You Don't Remember How I Feel By Doug Helm and "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl Those characters that are original and the story "You Don't Remember How I Feel" are copyrighted (c) 1999 by Douglas Helm & Will Wolfshohl. This fanfic and hundreds of other Sailor Moon fanfics reside in "Tuxedo" Will's SM Fanfics Archive at http://members.xoom.com/questails/gateway.htm and http://rivendell.fortunecity.com/traveller/861/ Send comments to: Douglas "Candle Light Author" Helm (dhelm@log.on.ca) or "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl (wwolfshohl@logicon.com) Chapter 7 - The Little Princess "Wain," Serenity cooed with delight as she watched the minute droplets of water spatter against the back door window. She had ended the game of riding on her father's foot when the first sounds of rain reached her tiny ears. "Pway!" she exclaimed while pointing outside. "Wait, Miko-chan," Misako said with a smile, "It's raining and we don't want you to catch a cold, ne?" Serenity pouted a little. She loved the rain, even the thunder and lightning. "Let's get you dressed," Misako said. "Pway," Serenity squeaked again but allowed herself to be carried into her bedroom to be dressed for the day. She looked longingly out the window while her father said something. Serenity couldn't really understand what she was saying. "Miko-chan?" Serenity turned her head to regard her father. "Want to wear this?" Misako asked. <'Sagi wear that,> Serenity thought to herself as she looked at the tiny princess dress. It was very similar to her sister's except it was smaller, of course. <'Sagi gone.> "Iie, no wear. Bad dwess," Serenity responded while pushing the dress away. She wasn't about to wear it if she couldn't be with her sister. Most of all, she knew that she couldn't play in that dress and that's definitely what she wanted to do. "PWAY!" Serenity prompted her father. After a moment, she was dressed into a purple tracksuit before being let down. "Come get your hair done, Misako," Misako directed as she picked up a picture book for her daughter to look at. "Then we can go and play." "Hai," Serenity conceded while moving to sit on her father's lap to have her hair put up into her normal round odangos. Holding her stuffed bunny, Serenity looked through the picture book. "Quack! Quack!" Serenity said while pointing to one picture. "That's right!" Misako answered proudly, "That's a duck." "Hop, hop, hop!" Serenity giggled. "Iie, that's a frog," Misako corrected her young daughter. "R-ribbit." Serenity stared at her for a moment perplexed. "R-ribbit!" Serenity giggled a little before turning the page. "Mommy!" Serenity squealed. "Iie, that's a pig!" Misako countered. Trying not to laugh, Misako reached out and flipped the next page. "Bunny!" Serenity declared with delight. She always liked this particular picture of a brown and white bunny hopping around. "Mommy," Misako observed. ****** A short time later, little Serenity hopped around the living room keeping out of the grasp of her father who was following her. "Hop! Hop! Hop!" Serenity shouted, "Daddy hop!" "You want me to hop, Miko-chan?" Misako asked. "Daddy hop! Daddy be bunny!" Serenity directed. She squealed with some surprise as her father stood and quickly swept her up into her arms. "Daddy hop! Me hop!" Her surprise, and mild disappointment at not being able to hop, disappeared as her father started hopping around the room. Giggling, she clung to her father's neck as her tiny frame shook with the motion and Misako kept her from falling off. "Fast'r!" Serenity commanded and was delighted when her father sped up. Abruptly her father stopped hopping. Looking around, Serenity tried to determine what was happening. They were over by the stereo. "Daddy..." "Hang on a second, Mesume," Misako remarked. Setting her daughter down, Misako asked, "Well, now what?" She suppressed the sigh that wanted to escape as Serenity started hopping again. It was then the doorbell rang. Wondering whom it might be, Misako started down the hallway with Serenity tagging after her. "Kitty!" Serenity squeaked with excitement as the door opened to show Artemis and little Diana. "Ohayo, Your Majesty, Your Highness," Artemis greeted, "I hope we aren't intruding." "Iie, Artemis, Misako and I were just playing," Misako replied, "Please come in." Diana didn't waste any time and scampered into the Royal Suite and down the hallway. Without concern, Serenity plopped onto her hands and knees and sped after the gray kitten. "D'ana!" Serenity said as caught up to the kitten, "Pway!" "Play!" Diana responded before darting between Serenity's arms and legs to the other side of the toddler. "No bunny," Diana said. "No bunny," Serenity agreed. Of course, Diana wasn't a bunny; Diana was a pretty kitty. She pouted slightly as Diana disappeared under the couch before reappearing again. ****** Misako, sitting