Konnichiwa Minna-san,



Here's the first chapter of Doug Helm's and my latest Sailor Moon fanfic

"Bear Bunnies". I hope you enjoy it. Comments are welcomed.





Bear Bunnies

By Douglas Helm and "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl.



Authors' Foreword (November 2000)



Greetings! As with many of our other stories, this one started out as

just an idea. It took awhile to really flesh out how it would work.

Unlike our other stories, this is a crossover, though it does contain

some elements of a fusion. This will likely be our one and only story

with this style for various reasons. So, give it a try.



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

copyrighted (c) 2000 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)



Rating: G





Chapter 1  "Bearing It All"



       The full moon hung low over Tokyo. Its pale blue-white light

shining down upon the city. Dark patches of cloud skittered across the

sky as a breeze rustled the leaves on trees and scattered the loose

debris.

       Sixteen year old Tsukino Usagi slept in her dark bedroom

undisturbed by the breeze that rustled her curtains, sending dark

dancing shadows across her bedroom walls. Curled by her feet was a black

cat with a crescent moon sigil on its forehead. Both occupants slept

soundly.

       In the attic bedroom, a little girl lay awake watching the

shadows that danced across her ceiling. Her name was Princess Tsukino

Usagi "Small Lady" Serenity, better known as Chibi-Usa. Her long

strawberry-blonde hair that bordered on pink had been taken down for the

night. Her large blue eyes stared intently up at the ceiling, looking

for danger. While the nine year old would typically never admit to being

scared, she was almost willing to do so now. She had learned that

shadows could indeed be very dangerous. Beside her, a small gray kitten

with a golden crescent moon sigil slept peacefully.

       Chibi-Usa knew she was being silly but she felt uneasy. It might

have been her recent experience battling Queen Nephelenia, the Sailor

Senshi's most recent enemy. It could have been that besides her cousin

Usagi, she and the cats were the only ones in the Tsukino home. Her Aunt

Ikuko and Uncle Kenji, along with her cousin Shingo had left the

previous day, a Friday, to visit relatives. They were expected back

Sunday so she, Usagi and the Lunar Cats had the house to themselves.

       She lifted the envelope that had been waiting for her on her bed

when she had came up at bedtime. It was rather plain looking and

addressed simply to Small Lady. In it was a short letter, one that she

was having a hard time dealing with. It said her Sailor Senshi training

was over. Her parents were calling her home to the future, back to

Crystal Tokyo. While she would be happy to see her mother and father,

she still felt sad. She would miss her friends here. She would miss

Usagi most of all. The letter had said she would have to leave within

the next day or so. Chibi-Usa planned on dragging out her stay as long

as it was possible.

       Gently getting up, she padded from her dark bedroom. Maybe Usagi

could help her get to sleep. They had a big day planned. Mamoru, Usagi's

boyfriend (and her future father), was going to take her and Usagi out

for the day after the Sailor Senshi meeting. She just hoped that Usagi

wouldn't be mad for being awakened.

       Despite their arguments, Chibi-Usa found that she could be

comforted by being around Usagi. It wasn't surprising since Usagi was

her future mother, though Chibi-Usa, at times, had a hard time adjusting

to that fact; in some ways, she still didn't believe it. She had seen

Usagi mature though since her first meeting when the Black Moon Family

had chased her through time back to the present day Tokyo. She had

watched her mother improve as the Daimons strove to find the Three

Talismans, never once losing faith in the young Tomoe Hotaru. Yes, Usagi

had improved over the past months, and Chibi-Usa was going to miss her.

       It was with a start that the little girl realized that she had

been standing outside her cousin's door for a long time. Softly opening

it, she padded into the darkened room, closing the door behind her.

Walking to the bed, she paused for a moment before slipping in beside

Usagi. She was feeling a little lonely. She would have talked to Helios

about her concerns but he had returned to his home in Elusion.

       It was the gentle touch of a hand that drew Chibi-Usa from her

thoughts. Turning her head, she saw crystal blue eyes looking sleepily

at her. "Nani? What's the matter, Chibi-Usa-chan?" The child was silent,

suddenly unsure of how to explain her problems. This always seemed to

happen when she needed Usagi. There was no easy way to tell the teen

what her concerns were. "Couldn't sleep, ne?"

