(Continued from Part 2)

October tenth was a sunny and warm Saturday. The pleasant smell of fall
was in the air with slight hint of the coming winter. Not only was it a
great day but for Chibi-Usa it was extra special. Maia was turning seven
and this passage into an older age was viewed with some awe and a little
envy by most of Maia's and Chibi-Usa's friends.

Put six typically well behaved little girls together and feed them on
average triple the daily intake of sugar and mischief is bound to occur.
In this case the mischief and the consequences there after proved to be
the most entertaining event of the day. If only second in the excitement
category. In short, Ikado was taken home, under severe protest, well
before the party was supposed to be over with. The entertainment came
while watching Ikado pleaded her case before her mother to stay. While
the other girls thought it funny to one degree or another, Chibi-Usa
simply shook her head. Ikado had a habit of getting into trouble but to
do it at Maia's birthday party?

October fifteenth was a cold and miserable day. It had started off
overcast and a sharp northeasterly wind was blowing making warmer days
all but a pleasant memory. As the day progressed so did the weather. By
late evening, the rain was falling in cascading sheets of water. Its
temperature cold, frigid, and stinging. The low rolling thunder that had
been heard during the early parts of the afternoon was now closer and
lightning shot across the sky.

Maia gave a yelp of surprise as a particularly loud rumbling of thunder
shook the Tsukino home. She then promptly giggled. Chibi-Usa giggled in
response. She grinned at her friend, "Senshi aren't scare of a storm...
except Onee," Chibi-Usa said and giggled. The outside weather was cold
but both little girls were warm. Chibi-Usa was wearing a pair of pink
bunny pajamas while Maia's were navy blue in color.

"Sailor Moon scared of thunder?" Maia questioned giving Chibi-Usa a
dubious look. At Chibi-Usa's nod, Maia rolled her eyes and said, "Well
we're braver than her and we're Senshi." They had developed a new game:
playing at being Senshi. Although Ikado was under the impression that
she would much rather be a Senshi than play at being one.

"I thinks it's neat you get to stay over," Chibi-Usa said happily.

Maia's mood grew a little somber. Taking on a little worried expression,
she stared at the bed. "I hope Sobo's okay," she said softly. She had
wanted to go with her parents but they had managed to talk her into
staying with Chibi-Usa for a couple of days. Chibi-Usa slid over to sit
beside Maia and gave her a hug. "Arigato," Maia said softly and hugged
Chibi-Usa back.

"Kawaii," came a voice from the doorway and both little girls jumped.

"Onee-san, you scared us!" Chibi-Usa declared. She could feel her heart
pounding. "I didn't hear you come in." She gave Maia another hug before
saying, "Maia misses her mommy and daddy."

Usagi walked over to the bed and sitting down, said, "Feeling a little
lonely, Maia-chan?" Maia nodded slightly and gave a little sniffle.
"Just think your parents will be home day after tomorrow."

"I know," Maia said softly, "I wanted to go with them, though." A hiccup
escaped and Maia rubbed her eyes.

Slipping down so she was kneeling on the floor, Usagi rested her elbows
on the bed and gazed towards the little girl. "Maia-chan, do you think
they went to visit your sobo and left you behind?" she asked gently.

"Hai," Maia said while raising her eyes to Usagi. They were moist and
the beginning of a tear threatened to roll down her cheeks.

"Maia, your Mommy's worried about your sobo, ne? I bet if it was a
regular visit, they'd take you." Maia gave a little sniffle. Usagi
desperately sought something to say to relax the little girl. "Hospitals
are boring places; they don't let you have any fun. I bet your parents
will be proud of you for staying at our house."

"Nani?" Maia questioned.

"Well, you've had sleepovers before, ne?" Maia nodded again, "Well, this
is a different type of sleepover. It's important." Usagi allowed Maia to
think about that several seconds.

"Okay," Maia conceded after some thought. She gave an expansive yawn
that Chibi-Usa repeated.

