typically, she'd been very
disapproving of Misako playing in the mud at all. She caught a movement
and watched her father pass her on the way down the wooden steps before
crossing over to where his wife and daughter were lying.

"Are you two quite finished?" Endymion asked. Usagi blinked as Serenity
sat up, giggled, and threw some mud at her husband.

                                 ******

Misako covered her mouth as she giggled. The look on her father's face
was priceless. Without another word, he turned and walked back to where
Usagi was staring at them with wide eyes.

<Uh oh... I'm bet I'm in for it now,> Misako thought as Serenity turned
and looked at her sternly.

"Didn't I tell you to give Usagi her shoes back?" Serenity asked.

Misako blinked. She hadn't been expecting a question, let alone that
question. "Hai," she squeaked.

"Well, go and get them and give them... POLITELY to your onee," Serenity
ordered as she got up. "Then we have to get cleaned up." <I'm getting
too old for this.> Serenity sighed a little, "There goes the carpet."

Misako, who had by now retrieved her sister's shoes, regarded her mother
and suggested, "We could go in through my bathroom window, Mom. It's not
locked." Serenity looked scandalized. "Ne, what's the matter?"

"Me, the Queen of Crystal Tokyo crawling in through a bathroom
window?!?"

Misako rolled her eyes and sighed, "Mom, just look at yourself."
Serenity glanced down at her muddy form and giggled.

Blushing a little, she agreed, "You're right, Mesume. I was being
silly." She gave her daughter a gentle pat on the head. <If the Senshi
Council could see me now...>

                                 ******

A little while later, Serenity eased herself into the warm water of
Misako's furo and let out a long sigh. "Kami-sama, that feels nice." She
looked at her daughter who was on the other side of the furo. The little
girl was holding herself above the water by hanging onto the side.
Serenity became concerned when she noticed the gloomy expression on
Misako's face.

"Ne, Miko-chan," she wondered, "Don't you want me to take a bath with
you? I can go if you want." Misako shrugged and then allowed herself to
slip down until the water level was nearly up to her nose. Serenity shut
her eyes and gave a little sigh both in mild exasperation and in
pleasure.

<Kami-sama, that mud was cold,> she thought and smiled, <But it was
fun.> She was a little unsettled that she had gotten into a literal mud
slinging contest. <What would the public say...> Serenity pondered and
then snorted. <Forget them... I've become way too worried about public
opinion.> Soon, she'd be allowing opinion polls to make her decisions
like the politicians of the late twentieth century. <There's nothing
wrong with having a little fun sometimes. Endymion and I insisted on a
domestic type of quarters so that we could live a fairly normal life
when our schedules allowed.>

She opened her eyes and regarded her youngest daughter. <Iie, it isn't
the public I should blame,> Serenity thought with sadness, <I just never
tried to understand Misako's feelings.> She had left that almost
exclusively up to her husband.

"Misako, sit up," Serenity requested. Misako at first didn't, so
Serenity added a little sharpness to her voice. When Misako had pushed
herself up, Serenity requested, "Come over here for a moment."
Reluctantly, the six year old moved over to her mother. Not turning
around, the little girl folded her arms on the side of the furo and then
rested her chin on her arms.

"Nani?"

"What's the matter?" Serenity asked, "Something's bothering you."

Misako turned her head and looked at Serenity for a long moment before
asked, "Why'd you start throwing mud? You never did that before."

"Because," Serenity answered, "I wanted to."

"I thought I was in for it," Misako admitted, "I guess this won't happen
again."

Serenity's eyebrow rose a little and she said, "Well, you are twelve,
Mesume."

"Don't I know it," Misako muttered and moved back to her original
position. The bathroom fell into silence as Misako brooded; Serenity
decided that she had pushed as far as she could without making Misako
balk. If her daughter wanted to tell her something, she would.

                                 ******

Misako snapped out of her brooding as she inhaled some of the furo's
warm water. She tried to push herself up but instead, sank further into
the water. For a moment, Misako wasn't sure what to do and then she felt
hands steadying her.

"You okay, Miko-chan?" Serenity asked her. Misako took a hold of the
furo's side and nodded. Serenity gave her a long look before starting to
push herself up from the furo.

"Mom, where are you going?" Misako asked as she pushed herself over to
the same side as her mother.

Serenity waited until she was out of the furo and standing on the floor
before she said, "You aren't very comfortable, Miko-chan. I think I'm
making the water a little too deep."

"It's this baka body!" Misako replied moodily with a scowl. Her mother
smiled at her and patted her head.

"Don't worry, Miko-chan, things will be back to normal soon. We can do
this again if you like."

"Oh yeah," Misako huffed sarcastically, "I can hardly wait for things to
be back to normal." <Not much difference between this and normal.>

Serenity looked a little hurt and remarked, "Misako, do you think I'd
let things go back to the way they were? Especially after this
morning?!" Misako looked a little surprised and Serenity added, "I said
we could do this again when you were bigger. That'll will be only in a
few days."

