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Bear Bunnies

By Douglas Helm and "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl.



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)





Chapter 3  "Facts of Life"



       Tsukino Usagi AKA Rebecca Cunningham returned to the Higher for

Hire office a few minutes later. She tried to stop herself from

appearing disappointed. She had truly hoped Kit had been Mamoru. After

all, Kit was almost as cuddly as Baloo in her opinion.

       "So?" Baloo asked while stuffing part of a sandwich into his

mouth.

       "You're eating? Again?!" Rebecca asked. <And I thought I could

pig out!>

       "Hey, flyin' makes me hungry," Baloo protested, "I'm a growin'

boy after all." Molly giggled and hugged him partially around his

stomach.

       "Yep!" she agreed happily.

       "You were right about Kit, Baloo. He's just a little under the

weather."

       "See, I tol' ya so, Becky."

       "Is Kit gonna be okay, Mommy?" Molly asked while slipping from

the big bear's stomach.

       "Sure is. He'll be right as a rose in no time."

       "Isn't that `Right as rain�?"

       "Roses are much prettier, Molly-honey," Rebecca replied then

chuckled to herself. <Heh! Chibi-Usa will probably think it's Mamoru.

Just wait until she finds out it's Rei!>

       "Can I go see Kit?" the little girl squeaked.

       "Sure, but we have to go home soon." She had noted the sun was

beginning to set.

       "Awww... I don't wanna go!" Molly complained, "I like it here."

       "Now, Pigtails," Baloo began, "I like ta have ya here 'n' all

but your mom's right. Ya gotta go ta school tomorrow; so does Kit."

       Rebecca sensed that her daughter was about to launch into a

tirade so jumped in by saying, "Sweetheart, why don't you go see Kit. I

bet he'd be happy to see you."

       "I don't wanna go home," the golden cub stated sternly to her

mother before leaving. Usagi was quite sure that it had nothing to do

with staying at Higher for Hire. She was also quite sure that Rei would

not be happy having to attend elementary school either.

       She walked over to the desk and settled herself behind it with a

little sigh. <Not like we even know where home is.> On the other hand,

how many apartment buildings in Cape Suzette have a waterfall? <But me

and Chibi-Usa want to walk around the city for a bit. We should be home

by dark though.> And with it being a school day tomorrow, Chibi-Usa...

Molly would be a handful. <At least, I don't have to go to school!> That

was one advantage to being an adult.

       Feeling a little guilty for violating Rebecca's privacy, Usagi

started looking through the papers lying on her desk. <Maybe there's an

address or schedule... Darn and I need time to talk with the girls.> She

looked over at Wildcat who appeared distinctly uncomfortable. "Wildcat,

why don't you check out the Seaduck for tomorrow?"

       "All right, Ms. Cunningham," the lion agreed, sounding rather

relieved.

       Once he had left, she then looked at what appeared to be

Rebecca's appointment book. Finding the page for the next day, she

turned back to the gray bear. "Only a couple of runs tomorrow, Baloo."

       "Yeah, I know," Baloo said rather sourly.

       "What's the matter, Baloo?"

       He gave her a funny look before saying, "It don't make sense to

fly cargo in the mornin', then in-town deliveries, and then another

flight. If you weren't so pushy, Boss Lady, I'd have Kit for both of

'em."

       "You mean keep him out of school?"

       At this, the gray bear frowned, pushed his pilot's cap back, and

got up. Walking over to the desk, he regarded his boss intensely before

saying, "Now, Becky, we've had this talk a'fore."

       Rebecca panicked for a moment then gave the big bear her best

smile. "Baloo, just tell me again. Maybe I'll agree this time." <Ami

would be proud of me for that one!>

       He scratched his head for a moment then shrugged. "Like I said

a'fore, I can do them in-town deliveries during the day. And then, me

'n' Kit can do both flight jobs AFTER school."

       <Sounds reasonable,> Usagi thought, but Rebecca must have had

some reason for not letting Baloo do it that way. She glanced down at

the papers in front of her. She couldn't see anything though. Shrugging

a little, she decided, "Sounds fine with me."