on the couch, watched in fascination as Serenity and Diana played. They both seemed to have boundless energy. "Ne, Artemis, how old's Diana now?" she asked the white cat. "Hmmm, well in Mauian years, she's the same age as Misako," Artemis told her, "Just between you and me, Endymion-sama, I'm glad I talked Luna out of her notion of having Diana and Small Lady becoming close friends." "Nani? Why?" Misako asked with some surprise. Diana was always her sister's friend! "Gomen, Your Majesty. It's nothing against Princess Usagi. It's just... um... I'd be worried. She is older than Diana and so much bigger and... rougher," Artemis indicated. A burst of giggles drew their attention. "I don't think Small Lady would let Diana do that," he speculated as the kitten continued to climb "Mt. Misako". The toddler was trying to hold still, except for an occasional fit of giggles. Misako smiled, "Well, Small Lady isn't bad, but I do know what you mean. She'll need an advisor and when Diana gets older..." "Of course, Your Majesty," Artemis agreed, "Gomen, I didn't mean any offense. Diana will perform her duty as we've always done." Taking on a sheepish expression, Artemis added, "It's just that Diana is so small and my mesume and..." he trailed off and looked hopefully up at Misako. "I know, Artemis," Misako replied. It was the jingling of a tiny bell that announced that something was happening. The two fathers saw Diana running rapidly towards the hallway with Serenity in pursuit. "Maybe we should distract those two instead of gabbing, ne?" "Hai!" Artemis answered, "I'm just glad we didn't have twins. One kitten is quite a handful!" "So's one toddler," Misako observed, She wasn't going to give up her annoyance at Usagi for treating Endymion differently so easily. She was jerked back to reality when Serenity gave a screech of surprise as the little girl tripped over Artemis. Misako could never remember seeing Diana cry, or at least a small Diana cry. Of course, she had no memories of Diana ever being so small. The piteous wailing that the small kitten sent up was just as mournful as any Serenity sent up. "It's okay, Miko-chan," Misako reassured her daughter as she picked the toddler up and held her close. "It's okay. You didn't hurt Artemis." She turned Serenity so the little girl could see that Artemis was okay and reassuring his own daughter. "And you're okay, too," Misako said with some relief. "Let's go play with your blocks, ne?" Serenity sniffled a little and nodded. ****** By the time her father had brought out her morning snack, Serenity had all but forgotten her incident with Artemis. Sitting down at the little plastic table she had, Serenity waited and wondered what today's snack would be. It was always a surprise. But one of the best things about snack time was that afterwards, her father would read her a story. "There you go," Misako said as she sat the bowl down in front of Serenity before placing a small spill-proof glass onto the table. "Awigato," Serenity replied. She waited until her father was sitting on the floor beside the table before she looked into the bowl. "Pwetty..." she observed. Reaching in, she picked up a slice of banana and started eating it. After it was gone, she picked up another slice and offered it to her father. "Iie, arigato, Miko-chan. You eat it," Misako requested. Serenity obliged her father and put it into her mouth also. After the banana was eaten, Serenity considered the rest of the fruit. There were a couple chunks of skinless apple, some pineapple, and a few chunks of a pear. With the tip of her pinkie, she pushed the pear to one side along with the chunk of apple the pear had been touching. "Yick!" Serenity squawked before picking up the pineapple and starting to eat it. She saved the apple for last, not because it was her favorite but because it took the longest to eat. She pointedly ignored the pears as she picked up the apple chunk and popped it into her mouth. Draining the milk from her glass, Serenity pushed up from the table and said, "Stowy Daddy?" "Not yet, you have some left," Misako observed and pointed to the remaining fruit. Serenity looked with disgust at the pear chunks and the one "tainted" piece of apple. "When they're gone, we'll read a story." "Gone?" Serenity queried. "Gone," Misako ordered. She then watched as Serenity reached down and lifted the remaining fruit in her hand. To her surprise, Serenity proceeded to throw the hated fruit in an overarm motion as far as she could. "Awl gone!" Serenity stated proudly, "Stowy Daddy!" "Come here, you," Misako said while trying not to laugh. Reaching out, she pulled Serenity into a hug and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "That wasn't what I meant." It was a moot point though and she really couldn't get mad at the child. It was her own fault for not being more specific. ****** At about eleven o'clock that