At first, Misako wasn't sure what to make of what her mother was saying
and then realization dawned on her. <She thought I was talking about
things being the same like they were before.> She had seen some changes
this morning but Misako now knew one thing, Serenity had kept her word.
<Usagi really tried to get Mom to tell her what we talked about.>
Serenity had simply repeated that it wasn't any of Usagi's business.

Realizing that Serenity was still looking at her with a worried
expression on her face, Misako shook her head for a moment. "Iie, Mom,
that wasn't what I meant."

"Want to talk about it, Miko-chan?" Serenity asked again.

Misako looked at Serenity for a long moment before nodding. "First, can
I get out of here? I'm getting' cold." She held up her arms and allowed
her mother to lift her out. "Arigato," she said as Serenity handed her a
towel. <Maybe Mom CAN help me.> It was worth a try.

Once dried and in a warm bathrobe, she followed Serenity out of the
bathroom and into the bedroom. When her mother sat down on the bed,
Misako walked over and after getting her hairbrush, padded over to her
mother and sat on her lap. <I used to love Mom doing my hair.> As
Serenity started brushing out her hair, Misako commented, "I... think
things will be different, Mom." She glanced up at her mother and smiled,
then continued, "But I was talking about me. The only difference between
this body and my normal one is only a couple of inches."

"Miko-chan," Serenity said, "I think there's more than just a couple of
inches difference, ne?"

"Not many," Misako replied, "Yuki's taller than I am. I leave for the
past and Yuki's still scrawny and shorter than me. I come back and she's
taller and... um... talented."

Serenity giggled a little, "Miko-chan, you've always been taller than
Yuki and now you're going to begrudge her a little growth?" She was a
little startled by Misako muttering something acidic. "And that reminds
me, you and I are going to have a little discussion about your foul
language, young lady. I've noticed you've been using words your father
and I don't approve of."

"Gomen," Misako squeaked while her cheeks flamed red in embarrassment.

"That can wait till later," Serenity remarked, "Back to this height
issue. Both of Yuki's parents are tall. Lady Tomoe is taller than I am.
And we know you'll be taller than me when you're older, ne?"

"I guess so, Mom," Misako admitted. <But everything's so slow. Right
now, I'm the puniest in my class!> "I'm the smallest in my class," she
whined, "I could go to school like this and I don't think anybody would
even notice." She turned around, forcing her mother to stop her
brushing, and added, "Did you know Yuki wears a bra? So does Yumeko."

"Iie," Serenity replied, "Neither is my mesume." She tilted her head a
little and asked, "Do you want me to put up your hair?" Misako turned
around again and gave a little sigh. "You know, Miko-chan, you will get
bigger when you're older."

"But it's taking so long..." Misako said gloomily, "Even 'Sagi had a bra
before she was thirteen."

"She was an early bloomer," Serenity replied, "And I'll admit it was a
little surprising to me."

Misako blinked but didn't turn around. "Nani?" she asked. <It was a
surprise to Mom?>

"Well... I was a late bloomer," Serenity admitted, "And when Makoto came
along, I felt even more self-conscious." She started to separate
Misako's hair so it could go into odangos and pigtails. "You know, in
grade seven, one sensei even thought I shouldn't be in junior high." She
smiled as Misako giggled. "But I do know that things will get better."

"How?" Misako asked, "I'll always be a little runt. I'm the smallest of
all the Senshi." She sighed a little and added, "And how am I supposed
to prove I'm grown up if I don't got any boobs?"

The hairbrush clattered to the floor and Serenity stared at the back of
her daughter's head for a moment before she turned the little girl
around. "Why," Serenity asked, "would you want to prove that you've
grown up? Misako, you're not even thirteen yet."

"You didn't say so this morning but that's one thing you want, Mom,"
Misako argued, "You made 'Sagi grow up..."

"Is that why you put all that stuff into storage? You thought I would
force you to grow up," Serenity interrupted.

"Hai," Misako admitted, "When 'Sagi was twelve, you made her grow up so
I figured if I did the same thing, you'd see that I could be like
'Sagi." She looked at the floor and said, "I s'ppose it didn't work very
well."

"Misako," Serenity explained, "I... Misako... Usagi is the Crown
Princess. Your father and I were very worried about her behavior after
the wedding fiasco. We needed to take drastic measures. I hated to do
that but Usagi was endangering her chances of remaining Crown Princess."
Misako blinked in confusion. "The Senshi Council was talking about
naming you Crown Princess in her place."

"NANI?! So you made Usagi grow up?" Misako asked with some horror.

"It's much more complicated than that," Serenity responded with a sigh,
"And just like I won't tell what you and I talk about, I'm not going to
say what Usagi and I talk about."

"I know..." Misako conceded somberly.