       Baloo blinked. That had been very strange.





       With a sigh, Hino Rei opened the door into Higher for Hire and

walked inside. It looked just as dreary and dilapidated as the outside

did. <Kami-sama, why did Usagi ever bring me into this thing?> Tomorrow,

she had to go to a strange school with animals. <Well, I don't mind

going to school.> She'd just have to take it in stride. <Maybe we can

leave before that happens.>

       "Feeling okay, Kit-boy?" the large gray bear asked as he turned

from the desk behind where Usagi sat.

       "Yeah..." <What did Usagi call him?> "B-Baloo," Rei replied.

       "Where's Molly?" Usagi wondered.

       "Talking to Am... I mean Wildcat, MS. CUNNINGHAM," Rei replied.

Walking over to the large armchair, she hopped into it and continued,

"She was complaining about having to go to school tomorrow."

       "Who da thunk it?" Baloo replied, "She finally wised up." He

smiled toothily as Rebecca glared at him. "Well, Li'l Britches, we got

some flying ta do tomorrow. Hope you're feelin' better by then."

       Rei gulped audibly, sat still for a long moment, and then closed

her eyes. "I think I'll be fine, Baloo." <As soon as I get my hands

around Usagi's neck, that is. Why couldn't I be something besides some

scrimp kid? Couldn't I be a girl at least?> Even Ami had not lucked out

in that department so she wasn't alone. Usagi's next comment drew her

out of her thoughts.

       "I just hope there's no pirate attack."

       "What would a bunch o' pirates want with lightbulbs?"

       "Their lights aren't all on?" Usagi offered.

       The cub slapped her paw over her face and moaned. <Oh Usagi's

been hanging around Minako WAY too long.> Hearing Baloo laugh made her

look up.

       "That's a good one, Beckers. Never knew you had it in ya."

       "Uh yea..." the bearess replied looking slightly puzzled.

       <I can't believe it!> Rei thought, <Usagi was actually serious!>

       "Well, I should go."

       "GO?!?" Rei demanded. Usagi was NOT going to leave her here

alone.





       "These books look like they have never been used," Ami exclaimed

to the golden cub. She carefully laid down one manual on airplane

engines and hefted up another one.

       "I'm surprised Wildcat has them at all, Ami," Chibi-Usa

remarked, "I mean, he's a real genius when it comes to planes 'n'

engines 'n' stuff." Softly, she added, "Even if he talks like Minako

sometimes."

       "Won't the others miss you, Chibi-Usa?"

       "Nah," the cub said dismissively, "Molly 'n' Wildcat get along

really great."

       Ami filed that bit away for further consideration. "So this lion

is a mechanical genius?"

       "He put a motor onto a tricycle." The lion opened his mouth,

paused, and then closed it again. "He can fix anything."

       "Oh." Ami was smart. She knew she was, but engines were not her

forte. Her first foray into such territory as a child had resulted in

the engine exploding. "Uh, anything else your mom didn't tell me?"

       The little girl tapped her lip for a moment then giggled, "Well,

Wildcat thinks Rebecca is the nicest smelling boss he's ever had."

       "Uh..." Ami wasn't quite sure what to answer to that.

       "MOLLY!" came the voice of Rebecca from outside, "MOLLY!"

       When the little girl didn't get up to leave, Ami asked,

"Shouldn't you go? Usagi is looking for you."

       "REBECCA is looking for me, Wildcat. 'Sides, I'm not ready to

go. She'll just have to wait," Chibi-Usa declared smugly.

       They heard feet on the dock. "Wildcat? Molly?" Usagi asked as

the door slowly opened.

       "I'm not ready to go!" Chibi-Usa called.

       "Come on, Molly, it's time to go."

       "Maybe you should, Molly," Ami suggested.

       "Rebecca," the cub began, "Me 'n' Wildcat are talking."

Chibi-Usa was still a little annoyed that Usagi had tricked her.

       "Molly..."

       "Take off, Dumpling Brain."

       "MOLLY ELIZABETH CUNNINGHAM! GET OUT HERE NOW!" The golden cub

shot to her feet and scrambled for the door.