       "Iie," Chibi-Usa replied softly. The teen shifted around a

little to lie on her side. Smiling slightly, she shifted closer to

Usagi, using the older girl's shoulder as a makeshift pillow, which had

been what she had desired. She was starting to feel a little better and

was happier still when Usagi used her other arm to hug her. <I was being

silly,> she told herself. She was a Sailor Senshi after all; they had

defeated numerous evils. And yet, she felt safer now than she had only

moments ago.

       "It's very late, Chibi-Usa-chan. You don't want to fall asleep

on Mamoru tomorrow, ne?"

       "That would be nice," Chibi-Usa said softly, picturing herself

being held gently by her father. A poke in the ribs made her giggle

softly. She noticed that Usagi was also smiling. "Well, it would be."

       "Yeah, it would be," the teen agreed dreamily, "But Mamo-chan

wouldn't like it." After a moment or so of silence, she continued,

"We're both going to miss you when you leave, Usagi-chan." Chibi-Usa was

a little startled. Usagi never called her "Usagi" unless she was in

serious trouble but her mother was looking at her tenderly.

       "Yeah well, it's late," Chibi-Usa grumbled out to cover her

discomfort. She was pleasantly surprised when her mother gave her a

gentle kiss before settling back down to sleep. <I'm gonna miss you too,

Okaa-san,> she thought before snuggling closer to Usagi and drifting off

to sleep.





       Tsukino Usagi walked out of her bedroom and down the hallway to

the bathroom. Gently tapping on the door, she opened it slightly and

called out, "Chibi-Usa-chan?"

       "Nani?" the child asked from the furo.

       "Do you want pancakes for breakfast?"

       "Blueberry pancakes?"

       "Hai."

       "Hai, Usagi-chan. Arigato," Chibi-Usa yelled, "I'll be right

down."

       Usagi giggled. "Don't rush, sweetheart, I gotta make them first

and you know how I cook."

       "Maybe I should just eat the batter myself then!" Usagi frowned,

poked her head further into the room, and blew a raspberry in her

cousin's direction. The teen was promptly hit by a wet facecloth.

       Feeling that retreat was the better part of valor, Usagi backed

out of the room and closed the door. Flicking some hair out of the way,

and making sure the pink ribbons that held her odangos in place were all

right, she headed down the hallway to the stairs.

       "Ohayo Luna!" Usagi greeted the black cat.

       "Ohayo Usagi-chan," Luna replied, "Is Chibi-Usa up?"

       "Hai. She's taking a bath." Usagi smiled as she went down the

stairs before heading for the kitchen, "Ne, want some cream?"

       Luna licked her lips and said, "That sounds delicious." After a

small pause, she asked, "Usagi-chan, is Chibi-Usa feeling better?"

       Usagi nodded as she started hunting for the necessary

ingredients. "I think so." Turning, she pushed the refrigerator door

closed with her foot before placing the items on the counter. "Should I

get some cream for Diana too?"

       "We'll wait until you and Chibi-Usa have breakfast," Luna

decided. There was a lull in the conversation for a minute or so before

Luna asked, "How are you feeling?"

       The blonde teen was quiet for a long time before saying softly,

"I'll miss her, Luna. It gets harder each time I have to say good-bye."

She smiled down at her friend before adding, "But Mamoru is right.

Chibi-Usa needs her parents. Besides... I can't be something I'm not as

the Little Fungus keeps reminding me."

       "Don't think that way, Usagi. It's going to be a wonderful day.

The sun is nice and bright. There's only a few white cloud streamers in

the sky and it's early summer. You'll have a short Sailor Senshi meeting

and then spend the rest of the day with Mamoru and Chibi-Usa." The teen

smiled broadly and got a distant look in her eyes. "I must say you

surprised me when you agreed to watch Chibi-Usa."

       "Well she ain't that bad," Usagi answered tersely. Luna chuckled

and wandered away to find her own daughter.





       "Chibi-Usa! Breakfast!" Usagi yelled up the stairs. She paused

for a moment to listen. She was about to call out again when she heard

the thudding of small feet. Content that her daughter was on her way,

the blonde walked back down the hallway and into the dining room where

breakfast was laid out. Luna was sitting, contrary to house rules, on

the table with a bowl of cream in front of her. Beside her was a smaller

bowl that was for her daughter.