"Now back to you," Serenity said, "I know it seems like a long time,
Miko-chan, but you will grow up and you know you'll grow into a very
pretty young woman." Hugging her daughter, she continued, "And you'll
have lots of boys around you, wanting to meet you." Misako snorted at
that. "You don't believe me, ne?"

"Iie," Misako huffed, "Usagi will get all the attention." <Like always.>

"Usagi won't be around you that much by then," Serenity explained,
"She'll be busy being Queen."

"Yeah and I'll likely get stuck tagging along," Misako observed. Hopping
off of her mother's lap, she walked to the window and stared out at the
backyard for a moment before turn around again. "I'm kinda surprised you
haven't been making me go to Court."

Serenity opened her mouth and then closed it again. She frowned for a
moment then said, "Miko-chan... I think you'd find Court really boring.
Besides that won't be what you do when you grow up, unless something
happens to Usagi. I can arrange for you to go to some Court sessions if
you want."

"But what do you have planned for me?" Misako asked, "You and even Dad
spend so much time with Usagi that I don't even know what you're gonna
have me do." She sighed a little before adding, "Well, I guess as SECOND
PRINCESS, I'll just look pretty so nature better hurry up!" She stared
as her mother covered her hands with her face and started laughing.
"Nani?"

"You think you know everything, ne Mesume?" Serenity asked through her
laughter.

"Well you never tell me anything, Mom," Misako replied indignantly. "How
am I supposed to do what you want if you don't tell me?"

Serenity giggled a little more and wagged a finger at her daughter.
"Ne, didn't I tell you what I wanted this morning?"

"Yeah..." Misako replied with a frown.

Serenity patted the bed and after a moment, Misako moved over and sat
down beside her mother. Taking a few moments to compose herself,
Serenity remarked, "Miko-chan, you'll do whatever you want to do. You
could be a garbage collector if you really wanted to be one.... I don't
think the Senshi Council would approve but you could do it if you truly
wanted to."

<That can't be right...> "You don't have ANYTHING planned for me?!"
Misako asked in a hurt tone.

Serenity smiled a little, "Well, as a Sailor Senshi and even as a
princess, you have to perform a year's tour of duty in the CTDF. You can
be anything after that. If you're still a Senshi..."

"Nani? What'dya mean IF?!?"

"Misako, you know how becoming a Sailor Senshi works, ne? When you earn
your Younger Designation, you take your final vows. You could decide to
turn it down if you felt you wanted to." Misako blushed a little. "As I
was saying, if you're still a Sailor Senshi at nineteen, then you'll
likely go to work for one of the ministries. You may not but that's your
choice."

"You mean `I' get to choose, Mom?"

"Hai."

"But what about 'Sagi, you're..."

Serenity gave a little sigh and said, "You're very lucky, Miko-chan.
Usagi must be Queen after me. She doesn't have a choice. Once she
completes high school and does her tour in the CTDF, in Crystal Tokyo,
she'll be expected to assume some of my duties. She's already taking on
one or two minor responsibilities. You get to choose though. With your
grades, all the ministries will beg to get you."

"Honto?" Misako asked, "I never thought about it like that." <Poor
'Sagi...>

"Honto," Serenity answered with a smile. Reaching up, she stroked her
daughter's hair and added, "Nobody's ever bothered to explain it to you.
I should've done it before. Gomen. You think Usagi gets everything but
this time, you get something she doesn't. You get to choose what you'll
do when you grow up." Misako looked like she was going to chew on that
idea for awhile. "Ne, Miko-chan, do you want me to finish brushing your
hair?"

"Hai!" Misako chirped. Climbing onto her mother's lap again, she sat
there and pondered what her mother had said. After a moment, she asked,
"So you'd have a bath with me when I'm back to normal?"

"Hai! Best place to talk, Mesume," Serenity replied and gave Misako a
hug. The room fell into comfortable silence and after a few minutes,
Misako's body slumped back against her and Serenity realized that the
little girl was sound asleep.


Chapter 15 - Stirrings from the Past

Hugging her stuffed bunny, Usagi sat on the couch and watched the
program that was on the television. A noise drew her eyes to her right
and she saw Misako crawling onto the couch. Her sister was dressed in a
set of green overalls and a pale yellow shirt. She glanced down at own
outfit, a set of blue overalls and a red and white striped shirt. Usagi
sighed a little and looked back at the television.

"What's the matter?" Misako asked sleepily as she hugged her teddy bear.
<Why'd Mommy wake me up?>

"Nothin'," Usagi remarked, "I was just thinking about the time we went
to the flower gardens. I think I wore this exact same thing." <Where did
Onee-san go?> She couldn't even bring herself to think of her mother as
her big sister anymore. "We had a lot of fun then... especially when
we..." She gave another little sigh and looked gloomily at the
television.

"Especially when?" Misako mumbled.

"Nothin," Usagi replied while waving her hand dismissively. She turned
her head to regard Misako who appeared on the verge of sleep. "Ne, are
you okay, Imouto?"

