Not as dark as the first part. Might seem slow but I have to establish
stuff first.

-------
                               Mama's Hand
                                    By
                               Douglas Helm

                             Edited/Co-Plotted
                                    By
                         "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl
                                Rated : R+


AUTHOR'S WARNING!!!

This piece of fanfiction contains disturbing images and deals with
material that IS inappropriate for younger readers. Please respect the
rating that I've given it. Morally speaking, I had a hell of a time
writing the first part.

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, Sailor Senshi, and all terms, names, etc.
associated with the series are copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi and
Kodansha. We make no claim to them and this work of fanfiction should
not be seen as making a claim.

Those characters that are original and the story "Mama's Hand" are
copyrighted (c) 1997 by Douglas Helm.

Send comments to: Douglas Helm (dhelm@log.on.ca)



Part II

As Serenity entered her daughter's room. Little Usagi ran up to her,
tears streaming down her face. She clung to one of her mother's legs,
burying her face in it. Her little body trembling in fear.

"Usagi, Usagi listen to me," Serenity said desperately. "Usagi!" she
said more sternly. Usagi snapped her head up and stared at her mother.
"Gomen," Serenity said a little more softly, "Listen carefully, Small
Lady. When you go back to the past I won't know who you are."

"Aren't you coming with me?"

Serenity brushed a tear off of her daughter's face. "I'm going to come
with you," Serenity said, "But we have to hurry. Just remember I won't
know you." <I'm sorry, little one.> Serenity sadly thought as she
reached into her pocket for the Time Key, <I should have left long ago.>
She turned to her daughter, "Usagi-chan, this is the Time Key. Keep it
close to your heart. If we get separated, command it to take you where
you want to go.  There is a guardian that will help you." She gave her
daughter a gentle hug. "Do you understand?"

"Hai," Usagi said. She was trying to be brave but her mother was acting
different. She took the Time Key and hung it around her neck. She looked
at it, marveling in its design and colors.

"Are you ready to go on our trip?" Serenity asked.

Usagi was about to respond when a voice cut through the air. "You aren't
going anywhere." It was quiet, too quiet for normal speech, but the edge
it carried was sharp and deadly.

Whirling around both Usagi and Serenity let out a small cry. There
standing in the doorway was Endymion. A small trickle of blood running
down his face. Clutched in his hand was a large knife. Serenity snatched
up the poker and placed herself between Usagi and Endymion.

Endymion sneered, "I'm not going to tolerate any more. I never loved
that MONSTER! I loved you once, but YOU betrayed ME!" His voice had
became a snarl, "You're going to pay, and continue to pay for that." He
took a step forward.

"Usagi, use the Key!" Serenity commanded and started towards Endymion,
"Quickly!"

Usagi didn't move, she was too scared to. Endymion had always been a
frightening figure to her and, after this morning, she was too scared to
anger her father anymore. Her hesitation, though, was all the time that
Endymion needed. Lunging forward, he snatched the poker out of
Serenity's hands and with another quick blow sent her sprawling onto the
floor.

"Where did you get that?!?" Endymion shouted when he saw the Key, "You
knew Pluto was banished!" He reached for the Key but Usagi took a step
back. "GIVE ME THE KEY!!!" he commanded her and advanced.

She saw her father raise the poker. Curling into a ball, clutching the
Key, she tightly shut her eyes and started to whimper. <Please Crystal
Key take me to my Mommy. Take me back to the past so I can make Daddy
love me! Where he won't hurt me or Mommy!> She felt a tingling
sensation. The last clear sound she heard was of Endymion howling with
rage. <Please Crystal Key, help me!!!> A single tear rolled down her
cheek as reality slipped away and she found herself in the stream of
time.

                                  ******

Present day Tokyo was having fine weather. The April day was warm yet
not overly hot. The freshness that had been released after the dormancy
of winter seemed to blossom and flourish. It being a Saturday, people
were out of doors to enjoy the weather before they were forced back to
work or school on Monday.

Tsukino Usagi stretched as she yawned. Humming to herself, she got up
and started to dress. Today was going to be a great day. She planned to
spend most of it with her one and only love, Chiba Mamoru. Only giving a
minimal glance to her bookbag that contained the latest mountain of
homework, Usagi trotted from the room.

"Look who's up?" Shingo sneered out.

"Stow it, Shingo!" Usagi snapped. She then walked over to her brother
and, reaching out, patted him on the head, "Or I'll tell Mika that you
got little hearts on your undies." It wasn't true but right at the
moment Mika was a sensitive subject with Shingo. Shingo was about to
retort angrily and then decided it wasn't worth the hassle. Usagi smiled
to herself as his door closed behind him. <That was kinda fun. Have to
remember that one.>

"Good morning, Mom!" she called cheerily, "Smells good!"

