[FFML] [SM][FANFIC] Bear Bunnies Chapter 5

Bear Bunnies

By Douglas Helm and "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl.

Those characters that are original and the story "Bear Bunnies" are

copyrighted (c) 2001 by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl.

This story and our other Sailor Moon stories reside at

http://rivendell.fortunecity.com/traveller/861/

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

"Tuxedo" Will (wwolfshohl@logicon.com)

Chapter 5 "Friends and Family"

 A golden cub sat quietly at her desk, listening to her first

grade teacher read from a storybook. At least, she was giving that

appearance.

 <Kami-sama, Usagi's gonna be mad!> Chibi-Usa thought sadly. The sticky situation she found herself

in was of her own creation. The little girl was not looking forward to

seeing her mother.

 <Baka Chibi-Usa!> the cub pouted to herself, <It was just a baby

assignment.> She could have completed it easily. <You had to go and make

a big deal out of it... So now, they called Usagi to meet with the

teacher after school.> Her parents had NEVER been called for a

parent/teacher conference, nor had Ikuko or Kenji. It was more than a

little mortifying. <All of this trouble just because I wanted to be sent

home early.>

 Hino Rei leaned against the school building during recess. A

small bear with glasses and a nervous stutter stood beside her. The

other cub's name was Oscar and apparently, Kit was one of his few

friends.

 "Hey Kit!"

 Rei turned her attention away from Oscar to see Ernie and a

couple of the other Jungle Aces approaching. "You coming to the meeting,

Kit?"

 "You are... A-aren't you Kit?" Oscar asked almost pleadingly.

 The twelve year old brown bear cub scratched one ear for a

moment before answering, "I might."

 "Yeah, I saw you hangin' 'round with that girl," Ernie

commented. The kid made "girl" sound like a dirty word. "You aren't

gonna want her in the club, are ya?"

 "Of course, not. Don't be silly," Rei replied. <Why would I want

to expose a nice girl like Cindy to a male chauvinist pig like you?> "I

wanna see if Papa Bear has the Seaduck fixed. It got hit by lightning

last night."

 "Really?!" Oscar squeaked, his eyes expanding almost to the

point of exploding.

 "Were you in the Seaduck when it happened?" one of the other

Jungle Aces asked.

 Rei gave a large grin and fibbed, "Sure I was." She chuckled to

herself when the others seemed impressed.

 "Wasn't that d-dangerous?" Oscar commented.

 "Vandersnoot, sometimes I think you'd find sittin' in a chair

dangerous."

 "Nah, Mother cut all the legs off our chairs," Oscar replied.

 Rei stared at the boy in disbelief. "You're kidding..." Her

disbelief grew even more as Oscar sadly shook his head.

 Baloo stood up and wiped his forehead. The sun was working its

way down the western sky. "Well, the 'Duck's ready to go."

 "Yeah, man, we was real lucky 'n' stuff," Wildcat commented.

 "You can say that again, ol' buddy. Just a couple of things to

replace. Good thing we didn't have to get a whole new engine." Given

Rebecca's current temperament, Baloo had been dreading the possibility.

"Well, Wildcat, check out t'other engine. Might as well give it a good

goin' over, though we won't have to unmount it."

 "Right Baloo," the lion responded, hefted a wrench, and started

climbing onto the Seaduck.

 <Hmmm... Time for a snack.> His ample stomach rumbled in

agreement. He had been avoiding the Higher for Hire office but with his

boss gone to Molly's school, he could sneak in for a quick bite.

Turning, he walked up the pier, whistling slightly.

 The gray bear was about to enter the office when he spotted a

familiar face. Turning, his smile grew a little wider as he saw that Kit

wasn't alone. As the pair drew closer, he said, "Hiya kiddo. How was

school?"

 "Great," Kit responded, "Baloo, this is Cindy."

 <Knew it.> "Howdy-do, little lady," Baloo greeted and tipped his

hat. Cindy blushed brightly. "So what are you two up to?"

 "Nothing. Um... Baloo... Could I have some money?"

 "What fer... Oh, you gonna treat her to a soda, Kit?"

 "Yeah!" Kit answered. The rabbit covered her mouth and giggled a

little. The brown cub didn't know it but his cheeks were getting pink.

