Notes: The Characters of Sailor Moon are all property of their prespective owners. All the children were created by me. Well, Thanks for reading I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. The Struggle of Life A prequal to "The Life Beyond Death" by Aneena Chapter III The Children: Birth of Hope Part II THE FUTURE: 3075 "I'm pregnant." Mina stated simply. She'd waited for almost a week before she could get him alone to tell him. The very last thing she wanted was for some servant to catch them together and discover their drunken one nighter. It was a shame enough that Mina would have to live with it for the rest of her life and that she was going to have a child which would reminder her of their affair every day for the rest of it's life. "You're what?!?" "Not so loud damn it. Do you want someone to hear? Would you like someone else to know that the baby I'm caring belongs to you?" It had been almost four months since the two old friends had gone out for drinks after he had had a fight with his wife. They'd sat and reminisced about old times long past, and one thing seemed to lead to another and when Mina awoke the next morning with a pounding headache she'd found him sleeping quite soundly beside her. "Are you sure?" "Would I chance are getting caught on something I wasn't positive about?" Mina had awakened him quickly, helped him into his clothes and helped him escape the scout dorms without any-one noticing. She had been sure that they would be able to cover up that night. Until she'd missed her period and taken that little test which gave her proof positive that she was... "Pregnant?" "Yeah, it's what sometimes happens when to consenting adults go to bed together. Didn't your mother or your wife teach you about that?" "No need to be sarcastic Mina. I just can't believe that you're..." "Tough. Learn to believe it and accept it, I have. I just wanted you to know. It's not like I expect you to do anything for this child I mean after all you're only it's father..." "Why do you have to be so nasty about this? It's takes two to tango, you know." "Yeah, I know that." Mina snapped "I tell it how it is darlin'. I can't help you with this Mina." Mina sighed and looked down at her hands, "Yeah, I know that. I just thought maybe you would want to know." "Look, what are you going to tell people? I mean, I can't have it getting out that...." "We had a drunken affair, yeah I know. That doesn't mean I have to like it. I'll cover up our little secret, darlin', but I want something in return." The young man narrowed his dark eyes and looked at her warily. "What?" "Oh, don't look at me like that. When you look at me like that you would never know that we've been friends for centuries. I just want your permission to not lie to our child. If the child wants to know the truth, when it's capable of keeping the secret, I want to be able to tell it the truth." He looked visibly relieved, "Yes, fine, sure. Just keep the secret, Mina." Without another word he left the small alcove. Sighing, Mina looked down at her already expanding stomach, "Look's like it's just you and me, kid." "Who is the father of this child?" "None of your damn business." Lita spat, anger boiling up inside her. "Look...Lita...we need to know. The child needs a donor and this blood type is something we've never seen before. It is very possible that his father could be a perfect match." "It wouldn't matter even if I did tell you 'cause his father's not around anymore." Lita said, almost shaking both with the anger at the doctors butting into her private affairs and from fear for her son's life. "So...you are telling me that his father is dead. Perhaps if you told me his name we could assume the body and...." "This is bullshit. I don't know why you are insisting on dragging this out. I am not going to tell you who his father is and that is that." "We could always check his birth certificate..." "Which has no father's name, as I'm sure you already know. The father as a donor is out of the question, you will have to find someone else." "But, maam, the father..." Lita exploded her anger taking control, "Damn you! Why can't you just drop it?! His freakin' father isn't here and even he was he wouldn't help me or my son, so back the hell off!" "I think you had best do as the lady asks if you would like to keep you job." The deep male voice had an authority in it that forced the doctor to immediately bend to his will. "Yyyyyeeess, sir...rrriiight aaaaway, ssssir." The doctor was gone in a moment, disappearing back into the child's room. The young man sat down next to Lita, "I would have come, Lita. You could have called me." Lita laughed, "Sure I could have. Knowing you you would most likely either laugh in my face or do as I ask, but the price for this great service to me would be higher than I have any right to pay." He nodded slowly, "You're most likely right. I know you'll believe me, but I am truly sorry for what happened between us. I never meant to hurt you." "Sure you didn't and I'm an Egyptian Fighter Pilot." Lita scoffed her voice rough with unhealed pain. The young man sighed, "The laboratory downstairs has just received a mysterious blood donation that will save our..." "My," Lita breathed. "Our....son's life." The young man said pointedly. "I'm not going to thank you for you generosity, you know." "Nor do I expect you to. Goodbye Lita. Take good care of our son." The young man stood and left his short wavy hair fluttering in a sudden breeze. Lita sighed and hugged her knees to her chest as she locked eyes with her five year old son through the glass window that separated them. His eyes were