Misako blinked and looked sleepily at her sister. "Hai." Yawning
expansively, she gave her sister a smile. "I'm okay, Onee-chan. Me and
Mom worked some stuff out."

"You wouldn't tell me what, ne?" Usagi asked.

"Iie," Misako replied and then gave an apologetic smile. "I know you're
worried about me, Onee-chan, but..."

"So you forgave Mom, ne?" Usagi asked. She couldn't keep a note of hope
out of her voice. Misako shook her head and it was all that Usagi could
do not to look disappointed.

She was about to say more when Endymion called out, "Usagi-chan, come
help me with lunch. Since your mother and Misako made breakfast, then
the least we can do is make them lunch."

"Hai!" Usagi squeaked and after giving Misako another look, slipped from
the couch and headed for the kitchen. She looked back over her shoulder
but her sister was out of sight. Turning around, she walked up to stand
beside her father and asked, "So what are we making, Dad?"

"Hmmm... I don't know. What would you like to make?" Endymion asked.

"Pudding?" the six year old asked. She giggled as Endymion looked with
mock disapproval at her. Crossing her arms, Usagi furrowed her brow in
concentration for a moment and then said, "Well what if we make
something that Misako really likes? She made pancakes for me this
morning."

Endymion smiled and lifting Usagi up so she could sit on the counter, he
said, "You are a very smart onee." Usagi giggled.

                                 ******

The rest of that afternoon passed almost without incident. Usagi
accidentally sprayed her father with some paint. Endymion finally
decided to get into the act and ambushed all three girls with the hose.
This ultimately led to Misako, Endymion, and Usagi spending time in the
corner. Misako was in the corner because she had teased her father for
being put into a corner by Serenity. Endymion was in the corner for
spraying everybody with the hose. And Usagi was in the corner for
"unladylike" language.

It was, therefore, quite a shock to Minako when she came walking into
the Royal Suite around four that afternoon. "Do I even want to ask,
Serenity-chan?" she asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Err... iie," Serenity began then giggled, "Okay, minna, time's up."

"You did that on purpose!" Usagi protested.

"Yeah!" Endymion added while looking rather sheepish.

"Don't worry, Endymion-sama," Minako offered, "There is a silver lining
in this urinal." The others gaped at Minako for a moment before shaking
their heads.

"And how do you figure that, Commander?" Endymion asked.

"Well, you standing in a corner like a naughty kid ain't too bad. Um...
I mean I don't think it even tops you running around in my Sailor fuku."
Endymion took on a thoughtful expression for a moment and then nodded.
"See, I told you."

"So what brings you by, Minako-chan?" Serenity asked while motioning for
her visitor to take a seat on the couch. "Business or pleasure?"

"Umm... neither really, Your Majesty. I just wanted to see how things
were going." She regarded the two little girls and added, "And to warn
you that Elder Mercury's gonna give you two a thorough PHYSICAL
examination."

"NANI?!?" Usagi and Misako squeaked.

"She wants to see how being in a regressed state has affected you,"
Minako elaborated.

"Iie!" both wailed.

"She has those cold thingys!" Misako complained.

"And needles!" Usagi added with a shudder. Both girls looked at each
other and then fled from the room with terror in their eyes.

"Maybe... Maybe I shouldn't have said anything," Minako speculated.

                                 ******

Serenity giggled to herself as she turned the page of a spiral bond
book. She was sitting in bed reading. She looked up as the bedroom door
opened and her husband came in. He raised an eyebrow when he saw her in
bed. "Are the girls in bed?"

"I just checked a little while ago and they were both out cold,
Serenity," Endymion replied. He walked over to the bed, sighed, and lay
down. Throwing his right arm over his eyes, he commented, "What a day. I
didn't think the girls would have fallen asleep before bedtime."

"Actually, I'm surprised Misako lasted as long as she did," Serenity
said while turning the page of her book, "She's been up early and she
played herself out today."

Endymion gave a little sigh and turning to his side, propped himself up
on his elbow. "Ne, whatcha reading?"

Serenity cleared her throat and read aloud, "My daddy is like a puddle,
lotsa fun." Endymion blinked and pushed himself up further so he could
see what his wife was reading. "My sensei is like a bath, no fun."

Endymion chuckled and said, "Nani? What in the world is this?"

"This is one of Misako's composition books she did when she was little."
She giggled then. "I found it when I was looking through the storage
closet. I even found their baby albums."

"What does it say about you?" Endymion asked and then said, "Gomen..."

"Actually, it's not that bad, Endymion," Serenity explained, "Or at
least when I was on her good side." Endymion raised an eyebrow in
curiosity. Serenity flipped back a couple of pages and said, "Mommy is
like my teddy, I can hug her." Serenity smiled a little and then
sniffled. Endymion wrapped his arm around her and she sighed a little.
"Here's what she thinks if she's mad at me." She flipped back a few more
pages before saying, "Mommy is like pee, yellow 'n' stinky."