 "Come in fer a sec," Baloo suggested, "Too bad Becky's not here

to meet ya."

 "Where is Ms. Cunningham anyways?" Kit asked as the trio entered

the office.

 "Molly's school. Said she had to meet with the teacher. Sounded

downright angry as a hornet." Both children exchanged looks. "Ah, now

this should do it." Baloo handed Kit a quarter. <They can get some chips

too.> "You two have fun now."

 "Thanks, Papa Bear," the cub replied. He quickly put the coin in

a pocket and then turning to Cindy, said, "Come on." With that, they ran

from the office.

 Baloo chuckled to himself. "Y'sir, Kit's got it bad." Not that

the gray bear faulted his young navigator. After all, he had had a

couple of serious crushes when he was a kid.

 Cindy couldn't believe her luck. Not only had the cutest boy in

the entire school held her hand as they walked to the soda shop, but he

had bought her a soda too. Her friends were going to be so jealous.

 Rei, on the other hand, had been surprised that the soft drinks

were only a nickel each. She was initially worried when she got a good

look at the amount of money Baloo had given her. Now as they sat at the

counter, Cindy and "Kit" sipped their sodas.

 "Thanks Kit," Cindy said dreamily.

 "You're welcome, Cindy," Rei responded, "You helped me

yesterday." <Not to mention you're very nice company.>

 The girl smiled. "I like you." <Oh he's so cute when he smiles

like that.> "So... you really think girls can be superheroes?"

 "Yes," the cub replied. "And I don't think they have to be

Amazons either." Rei smiled as the rabbit giggled. "You're acting like

you've never had a soda before."

 "Oh, I have but... um..." Cindy assured her, "It's just..." Her

voice became almost a whisper as she blushed, "A boy's never bought me

one before." She gave Kit a shy look before actively studying an

advertisement posted behind the counter.

 <Kami-sama...> Rei thought, <This is bad!> It hadn't occurred to

her until just that moment that this might be a bit more serious than

what she had first believed. Given she was in a boy's body, it was understandable. She hadn't realized the

implications in this era. <Girls and boys just didn't mix that way.>

 <Well, no going back,> the brown cub decided. "I like you too."

Cindy gave her a dazzling smile. <Okay, Kit, your onee just got you a

girlfriend. I sure hope you appreciate it.>

 Chibi-Usa sighed and crossed her arms. If there was one constant

in the universe, it was that corners are very boring. She was sitting

facing a particularly boring looking corner in the small kitchen of

Higher for Hire. <The only thing that saved me was that new client.> She

could hear her mother's voice talking to him although the words were

indistinct. Usagi had been as upset as Chibi-Usa had suspected. <She

didn't say a thing all the way here.> That in itself spoke volumes.

 Hearing the door swing open, she took a quick peek over her

shoulder and saw Rei come walking into the room. Much to her surprise,

the cub padded over and said softly, "I need your help, Chibi-Usa."

 "Really?" the little girl asked. "Glad somebody does." She was

even more relieved that Rei knew her name.

 "What's with the Jungle Aces?" Rei inquired.

 Chibi-Usa thought for a long moment and then answered softly,

"They're Kit's friends. They like to think they've had big adventures.

They can be nice, Rei." Rei moaned a little. "Kit likes 'em."

 "Thanks," the brown cub said sourly, "Say why are you in a

corner?"

 "I'm really gonna get it," Chibi-Usa replied sadly. When Rei

looked at her questioningly, she explained what had occurred that day.

"Usagi's acting really weird but I can't get her to listen to me."

 "I'll give it a try, Chibi-Usa," Rei decided, "We can't have

Usagi thinking she's a bear." <Even if she looks like one. Now if we can

keep her this responsible when we get back...>

 Tsukino Usagi sat at Rebecca's desk and concentrated on the

invoice before her. Most of it didn't make sense but she had enough

information to be able to fill it out anyway. She didn't know how Rebecca stood this.

 "Usagi?"

 The voice startled the bearess. Turning, she saw a brown bear

cub standing beside her. "Sorry, Ms. Cunningham. I need to talk to

Usagi. Where's Baloo?"

 "Kit, can't you..."

 "This is REI talking," the cub interrupted.

 Glancing at the office door, she said, "Sorry Rei... Baloo's

doing an in-town delivery."