morning another visitor came to the Royal Suite. This one shocked Misako to some extent for it was her cousin Tomoe Yuki. The only thing was, Yuki was not the eleven year old preteen that Misako expected. This Yuki was wearing diapers and she estimated that her cousin was now two and a half years old. She had seen some of Yuki's pictures when she was younger but she hadn't really given much thought to how small Yuki would appear at that age. "Please come in," Misako said as she led Yuki and her mother Lady Tomoe into the living room. Serenity really wasn't interested in the grownup although she knew who Yuki was. Beside this little girl, she was a big girl and that gave Serenity a feeling of pride. What was even more important was that Yuki listened to her. And as she sat and played with her stuffed bunnies under the watchful gaze of the grownups, Serenity told Yuki about her day so far. Yuki seemed fascinated. As Misako chatted pleasantly with Lady Tomoe, she allowed Endymion to take over more. It had been a long morning and Misako felt like she wanted to go to sleep but she knew she couldn't. It was also getting more difficult to keep Endymion's emotions and memories from overwhelming her. The part that was Misako retreated even further when the discussion turned to how Princess Misako's potty training was progressing. It was the only thing she could do to stop from being horribly embarrassed. ****** While both Endymion and Serenity were taking their naps, Misako determined to speak with Usagi about the previous afternoon. Walking into the living room after doing the dishes, Misako found her sister sitting on the couch reading the morning paper. "Serenity, you're staying with Misako today. Small Lady and I have some business to attend to with Younger Jupiter." "Honto?" Usagi asked as she lowered the paper and looked at Misako. "What business, Endymion?" "About yesterday," Misako began sourly, "I would have done it this morning but you dragged her off to Court." "Are you still upset with me about that?" Usagi asked in a mock pout. "Serenity, you haven't spent more than five minutes a day with Misako this week." Usagi rose from the couch and turned to face Misako. "Now you know that isn't true, Endymion. You know how busy I am... If you're mad about me taking Small Lady to Court then say so but don't accuse me of ignoring Misako." "I still say that was wrong of you to do," Misako argued, "I plan on keeping Small Lady out of your hair for the rest of the afternoon. I want you to spend it with Misako." Grinning, she added, "I noticed the rain's letting up so you can take Misako outside when she wakes up. She's been wanting to go outside all day and she's been very good." "Endymion..." Usagi began. "I do have things to do." "What you need to do is spend this afternoon playing with Misako while I handle matters that should have been taken care of this morning. If you're willing to give a privilege like taking Small Lady to Court after she's misbehaved, especially when you tell her that privilege was contingent on her being good, then you can certainly spend some quality time playing with Misako who's been extra good today." She sighed a little and said, "Hai, Endymion, I... maybe I acted without thinking; Small Lady was expected though." Moving closer to Misako, Usagi wondered, "Is there something else bothering you, Endymion?" "Iie," Misako replied. Then feeling a tad guilty, she gave Usagi a quick hug before turning and walking down the hallway. ****** Some twenty minutes later, Usagi stood on the edge of the soggy grass and watched as Misako played with a ball. The little girl had given up trying to play catch. Usagi wouldn't chase the ball across the soggy ground. "Misako!" Usagi bellowed. "Get away from that mud puddle!" Little Serenity paused then looked at the mud puddle longingly for a full five seconds before reluctantly shuffling away from it. She picked up the ball she had been playing with and threw it into the mud puddle before heading towards her target. "Misako..." came her mother's warning voice. "Bawl!" Serenity replied and pointed at the ball that was now partially floating in the center of the mud puddle. "Iie!" came the sharp reply. Serenity paused in her advance and observed her mother gracefully stroll across the lawn to the mud puddle, bend over, and pick up the ball. She watched as the ball was shaken free of mud and then her mother came towards her while talking. Most of it was above Serenity's understanding so she ignored it. "Awigato," Serenity replied as her mother handed her the ball. "Pway Mommy." "You play with your ball, Miko-chan," Usagi suggested while heading back to the stairs that led up onto the deck. She thought back to her childhood years and playing Youma Catch, It seemed so long ago. She stopped her revelry and turned around when she heard a splash. "Misako, bad girl," Usagi scolded