Endymion's eyes bulged as he started to cough. "That's terrible!" he
said, "I can't believe Misako wrote that." He took the book and flipped
through some more pages. "Well at least she wasn't that vulgar in the
others." He turned to look at Serenity. "Ne?"

"She was little, Endymion, and considering when she wrote that, I'm
surprised she managed to say anything nice about me at all." Serenity
reached down and after a moment, produced several sheets of paper.

"What are those?"

"Usagi's drawings..."

"What? No compositions?" Endymion asked with a small smile.

Serenity gave a little sigh but smiled. "Iie, Usagi's compositions
mainly concerned Misako... hard to say though, she rambled a lot."
Endymion blinked. "Of course, her drawings show her feelings a lot
clearer."

"Oh?" Endymion asked. Serenity nodded and handed him the picture that
was on top. The page contained three things. The first looked like a
brown mountain. The second was of a tiny person who was running towards
the mountain and then, there was a large, orange, bipedal carrot with
fangs and claws. "Uh... I think I remember this one." Endymion furrowed
up his brow and said, "Isn't that the time Usagi wanted nothing but
chocolate pudding and we wouldn't give in?"

"She was particularly upset with me." When Endymion looked questioningly
at her, she inquired, "Who do you think the carrot is?" Endymion smiled.
The next picture showed a family with a mother, a father, and a child.
There was another child off to one side with what looked like a
suitcase. "For a long time, I couldn't figure this one out. I tried
asking Usagi but she would never tell me."

"What's it supposed to be, Serenity?" Endymion questioned.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it was Usagi saying she wanted Misako gone."
Serenity moved to the next picture she had and commented, "But this one
makes Usagi look like a different person. I think it was just after
Usagi returned from the past the first time." It was a fairly decent
picture of four people. Endymion and Serenity could recognize themselves
by the color of the clothing and the height. They could also tell Usagi
and Misako apart. In this one though, Usagi was grinning and holding
hands with Misako.

"That's quite a jump. Do you have more?"

"Hai," Serenity said, "But most of them are in binders. These were just
loose." She frowned a little and continued, "I can almost follow along
what happens. As Usagi got better at drawing, you can tell when Misako
was happy with her and when she wasn't. You can tell when she wasn't
happy with either one of us too."

After looking through the other pictures, Endymion nodded in agreement.
"I see what you mean. So how much of Usagi's art do you have?"

"She hasn't shown anything to me in awhile now, Endymion. Some of the
binders are missing too," Serenity stated softly, "You know, I think
there's only one picture that Misako's ever drawn in the entire Royal
Suite and that's in Usagi's room." She sighed a little. "Well maybe
she'll try drawing again. I know Usagi would certainly like her work."

"So you two had a good talk, ne?" Serenity gave her husband a sharp look
and he held up his hands. "I'm not trying to pry but you two've been up
late two days in a row."

"Hai, we had a good talk," Serenity confirmed and then sighed heavily.
She looked down at her hands that were in her lap and added, "I think we
needed this. I didn't realize how bad things were."

"I didn't either, Usako," Endymion said gently as he hugged his wife,
"Do you think we can ever have our family back?"

"It'll take a lot of work, Endymion, from all of us," Serenity answered.
There was a short pause and then she continued, "Ne, do you think we
could find something for Misako to do?"

"Like what?" Endymion retorted, "She's only twelve. You stopped her from
taking gymnastics because she was pushing herself too hard."

"I know," Serenity admitted softly, "I guess I'm just feeling guilty is
all. Usagi takes up a lot of our time but I think now, Misako isn't so
resentful about it."

Endymion nodded then said, "Usagi being Crown Princess is a good thing
though. It'll give Misako the space she needs. Usagi cares a lot and you
can see it in her art." <Too bad Misako had to wait so long to discover
it.>

                                 ******

That Thursday morning, Serenity padded into the dining room with a cup
of tea and sat down at her chair. She took a sip of tea and was just
putting down the cup when she noticed the envelope. "Ne, what's this?"
she asked her daughters.

"I don't know, Mom," Misako answered, "It was there when we came back
from gettin' dressed."

"Yeah," Usagi said, "And it was addressed to you and Misako. Misako
wouldn't open it 'til you got here."

"Endymion?" Serenity called out, her husband came into the doorway, and
looked at his wife expectantly, "Is this from you?"

"Hai!" Endymion replied with a grin, "Just a little something to remind
you of yesterday." His grin got even wider as Misako and Serenity gave
him a wary look. Even Usagi tried to shift around so she could look at
her textbook and keep an eye on her father at the same time.

"Open it, Mom," Misako directed.

"Thanks a lot," Serenity muttered as she carefully opened the envelope
and looked inside. Frowning a little, she pulled out the item that was
inside and let out a little gasp. Misako got up and came around to look
at what her mother held in her hand. "Where on earth... when did you get
this developed?!?"