 "Then this is a good time to talk, Usagi," Rei insisted.

 Usagi sighed and put down her fountain pen. "Rei-honey, what is

it?" <It must be important. Rei's been pretty good at keeping up the

act.>

 "Usagi, have you been feeling okay?" The bearess nodded.

"Chibi-Usa thinks something's wrong."

 Usagi scowled. "Were you talking to her? Young man, I put her in

a corner for a reason."

 "Look Ms... Usagi, aren't you playing this mother thing a little

too far? She says you're still pretending to be Rebecca even when you

two are alone."

 "I AM her mother. When do I ever get a chance to be her mom at

home?" The cub didn't have an answer for that question. "Don't let

Chibi-Usa drag you into this, Rei. She's in trouble and she knows that

she's gonna be punished."

 Rei decided to try another tact. "Do you even know why she

misbehaved? The Usagi I know would talk to Chibi-Usa."

 "Well, I just..." Usagi paused. <Why haven't I?> She couldn't

really think of a reason. "She should know better."

 Rei sighed a little. "Don't you think you're being a little

unfair to Chibi-Usa? Usagi, it isn't like you not to listen to her. I

know she can be a brat sometimes but still..."

 The bearess pushed herself up and walked over to the window.

Staring out, she thought about what her friend had said. "What she did

was very wrong."

 <Why's this so hard to do?> "You should talk to her first. That

would be the Usagi I know."

 "You're right, Rei-honey," Usagi agreed, "I think me and

Chibi-Usa do need to talk." She gave Rei a quick hug and left.

 The little girl felt her stomach twist as her mother came into

the kitchen. She sniffled a little as the bearess walked over to her

chair. "Hi... Mommy."

 "Hi," Rebecca answered and bending down, lifted the child up so

she was standing on the chair, almost at eye level with her bearess

mother. "Are you worried about something, Chibi-Usa-honey?"

 Chibi-Usa looked away for a few seconds before turning her gaze

back to Usagi's face. "I guess. It's just you keep treating me like a

little kid, but I'm not really six. And you keep thinking I'm Molly 'n'

stuff even when nobody's around."

 "I-I'm sorry, Chibi-Usa," Usagi remarked softly, "I just care a

lot about you. And when I see you, I see Molly." <My little girl.>

Reaching up, she stroked the child's fur. "So why didn't you wanna go to

school? You usually like school."

 "They're a bunch of babies," she pouted.

 "Chibi-Usa-honey, they're Molly's friends and classmates." The

golden cub grunted slightly. "And I bet you don't like the Danger Woman

game either."

 "No."

 "Didn't you play being a Sailor Warrior when you were little?"

Usagi smiled a bit when she noticed the cub's cheeks flush a little. "I

don't like fighting with you, sweetheart. You know, no matter how much

you don't like it, I'm your mom and..."

 "But I do like it!" Chibi-Usa blurted out. "It's just..." She screwed up her courage.

"Mommy said I had to go soon." Her eyes misted slightly and she

sniffled. "I mean home... to Crystal Tokyo." She liked Usagi caring

about her but it was hard at times. Usagi was her mother but had been

her friend too. One of the very few real friends she had even including

in Crystal Tokyo. "I guess you don't love me now..."

 "Oh Usagi-honey," her mother said gently, her eyes misting up,

"No matter what you do, I'll love you. I might get upset but I'll always

love you." Usagi smiled. "Sure, I'll miss you but just think that we're

going back and Mamoru is going to take us out." The cub sniffled a

little and wiped her eyes. "I'll try to remember that you're nine and

should be treated like one instead of a six year old."

 "What's the catch?"

 "You have to act like Molly when people are around... and go to

school."

 The little cub considered it for a long moment before saying,

"Okay." She then asked in a shier tone, "Uh, Mommy, could I have a hug?"

 "You bet," Usagi replied and hugged her daughter who returned

the hug. When they separated, the bearess declared, "I really didn't

like you lying to me, young lady. I think a little more corner time will

do it. And you'll go straight to bed as soon as we go home."

 "What about supper?!"

 "I'm gonna get Baloo to get us some takeout," Usagi answered,

"I'd never send you to bed hungry."

 Seeming more than a little relieved, Chibi-Usa asked, "How long do

I gotta sit in the corner?"

 "Until supper."