"Hai, it's a cake," Ikuko said, "It's for dessert so don't even think of
touching it." She glared seriously at her daughter who had proceeded to
stuff a slightly stale piece of toast into her mouth. "Where are you off
to?"

"The park," Usagi said. <To meet Mamo-chan...> She sighed, he was so
dreamy! She could spend her entire life looking at him... in between
bites of food, of course.

"Are you meeting a boy?"

"Just a friend," Usagi chirped and then scooted out the front door.
Ikuko watched her daughter go and gave a sigh before turning back to her
cooking. Usagi almost floated down the street. She was in such good
spirits that at first she didn't notice the noise.

However, as she drew closer to the source, Usagi became aware of it.
<Sounds like somebody's crying,> Usagi thought and started to look
around, <Sounds like a little kid.> She started to grow concerned. What
had happened? Usagi started to search in earnest this time and, within a
few seconds, she found the source.

And the sight she saw mad her gasp. A little girl, no more than seven,
curled into a ball. Her hair was a vibrant strawberry blonde.  It was
done up in "rabbit ear" odangos. She was wearing a set of shoes and a
little blue track outfit.

Slowly, cautiously, as not to frighten the little girl, Usagi approached
and said in a soft voice, "Are you okay, honey?"

The girl's head turned suddenly. As her eyes fell on Usagi, she stared
sadly for a long moment. Then gathering herself up, she shot forward
latching onto Usagi and hiding her face cried out, "MOMMY!" To say that
Usagi was stunned would have been an understatement.

                                  ******

It was several seconds before Usagi could speak again. It had been such
a desperate move, as if the child feared to be away from Usagi, that at
first she wasn't sure what to make of it. Gently, she placed a hand on
the girl's head and said softly, "Is your Mommy hurt?" She could tell
that the girl had at least one bruise, that was evident.  However, she
got the rather uneasily feeling that the little girl had more.

"Mommy, I found you!" the little girl sniffled out, "I got here and
looked all over but I got lost..." She shivered and gave Usagi's legs
another squeeze, "I'm scared, Mommy."

Gently taking the girl's hands, Usagi pulled them away so she could
kneel.  Slowly reaching up, she gently brushed a stray tear away before
saying, "Who are you?" Usagi wanted to add, "Why are you calling me
Mommy?" but something stopped her. <Little one, are you in trouble?> she
thought and gazed at the young face. Her eyes were puffy with tears, a
haunted look was present in her eyes and they darted about nervously.

"Mommy said that she wouldn't remember me," the little girl spoke
softly.  Her voice was hoarse from crying, "I'm Tsukino Usagi." She
blinked as her mother's face slowly turned to surprise.

"Nani?" Usagi squeaked out, "Your name's Tsukino Usagi?!?"

"Hai!" She looked at Usagi sadly, "You don't believe me?" The tiny flame
of hope that had sprung up in the girl's eyes died. And Usagi winced at
its passing. She was all alone in a strange world. <Mommy said I'd meet
her past self.> She didn't really understand the concept but the girl in
front of her matched the pictures. She sniffled, "I wouldn't fib," she
said softly. <I hope Daddy doesn't think I'm fibbing.> She shivered,
<Daddy doesn't like it when I fib.> Instinctively, she raised her hands.

"Honey," Usagi said softly, "Why did you come here?"

"You said I could go on a trip." She sadly looked at Usagi then
something occurred to her. "You said that you had a cat named Luna. You
said Luna could talk." Usagi lifted her hand to her lips and gave a
little gasp.  Seeing this she tried one last desperate thing. "You told
me that you came from the Moon."

"Kami-sama," Usagi breathed out, "You're telling the truth." The little
girl smiled, happy to see that her mother believed her, or she hoped
that her mother believed her.

The little girl leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Usagi's neck,
"You believe me," she said softly. "I'm glad I found you, Mommy. I love
you."

Usagi couldn't help but sniffle. She went to give a hug of her own but
found that the little girl gave a yelp of pain and stiffened her body.
"Gomen!" Usagi said hurriedly, "Are you hurt?" She only felt a little
tremble. <I gotta get Mom! But what can I say...> After some thought,
Usagi said, "Don't worry, I won't leave you. But you have to listen.  I
have a plan..."

                                  ******

Tsukino Ikuko was just setting the frosted cake into the fridge to keep
fresh when the front door burst open and her she heard her daughter's
voice call out, "Mom! I think we need to call the police!" Now a mother
dreads hearing words along those lines. Assuming the worst, Ikuko sat
the cake down and then rushed from the room.

"What's the matter, Usagi-chan?!?" she said in a worried tone of voice.

"Mom," Usagi said, "My cousin's been hurt."