"Besides Maia-chan, it's already past your bedtime," Usagi pointed out,
"You should have been in bed half an hour ago." Maia looked startled and
then grinned. "I came in to say it was time for bed... for BOTH of you,"
Usagi said while standing. Scrambling up to stand on the bed, Chibi-Usa
leaned in and gave Usagi a hug. Usagi returned it and gave Chibi-Usa a
kiss on the forehead. Maia wasn't looking very pleased about the
prospects of sleeping.

"I don't wanna go to bed," Maia protested echoing her look of
disapproval.

Letting the hug go, Usagi turned to Maia and said, "Just think, if you
go to sleep now, then you won't have as long to wait for your parents to
come back." Usagi giggled when Maia muttered grumpily but gave up the
fight to stay up. "You two get into bed and I'll be back to read you a
story in a second." With that, Usagi left the room.

Getting down, Chibi-Usa slid under the covers. Maia simply sat where she
was and stared towards the ground again. Sitting back up, Chibi-Usa
looked towards her friend. "Are you scared?" she questioned Maia. After
a moment, the little girl nodded. <I don't want Maia to be scared...>
Chibi-Usa thought and, tapping her chin, tried to think of something to
help Maia. A slow smile spread across her face as she turned and took
her teddy bear down. "Here," Chibi-Usa said and handed Ranma over to
Maia.

Maia paused, unsure whether to take it or not, but after a few moments,
she reached for him. Drawing him closer, she snuggled feeling the soft
fur and very lovable body. <Kawaii teddy bear.> "Arigato," Maia
whispered and, after another moment, slid under the covers next to
Chibi-Usa who snuggled back under the covers and retrieving Floppy, the
bunny, hugged him close as well. And when a rumble of thunder shook the
house again, both little girls giggled. There wasn't anything scary
about a storm... at least not when there were stuffed animals to protect
you.

                                  ******

Mamoru paced nervously. He was lost in his own thoughts unaware of the
storm that was raging outside. <How could Serenity hurt such a child?>
he thought. That question had plagued him since his first talks with
Endymion. <It makes more sense!> But who was he trying to convince? The
past two weeks had been spent discussing the future. Although Endymion
had been evasive, about most things Mamoru had gained some information.

A bright flash of lightening caught his eye and Mamoru moved over to
stand in front of the Balcony door. <It should be simple,> Mamoru
thought, <This plan has to work. With Chibi-Usa so close to Usagi, that
little girl will never be free.> But was she happy? It appeared so but
it could be an act, a way of preventing Usagi from hurting her. Running
his hands through his hair and down his face, Mamoru sighed,
<Kami-sama... I don't want to believe I'm that type of monster.> He
spent two weeks with his future self, <I'm sure I would have noticed
something by now.> He wanted... needed to believe Endymion. <Why would
Usagi push me away except to hide Chibi-Usa from me? To make sure that
Endymion couldn't rescue her.> He had questioned Endymion about the
enemy the Senshi had fought.

<The reason that wouldn't hurt Serenity was because she was their
leader. They wouldn't hurt me because Serenity wanted me... but the
Senshi?> Certainly the attacks had to seem real but what purpose did
they serve? "Who knows what twisted plan Serenity has," Endymion had
responded, but that was only one of the nagging thoughts that plagued
Mamoru kept him from believing Endymion fully. A knock at the door
sounded. Jumping slightly, Mamoru looked towards it for several seconds
before moving to open it.

"I'll be leaving soon," Endymion said after he had stepped into the
apartment, "I wanted to say good-bye and wish you luck."

"Arigato," Mamoru said, "Are you sure I can't come with you?"

"No," Endymion said tensing slightly before relaxing, "They're going to
jump to some conclusions. Now did you do like I said?"

"Hai, Motoki's waiting for me," Mamoru said then shifting uneasily said,
"Why are don't we just talk to Usagi, get her to understand?"

Endymion's face drooped and he placed a hand on Mamoru's shoulder. "I
wish it were that simple. Once Chibi-Usa is back in the time where she
belongs, you can help Usagi pick up the pieces and get on with her
life."