 "I'm sorry, Usagi."

 "I know, Chibi-Usa-honey." She gave the golden cub another hug

before leaving the room.

 <That was close,> Chibi-Usa thought as she settled back onto the

chair but she did feel a lot better.

 Evening was settling over the City of Cape Suzette as the last

vestments of sunlight slowly faded into the royal blue of the night sky.

Stars could be seen quite clearly.

 "Don't you have homework to do, Kit-honey?" Usagi asked the

brown cub. She, Rei, Ami, and Chibi-Usa were seated around the kitchen

table.

 "Look, Usagi, I'll do it later." <It's easy work.>

Disappointedly, she continued, "Since Baloo's gone out to test the

engines and made me stay behind..."

 "To do your homework," Usagi finished for her. "I hear you took

a nice girl out for a soda. That's soooo cute." Chibi-Usa, who was

sitting in her mother's lap, giggled. Rei scowled. One saving grace was

Usagi hadn't found out Cindy was a rabbit.

 "Please, girls," Ami interrupted, "We don't need a fight."

 "Who's fighting?" the bearess asked.

 "Rei is correct. This is an excellent opportunity for us to

discuss our current situation." The lion looked at the others. "So who

wants to go first?"

 "I think this sucks!" Chibi-Usa piped up, "I'm stuck in a body

of a little kid." <At least, she doesn't wet the bed,> the cub thought.

"Can't we tell Baloo? Please? That way, I wouldn't have to act like such

a baby."

 Ami licked her lips and continued, "I would prefer that we not

divulge who we are to Baloo unless he can assist us in our task of

returning home."

 "That's a great idea, Chibi-Usa," Rei remarked ignoring Ami.

Both bears gave her a questioning look. "I think Papa Bear has a right

to know." Then in a quieter voice, she added, "I almost did tell him."

 "Rei!" Usagi sounded shocked, "When?!?"

 "Baloo will find out about us," Chibi-Usa piped in to prevent

the looming argument.

 "No he won't... unless a certain cub continues acting like she

has," Usagi stated sternly. Her daughter pouted slightly at this. "Now

when did you nearly tell him, Rei?"

 "On the cargo flight. I couldn't read those bloody navigation

charts. Jeez, Usagi, I was getting worried. All I want to do is get out

of this body and go home." Rei silently added, <Even though I do like

Kit.> She just didn't want to BE him.

 "And you call me irresponsible!"

 "Listen here, Dumpling Head..."

 "Flamebreath."

 "Bottomless pit," Rei retorted. Usagi stuck her tongue out. "You

are such an idiot!"

 "KIT!" Baloo's shocked voice caused everyone to whirl around.

 "This is not good," Ami observed.

 Baloo glared at Kit and rumbled out, "Kit Cloudkicker, you

apologize to Ms. Cunningham."

 "But Baloo..." Kit began.

 "No buts!" the big bear thundered, "You don't talk that way to

Rebecca." In the silence that followed, he could see the shock and

apprehension in his friends' faces. Wildcat appeared wary.

 "I'm sorry, Ms. Cunningham," Kit forced out softly.

 "Now that's better, Li'l Britches," Baloo stated with a nod,

"Now tell me what in Sam Hill's going on?"

 "Nothing at all, Baloo," Rebecca replied, "We're just...

talking." Kit looked at the floor guiltily.

 "I just don't figure it. Kit, if this is what Cindy does to

you..."

 The brown cub raised his paws. "Whoa! Cindy doesn't have nothin'

to do with this." He sighed a little then added, "Ms. Cunningham 'n' me

were just talking."

 "Talkin'?" The pilot sounded dubious. "Kid, that was out 'n' out

yelling." He turned his attention to his boss. "Rebecca, why were you

yelling at Kit? If he did somethin' wrong, you shoulda told me." Rebecca

squirmed and looked away from him. "Beckers, I know there's something

goin' on. Molly's been acting like a wildcat." There was considerable

silence following that statement although Molly blushed a bit. Baloo

tried a last ditch effort. "Kit, you'll tell ol' Papa Bear, won't ya?"

 "How much did you hear?" the brown cub asked.