like his father's, a dark penetrating blue and he seemed to see right through the false smile she gave him and into the pain that seemed to shoot through her. The little boy frowned and mouthed, "I love you mommy." This time Lita's smile was genuine and she felt the pain dull a little as she realized that her little boy was going to live a good long life. "Gypsy? Sweetheart? Are you out here honey?" Rei was growing increasingly worried about her five year old daughter who had wandered off over an hour before. The forest was the only place left to look and Rei could sense the power about the place. She'd been dreading looking there for her young daughter. As Rei ventured further into the forest she began to hear the faint yet unmistakable sound of chanting. She crept closer to the sound, cautious not to make any sounds or movements which would alert the chanter to her presence. Finally, Rei came to a small clearing and there in the middle of the space seated in front of a roaring fire with her hands clasped in prayer sat her daughter Gypsy. Gypsy spoke softly, but Rei could still clearly make out the words she was chanting. "Show me the enemy, the enemy behind the destruction to come. Show me the enemy, the enemy behind the destruction to come." Rei starred at her daughter unsure whether to beat the girl for scaring her half to death or hug her for trying to do good for the community of Crystal Tokyo. The spell was broken as both mother and daughter heard the sounds of a creature barreling through the forest. Without a thought, Rei transformed from the high priestess into Sailor Mars. She snatched her daughter from the ground, hugging her close, preparing to do anything to protect her. Finally the creature burst from the forest, "Oh there you are guys, I was like totally flipped out." Rei rolled her eyes and sat her daughter down and faced down her husband. "So you decide to scare us half to death by barreling through the forest yelling at the top of your lungs!?!" Chad grimaced, "Well, I figured that it would scare any bears away." Rei laughed finally, it had become increasing difficult to stay angry with Chad the longer they were together. She leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek, "Let's take her home, okay? We'll talk about all this later." Both adults turned to gaze down at the black haired little girl sitting next to a burned out fire. She was sifting her hands gently through the ashs left by the fire that had once been there. "Gypsy? Sweeting? It's okay baby, Chad and I are going to take you home okay?" Gypsy remained silent her lips pursed slightly, her brow furrowed in concentration. "I almost had it...I almost knew her name." "Who's name, sweeting?" Rei asked, kneeling down next to her daughter. "The bad lady. Mommy the bad lady is going to hurt you, Auntie Serena and the others unless I find out who she really is." Rei picked up her child without a word and prayed that her child had not the senses about things like she herself had been born with, but instead just a wild imagination. Grasping on to that excuse as a rational and far safer reason for her daughter's behavior, Rei shook her head and promptly forgot all about Gypsy's warning. "We must speak with Sailor Moon, it's urgent!" "Sorry, nobody gets past us without the proper ID and the proper appointment. You two are definitely not scheduled." Uranus said moving to block the couple's way once more. "Look you stupid bitch, we don't have time to make a freaking appointment. This is urgent!" Alan ground out attempting to push his way past the two scouts once again. "I'm quite sorry for my companion's rudeness, but I fear she is right. You may not pass." Neptune said with a sigh. "You don't understand, it's a matter of life or death." "Well than tell us about." Uranus said, clearly unimpressed by the couple's show of urgency. Anne looked as if she might actually weep, "My name is Anne and this is my husband, Alan. We must speak with Sailor Moon, she is the only one we can trust with the life of our son. A horrible civil war has broken out on our planet and we can not let our people be slaughtered, but neither can we allow our son to come into harm's way." Almost as if her knew he was being spoken of, Anne and Alan's four month old son poked his dark blue haired head out from inside the blanket in which he was wrapped. He gurgled at the two Sailor senshi and Neptune leaned down over him. "Oh, you are so darling." The child reached out to Neptune and she promptly lifted him into her arms. Alan made a face, "Milan never acts that way around strangers. In fact, he won't even look at them." Anne tilted her head to the side, "I know, perhaps..." "Don't even think it, darling." Anne twisted to look at her husband. "I will not live my son with complete strangers." "Better strangers than our enemies." Alan said clasping her hand in his own. Anne sighed, "I know that you're right. Ask her and get it over with." Alan cleared his throat, "Umm...Would you mind taking care of our son while we're away. We just..." His voice cracked. "We must fight, please care for our son, we have no more time." Even as he spoke the couple was fading away leaving their child in the hands of total strangers. Anne buried her face in Alan's chest, "Do you think they will really care for him?" "We have no choice now, but to pray." "I can do it Mommy! I can! I'll fight those nasty bad people." Tula squealed running out towards the front yard. Ami snatched her daughter up handed the squirming four year old off to her father. "Taiki? Whatever are we going to do with our brave little daughter." Taiki laughed and swung