with some exasperation upon seeing the ball floating in the mud puddle again. Serenity halted her trek to the mud puddle and looked sadly up at her mother with her huge sky blue eyes. Her tiny odangos seemed to droop. "Pway Mommy, pwease?" She sniffled again when her mother, who was obviously upset with her, marched over and took the ball before coming to stand in front of Misako. "Iie," Usagi lectured while pointing to the mud puddle, "Bad... Tsukino Misako stay away or I'll spank you." She then handed Serenity the ball. Seeing the little girl looking between her and the mud puddle, Usagi shook her head and repeated, "Iie." "Hai!" Serenity said angrily and threw the ball back into the mud puddle again. Serenity thought. Much to her surprise, Usagi didn't go to get the ball a third time. Instead, her mother lifted her up and started walking towards the deck. "Bawl... Mommy, my bawl!" she whined. "Gomen, if you can't keep it out of the mud puddle, I'm not going to get it," Usagi replied. Ignoring her daughter's growing protests, she sat Serenity on one of the wooden steps of the deck and sighed. "Maybe we should go in. What if I read you a story?" "Me no wan' stowy! Mommy pway!!" Serenity implored while stomping one of her booted feet. Why couldn't her mommy understand? Usagi was starting to wonder what she could do. Things were not going as smoothly as she had hoped. It was then the phone rang. "Sit right there, Misako," she instructed her daughter and darted up the stairs and into the Royal Suite. Quickly shucking her dirty shoes, she crossed the living room and answered the phone. "Moshi, moshi. Serenity speaking." "Konnichiwa Serenity-chan," Minako's voice sang brightly, "Listen, do you have that chocolate fudge recipe handy?" "Minako-chan, this isn't the best time. Could I call you back later?" "Not a problem," Minako replied, "Hmmm... you could give it to Kimeko when she drops in after school, ne?" "Hai," Usagi said, "I really should go. I'm looking after Misako..." "Oh?" Minako asked with interest, "How'd Endymion-sama con you into that?" Usagi really wanted to chat with Minako but she had to look after Misako. After politely deflecting Minako's question, Usagi said good-bye and hung up the phone. Everything was quiet, too quiet. Then the soft pattering of rain began anew. "Great Serenity's Ghost!" Usagi exclaimed while running for the back yard, "Misako's still out there." ****** Rushing out onto the deck, Usagi came to a dead stop while giving a strangled gasp of surprise. Little Serenity was completely covered in mud and not wearing a stitch of clothing except for an extremely soggy diaper. As Usagi watched in shock the little girl splashing about in the mud, the spatters of rain made little clean areas that quickly became covered over again. In that instant, reality seemed to shift. "Mom?" Usagi asked. She shook her head, trying to clear it. And then she remembered where she was and why she was there. she trailed off and walked towards her tiny mother, her emotions warring with each other. Misako always did like mud. She smiled at the memory. Usagi had once joked that Misako would become a mud wrestler. At the time, she didn't understand why her parents hadn't liked the remark, but now she understood. Little Serenity stopped her splashing and regarded her towering mother. The little girl sniffled as her eyes enlarged and her odangos seemed to droop. "Me bad..." she admitted in a soft voice, "Gomen." Usagi thought, She knew how. She understood now and with that understanding came guilt. "Didn't I tell you not to go into that mud puddle?" "Me sowwy, Mommy," Serenity apologized. She got up, toddled over to her mother, and hugged her mother's legs. She stared up with her blue eyes that shimmered with tears. "No mad, Mommy, pwease?!" Usagi thought, It was a situation that Usagi didn't like to be in. "Tsukino Misako, didn't I say no mud puddles?" Guilt washed over her as Serenity sat down on the ground and started to cry. Usagi thought. With that thought, Usagi knew what she was going to do. Bending down, she lifted Serenity up into her arms and said, "Miko-chan, let's go have a bath before you catch cold." "Iie, bath bad!" the muddy child replied while starting to struggle. Usagi ignored her and headed for the house while picking up the discarded clothing. "BATH BAD!" Serenity howled in protest and the battle of wills began. ****** Usagi let out a little sigh and sat on the stool that was beside the bathtub a short time later. Usagi mused as she watched the toddler splashing in the water. Usagi rubbed her forehead while closing her eyes for a moment. Opening her eyes again to regard the toddler, she reflected, "Iie, Miko-chan, sit down. You might fall," Usagi warned as little Serenity tried to stand up. "Pway Mommy," Serenity replied while sitting back down. She was ready for another romp in the mud. "Iie, you've