 "Most of it," he lied. He

had chalked Kit's strange behavior up to having a schoolboy crush. Now,

he wasn't so sure. What he had heard from both Kit and Rebecca told him

something very fishy was going on. <Maybe that that crazy idol switched

'em.> He glanced around the room. <I'd almost swear that Kit and Becky

switched bodies.>

 "Well?" Kit asked the others. The lion shook his head.

 "I think we should," Molly chimed in. That's when all eyes

turned to the bearess at the table.

 Rebecca shifted nervously for a few moments before sighing and

nodding in agreement. "See, Baloo, we're not really who we look like,"

she began to explain.

 "Hah!" the big bear declared, "I knew it! Ya got switched or

somethin' ag'in like me and Kit did?" Baloo hadn't made a very

convincing Kit, so Kit and Rebecca switching would explain some things

including Molly's behavior.

 "Not exactly," his boss amended, "You see, I'm not even somebody

you know." The big bear blinked in confusion.

 "See, Papa Bear," Kit jumped in to save the situation, "We're

from a different place. Something brought us here." The cub regarded the

others for a moment before adding, "And put us into these bodies."

 "What happened to Kit? What about Molly... and Becky?" When the

group didn't answer, he raised his voice, "What in Sam Hill did you do

with my friends?!"

 Wildcat looked unhappy as he explained, "They were probably

displaced when we arrived in this world. However, I believe they should

return if... once we leave."

 "SHOULD return?" the pilot sounded scornful, "SHOULD RETURN?!?"

He planted his fists on the table before leaning forward and demanding,

"Get out of their bodies! I don't think they appreciate it. I know fer

sure I don't!"

 "Papa Bear..."

 "SHUT UP!" Baloo snapped, "Only KIT gets ta call me that!"

 "Now Baloo..." Rebecca started.

 "I SAID CLAMP YOUR YAP SHUT, LADY!" he thundered and jabbed a

finger in her direction. At this point, Molly burst into tears and hid

her face in her mother's chest. This threw Baloo off-balance. It was in

that instant that Kit climbed on the table and interposed himself

between Baloo and other bears. With the added height of the table, Kit

was slightly taller than the gray bear but there was no mistaking the

intimidating look in the cub's eyes.

 "Sir," Kit's voice was control but with a hint of warning, "We

didn't want to be here. We didn't do this on purpose."

 The pilot looked from one to another considering the current

state of affairs. "I think I need ta sit down." A stiff drink wouldn't

hurt either. The gray bear sighed and drew up a chair. "Britches, get

your feet off the table. Taint po-lite like." Once the brown cub had

seated himself again, Baloo asked in a firm tone, "Okay, so who exactly

are you?"

 Kit was somewhat startled. "You believe us, Baloo?"

 The big bear shrugged his shoulders before saying, "Happened

a'fore. Me 'n' Kit got switched. Sure can say I was glad to get back to

bein' me." He rubbed his chin a little and added, "Didn't mean ta blow

up like that. Ain't your fault."

 "Really?" Molly asked softly and sniffled.

 "Sure Pigtails," the gray bear soothed.

 Kit grinned slightly. She could see Molly was smiling as well.

<This is a surprise.> "Like I said, we're not from around here."

Pointing at Wildcat, the cub said, "That's Ami and I'm Rei."

 <Ami?!> "Girls?" Baloo sounded flabbergasted. "How can you do

this to my little buddy?!?" His anger renewed.

 "Papa Bear!" Rei complained. Baloo slumped a little in his chair

a little calmer. "Yeah, we're girls. Ms. Cunningham is really Usagi and

Molly's Usagi too."

 "But everybody calls me Chibi-Usa," Molly interrupted. She

sounded very proud of that fact, which surprised Rei somewhat but she

didn't comment on it.

 "U-Usa-gi?" Baloo worked his tongue around the strange name.

"Girls?"

 "All of us," Rei agreed.

 "Strange name for a girl."

 "We're from Japan," Usagi supplied. Baloo whistled softly.

 "We were transported here inadvertently," Ami filled in, "We

agreed it would be advantageous to not inform you unless it became

absolutely necessary."

 Rei had to chuckle at the confused expression on Baloo's face.

"Don't worry, Papa Bear. Ami talks like that all the time."

 "And you understand him... I mean her?"

 "Mostly," Rei admitted causing Ami to look dejected.

 "How old are ya gals anyway?" Baloo asked.

