Maternal Moon Chapter 10 Author: ::wave:: Hi! It's ChibiCori! Remember me? e-mail: For the love of toes! Please e-mail me at ChibiCori@aol.com Rating: Ummm, PG-13? I'd just expect everything I write to be PG-13. Disclaimer: ::sigh:: Think if I wished hard enough, I could be Naoko Takeuchi, writer and artist of the mega-cool BSSM? No, you don't? Dahhh, what do you guys know anyway. But I still love you! Read on mi compadres! Yeah, you can stop double-taking and pick up your jaws off the ground. Geesh. So here is the long-awaited Chapter 10 of MM. Hopefully it's long-awaited. Awaited being the keyword there. Is anyone out there enjoying this at all? Please let me know! ::whimper:: Don't make me cry, you'll regret it! Chapter 10 A peaceful night had fallen over the small, run-down cabin that held the Neo-Queen and her family. A soft February snow gently blanketed the woods around them and the breath of wondering animals clouded in the cold air. But inside the little wood, cabin, all were warm and comfortable. A fire smoking and crackling in the hearth was the only light provided in it's interior. Luna nuzzled into Artemis's embrace and purred, "Such a lovely fire. Makes me want to curl up on the rug in front of it for a catnap. I wish I could be a cat again for just a moment." Artemis chuckled softly, then said, "Yeah, but there is something to be said about being human." "And what is that?" Luna asked, looking up at her mate in curiosity. "Well...we have arms to hold, lips to kiss and if anything, we still have noses to nuzzle." Artemis explained, giving her a squeeze. Luna blushed and ducked her head at Artemis's bold statement. "Oh, Artemis...not in front of Usagi!" He only laughed in response and squeezed Luna's waist tighter, pressing her back into his stomach, "Oh no, that old excuse won't work anymore. Usagi obviously knows the score now." Luna only blushed deeper and cast an embarrassed look to Usagi, "Artemis!" Usagi giggled from her position on the opposite couch. She rested her head in Mamoru's lap and watched serenely as the fire licked up the chimney. 'If Luna only knew how long I've known the score, she'd probably flip!' She giggled again and cast a look up at her husband. Mamoru sat above her, his nose buried behind a new scientific theory book. His free hand laced through Usagi's and covered her burgeoning mid-section. Feeling her eyes on him, Mamoru held the book to the side and looked down at her, his breath catching momentarily at the sight of her. The fire played in her eyes, the blue darkening to an inky midnight shade. Flames jumped and danced, casting flickering shadows over her pale skin. Her sweet face enchanted him as he allowed her peacefulness to enter his dark soul. And even in the muted light, she still glowed and continued to look unearthly. Her body so deceptively delicate, her soul so valiant and true. Usagi kept her gaze locked with his. She easily read his thoughts, for they were all too evident in his black eyes, and smiled bashfully. Her fingers which rested with his on her abdomen squeezed his palm closer to hers as she turned over and sat up on her knees next to him. A bemused smile flittered across her lips as she leaned in to whisper in his ear; "I love you." Mamoru leaned his head back only so he could lovingly rub hid nose over hers and whisper back, "I love you more." Usagi seemed to revel in the quiet declaration for a moment before breathing out a shocked, "Oh!" and then hastily drawing his hands back to her active tummy, "Oh, feel this Mamo-chan!" Mamoru stilled momentarily as he felt his unborn daughter shift noticeably in Usagi's womb. A grin split his face as Chibi-Usa kicked again before looking up at Usagi with jubilant eyes, "Wow, she's really moving!" Only Usagi's brilliance could compete with Mamoru's as she laughed softly before waving a hand to invite the other couple over, "Come feel this you guys! It's amazing." Artemis reached over and rested a feather light hand on Usagi's stomach, as if he would hurt his queen if he exerted any more pressure then that. When Chibi-Usa suddenly shifted, his eyes widened and he coughed softly before pulling Luna next to him, "Feel this, it's remarkable!" Luna was obviously not as comfortable with the act as Artemis was, but slowly, she rose a hand. The limb fell still just above Usagi's stomach, then quickly drew back. Usagi looked at her old mentor in puzzlement as Luna just shook her head. "I think I'll just take your word for it." she smiled, but her eyes betrayed an emotion that couldn't quite be placed. Usagi was about to protest, but Artemis shot her a look that told her to drop it. 'Luna?' she wondered and watched in concern as her friend slid back into her former position, this time without the languid relaxation. 