       <If I have kids, I'll have to give them a middle name,> Ami

thought. It was certainly an interesting phenomenon that she hadn't

adequately investigated. <And I had two subjects right under my nose

too...>





       As they walked away from the docks, towards Rebecca and Molly's

apartment, both bears stared in wonder at their environment. It did look

like the show but they had only glimpsed portions of Cape Suzette. Now

with the sun setting in the west, the brilliant ball of fire cast a warm

glow over the upper reaches of the city while casting the lower portions

into shadow.

       Nevertheless, the city was alive. Workers heading for home or

local establishments filtered through the growing dimness. Families and

couples out for the evening or heading to some other destination added

to the feeling of lifeblood that was the city. Several species were

represented.

       There were more stimuli than just the visuals that appeared on

the Tsukino's television set. There was the feel of the wind, its feel

and smell. The noises of the city, of cars, and people. Children playing

and laughing.

       The feel of the sidewalk under their bare feet, or the smells

that wafted to their noises. Juke boxes and radios from some businesses

rung out with Big Band music. Varied colors met their eyes and drew

their attention from one thing to another. They stood for a long time

looking up at Kahn Tower, admiring it. Boggling at the size of it. It

had seemed large but it seemed even larger in real life. Even larger

than the Tokyo Tower they decided.

       The pair noticed the lack of televisions, and when they passed

by a music shop, none of the instruments had to be plugged in. A record

store showed that there were no CDs or even cassettes. They carried only

old 78-RPM records.





       Usagi stopped and glanced down. Her daughter was gone yet again.

<Kami-sama!> she thought with irritation. She knew that Chibi-Usa was

really nine but Molly was six and it was getting dark. Looking around,

she saw the little girl trotting up a few feet behind her. "Come on,

Molly." The cub raised her head and gave Usagi an annoyed look. Walking

back to her daughter, she remarked, "We're almost home, Molly-honey."

       "I'm tired, Mommy. Can't we sit down?" The cub leaned against

her mother and sighed. "We've been walking for hours!"

       Usagi was about to say that they hadn't been walking that long

but then she realized that it might seem that way to Chibi-Usa. The girl

was smaller after all. "Want me to carry you?"

       "Whatever," Molly mumbled out. "I'm hungry too."

       "So am I. I'll make us dinner as soon as we get home."

       "Well then, hurry up 'n' carry me," the child demanded.

       Usagi lifted her daughter up and started walking again.

"Sweetheart, is something wrong?"

       "Sorry Mommy," Chibi-Usa began, "I... didn't mean nothing by

it."

       <Must be worried about Mamoru.> "You know I didn't mean to tease

you, Chibi-Usa-honey. I bet Mamoru is steaming at home wondering where

we ran off to."

       "But if he's here..."

       Usagi kissed her daughter's forehead and smiled, "Sweetheart, if

he's here, we'll find each other. We always have found each other."

       The little girl did feel better. She knew what her mother was

saying was true. Destiny always pulled her parents together no matter

what had happened. If her father were here, they'd run into him sooner

or later. Something out of the corner of her eyes caught her attention.

Turning her head, she lost it. "Mommy, I think we missed a turn back

there."

       "Really?" Usagi asked. Turning around, she went back to the

corner and looked both ways. There, about a block away, was the

apartment building with a waterfall; they were almost home.





       "Cap'n?"

       "What is this annoying-type interruption?" Mamoru turned away

from the desk that he was sitting at and faced his cabin door. Maddog

and Dumptruck came into the room.

       "Sorry, Cap'n, but there's a plane coming," Maddog announced.

       "Is it that bothersome Baloo trying to be the clever one but I

will pull the wool over his eyes, yes/no?"

       "Nuh uh, it don't look like Baloo's plane."

       "Da!" Dumptruck added.

       "Then why do you burst my bubble of concentration?"

       "'Cause it has cargo 'n' probably worth a lot?" Maddog

explained, "It's one of Shear Kahn's planes."