       Usagi removed her apron and sat down at the table. "They're

coming," she announced then blushed as her stomach rumbled with the

delay. There was the sound of more thudding as someone came down the

stairs in a hurry.

       "Pancakes!" Chibi-Usa cheered as she came into the dining room.

She skidded to a halt beside her chair and grinned. "Like it?" she asked

her mother before turning around.

       "Ohayo minna-san," Diana squeaked out.

       Usagi sat for a moment and stared at her daughter. The little

girl's hair was done up in its customary rabbit-ear odangos and puffy

pigtails. Perched between the odangos was Luna's daughter Diana. The

little girl was wearing a white sailor suit with red trimming. Instead

of a skirt, there was a pair of shorts. "You put it on?"

       "Why?" Chibi-Usa asked as she gave the older girl a puzzled

look.

       "Well, Chibi-Usa-chan, it didn't have a skirt. And you said it'd

make you look like a little kid."

       Chibi-Usa blushed slightly. She HAD said that. "Well it fits

good and I like it." She hoped Usagi wasn't going to get all mushy on

her.

       Usagi thankfully didn't turn mushy. Instead, she just smiled

happily while saying, "Come and eat before the pancakes get cold."

Chibi-Usa quickly sat down; she just loved Usagi's pancakes!





    A short time after breakfast, Chibi-Usa hung up the phone and

stared at it sadly. Giving a little sigh, she padded back down the

hallway into the kitchen and crossed over to where Usagi was washing the

dishes. The nine year old then picked up a dish towel to resume her task

of drying.

    "Ne, what's wrong, Chibi-Usa-chan?" Usagi asked after a moment.

    "Hotaru isn't coming," Chibi-Usa replied and stopped her drying.

The two children had become closer friends since Hotaru had progressed

to age ten. "She and Tomoe-sensei are going on a trip."

    "Why don't you invite Momoko?"

    She gave her teenage cousin a scornful look. "Momo-chan isn't a

Senshi."

    "So?" Usagi wondered. Sure, they were having a Sailor Senshi

meeting but it wasn't like it was serious or anything.

    "Momo's grandparents are visiting, Odango Atama," the

strawberry-blonde stated sourly. <I don't mind Momo not coming... but

she's not talking to me.> Chibi-Usa sighed. <If I didn't know any

better, I'd say Momo's jealous of Hotaru. That's silly 'cause Hotaru's a

great person.> Momoko, in fact, wasn't jealous. She had simply done what

Chibi-Usa had done -- found another "best" friend in the interim.

    Silence settled onto the kitchen as the two Usagis finished

cleaning up the breakfast dishes. Folding her dish towel neatly, the

younger girl turned to her cousin and asked, "Usagi, can I go to the

park?"

    "No."

    "Nani? Why not?" she whined.

    "Because, Chibi-Usa, WE have some cleaning to do. You are going to

clean your room." Chibi-Usa glared up at the blonde who crossed her arms

and matched her gaze with a stern one. "Well, I can call Mamoru and

cancel our trip."

    "Hai," the child conceded. However, she couldn't help but smile at

the thought of their planned outing that afternoon after the meeting.

Dropping her towel onto the counter, she hugged her cousin and snuggled

her head against the warm body. Chibi-Usa couldn't explain why she had

done such a thing but it felt nice. A small smile played across her lips

as her future mother ran a hand through her puffy pigtails.





       A few hours later, Usagi wiped her brow and looked around the

living room with satisfaction. Things were ready for the Senshi meeting.

She glanced at the clock and noticed it was nearly eleven. <Makoto

should be here soon to start lunch.> Her stomach rumbled at the thought

of Makoto's great cooking. <Now where's Chibi-Usa?> She had sent the

little girl upstairs to tidy up her room like her mother had wanted.

Putting the vacuum cleaner away, she headed upstairs.

       "Chibi-Usa?" she called out when she was at the top of the

stairs but there was no response. Luna and Diana had gone over to see

Artemis so she couldn't ask the Lunar Cats where her daughter was. She

wasn't too worried. Chibi-Usa would neither miss Makoto's cooking nor

risk being excluded from the outing with Mamoru.