already played lots today. What about a story?" Usagi asked. Seeing Serenity get a funny look on her face, Usagi asked, "Do you have to go potty?" "Hai!" Serenity answered after a second or so. Usagi lifted the toddler out of the tub and in one fluid motion deposited her onto the miniature toilet. Then Usagi promptly pretended she wasn't there to give Serenity some privacy. Usagi mused. She turned her head when she heard Serenity give a slight gasp of surprise. "Nani?" Usagi asked. "Cold!" Serenity replied, her eyes wide. "Are you done?" Usagi asked. When the toddler nodded, Usagi set about cleaning her up. When that was done, she smiled at Serenity and complimented, "What a big girl. That was very good." Serenity giggled and smiled happily at her mother. "Come on, Mesume, let's get you changed," Usagi said and picking up a towel, started drying the little girl off. ****** "Iie," Serenity declared, "Me good. Me potty." "Gomen, Misako, but I think you still need to wear a diaper," Usagi stated. Seeing that Serenity was going to protest, Usagi quickly added, "You were a very good girl. We'll get you changed and put a nice dress on you so you can show Daddy how big you are, ne?" "Iie, me pway!" Serenity protested as her mother slipped the diaper on. "Me pway, Mommy, pwease?!?" "All your play clothes are dirty," Usagi lied, "You'll have to wear a puffy dress..." Usagi thought with a tinge of guilt, Serenity was disgusted in having to wear a dress, especially a frilly pink one. Her sister had one like it but Endymion wasn't here so there really wasn't any reason why she should have to tolerate such an injustice. Wearing the disgusting thing also prevented her from playing properly, even if Mommy told good stories. ****** As Usagi read Serenity a story, she tried to ignore the distant rumbling of thunder. she wondered They had been gone most of the afternoon since the girls' naptimes. "Dwink Mommy, pwease?" Serenity said. "Boy, you're thirsty, Miko-chan," Usagi remarked as she got up and carried the little girl into the kitchen. "Want milk or juice?" "Juice!" Serenity chirped. "Okay," Usagi agreed and filled Serenity's little spill-proof cup. "Here you go." "Awigato." Usagi smiled and giving Serenity a hug, returned to the living room. Sitting Serenity down in front of her blocks, Usagi instructed, "You play quietly until Kimeko comes, ne Miko-chan?" Serenity mumbled something as she concentrated on her blocks. A couple of minutes later, Usagi heard the running of little feet. "Misako?" she questioned as she looked out into the living room. "Misako?!" she questioned in a more authoritative voice upon seeing that her youngest daughter was missing. "Potty!" came the almost desperate response. Usagi hurried into the entrance to the hallway and saw little Serenity standing on tiptoe trying to open her door. "Pot-ty..." Serenity stopped her efforts and froze in position for a long moment. "Miko-chan?" Usagi asked, "Do you have to go potty?" Serenity's response was to give her a sad look while sniffling. As Usagi stared down the hallway, Serenity's eyes quickly filled with tears and the toddler burst into tears. "Miko-chan, what's wrong?" She walked down the hall to her daughter. Serenity tried to tell her mother but it wasn't any good. Usagi couldn't understand what Serenity was saying and that just frustrated the toddler who plopped down onto the ground and cried even harder. When Usagi reached Serenity, she lifted the little girl up and hugged her close. "Are you wet?" "Hai," Serenity said reluctantly, "Me bad, me wet... no potty." "Iie, you're very good," Usagi said, finally realizing what was distressing the little girl. "Your Daddy and I are very proud of you," she added as she opened the bedroom door and walked over to the change table. "Me no big girl," Serenity indicated sadly, her odangos seeming to droop in response to her mood. She wanted to be like her big sister but now... Usagi didn't comment until she had put a fresh diaper onto Serenity and sat her down onto the bed. Holding the little girl close, she said, "Miko-chan, we're very proud of you and love you very much. It won't be long until you're a big girl and we're glad you're trying. That's what counts." Most of what her mother said passed above Serenity's comprehension. However, she did understand the tone and it comforted her to know that her mother loved her and wasn't mad at her. Snuggling closer, she started to feel better as her mother continued to hug her and talk to her comfortingly. Her mood improved even more when Kimeko came walking into the room. "Why the sad face, Princess?" Kimeko asked Serenity. Serenity thought as she stretched up her arms to hug her friend. She remembered Kimeko acting different and looking different but this Kimeko was much nicer and friendlier than the other one. "I'll just let you two talk about today, Kimeko-san," Usagi