       <You're a pirate!> Mamoru told himself sternly. <But what do I

do?> When it came to plane attacks, he was the one who was supposed to

lead them. <I can't fly a plane.> He knew the principles of flight, how

the controls were supposed to work, but knowing and doing were two

different things. <But if I start acting funny...> Anyway, if he did

nothing, then he'd definitely raise suspicions. "All right, my scurvy

crew, I, Don Karnage, will lead you forth and vanquish this villain."

       "But, Cap'n, aren't we the bad guys?" Dumptruck asked in a

puzzled tone.

       Mamoru realized his slip but then gave a toothy smile. "Of

course, we are, but it is SO good to be bad, yes/no?"

       "Da..."

       "If we don't hurry, we'll lose them."

       "Right! Men, to your planes!" Mamoru ordered. <Kami-sama save

me,> he prayed softly.





       Sometime later, the pirates of the Iron Vulture were unloading

the cargo plane that sat in its huge hanger.

       "Why does the cap'n want a bunch o' flowers, Maddog?"

       "I don't know," Maddog answered as he watched the rose planters

being unloaded from the captured plane. "But he thinks they're

important." Don Karnage had been rather upset with one pirate who had

destroyed one of the plants. "Maybe they're rare."

       "Maybe he's got a girl," Dumptruck speculated with a grin. He

waved the muzzle of his gun towards the airplane's crew. He chuckled at

that thought.

       "A dame?" Maddog seemed scornful, though Karnage did vanish

every so often so it was possible. It was just he had never known his

captain to have an interest in roses. "At least, there was some good

jewels." That and a wad of cash in a safe on-board that would choke an

elephant. The crew was mostly pleased with the haul, even if their

captain had taken a sudden interest in flowers.

       "That's all of them, sir," one pirate announced, "What now?"

       "Now we get ridda 'em," Dumptruck growled and pulled out his

pistol.

       "You know what Karnage said."

       "Da." The big pirate wasn't happy about the orders concerning

the airplane crew.

       "Wh-what are you gonna do to us?"

       Maddog gave the two panthers a long look before grinning evilly,

"You really don't want to know." He too wasn't happy with his captain's

orders about the crew but he could see the potential in such action,

just as long as it wasn't done too often.





       Baloo yawned, stretched, and heaved himself out of the easy

chair. "Hmmm, just what ol' Baloo needed -- a nap to get ready for bed."

Making his way up the stairs, he noticed the bathroom door was closed.

"Hope that boy's okay." Kit had acted somewhat more normal after Becky

had talked to him but the big bear was still a little concerned. Walking

over to the door, he tapped gently on it. "Britches?"

       "Yeah?"

       "You okay?"

       "Yes... I'm taking a bath, Papa Bear."

       "A bath?" he mumbled, "Didn't just you take one yesterday?"

       There was a longer pause and then Kit's voice replied, "Yeah...

I have school tomorrow."

       "Oh..." The big bear shrugged and turned towards the bedroom.

Having another bath really puzzled him. The only time he ever had a

bathed more than once a week was when he... Baloo paused while

undressing and looked towards the bathroom. "Naw, that can't be it." Kit

was only twelve. Well, he'd sleep on it. Maybe tomorrow wouldn't be so

strange.





       The lion dubiously eyed the hammock he had just strung up

outside of Wildcat's small shed. <Chibi-Usa said this is where he sleeps

if the weather's nice.> Ami suddenly wished for a thunderstorm so that

her host body could go sleep inside Higher for Hire.

       Ami was quite ready to admit that the idea of sleeping outside

scared her a little. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she also thought

she didn't want to make a complete fool of herself when she tried to

climb into the hammock.

       She turned and glanced towards the main building that made up

most of Higher for Hire. The downstairs was dark but the upstairs had a

couple of lights on. <Well, Ami now what do you do?> The answer that

came to her was simple, and safe. Checking the lantern that was affixed

to one of the posts from which the hammock swung, Ami entered the little

shed. A few minutes later, the lion came out carrying a couple of

Wildcat's technical manuals on airplane engines.

       With careful ease, she got into the hammock then shifted into a

more comfortable position before opening the book. Soon, she was

immersed into the fascinating new world that the pages unfolded before

her.