"Nani? What is it?" Usagi asked.

"It's a picture... of me 'n' Mom. We're all muddy," Misako remarked as
she looked between the picture and her father.

Endymion smiled and made a motion like he was about to produce a rose
but instead produced a camera. "Amazing what you can do with a digital
camera and a good color printer, ne?"

Usagi got up and walked around to stand beside her mother. She gaped at
the picture for a moment and then started to giggle. "I don't think I've
ever seen you that dirty, Mom. Although... Misako gets that bad just
playing Youma Catch." She giggled even more as Misako made a grab for
her.

"Girls, please..." Serenity said sternly. Misako and Usagi glared at
each other for a moment and then giggled. "Well, I found some
interesting pictures too."

"Nani?!?" Usagi asked, "What pictures, Mom?"

"Hai, what pictures?!" Misako asked.

"Wait until after lunch, Mesume, then we'll sit in the living room and
look at them, okay?"

"Hai," Misako replied, "Ne, Usagi-chan, wanna have a game today? The
grass isn't that wet now."

Usagi glanced at the clock and shook her head. "I already had my mud
quota for the week yesterday..." she grimaced, "Then again, mud ain't as
boring as this history project." Misako sniffed at that and turned back
to her own homework. She looked up at her mother and saw her mother's
eyes twinkle with mirth.

"Me and you can do something, Miko-chan," Endymion offered, "If you want
to?" Misako agreed heartily and set about completing her homework.
Serenity took a deep breath and sighed happily; things looked like
they'd be peaceful today.

                                 ******

An hour or so after lunch, the Royal Family gathered in the living room.
Endymion and Serenity sat far enough apart to allow their children to
sit between them. "Now," Serenity began, "I was looking through the
storage room and found these." She reached into a box she had sitting on
the floor beside her and pulled out two photo albums.

"What are they?" Misako and Usagi asked simultaneously.

"Baby pictures," Serenity declared. She blinked as Misako and Usagi gave
a scream and tried to get up but their father held them fast. "They
aren't that bad." She got a wicked grin on her face and added, "Or would
you prefer I read to you from your early composition works?"

"This," Usagi began, "Might not be so bad."

"I don't know... I've seen me as a baby." She giggled as Serenity shot
her a stern look.

"You've seen these before?" Usagi asked.

"Hai, she has," Endymion chimed in before Misako could say anything.

"So who goes first?"

"'Sagi," Misako volunteered, "She's the oldest." She grinned as her
sister stuck her tongue out. "Well, Onee-chan, you ARE the oldest."

"Fair enough," Serenity agreed and putting one album to the side, she
flipped open the other and started commenting on different pictures.
Usagi felt like crawling under a rock and dying. If Hana or Ikado ever
saw these, her life would be over.

About two hours later, Serenity had finished showing all of the pictures
in both albums. "Of course, there was that one time I let Misako pick
your punishment, Usagi-chan."

"Hai," Endymion said with a smile, "She said every dish had to have
carrots in it."

Usagi huffed, "That's cruel and unusual punishment if you ask me."

"You deserved it," Misako retorted, "Picking on me like that." Usagi
stuck out her tongue and Misako replied in kind.

"That's enough!" Endymion warned sharply, "The next person to stick out
their tongue will stand in the corner for an hour... and no dessert."

Usagi sulked a little and commented, "At least when I was Queen, nobody
could tell me what to do."

"Yeah, you just thought you could tell EVERYBODY else what to do,"
Misako replied. She giggled as Usagi glowered at her.

"Okay so I made mistakes but it's a lot easier being an adult than a
kid." The rest of her family snorted. "Nani? You think it's easier being
a kid?"

"Hai!" Endymion replied, "Sure, I had school but Hana was nice." He
thought for a few moments and added, "And you and Misako looked after
everything for me."

Serenity smiled and closed her eyes. "I remember feeling warm and safe."
She opened her eyes and looked at Misako. "I didn't have to decide
anything. It was quite a treat." She looked at Usagi. "Although I did
miss my mommy."

Usagi blushed a little. "Gomen, Mom, that was one mistake I tried to
fix. I don't know what happened though. I just got into doin' your role
and got carried away I s'ppose."

"So did I," Endymion said, "Although... both of you tried to keep me on
the straight and narrow." <What a little hellion I was.>

Usagi snorted a little at that, "Yeah right, I catch you doing something
wrong and make Misako punish you. Then I turn around and take you to
Court when I told you that coming with me depended on you being good."
Sighing a little, she mused, "I wish I was back there now. But so I
could change things... make them better."

Serenity sighed a little wistfully, "I wouldn't mind being back there
either." <At least for a short time.>

"It be a lot easier, wouldn't it?" Endymion looked down at Misako and
said, "Ne, what about you, Miko-chan?"