said as she gave Serenity a quick kiss and another hug. "I can go write out that recipe that your mother wanted." "Uh... Serenity-sama, could you maybe... um... like lose it?" Kimeko asked sheepishly. She giggled when Usagi scowled at her crossly for a moment before smiling and leaving the room. "So what did you do today, Miko-chan?" Kimeko asked. "Pway!" Serenity responded. What other important things were there to do? ****** Serenity woke up late that night and looked around. She wondered why she woke up. She wasn't wet and Endymion was sleeping peacefully beside her. Then she heard it, a low rumbling sound that was soon followed by a sound like an explosion. Getting out of bed as gently as she could, Serenity hurried over and climbed up on a chair to look out the window. Her eyes glittered with delight as lightning streaked across the sky and the thunder began to explode around them. She felt some pride in being able to watch the lightning and thunder. She remembered being scared of it when she was little but not now. Even her big sister and Mommy were scared of thunder but her daddy wasn't. She giggled as a sudden peal of thunder shook the Palace. "Hmmm...?" Endymion mumbled. Serenity saw him sit up in bed and look towards her. "Onee, wain!" Serenity squeaked before expansively yawning. Turning away from the window, Serenity hopped off the chair, came over to the bed, and climbed onto it again before lying down. "'Sagi scawd?" "Iie, Imouto," Endymion replied, "I'm not scared." He knew he shouldn't have been but he was afraid though. Trying not to show his fear to his sister, Endymion turned his mind back to that afternoon. After being made to apologize to the Younger Senshi for his misbehavior, Endymion had been told to sit in the corner in Younger Jupiter's office. That had been boring. After about an hour of corner time, Endymion had spent the rest of the afternoon helping Sakuya clean her office. That part had been fun. And that had been nice. A loud crash of thunder shook the windows as lightning lit the room brilliantly. Endymion gave a yelp of surprise and after leaping from the bed, hurriedly left the room. Little Serenity yawned again, picked up her stuffed rabbit, and laid back down. After a short time, Serenity sat back up again. She was lonely so she hopped from the bed and followed her frightened sister. "Mommy scawd?" Serenity asked as she entered her parents' bedroom and saw that her father wasn't there. "Where Daddy?" "Are you scared, Miko-chan?" Usagi asked as she tightly hugged a trembling Endymion to her bosom. Serenity toddled over to the bed and with her mother's help, climbed onto it. When Serenity shook her head, Usagi added, "It's okay to be scared." "Me no scawd," Serenity answered indignantly. "'Sagi scawd." And to prove her point, she crawled off the bed and started to walk out of the room. "Where are you going, Misako?" "Daddy!" Serenity sang out as she ignored her mother. Usagi thought to herself. She felt her eldest daughter shiver in fear as the thunder continued. "Let's go find your father, Small Lady." "Are you scared, Mommy?" Endymion asked. "Certainly not! I'm not..." Usagi was cut off but a roar of thunder that sounded like the sky was being torn apart. Giving a scream, she hopped from the bed and dashed from the room. "Mommy! Wait for me!" Endymion cried out and ran after his mother. ****** Misako's eyes flew open as she heard the door to her room smash open. "Nani?" she demanded. "Endymion, the storm's scaring the children," Usagi declared while trembling. she pleaded with her eyes. "ME NO SCAWD!" Serenity stated with exasperation. "Mommy 'n' Onee scawd, Daddy." Even before she had completed her sentence, Usagi and Endymion had ran over and crawled into the bed. Endymion was hugging his father tightly while shivering. "What do you think you're doing?" Misako asked, "There's no room in this bed for all of you." "Don't be silly, Endymion," Usagi said, "The girls want to spend the night with their father." She pointedly ignored the dubious look that Misako gave her. "I'll sleep on this side, Small Lady can sleep in the middle, and I think we can fit Misako in here too, and then you on that side." As it turned out, they could not fit Serenity in the middle with her sister but the toddler was quite content to fall asleep while laying on Misako's stomach. Her little head nestled on her father's broad, flat chest. Despite the uncomfortable position, Misako started to feel content. It was nice having a family that needed her protection. The contentment was washed away as another peal of thunder shook the Palace and little Endymion screamed while tightening the hold he had on her neck. Misako thought to herself. Oddly enough, both Endymion and Usagi were thinking the same thing as the storm continued to rage outside. End of Chapter 7 Coming next in Chapter 8 - Reflections of Our Souls