       Rei rubbed her brown fur with the towel again. With an

exasperated sigh, she whined, <This is taking forever!> Drying herself

off after the bath was taking far longer than normal. <I hate the smell

of wet fur!> Rei's pride wouldn't let her admit that she might be doing

something wrong. Giving up for a moment, she turned to stare at herself

in the mirror.

       "I suppose it could've been worse," Rei muttered to herself. The

body of the bear cub she was stuck in was at least athletic, was close

to her age, and handsome... sort of. Having been just recently forced

into this body, Rei wasn't sure if her last thought was appropriate or

not. Of course, there were the facts that she was a bear, she was a boy,

and was completely lost in the ways of this strange world.

       Suddenly, a yawn overtook Rei reminding her that it was getting

late. At least late according to this body. As far as she could tell, it

wasn't more than nine at night. Giving herself one more good rub with

the towel, she pulled on a nightshirt she had found. While bathing

hadn't been much of a problem, Rei was finding drying off and pulling

the nightshirt over still-damp fur a little more bothersome.

       After quickly brushing her teeth, she left the bathroom and

entered the bedroom where Baloo was already sleeping. The large bear was

snoring and looked as if he didn't have a care in the world. Not wanting

to wake her roommate, Rei crossed to the other bed and crawled under the

covers. "Goodnight, Papa Bear," she said politely. Shutting her eyes,

she turned towards the wall, and promptly fell asleep.





       "And that concludes our program for this evening. Please

join..." The brown bear reached out and switched the radio off. It

wasn't television but there was something appealing to the idea of

listening to a drama broadcast over the radio. It was like having

somebody read you a story.

       <No TV or arcade games,> Usagi thought sadly as she laid back

onto the comfortable couch. <What do these guys do for fun?> Not that

she hadn't enjoyed the radio program but it just seemed strange to her.

<I remember Mom said that she used to listen to radio shows when she was

a kid.> Usagi could see the appeal now; however, she wasn't going to go

around admitting that she liked some old radio shows. That would make

her as old as her mother. Usagi might be in Rebecca Cunningham's body

but she certainly wasn't THAT old!

       A curious sound came to her ears in the stillness of the

Cunningham apartment. <Nani?> Turning her head in the direction of the

noise, she saw that a little golden cub was curled up on the couch, fast

asleep. The bearess smiled slightly at the sight of her daughter fast

sleep. It always amazed her how peaceful the child could look in sleep

when her waking moments were typically quite active.

       Usagi stood and gathered Chibi-Usa up before leaving the living

room. Softly she padded down the hallway to what they had found to be

Molly's room. It was with practiced ease that the mother changed her

child for bed. The cub never awoke and was soon tucked into bed, her

small arms wrapped around her doll Lucy.

       A thought occurred to Usagi as she put the dirty clothes into a

clothes hamper by the closet. Stepping to the closet, she opened it and

examined the contents. <A fuku... I wonder if Molly wears that to

school?> She hadn't seen Kit wearing one and they never had seen Molly

going to school. <Maybe Molly goes to a Japanese school; sure looks like

a fuku I'd wear if I was little.>

       Usagi closed the closet door and sighed a little. <Kami-sama,

Rebecca must really rake in the cash.> She had thought that more than

once while wandering through the apartment. <I don't even think my

parents could afford this place.>

       She had been glad to find out that Rebecca owned more than just

the one outfit. She had reasoned that Rebecca only wore the pantsuit and

sweater during the days when she was in episodes. It had been an even

greater relief to Chibi-Usa who had thought Molly's current attire

rather childish. The cub had not been happy when Usagi had pointed out,

once again, that Molly was only six years old.

       Leaving her daughter's room, she set about turning off the

lights and making sure the apartment was secure for the night. She

paused when she spotted a photograph. A male bear and Rebecca holding a

young Molly. <That must be Rebecca's husband... before he died.> He

seemed a perfect match for her host body. They looked so happy together.

<Poor Becky...> It made the bearess think of her own family that would

one day be.