When Misako shook her head, Usagi prodded, "Not even for a short time,
Imouto?" When Misako didn't answer, Usagi at first was puzzled then
something occurred to her. "I wouldn't want to be Queen all the time."

"Why not?" Misako asked, "You really got into the role."

"That's just it, Imouto," Usagi explained, "It was a role... It wasn't
really me. Sure, I liked it but I was losing something very important to
me."

"Honto?"

"Honto," Serenity agreed softly, "I'd only want to be there a short
time." She smiled at her youngest daughter and added, "I don't think I'd
ever want to replace the original." She gave Misako a wink.

"That's right," Endymion agreed.

"Why wouldn't you want to go back?" Serenity asked.

"I would," Misako chirped, "I mean I did feel proud about what you guys
did and stuff."

"Honto? Like what?" Endymion asked with curiosity.

"Well... how you looked after Mom. You were a great onee," Misako
replied wistfully. She glanced at Serenity and fell silent.

"Nothin' about me, Daddy?" Serenity asked with a small smile, "What's
the proudest moment?"

Misako's cheeks flared crimson and she said, "You would ask that, ne?"
<Kami-sama, I have to tell the truth!> Serenity just blinked at her.
Usagi was gloating, a hug grin spread across her face. "The proudest
moment, MESUME, was... um... when you had... when you had a p-potty
success." As Usagi howled in laughter, Misako felt like crawling under a
rock.

                                 ******

Around midnight, Usagi leaned away from her parents' door with a huge
grin. "See, told ya they'd be busy." Misako just wrinkled up her nose.
Turning, Usagi walked down the hallway. "That was a pretty good act."

"I wasn't actin'," Misako said grumpily, "I was having a nice dream."

"Was it about Senji?" Usagi asked. She grunted as Misako's teddy bear
hit her in the head. "H..." she began but Misako clamped her hand over
her sister's mouth. "Mrphf?!?"

"Be quiet, 'Sagi," Misako hissed, "Why'd you wake me up in the first
place?"

"I'm thirsty," Usagi replied, "And I want something besides water."

"So?" Misako asked, "You don't need me to open the fridge like before."

"True, Imouto," Usagi replied, "I can get the milk but WE need something
to go with it. So, you're gonna get the triple-chocolate fudge cookies
that Mom has stashed."

"Me?!?" Misako squeaked with indignation. The little girls were in the
living room and she came to a sudden halt. "Why me?"

"Because you're the youngest and if we get caught, Mom won't kill you."

"Forget it," Misako huffed and turning, started walking back to her
room, "I'm going back to bed." Usagi grabbed her by the arm and brought
her up short.

"Please Onee-chan?!?" Usagi begged, "You can climb better than I can
too."

"Forget it, 'Sagi," Misako repeated.

"I need your help... Pretty please, Miko-chan?" Usagi begged, "My tummy
says I'm hungry." As if to prove the point, Usagi's stomach gurgled.

"Sounds like it says it's already full," Misako countered. When Usagi
gave her a pleading look, she sighed a little and relented, "Okay, but
you're gonna take the rap for this if we get caught."

"We won't get caught..." Usagi assured her, "Yeah, we're in six year old
bodies but we can think of all the possibilities."

                                 ******

The room was dark except for the small amount of moonlight that slanted
in through the bedroom window. Misako, who was lying on her tummy,
raised her head from the pillow and wondered what had woken her up. It
was the touch of cold dampness that told her. Sleepily, she shoved her
sister.

"Five more minutes, Daddy..." Usagi mumbled and rolled from her side to
her back.

"'Sagi!" Misako hissed, "Wake up!" As she became more aware, she
thought, <What am I sleeping on?> It wasn't her mattress. One of Usagi's
eyes slid open to regard her with annoyance.

"Na-ni?"

"You peed in my bed!"

Usagi sat bolt upright and then turned to Misako and squawked, "I did
not!"

"Don't fib about it, 'Sagi," Misako retorted, "I can FEEL it!"

Usagi, whose temper had started to rise, slid from the bed and turned
the bedside lamp on. She glanced down at herself and noticed that her
pajamas were perfectly dry. "See?!?" she argued while turning around to
regard her sister, "I didn't wet the bed!"

"Then what's this?!?" Misako demanded as she pushed herself to her feet.
She glanced down, expecting to see a damp spot where her sister had lain
but instead noticed that it was her pajamas that had a dark wet spot.
<I... no way!> "You used an ice cube, ne? And after I helped you get
Mom's cookies 'n' stuff!" Usagi's face reddened in anger and her mouth
opened and shut as she sputtered with indignation. The smell that wafted
its way up to Misako's nose that told her the horrible truth. <Iie!> she
wailed mentally, <This isn't fair!>

<My teddy bear...> Misako thought and glanced down. She gave a sigh of
relief when she saw that her teddy bear had been off to the side. Her
relief fell away though when she realized that she'd been lying atop
Usagi's stuffed bunny.