A little hope crept into Mamoru's heart. "Arigato," he whispered,
"Kami-sama help you."

                                  ******

Maia shivered, and then her eyes snapped open as something wet
splattered across her face. Wiping her face, she blinked and saw the
window was open. The thunder was now a distant rumble but the wind was
still strong blowing the tree branches together. Its mournful song
rustled the curtains and drove the still falling rain into the room.
<Where's Chibi-Usa?> Maia thought as she looked around. The difference
between the warm blankets and the room temperature made her shiver.
<Maybe she went to the bathroom...> But somehow she didn't think so. As
the seconds passed into one minute then another, Maia began to worry.
<Mommy...> she thought softly; the thunder growled in response. Giving a
whimper of terror, she scrambled from the bed and headed for the door.

Out into the darkened hall she padded. Chibi-Usa wasn't in the bathroom
and the rest of the Tsukino house was dark. <Where is she?!?> Maia
wondered fear starting to pull at her heart. <Maybe a monster took
Chibi-Usa.> She gulped, <Maybe it'll get me!> Her eyes enlarged and she
gave another whimper. Running over to Usagi's bedroom, she opened the
door and ran to the bed. "Usagi-chan!" Maia called while desperately
shaking the girl, "Usagi-chan, wake up!"

Usagi sat up and blearily turned her head, she stared for a moment at
Maia in confusion for several seconds. "Maia???" she questioned
groggily.

"Usagi-chan, Chibi-Usa's gone!" She shook Usagi some more, "Maybe a
monster got her!"

"Nani?!?" Usagi cried and jumped out of bed. Running into the hall, she
made her way to Chibi-Usa's room and found it deserted. "Chibi-Usa!"
Usagi called out. Running over to the window, her foot hit something.
Stopping, she bent and stared at it. "No," Usagi whispered as she the
decapitated body of Floppy resting on the floor. "NO!!!" she shouted
louder as she moved to the window to look out but the night was empty
and the street was quiet.

"Usagi?!?" Ikuko questioned running into the room, "What's wrong?"

"Ch... Chibi-Usa's gone," Usagi whispered out. She slowly sunk to her
knees. <My mesume is missing.> Maia looking for some type of comfort of
her own padded over to Usagi and gave her a hug. <Hang on, Chibi-Usa.
We'll find you.> But first, she'd have to get away from her parents and
round up the girls.

                                  ******

She lay on the cold ground, whimpering, trying to control the fear that
was building within her. Her cries for help were nothing more than
muffled whimpers because of the thick, oily rag that was in her mouth.
She had tried unsuccessfully to spit it out but there was tape covering
her mouth. She looked around but a blindfold prevented her from seeing.

Her only senses were smell, sound, and touch. The building smelled old,
saturated with dust, rotting garbage, and other unidentifiable smells.
It was almost making her nauseous. It had been quiet except for the
skittering and slithering of night creatures, now for what seemed an
eternity.

She strained to hear, trying to listen for when he would return.
Struggling against her bonds, Chibi-Usa tried to loosen her ropes. Her
feet were too tightly bound, the rope biting into her flesh; her hands,
however, seemed looser. Struggling, she tried to free her hands. As she
pulled on her one arm, the rope bit into her flesh and tears sprang up.

Relaxing, she whimpered again and felt a small wet trickle run down her
hands and soak into her pajamas. She started to whimper again, calling
out to her mother to save her. Then she heard it, heavy footsteps,
slowly approaching, signaling his return. She did not want to go back
with him; she did not want him as a father. Clinching her eyes closed
and biting down on the foul rag, she put more effort into freeing her
hands. The seconds seemed to pass slowly, each footstep coming closer,
bringing the danger closer. Heart pounding, Chibi-Usa gave one final
desperate yank and felt her hand slip from the restraint.

Whimpering from the pain, Chibi-Usa rolled to her back attempting to
conceal the loosened restraint. The footsteps stopped and for a full
minute, Chibi-Usa held her breath, waiting, hoping desperately that her
Endymion hadn't seen her struggles. A movement drew her attention and
she stiffened; roughly, her head was jerked up as the blindfold was
pulled down.