       Walking towards her bedroom, she thought, <I hope Mako-chan

saves us some of that great food!> She could cook but not up to her

friend's level. <I gotta go shopping tomorrow.> That could wait though

until she figured out where to take her daughter to school.





       Late that evening as Usagi slept soundly in Rebecca's bedroom,

the door quietly opened. Chibi-Usa blinked in the brightness of the room

from the moonlight that came streaming into the room. Softly padding

across the floor, she hopped up onto the bed and crawled in beside her

mother.

       "You okay?" asked the sleepy voice of Rebecca.

       "Can I sleep in here, Usagi?"

       "Sure, Sweetie." She snuggled a little closer as her mother

hugged her. "How's that?"

       "Good," the cub said softly. Chibi-Usa had wanted to be

reassured. In her own arms, she held the doll Lucy. <Things are sure

different.> It wasn't at all like the television show. The city seemed

bigger... darker somehow. It felt good to have one of her parents there,

especially when she was worried about the other. <Don't worry, Daddy,

we'll find you.>

       As a sigh of contentment glided past her lips, the little girl

slipped beneath the blackness of sleep and into the land of dreams.





       It was the whistle of a boat that stirred Mizuno Ami from her

slumber. Yawning and stretching, the lion nearly forget she was lying on

a hammock but caught herself just in time. Dropping the books to the

wooden deck, she carefully swung off the hammock and stretched again.

The dawn air was crisp and tinged with the smell of the sea and the

docks. She turned her eyes to look down the many wharves and watched for

a few moments as people scurried doing their early morning business.

       <That wasn't bad,> Ami decided, <But I suspect I will be

sleeping indoors tonight.> The sky was red with the sun's rising.

<Storm's coming.> Shaking herself, she walked up the small extension to

the dock and then along its length to the shore. <Time for some

breakfast, then I'll give those engines a good going over.> She had only

went through the motions yesterday but today, she felt more prepared.

That and she wanted to try out some of the concepts she had learned last

night. Perhaps, she'd add some modern ones. Airplane engines were

beginning to be more interesting than Ami had first believed.

       Based on what her friends had told her, Wildcat didn't eat at

Higher for Hire so that meant he likely ate at a restaurant. Not too far

from the offices, she found a small cafe that seemed to have seen better

days. It was clean but seemed to be quite old. Ami would have passed it

by had not a bird of some sort knocked on the window and waved. <Oh

well...> Ami thought, <Keep to routine.> Waving back, she walked into

the restaurant.

       "Hello Wildcat," the waitress greeted, "You want the usual?"

       Ami paused for a long moment then said, "Yeah man." The waitress

gave her a winning smile and walked behind the counter. <The usual?> Ami

wondered. Well, she was a Sailor Senshi. She could handle anything.





       The shrilling sound of the alarm clock pulled Baloo from

slumber. Yawning, he stretched and scratched. He looked over at the

other bed. Kit was still sound asleep. "Kit," Baloo said while standing

up. "Kit, come on. Time ta get up!"

       <Kit? Oh yeah...> "What time is it?" the youth mumbled out.

       "'Bout six o'clock." There was a moan from the boy but Kit

pushed himself up and stretched. "You feelin' better today?" His friend

gave him a puzzled look before nodding and yawning. "I knows how ya

feel, Kid, but Beckers gets right testy if we gots stuff ta do."

       "Don't worry, Baloo," the cub stated confidently, "Ms.

Cunningham'll be late today."

       "Becky? Late?"

       "Yeah, she'll probably sleep till noon."

       "That'd be somethin' ta see!" Baloo chuckled. The cub hopped

from bed, grabbed up some clothes, and headed out of the room to get

dressed. "Say Kid?"

       "Yeah?" Kit asked while looking over his shoulder.

       "You... you didn't meet anybody new at school, did ya?"

       "I meet lots of people at school." As the cub left the room,

Baloo shook his head.

       <Well, he seems right as rain today.>





       "I can't do this!" Rei hissed out as she pulled on some clothes.

"I'm not this guy!" It wasn't that she didn't trust Baloo. She could

plainly see the concern the big bear had for her... or rather the person

whose body she was living in. It was that she couldn't sense anything.