"MY BUNNY!!!!" Usagi shrieked in horror. The little girl made a dive for
her stuffed rabbit and scooped it up. After a moment, she turned angrily
to her sister and yelled, "YOU... YOU..."

Misako didn't hear what else her sister said, she was crying too hard to
even listen. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment and her vision
blurred. Despondently, the little girl plopped down onto the bed,
wondering what to do. It was a moment or so before she felt someone
gently shaking her. Sniffling, she rubbed at her eyes and when her
vision was clearing, she noticed that Usagi was looking at her but
didn't appear angry.

"Don't cry, Miko-chan. It's not your fault," Usagi said, "I mean you did
have a lot of milk." Misako sniffled and looked at Usagi's stuffed
bunny. Usagi noticed the look and put a weak smile on her face. "It's
just a little spot." Trying to cheer her sister up, she added, "Guess
you got me back for all those teddy bears I destroyed, ne?" Misako gave
a choked giggle and sniffled again.

Misako reached over and retrieved her prized teddy bear. Carefully
hugging it for a moment, she held it out for Usagi. "Here, Onee-chan,
you can have this until we get it washed."

"I don't need it, Imouto," Usagi said.

"Please?"

"Okay," Usagi agreed as she took the bear. "We should get some sheets
though, and change the bed." She looked at Misako. "Why don't you clean
up and I'll get the sheets?"

"How about you go to bed in your room? Misako can get cleaned up and
we'll change the bed," Endymion's voice remarked.

Both six year olds gave yelps of surprise and whirled around to face the
direction from which the voice had come. They saw both their parents
standing in the doorway of the bedroom, both looked haggard. When Misako
started softly crying, Serenity walked across the floor and over to the
bed. "Ne, Miko-chan, why don't you go get cleaned up and I'll get you
some fresh pajamas?" Misako nodded and slipping from the bed, headed for
the bathroom.

"Come on, Small Lady, I'll tuck you into bed," Endymion instructed as he
walked over to the bed and held out his arms. Usagi stood up and allowed
herself to be picked up by her father and carried from the room.

                                 ******

Serenity gently tapped on the bathroom door. When there was a soft
reply, she opened it and looked into the bathroom. Misako was sitting on
the toilet in her bathrobe. She was looking very unhappy. "Oh! Gomen
nasai..." Serenity apologized and started to leave.

"That's okay, Mom," Misako declared, "I was just waiting."

Serenity came in and shut the door. "Here are some underpants." Misako
slid from the toilet and took the underpants. "Would you mind wearing
this?" Serenity held up the T-shirts Misako typically wore at night, at
least when she was normal.

Misako blinked and said, "That's what I usually wear to bed. That thing
will be huge on me."

"I know, it will be big on you. It might even be too big but I think
it'll do until morning."

"Why not pajamas, Mom?" Misako asked as she finished putting on the
clean underpants.

"Well, Miko-chan, your one set's already in the wash and the ones you
were wearing tonight will need to be washed too." She added, "And it's a
little late to phone up Rei." Serenity knelt down and asked, "Ne, would
you like to be eight?" Misako blinked and made a motion as if to speak
but fell silent. "I know how hard it was for you when you were this age,
Miko-chan. By eight though, you weren't having very many accidents."

"Would you make 'Sagi eight too, Mom?"

"I'm afraid not," Serenity replied,

"Iie," Misako answered after a moments thought, "I'm okay with this. I
know it isn't permanent." She looked at the shirt and asked, "This is
just for tonight, ne Mom?" When her mother nodded, she squeaked, "Okay."
Holding up her arms, she waited while Serenity put the T-shirt on over
her. Misako looked down at her self and giggled, "This thing almost
touches the floor." Hugging her mother, she declared, "There are some
advantages to being six."

"Nani? Oh, like what?"

"I get lotsa hugs and..." Misako trailed off with a grin.

"And?" Serenity prompted.

"I have a perfect excuse for playin' in the mud."

"Oh Miko-chan..." Serenity said with a laugh. "Let's go to bed."

As Serenity lifted her up and headed out of the bedroom, Misako
remarked, "I have another reason for wanting to be six." Serenity
stopped and looked at her expectantly, "I wouldn't want to be the onee.
That's 'Sagi's job. I'm just about as tall as her and that's good enough
for me." She giggled then and said, "Don't tell 'Sagi but it's funny
watching her. She has a harder time 'cause she's so much taller than I
am when we're normal."

"She does?"

"Why do you think Dad lets her sit on the kitchen counter?"

Serenity frowned and stated, "I think I'll have to have a talk with your
father about that." As they left Misako's room and crossed over the hall
to the master bedroom, Misako gave her mother a startled look. "Your
onee conned your father into letting her spend the night so it's only
fair you get to too." Misako just gave a little sigh and put her head
against her mother's shoulder.

End of Chapter 15

Coming next in Chapter 16 - All Good Things...


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