       Walking down the hall, she softly padded up the stairs to her

daughter's attic bedroom. A small smile came onto her face as she saw

the little girl lying on her bed sound asleep. <She was up late last

night.> Usagi wouldn't mind a nap herself but she didn't have time for

it. Coming fully into the room, she crossed the floor and sat down on

the bed. "Chibi-Usa," she called softly.

       "Hmmm..."

       "Chibi-Usa-chan," the teen called again while gently shaking her

cousin. The child's eyes fluttered open to look sleepily at Usagi. "Did

you have a nice nap?"

       "Did I fall asleep?" Chibi-Usa asked. The teen nodded. Sitting

up, she yawned and rubbed her eyes.

       "We must be related," Usagi giggled.

       "Lucky me," the child retorted, a sour note in her voice. She

grinned when her cousin gave her a narrow eyed look. "What time is it,

Onee-chan?" The question had the desired effect of throwing Usagi

off-balance.

       "About eleven." Reaching out, she ruffled the little girl's hair

slightly and added, "Want some help cleaning?"

       "Iie," Chibi-Usa answered while trying to look indignant at the

treatment she was receiving from her "cousin". "I can clean my own

room."

       "Wanna clean mine too?"

       "You wish."

       "Hai, I do."

       "Baka Usagi," Chibi-Usa declared affectionately. Just then, the

doorbell ran. "I'll get it!"

       "I don't think so, Chibi-Usa-chan," Usagi answered while

stopping the child. Getting up, she said sternly, "You finish cleaning

up this room." Turning, she left the room grinning at Chibi-Usa's dark

grumbling.





       Chiba Mamoru sighed and rolled his eyes as he listened to the

familiar sound of Chibi-Usa and Usagi arguing. He was sitting on the

couch of the Tsukino home. Chibi-Usa was sitting on his lap and his

girlfriend was sitting beside him although she looked like she intended

to take her daughter's place on his lap.

       He envied Makoto. The tall ponytailed girl was hiding in the

kitchen making lunch. His patience became even more strained as both

girls decided that they needed to have a tug of war. He was just trying

to think of a good way to settle this dispute when the doorbell rang.

       "I'll get it!" he quickly announced. Unceremoniously, he shifted

his daughter onto her mother's lap. Getting up, he had to resist the

urge to flee from the room. The silence that followed his sudden exit

was golden. <They're probably wondering what's going on.> It helped him

not to feel so guilty. Opening the door, he smiled. "Konnichiwa Rei."

       "Konnichiwa Mamoru," Rei replied, "Are they at it yet?"

       "Iie, but the others aren't here yet."

       "Great," the priestess replied and walked into the Tsukino home.

       Mamoru closed the door before turning to regard the raven haired

teen. "Rei-san, Makoto's in the kitchen."

       "How come you're here?"

       "Because I'm taking the girls out for the afternoon after the

meeting." It wouldn't be too many days before he had to head to the

United States to attend Harvard.

       "You have a death wish, ne Mamoru?" she giggled. Mamoru was

silent, unsure how to answer the question.





       Hino Rei walked down the hall to the kitchen. "Konnichiwa

Makoto!"

       "Konnichiwa Rei-chan," Makoto replied as she stirred a pot,

"Lunch'll be ready soon."

       "Arigato. I'll go tell the bottomless stomachs," the priestess

replied and wandered into the living room. She was mildly surprised to

see that Chibi-Usa was sitting contentedly on Usagi's lap. They were

quietly discussing something but paused when Rei came into the room.

       "Konnichiwa Rei-chan!" the two Usagis chirped.

       "Well, I see you two haven't killed each other... yet. Makoto

says lunch'll be ready soon." After cheering, both Usagi and Chibi-Usa

went back to their discussion.

       Walking over, the Shinto priestess sat in a chair before asking,

"Usagi, where are the others?" <I want to have the meeting over lunch.

If I have to stay long, I'll be late...> She couldn't do that since she

had to set an example.

       "Minako's babysitting, Rei-chan. She said she'd be here as soon

as she could. Luna's rounding up Artemis with Diana. Ami says she's on

her way."

       There was a moment of silence before Mamoru reentered the room

looking warily at his small family. Rei smirked as he moved towards a

chair but Chibi-Usa's high-pitched voice brought him up short.