Her senses that warned her of danger were gone. It wasn't that they

weren't telling her anything. Rather that she felt a gaping emptiness

within her.

       <I guess until Ami can figure this one out, we'd better play it

safe.> The completely ironic part was that Usagi and Chibi-Usa knew more

than she did. This struck her funny and she started to giggle. She had

put her life into her princess' hands on a number of occasions but this

time qualified as the strangest one of them all.

       "Well, Kit Cloudkicker, are you ready to meet the world?" she

asked her reflection that looked back at her from the mirror. "No." But

she'd try her best.





       Chibi-Usa watched warily as her mother paced. Both had joked

about their early rising. It was unusual for either to get up early;

though, Chibi-Usa tended to get up earlier than her mother did. After

they had eaten breakfast, the pair set about preparing for the day.

       Molly was wearing her school uniform, which had been an

unpleasant surprise. She had wanted to wear normal clothing like Kit

did. The uniform consisted of a white blouse, a skirt and jacket that

were both colored bright pink. A cute little hat with ribbons hanging

from it completed the outfit. The cub was sure she would get cavities

from it.

       Usagi's frustrated mumblings pulled the little girl's attention

back to her mother. "I just don't know where to look! How are we gonna

get you to school?!? I don't want you to get into trouble but we've

never seen where Molly goes to school!"

       "I got it!"

       "WHAT?!" Usagi demanded while whirling on her daughter. "Sorry,

didn't mean to shout."

       "Mommy," Chibi-Usa began softly, "What about report cards? Don't

they got the school's address on them?"

       Rebecca's eyes lit up and she happily clapped her hands.

"Molly-honey, you're a genius!" Chibi-Usa beamed happily.

       Thanks to Rebecca's efficient filing, Usagi quickly found

Molly's report cards and even the acceptance letter from the school.

"Hey Molly..."

       "What?" the cub asked while hopping from her position on the

couch. "How's Molly in school?"

       Usagi held out a report card and read it. "She seems to do

okay." She handed it to Chibi-Usa. Molly was getting mostly B's and some

C's in her subjects.

       As her daughter read over the report card and the comments

Molly's teacher had made, Usagi read the letter. "Sounds fancy,

`Bearston Academy for Girls�." Chibi-Usa looked at her quizzically.

After reading a little further into the letter, she remarked, "Looks

like a private all girls school."

       "Aw!" Chibi-Usa pouted. She liked boys... sort of. At least none

of her friends could see her in this disgusting outfit. Then her

mother's words hit her. "Did you say `private school�, Mommy?"

       "Sure sounds like it."

       "I hope it's not like the Infinity Academy..."

       Usagi shuddered. She really wished her daughter hadn't mentioned

that. "I'm sure it's nothing like the Infinity Academy."

       "You're right, Usagi. It's an evil enemy plot."

       "Huh?"

       "Why else would they dress us this way?" Chibi-Usa whined.

       "There's nothing wrong with that uniform, Molly," Usagi argued.

       "Then YOU wear it!"





       Usagi hummed softly as she walked towards the Higher for Hire

building. Spotting Ami, she waved to the lion who waved back at her.

"How's it going, Wildcat?"

       Ami walked over to Usagi. "I need to talk to you, Usagi," she

whispered, "We have to get together so..."

       "Not now, Ami-honey," Usagi whispered before saying in a more

normal tone, "Hope the plane's ready for the cargo run today."

       "Uh... yep, Ms. Cunningham, she is," the lion responded.

       Usagi gave a satisfied nod and headed into the office. Her smile

grew even more when Rei gave her a startled look. "You're up?!"

       "And good morning to you, Mr. Cloudkicker!" she said to the

youth. She turned towards Baloo who had started to chuckle. "I see

you're ready too."

       "Yep," Baloo replied, "Kit here thought the boss would be lazy."

       "She would," Usagi grumbled out softly while giving the cub a

small frown before smiling again. "Anyway, Kit, I hope you have a good

day at school. Molly was sure excited today." Walking over to the desk,

she asked, "Did you boys have a good night's sleep?"