 "NINE!" Chibi-Usa declared and glared balefully at her mother.

 "The rest of us are fifteen," Usagi quickly amended.

 <They're all just a bunch of kids... even Becky.> The group

watched Baloo as he sat for a long moment before starting to softly

chuckle.

 "What?" Rei asked.

 "I... just picturing Kit in a skirt."

 "Don't worry," Rei reassured the big bear with a smile, "I don't

plan on wearin' a skirt here. Neither does Wildcat."

 "I wouldn't want to get it dirty," Ami stated with a small

smile.

 <I'm glad he found out,> Chibi-Usa thought. "What?" she asked

when she noticed the gray bear looking at her with an expression that he

was trying to work something out.

 "You said your name was... Chibi-Usa?" Baloo said it slowly, as

if unsure how to pronounce it. The golden cub nodded. "But your name is

really Usagi?"

 "I was named after my mommy," Chibi-Usa stated and smiled again.

<I'm glad Serenity is my middle name.> Not that she didn't think her

mother's given name was pretty but she really liked her own name.

 "So she's really your mom then?" <No wonder I was fooled.>

 Chibi-Usa nodded slightly, then admitted, "Yeah, I'm glad she

came with me. I wish my daddy had too."

 That statement renewed a mental debate within Rei. <Was he

really Mamoru?> The priestess had examined her encounter with the Air

Pirates from every angle in her mind. Each time she came to the same

conclusion. <But the evidence is so weak...> Well, she'd take the plunge

and see what the others thought. "I think he did," Rei offered.

 "WHAT?!" Usagi and Chibi-Usa demanded.

 "When me and Baloo were attacked by pirates, I think I found

Mamoru."

 "No way!" Usagi exclaimed.

 <Time to drop the bomb.> "He is Don Karnage."

 "A pirate? Mamoru-honey?" Chibi-Usa sounded scornful. "My daddy

would never be a pirate."

 "Mamoru-honey?" Baloo questioned but he was ignored.

 "I'm telling you, he even made a corny speech like Tuxedo

Kamen," Rei argued.

 "You take that back! Tuxedo Kamen does NOT make corny speeches,"

the bearess retorted.

 "Yeah!" the golden cub agreed.

 "I'm telling you..."

 "Now hold it, Li'l Britches... Rei... whatever," Baloo

interrupted, "Karny makes lots of corny speeches. I think he sits 'round

for hours making 'em up." Rei glared at the pilot. "He's a funny sort if

ya know what I mean."

 "But..."

 "The likelihood of Mamoru appearing in Don Karnage's body is

slight," the lion interjected. "Rei, did Karnage indicate that he was Mamoru?"

 Rei shook her head before saying, "No, nothing definite, Ami. He

did mention roses..."

 "Better 'n turnips," Baloo commented. This got a giggle out of

the bears.

 "The evidence is therefore circumstantial at best," Ami

concluded.

 "Like Baloo said," Usagi stated with conviction, "Don Karnage

gives very corny speeches." Then in a more conciliatory tone,

"Rei-honey, maybe you were a little upset about the situation and just

THOUGHT it was Mamoru. I mean do you really think my Mamoru would do

that?"

 "What about Beryl?" Rei countered. Her eyes opened wide and she

clamped her paws over her mouth. There was a sharp intake of breath from

Ami while Usagi stiffened. "Sorry," the cub mumbled out. By this point,

Baloo was looking completely baffled.

 "Come on, Molly, we're going home." With that, Usagi lifted her

daughter off her lap and left the kitchen. The golden cub gave Rei a

strange look before running after her mother.

 "Well, I think that effectively ends this discussion," Ami

announced, "Goodnight." And with that, the lion left the kitchen as

well.

 "Uh kid... what just happened?"

 Rei looked towards the gray bear and groaned a little. "I...

sorta... hit a sore spot, Papa Bear." She gave him a weak smile and

continued, "There wouldn't be an easy way to explain it."

 "Rei..."

 "Papa Bear, you should just call me Kit," Rei corrected. "It'll make things easier. But I don't plan on staying

in this body forever."

 "Okie dokie," Baloo agreed, sounding a little relieved, "So

who's this Tuxedo Kamen fellow? Sounds like a fancy smancy type."

 "You remember when I was telling you about the Sailor Warriors?"