<MOMMY!!!> Chibi-Usa thought desperately as she looked up, blinking
rapidly at the harsh glare of unexpected light. <Help me PLEASE!> She
gave a cry and jerked her leg away as a furry body brushed against her
foot. A skittering of tiny feet could be heard coming from the darkness
and the warehouse moaned as boards creaked under the wind.

Then Endymion's face became visible as her eyes adjusted to the light.
He had a soft smile on his face, eyes that held some type of warmth. For
a fleeting moment Chibi-Usa thought he wouldn't harm her, then pain shot
through her body. Endymion had grabbed both knees and was squeezing them
in a vice-like grip.

"Where's your Time Key?" he demanded. Chibi-Usa couldn't respond. She
simply stared horrified at the face before her. Reaching down, Endymion
slowly pulled the tape away before removing the rag. "Where's the Key
your mother gave you?" Endymion demanded again.

"I HATE YOU!" Chibi-Usa screamed, "You're sick!!! Mommy told me why you
hurt me and her! Now go away! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Her head suddenly
snapped sideways from the blow. She tasted blood in her mouth and she
started to cry. "I'm supposed to keep away from you..." Chibi-Usa
whispered out between sobs. Another blow and she cried out, both cheeks
flamed from their impacts. The pain was deep and throbbing after the
initial sting.

"You will learn your place," Endymion hissed, "Now where is your key?!?"
High increased his grip on her knees and she gave a cry of pain. He
pressed closer to glare at her. His cold eyes burning angrily into her
red-rimmed and tear filled ones.

<You're not gonna hurt Mommy anymore!> Chibi-Usa thought viciously.
Twisting her torso, she lashed out with her free arm. She drove her fist
into Endymion's nose. He reared back howling in rage. A crimson stream
of blood ran from his nose and covered his hands. "YOU LEAVE ME AND
MOMMY ALONE!!!" Chibi-Usa screamed again. But her bravery fled as
Endymion clamped her free arm under his knee. She gave another whimper
of pain as he, once again, forced her mouth open and inserted the rag.

"My but you've forgotten a lot," Endymion hissed as he applied the tape.
Rolling her roughly over, he retied her loose hand with the other one.
In one last desperate attempt at defiance, Chibi-Usa bit back the yelp
of pain that wanted to escape. Leaning over, he said softly into her
ear, "I think before I go back to your house to find the Key, I'll have
to teach you a few lessons." Making sure the tape was firmly in place,
he added, "But we can't have you disturbing the neighbors."

<Help me, Mommy!!!> Chibi-Usa thought desperately as the blindfold was
replaced. She felt him roughly lift her. She struggled but her struggles
only seemed to infuriate him. She heard him talking, coldly, softly, a
subtle trace of malice showing through. Roughly, she was placed over
something hard, and then the most frightening of sounds came to her
ears.

"No, no please Daddy... NO!" Chibi-Usa tried to say, "I'll be good!" She
shook her head desperately, <I'll be good...> she thought as she felt
Endymion press down on the small of her back. The silence seemed to drag
on but then it came, the displacement of air... the distinctive,
"THWACK!" and then the biting, burning pain. Arching her back, Chibi-Usa
gave a muffled cry but the only response was another blow.

                                  ******

Ikuko closed the door and leant heavily against it. The police were
starting to search while others combed Chibi-Usa's room for clues. She
felt the warm embrace encircle her trying to provide strength. Turning,
the couple slowly made their way into the living room.

Feeling a tug on her arm, Ikuko looked down, a pair of sad eyes stared
up at her. Maia sniffled and opened her mouth as if to say something
then sniffled again. Crouching down, Ikuko brushed a stray hair out of
the girl's face and asked, "What is it, Maia-chan?" <You poor thing...
to have something like this happen to you.>

"Gomen nasai," Maia whispered out while flushing and lowered her gaze
guiltily to the floor. <I shoulda woke up... I coulda helped Chibi-Usa,>
Maia thought. "It's my fault Chibi-Usa's gone," Maia said softly.