       "Sure did." Baloo pushed himself up and sauntered over to the

desk.

       Rei nodded before saying, "I'll go get my books, Ms.

Cunningham."

       Once he had run up the stairs and into the bedroom, the big bear

grinned. "Say, Beckers, Kit hasn't said nothin' to ya 'bout a girl?"

       Usagi blinked, "No, why?"

       "I think he's got a girl at school."

       "Kit?!?" Usagi questioned. <Oh, Rei WON'T like that!> Though she

couldn't keep the smile from her face.

       "He's actin awfully funny. Even took a bath last night." Usagi

wasn't sure how to respond to that. It wouldn't have mattered if she had

because at that moment, Rei came running back downstairs. "Say, Li'l

Britches, what if I walk ya to school? I can do that one delivery that's

over that way." He shot Rebecca a sly look and winked. "If it's okay

with you, Boss Lady."

       "Sure, Baloo, as long as it gets delivered."

       "Thanks Baloo!" Rei responded, sounding rather relieved. Usagi

suspected that her friend was very relieved at now having a way to find

her school.





       As Rei settled into her desk, she mentally sighed before

thinking, <I have found someone even more annoying than Usagi... I never

thought it would happen.> Ernie, a young hyena, was droning on about

some outlandish adventure that Rei didn't believe in the least.

<Kami-sama!> she thought and rolled her eyes before looking around the

classroom.

       At first, she didn't notice the girl sitting a few rows over,

but her eyes kept wandering towards the general area. Rei couldn't

figure it out until she realized that the girl was a rabbit. One of

three in the class. <Well, Usagi would be happy to know that there's

bunnies around here.> Rei smiled when she noticed the young girl looking

at her.

       <Nani?> Rei thought when the girl quickly looked away and

blushed a little. <I think we got puppy love.> If this was like her

first encounter with it, Kit doesn't even know the girl exists. <Poor

kid. Maybe I should say something.> Shaking her head, she sighed. <No,

it's not my place to interfere.>

       "Why not, Kit?"

       "Huh?" Rei asked the boy beside her.

       "I said, `Why not?� My idea's good."

       Putting her elbow on the desk, she rested her cheek against her

hand. "Did you finally stop babbling?" Ernie blinked but the teacher

came in before he could respond.





       Chibi-Usa sat at her desk with a bored expression on her face.

<I could be doing lots better stuff than this!> The first grade

classwork was pitifully easy and even worse, she didn't know any of

Molly's friends. <I'm stuck in a class full of babies. Usagi's gonna pay

for making me go to school.> Her initial excitement had quickly worn

off. <At least, Rei has to go to school too.>

       She continued to brood until the recess bell rang. Suddenly the

cub wished that the class were still in session. With the others, she

filed out of the classroom and down the hall. Soon, they were outside on

the playground and breaking up into groups. <Looks like rain,> she

thought after noting the black clouds that were rolling in from the

east.

       "Molly, let's play!" Chibi-Usa turned to find her small group of

friends in front of her. The one who had spoken was a bear cub. She had

reddish-brown fur and green eyes.

       <Hmmm... I think her name's Wendy.> At least, the bear cub had

responded when their teacher called her that. <And the other one is

Katie.> Although, their teacher had called her "Katherine."

       "Yeah!" a tawny-brown kitten with green eyes agreed.

       "Okay, what?" Chibi-Usa wondered.

       "What else... Danger Woman!" Katie answered, "You was good

yesterday." The others nodded.

       "Sure was," Wendy agreed.

       <Great... I know nothing about Danger Woman.> Except that Danger

Woman's favorite food is Frosty Pep. Her tummy rumbled at that thought.

<You've been in tighter pinches, Chibi-Usa. What did you do?> Then an

idea popped into her head. Turning to the bear, she declared, "You can

be Danger Woman this time."

       "Really?!?" the little girl squeaked excitedly.

       "Yep!" the golden cub answered. <Heh! Not a problem!>



End of Chapter 3



Coming next in Chapter 4  "Propellers Spinning"