'Oh, Luna. What's wrong?' Mamoru's reassuring arms tightened around her and Usagi dug the back of her head into his chest, letting his calm settle tense nerves building up in her neck and shoulders...and her back and her arms and her toes. Basically every muscle of her body. His warmth and serene quiet radiated from him and seeped into every pore and layer of her body. It was so nice to have a man who could melt your bones into goo around the house. The cabin and it's inhabitants lapsed back into silence, albeit it was a somewhat tense one due to Luna's odd behavior. Usagi felt Mamoru began to speak before the words left his mouth when his chest rose with inhalation, causing her head to rise with it. The rumble of his voice working vibrated through her head and Usagi felt her eyelids begin to droop at the soothing motion. "I've been thinking," he began, "about why you couldn't hold your transformation, Usagi." Fatigue instantly flew from Usagi's mind as her head shot up from it's cozy place on Mamoru's chest. She looked at her husband with shocked eyes and a dropped jaw. She had almost forgotten about that, though the memory had always been right around the corner. It was amazing what a person could block out when they really didn't want to remember something. And Usagi didn't want to remember that night. Not just being unable to hold transformation, but the finality of all of it. She didn't like the way people had begun to walk on eggshells around her ever since. The senshi and Mamoru coddled her, treated her as if she were a child. Usagi was tired of it. She hadn't died that night and Chibi-Usa was fine, why did she have to be sheltered still? "What is that, Mamoru-san?" Luna asked, the two guardians' interest peaked. Usagi grumbled a soft curse and shifted off of Mamoru. Not noticing her sour mood, Mamoru leaned forward and continued, "According to what the girls told me, and what Usagi said about feeling like something from the inside was draining her power, I would think the best conclusion we could come up with is that it was Chibi-Usa who took it." "What?" Usagi exclaimed, her face drawn in disbelief. "Are you trying to say Chibi-Usa stole Usagi's energy?" Luna sputtered, her expression dubious. "I wouldn't call it stealing. More like, claiming a birth right." "A birth right?" Artemis questioned. "My theory is that, maybe the senshi's powers are hereditary. We all know that Chibi-Usa would eventually become Sailormoon in the future. And I don't recall Usagi ever becoming Sailormoon as Neo-Queen Serenity." Mamoru explained, his gaze drifting to each face as he pointed out the observations. "I think I'm beginning to see." Artemis nodded, his eyes affirming his words. "Well, I'm not. What are you trying to say, Mamo-chan?" Usagi demanded, her thin patience ready to snap. "What I'm trying to say is, what if when you transformed, you triggered something that sensed that what was happening wasn't right. Then you powers transferred to Chibi-Usa." "Which would mean..." Luna began, but trailed off, to stunned to finish. Usagi finished in awe, "I'm not Sailormoon anymore." And as a very eery after-statement, the fire in the hearth suddenly went out. Usagi let out a soft shriek and reached over for Mamoru, who had automatically assumed her reaction and met her arms quickly. He pulled her into his embrace and held her close, her head tucked safely under his chin. A hand crept to the back of her neck and held her firmly in place. "Usagi-chan, are you all right?" Luna's concerned voice called into the dark interior. "Yeah, a tad freaked out, but I'm fine." Someone began to walk blindly to the fireplace and then leaned over to rummage through the mysteriously snuffed fire. A soft gasp and then his alarmed call revealed it to be Artemis; "The logs are soaked. Someone threw water on it." "But, wouldn't that mean-" The sudden scurry of footsteps dashing down the roof, then the dull thunk of someone dropping to the ground interrupted Luna's question. Everything in the room stilled and four sets of alarmed eyes wandered to the window where the person had jumped from the roof. A dark figure suddenly appeared, soliciting a gasp from Usagi and Luna. It peered through the window momentarily, his expression unseen, before ducking out of the frame and disappeared into the night. It was very deliberate, this new player was making a very lethal statement. One which Usagi immediately recognized, "My God, they've found us." !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahhh, my feeble attempt at a cliffhanger. It's also pitifully short, but the longer version of this chapter wasn't flowing too well. On the upside, I've got half of chapter 11 done already. Whoo! What do you think! Let me know, ChibiCori@aol.com ^_~ Cori!