 "Yeah?"

 "Well..." Rei began, wondering just how much she should tell.

 Chibi-Usa pulled the last of the covers into place before

sitting down on her bed. "That," she began while picking up the rag doll

that lay beside her, "Was hard, Lucy." She had made her bed, not as

neatly as she typically did, but she had made it. "I wonder why Mommy

isn't up yet?"

 Slipping from the bed, she and Lucy left the room. Softly

padding down the hall, she reached up and gently opened her mother's

bedroom door. Rebecca's bedroom was aglow with sunlight as it poured in

through the open window. A soft breeze rustled the curtains; its scent

sweet and tantalizing.

 <She's still asleep?> The golden cub wasn't sure whether or not

to be surprised. Padding over to the bed, she crawled onto it. "Usagi,"

she called softly and shook the bearess. "Come on, wake up!"

 "Hmmm..." Usagi mumbled, rolled to her back, and flung an arm

over her eyes. "Too early to get up. Go back to bed, Chibi-Usa-honey."

 "I have to go to school, and you've got work."

 "Let's stay home."

 "No way!" the little girl retorted. <We'll get in trouble...>

The child was worried by her mother's mood. <She must've stayed up all

night.> "I know Mamoru loves you. I-I do too." Slowly the bearess

lowered her arm and regarded her daughter for a long moment.

 "Come here," Usagi requested softly and held her arms out. The

little girl didn't waste any time and scrambled into her mother's arms.

They hugged each other then, both feeling very content. "School?"

 "Yep!" Chibi-Usa replied, "And I don't think Rei meant what she

said, Mommy."

 "Okay, let's go."

 "Sure thing..." the cub agreed.

 "We should really go, Molly-honey."

 "Right."

 Neither moved.

 Usagi sighed and dropped her pencil to the desk. Sitting back in

her chair, she sighed again, rubbed her eyes, and yawned. <Kami-sama,

this is boring.> "I wish I was Molly," she mumbled.

 "What was that, Beckers?" Baloo asked from his easy chair. "Kit!

Come on, it's getting near time ta leave!"

 "Comin'!" came the cub's voice from upstairs.

 "I said I wish I was Molly," Usagi repeated. "I could play all

day and have fun. Wouldn't you like to be a kid again?"

 "Not me," the pilot replied while shaking his head. "No sir-ee.

Ol' Baloo has enough rules ta follow. Kids got even more."

 Usagi was about to argue when a knock came at the door. "I

wonder who that could be?" Usagi pushed herself up from the desk and

walked over to the door. "Hello?" she said while opening the door. Her

eyes bulged slightly and she stared at the creature before her.

 She was a white rabbit. At the base of each long straight ear

was a pink bow. Obviously, a girl since she was wearing a dress. Usagi

guessed she was around Kit's age -- twelve. The rabbit was carrying

schoolbooks and stood only to her shoulder. Golden hair and blue eyes

were also evident.

 "Good morning, Ma'am. I'm Cindy," the rabbit greeted softly then

asked hesitantly, "Is... is Kit here?"

 "Oh, you're just so adorable!" Usagi gushed. Cindy was still

trying to figure out that comment when she was grabbed.

End of Chapter 5

Coming next in Chapter 6 "Making a Difference"

Ja ne,

"Tuxedo" Will

http://members.fortunecity.com/tuxwill (My Stories)

http://rivendell.fortunecity.com/traveller/861/ (Fanart for my stories)

http://members.xoom.com/questails/gateway.htm (The Archives [closed])

Keeper of "Tuxedo" Will's SM Fanfics/Scripts Archives

Author of "Tales of Younger Jupiter", "Chibi-Usa Times Two",

"Adventures of the Chibi-Scouts I & II", "Tales of Younger Venus",

"A Gem", "Tales of Younger Earth", "The World Turned Upside Down",

"You Don't Remember How I Feel", "Just Wishful Thinking", and "Bear Bunnies"

Moonie Code [1.12.05] SM:6-m+ F:sCh++Mo++Ve+:vBl+Pp:aNa+Ch+Ik:pSSR2 D:sUr-St

X:******:a30|192s++|82d+:m6r|8s O:d+!s+oah+:x+

P:a++++:s61:eBG:hBlDm:*Le:y-:r+|+

Doug

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