"Nani?!?" Ikuko questioned, sternness unconsciously crept into her
voice.

"If I woke up, then Chibi-Usa wouldn'ta been gone," Maia admitted while
peeking towards Ikuko, "I guess you hate me now." A lump was forming in
her throat and her bottom lip started to tremble.

Ikuko was stunned speechless. She stared at Maia unable to think what to
say. She desperately sought something to say but her mind refused to
respond. Kenji was in much the same state so it was Usagi who spoke
first. She had entered the room and had overheard the last bit of the
conversation.

"Maia-chan," Usagi said gently while kneeling a few feet away from the
little girl, "We don't hate you." Maia turned to look nervously towards
Usagi. "I'm glad you didn't wake up." This earned her intense stares
from her parents while Maia looked wide-eyed in shock. "If you woke up,
then you might have got taken too."

Tentatively, Maia moved over to stand in front of Usagi, "You aren't mad
that Chibi-Usa got took?"

"Hai, I'm very upset," Usagi said, "But not at you. I'm worried about
you; I like you and I'm very glad you're safe." She looked at Maia,
sincerity showing in her face and expression.

"That's right, Maia-chan," Kenji said, "We wouldn't want you to be hurt
and we aren't mad at you." He could see the worry in Maia's eyes; the
look of hope almost mirrored Chibi-Usa's and he sniffled.

Maia turned to look back towards Usagi. <I'm scared,> Maia thought, <I
wish Mommy was here.> She gave a little sob, <I wish Chibi-Usa were
here...> Her face crumpling, she began to cry, all the worry and fear
finally building up. Reaching forward, Maia hugged Usagi. <You'll
protect me... You'll help Chibi-Usa 'cause you're her mommy,> Maia
thought. Hiding her face in Usagi's shoulder, Maia allowed herself to
cry, her little body shaking.

Usagi, at first, was unsure what to do. Then slowly she hugged Maia in
return; drawing the little girl close, she stood. Maia wrapped her arms
around Usagi, her tears were causing Usagi to become upset again.
"Shhh..." Usagi said, blinking rapidly to clear her eyes, "It'll be
okay." She rubbed Maia's back, a longing sensation went out. She wanted
Chibi-Usa home; she wanted to hold her close and comfort her. "Let's get
you back to bed," Usagi suggested.

"No," Maia pleaded through her tears, "I'm scared... that monster will
come and get me if I go to sleep." She lifted her face to look
pleadingly at Usagi.

"You can sleep in my bed," Usagi offered, "And I'll stay awake... okay?"
She gave Maia a reassuring smile and winked. Maia shook her head and
gave Usagi another pleading look. Bending her head, Usagi whispered to
Maia, "If you go to bed, I'll let you help me call the Senshi."

Slowly, through the haze of mixed emotions Maia realized what Usagi was
trying to do. By saying that she was going to put Maia to bed, she could
get away from Ikuko and Kenji to call the Senshi. <They'll help
Chibi-Usa!> Maia confidently thought. Snuggling her head underneath
Usagi's chin, Maia closed her eyes and gave no further protest. As Usagi
started moving off towards her room, Ikuko stopped her and gave her a
smile. The silent message made Usagi's heart beat a little faster and
she felt pride. Returning the smile, Usagi slowly carried Maia towards
the stairs.

After watching his daughter ascend the stairs to her bedroom, Kenji
turned to Ikuko and gave his wife a hug. "I'm going to go look for her."
His gaze stopped the questions that rushed to Ikuko's lips. "I have to
find her; I look at her and think about Usagi. Usagi's doing something,
something that she didn't need to do. I think about that little girl
with that monster and it feels like someone's crushing my heart."

Anything that Kenji might have added was cut short by Ikuko kissing him.
As she drew away, she sniffled in turn and said softly, "Be careful and
don't do anything foolish. Hurry back." She hated to seem him go but
knew that to make him stay would be even worse.

                                  ******