the little girl around. "I don't know, but I think she'll be alot like her mother when she gets older." Ami smiled in spite of herself, "Oh, Taiki." "I wanna be like mommy and fight the baddies!" Tula said as her father swung her up over his head. "Mercury bubbles! Bubbles!" Both parents laughed, and Taiki rolled his eyes. "Just like her mother." That was when they all heard the crash and thunder of an attack. Ami and Taiki exchanged looks and handed their daughter off to Catzi who leaned against one wall, waiting for the parents to finish playing with their child. "Please protect her, Catzi!" Ami shouted as they ran out of the house, transforming as they ran towards the shattering sound they all heard on the far side of the compound. "Push, Molly, You have to push! Just hold on a little while longer." Serena shouted clutching her friend's hand desperately. "I can't Serena, I can't!" Molly voice sounded dramatically weaker with each passing moment and Serena knew suddenly, without a doubt, that her friend was going to die. "Come on you've got to try. You have so many things to live for Molly, both you and the baby." Serena said clutching her friend's hand tighter in her own as if she could keep her alive through pure strength of will. "Serena..." Molly gasped, her voice heavy with pain. "Yes, Molly. I'm here, I'll always be here." Molly smiled benignly, "I know. You're such a good friend Serena. Even as Sailor Moon you were a good friend." Serena gasped, Molly had never before mentioned that she knew that she was Sailor Moon. "You knew?! All these years you knew and you never mentioned it?" Molly smiled again, "I figured maybe you had a good reason for not telling me. I figured you'd tell me in your own time," Molly frowned and tears filled her eyes. "But there is no more time, Serena." "Sure, there is Molly, don't talk like that." "No," Molly shook her head sadly, "My time is over. I want you to save my baby. I want you and the rest of the Sailor Senshi to raise her as if she were your own. Please?" Serena choked back her sobs, and found that she was barely able to whisper, "Yes." Molly patted Serena's hand with her free one, "You're a good friend." And a moment later her eyes closed and she arms fell lax to her sides. Serena sobbed, and shoved a fist to her mouth to cover the sob. Brokenly she managed to speak to the doctor kneeling on the stone floor next to them. "Save the child, please, save the baby." It wasn't fair that the Black Moon's attack should end in the death of the one person who had never done any-thing to deliberately hurt anyone. All Molly had ever done was attempt to live her life and she had died saving the one person who always seemed to get her into the middle of battles. Serena sobbed again as she thought of how, the pregnant Molly had pushed her out of the way of the falling wreckage only to have it strike her instead. It wasn't fair, none of it was fair. Serena was awakened from her grief by the wails of Molly's child. Still covered in blood, the doctor wrapped the squalling infant in his shirt and handed the child to Serena. "There you are my Queen, it's a girl." Nodding, Serena took the small child from the doctor and sobbed as the child grabbed a loose strand of her hair and yanked playfully. "Molly..." "My god, my queen! What happened here?!" Neptune shrieked ducking into the shattered greenhouse. The Senshi had arrived, but they seemed to be late to Serena. Not far behind them was Tuxedo Mask, her king, carrying their beautiful daughter Reenie in his arms. Serena looked up at him and knew instantly how she must look from the terror on his face. "I'm not hurt, my love, but don't bring our daughter over here. I don't want her to see any of this." Slowly, Darien handed Reenie to Sailor Mars and strode closer. He gasped as he caught sight of Molly lying amidst the broken glass. Serena looked up at him slowly, "She died to save me. Without a thought to herself she died to save me. Now, I can't thank her. How could I thank someone for what she did for me?" Serena resumed her silent weeping as Darien knelt beside her and took her in his arms. The other senshi watched silently from where they stood, some crying silently, others shocked and still others starring at the bundle Serena held in her arms. "What is that, my queen?" Uranus asked quietly. Serena looked confused for a moment, but then moved away from Darien and stood. Slowly she moved to where the three outer Senshi stood. "Uranus and Neptune. I know that you two care for each other a great and can never have children of your own. I also know that you two are together, perhaps, the most powerful of the senshi. I want you to raise and care for the child of my dearest friend as if she were your own. I know that I could never give her the life or the love or the protection that she deserves. Her name is Nerissa..." Serena choked up and Darien placed a comforting arm around her shoulders as she placed the child in Setsuna's outstretched hands. "Take care of her and make sure that she knows what a wonderful person her mother was. Now quickly, go. Take the child and flee. Use the transporter at the palace and go somewhere safe. We shall send word when this matter is resolved." "Yes, my queen." The two scouts said similtaniously. With a desive nod, Haruka took the child in her arms and together she and Michiru fled back up the hill towards the palace. Darien turned to Molly's body and took off his long cape, placing it carefully over her prone body. "Sleep well, Molly." Together the saddened silent group moved back towards the house, leaving Molly and the last of their innocence behind.