"Mamo-chan, me 'n' Usagi promise to be good." The blonde nodded her head

in agreement. "Come sit by us, please?" Rei's smirk grew larger as

Mamoru uncomfortably moved to sit beside his girlfriend and future

daughter. "Usagi-chan, turn the sound up. It's coming on." Usagi

complied.

       "Nani? What's coming on?" Rei asked.

       "Shhhh..." Usagi and Chibi-Usa hissed together.

       Frowning, the raven haired girl turned her attention to the

television and scowled even more. "Anime?!" <I just knew it!> Usagi was

as much of a child as her daughter. "Odango Atama, we're supposed to be

having a Senshi meeting." The only response was Usagi and Chibi-Usa

singing along with the theme music. It wasn't even proper anime either.

The Disney logo and the small eyes betrayed it as some American cartoon.

"Only you would watch a show about fuzzy animals," she huffed to her

princess but was again hushed. <Oh Kami-sama!> Even worse, Minako would

arrive soon and probably like it too. <I'll be late and never hear the

end of it.>

       Resisting the urge to switch the television off, she slumped

back into her chair and brooded. She didn't even bother asking Mamoru

for help because even he seemed mildly interested in the silly thing.

<He's been hanging around Usagi way too long.>

       Rei was pulled from her brooding when both of her friends

started to laugh. "Ne, is this show going to be over soon?"

       "Come on, Rei-chan, wouldn't you like to try that?" Chibi-Usa

commented.

       The raven haired teen flicked her eyes to see a bipedal

anthropomorphic bear cub doing something that looked like surfing

through the clouds. "Yeah right, like that's really possible." Snorting

in disgust, "You two are so..." She was cut short by the doorbell. "I

hope that's Ami." <Now maybe we can start this baka meeting.> Hopping

up, she ran from the room. She was pleased to see it was Ami.

       "What took you so long?" she asked as she opened the door. <I

have to meet Yuuichiro soon,> she added silently.

       "Gomen. I'm sorry," Ami mumbled out and came into the house,

"Could you hold this, Rei-chan?" Ami asked while handing her friend a

strange looking object.

       "Is this it, Ami?" Rei squeaked out.

       "Hai."

       Rei held it further out away from her. While the strange object

appeared harmless, she doubted it. Since the thing had come from the

Dead Moon Circus, she wasn't at all happy about holding it. At least,

she sensed no evil about it. She let out her breath when Ami took the

thing from her. "Come on, Ami. Now we can start the meeting." She

followed her diminutive friend into the living room and announced, "Now

that Ami's here, minna, we can start."

       "It's not over yet," Usagi pouted.

       "Move Rei! You're blocking the TV!" Chibi-Usa whined.

       "Ami..." Rei started and then noticed that her smart friend was

completely ignoring everything. Instead, she had sat down on the floor

next to the couch with the Dead Moon Circus object in front of her while

she tapped commands into her minicomputer. "Ami, tell them that we're

starting the meeting."

       "Hai. I'll have some juice, Mako-chan," Ami mumbled.

       "REI! MOVE!"

       With annoyance, the priestess made her way to her seat. Flopping

down, she glowered at the people around her. <Kami-sama, I have better

things to do today than sit around here!> And if she was late, Yuuichiro

would be impossible to live with.

       As the minutes passed, Makoto began setting the dining room

table for lunch while Rei quietly simmered. And the more she simmered,

the more her temper climbed. It didn't help when Rei was shushed by

Mamoru for once again trying to get the meeting going. Being ignored by

Ami wasn't helping matters either. Ami was her best chance to get the

Usagis moving. Deciding that a more physical approach was warranted, she

leaned forward and tapped Ami on the shoulder.

       When it didn't work, Rei decided to tap a little harder while

yelling, "AMI!!!!" The teen gave a yelp of surprise and whirled around.

The object she had been intently studying dropped to the floor. An

intense white light flared from it, blinding Rei. The last thing she

heard was the gasps of the others.





       The priestess blinked, trying to get her eyes to adjust. Her

heart stopped for a moment, and then leapt into overdrive. There was a

huge gray bear sitting beside her. Her mind went nearly numb wondering

how and why it was in the living room of the Tsukino home.



End of Chapter 1



Coming next in Chapter 2  "Down by the Docks"



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