Shattered Skies: The Morning Lights

CHAPTER 13: The Return

Chapter 13: The Return

-VERTEX ONE: 15.556984-

Azabu-Juuban

"Chibi-Usa! Chibi-Usa, it's time to get up!"

"Nnngh." The younger Usagi Tsukino, also known as Usagi Small Lady Serenity Tsukino, also known as "Chibi-Usa", Princess of Crystal Tokyo and future ruler of mankind, stuffed a pillow over her ears and rolled over, trying to ignore the voice and fall back to sleep.

It was no use. Ikuko-mama was well-practiced with this routine by now, having had many years to perfect it. "Chibi-Usa! You're going to be late!"

A tiny paw pressed against the pillow. "Small Lady, are you unwell?" said a concerned voice.

"I'm fine, Diana, I'm fine." With great reluctance, Chibi-Usa sat up, yawned, and rubbed sleep from her eyes. "Mmmf... g'morning..."

"Good morning!" piped the little grey kitten with the crescent moon forehead mark as she hopped down to the floor. "I would suggest you hurry, Small Lady. You mustn't be late! Besides, I smell that Ikuko-mama made sausages for you..."

Chibi-Usa's stomach growled. Blast it, she could smell them too. Now there was no choice but to get up. "I'm coming, I'm coming. Just let me wash my face."

In truth, "Chibi-Usa" wasn't quite so "Chibi" anymore... she was virtually a mirror of her mother at age fourteen, save for her pink hair and scarlet eyes. It was an issue that caused her some concern, knowing that she was fast growing out of the familiar nickname she had used for years. Some nights she lay awake thinking of possible alternatives, but each one sounded worse than the last. "Usagi-nisei"? "Usa-ni?" Just "Usa"? Blech. It wasn't as if she could call herself "Small Lady" in this time period either, save for around a select few people.

Downstairs, someone rang the doorbell. There was a rush of heavy footsteps and an "I'll get it!" from Shingo, followed by a very quiet voice, too soft to make out distinct words. A second or two of extremely awkward silence, and... "Chibi-Usa! Hotaru's here!"

"Oh, crap!" Neo-Queen Serenity would surely have scolded her for that one, but Neo-Queen Serenity wasn't here, was she? "Diana, how late is it?!"

Diana had moved to the fluffy cat bed in the corner of her room. She opened one eye, not bothering to get up. She didn't have school today. "Ten minutes until eight o'clock, Small Lady."

"Kyaaaaa! How did- My alarm... my alarm broke again, I can't believe it! Auugh, and I have a math test first period! I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm so dead...!"

A passing black cat with a crescent moon mark on her forehead identical to the kitten's briefly stuck her head in through the open bedroom door and watched the pink tornado inside as she tore through her dresser in a panic. "It's uncanny," muttered Luna, raising an eyebrow. "Deja vu..."

Azabu

Usagi Tsukino, twenty-one years old. Former schoolgirl, current housewife (well, house-fiancée, if that was a thing), and secret savior of the world many times over. A little less clumsy, but still very much a crybaby... and that was about it.

At last, Sailor Moon had hung up her fuku, returning to a normal, relatively peaceful, somewhat ordinary life. The mysterious prophesied disaster that was to befall Earth and lead to her ascension as Neo-Queen Serenity and the birth of Crystal Tokyo... it simply failed to happen. Five years after the final, vicious battle with Galaxia, it seemed as if it never would at all. Destiny, just this once, had gotten it wrong. Life went on... weirder than it was in the old pre-Senshi days, of course, with the addition of talking cats, a child from the future, and the assorted hang-ups and minor crises of high school, but she made it. Usagi graduated (somehow, Rei still wasn't sure how), and fell into the waiting arms of her beloved Mamoru Chiba.