"Cousin???" Ikuko came up short, "What cousin?!?" The tone still had
worry but it also contained confusion. Slowly, Usagi reached behind her
and slowly drew out the little girl. Her "cousin" clutched at Usagi's
legs and hid her face. She wasn't sure who this woman was. Ikuko had
seen the yellowing bruise on the child's face and tears that were drying
and her motherly instincts kicked in. "Kami-sama! What happened?!?" As
she took a step forward to try and see what other damage there was, the
little girl gave a whimper of fear and hid behind Usagi's legs again.

"Mom," Usagi said warningly, "Like I said I think we need to tell the
police." <What type of monster would do this to a little girl?>

"Mom?" Shingo called from the stairs, "What's..."

"Shingo, go wait in your room, please," Ikuko directed. Shingo
recognized the tone and headed back up the stairs. Crouching down, she
looked into the small child's eyes. She had peeked around Usagi's legs.
In a soft voice she said, "Honey? What's your name?"

"Tsukino Usagi," came the quiet reply. It was followed by a sniffle.

"It'll be okay, honey," Ikuko said reassuringly, "We'll get you some
help." Getting up she headed towards the phone. Small Lady looked
towards her mother who smiled down at her. The plan seemed to be working
but she kept her tight hold. She didn't want to lose her mother again.

                                  ******

<This is not the way I thought I'd spend my Saturday,> Ikuko thought.
She was sitting in a small waiting area with two police officers, and
a social worker. Rubbing her forehead, she sighed. "Usagi's right. She
does have a family resemblance," she said, "I do have some family that
live in Okinawa. I haven't seen them for a long time. I vaguely remember
a distant cousin of Usagi's that had a baby. That would fit the child's
age."

"Would you happen to have an address or a name?" one of the officers
asked.

"I could look around," Ikuko said, "Off the top of my head, I can't
really remember." She looked at her watch and said, "I wonder what's
taking them so long."

"Tsukino-san, if the doctor was any indication when she came to get
Usagi to help, then that would mena she's likely being careful not to
frighten the child." Haruna Koume said, "We appreciate your help."

They sat silently for a few moments before the doctor entered the room a
grim expression on her face. Giving a sigh she slumped into a chair and
shook her head. Ikuko took on a concerned expression, "What is it?" she
asked, "Is it bad?!?"

"Worst then it first appeared. The good news is that there was NO sign
of sexual assault, recent or otherwise." She puffed out a breath before
saying, "However, there was extensive physical abuse, multiple bruises,
fresh welts, and the beginnings of malnutrition." Running a hand through
her hair, she said, "Although I'm not qualified to offer firm medical
opinions on the psychological aspects, I would say that she appears
frightened of everything that's new and she definitely has misgivings
about anybody she doesn't know."

"We can attest to that," one of the officers said, "When we arrived at
the Tsukino home the child became hysterical and started to scream about
her mother not letting us take her back to her dad." A quizzical
expression crossed her face, "Tsukino-san, why would a cousin call your
daughter `Mommy'?"

"It could be that Usagi looks like her mother. She sees the resemblance
and wants that connection." Ikuko shrugged, "Speaking of Usagi where is
she?"

"She's helping her get dressed." Just as the doctor said that Usagi and
the little girl walked into the room.

"Mom, can Chibi-Usa stay with us?" Usagi asked hopefully.

"`Chibi-Usa'???" Ikuko said, "I thought her name was Usagi."

"It is but that would get kinda confusing," Usagi answered.

"I don't know Usagi," Ikuko said, "I think that Haruna-san would be
better able to help than us."

Chibi-Usa let go of Usagi's hand and, padding, over said, "Please
Ikuko-mama, I promise I'll be good. I want to stay with Mommy." She
looked sadly up at Ikuko, "I'd be really scared." She placed her hands
behind back and tilting her head looked at Ikuko and at the floor at the
same time and gave a little sniffle. <I don't want to leave Mommy,> she
thought, <Mommy helped me when Daddy was mad.> A small tear rolled down
her face.

Usagi walked over and crouching beside her looked hopefully at her
mother. She turned on her best pleading face. "I really want to help
her, Mom." Usagi said. <She says I'm her Mommy and, even if I'm not, she
wants someone to love her and help her. I'm Sailor Moon. I should be
able to help her! And when I get my hands on that... that...> She just
couldn't think of a suitably disgusting word.

"Tsukino-san, if she is family, we would prefer that," Koume said,
"Right at the moment, all our placement homes are full and there's a
waiting list." Koume smiled, "Staying with family, especially when she
knows someone, can be comforting."

Ikuko thought about it, <This little girl needs help.> Ikuko thought,
<She's scared, in a strange place and hurt. How can I say no?> She looked
at Chibi-Usa and saw a resemblance to her own daughter, especially when
she was the same age. The face, the hair and even the sad eyes were
similar but different. "Okay, if Haruna-san approves it."

"YAY!!!" Chibi-Usa yelled and for the first time that day a smile was on
her face.

End of Part II