Author's Note: (5/22/20) Please note that all chapters in Losing Control and thus far in To Save the World have been edited for content and ages. Usagi and the other girls are at least sixteen, while Mamoru and the guys are seventeen and eighteen.
Again, I want to apologize for the long wait on updates. I've been sick and dealing with writer's block, which seems to be at an end finally. I've updated several stories in the last few days. Hopefully I can keep up the momentum.
Sailor Silver Ladybug
~ Tori

To Save the World
Losing Control Book Two
Chapter Five
Dreams

Usagi tossed and turned restlessly, her elbows and knees occassionally striking her husband, who slept through everything, his mouth slightly open with a light snore escaping. Heaving a sigh, Usagi rose from the bed and went to the nursery. Soon the babies would be waking anyway and there was no point in Mamoru losing sleep too.

The buzzing of her cell phone startled Usagi and she hurried to grab it off the table in the living area and read the text. It was very early on Saturday morning. No one should have been up. And yet, Naru was. She opened the message and stared at the crater lying in the middle of a large parking lot. She knew the place. It wasn't far from OSA-P.

Closing her eyes, Usagi thought about the ramifications. Obviously something had fallen to earth, and yet, by the time Naru arrived it was gone. She sent a return text that they would all look into it, then slid her phone into the pocket of her robe, which she left hanging open. Her breasts ached, which meant the twins would be waking any moment.

"Usako?" Mamoru mumbled, stumbling out of the bedroom. "What's going on. You feel worried. Are the babies okay?"

"Hai Mamo-chan. They're fine. But take a look at this." She slipped him her phone and waited to see how he would react.

"We're going to have to look into this Usako," Mamoru murmured. "Can you handle the twins? I'll get a couple of the others together and we can go see if there are readings we can gather."

"That's a good idea Mamo-chan," Usagi said, yawning as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Love you," she murmured.

"Love you too."

Mamoru disappeared back into the bedroom just as Chibi-Usa stirred. Usagi picked her up, smiling at the already grinning face of her daughter, and hauled her to the changing table. In short order she had Chibi-Usa changed and took Chibi-Mamo out of the crib to change him as well. Then she settled into her mother's old rocking chair, a baby on either breast, and let them nurse while she thought about everything that had happened.

She felt responsible for everything the other girls were going through. It had all started with her. Now the younger girls were being bullied. It wasn't right or fair. Mamoru and the others were transitioning out of the private school into the public, and she knew that would make some things better, but there were a lot of things that were just difficult.

Chibi-Usa fell asleep immediately after eating, but her brother stared up at Usagi, one eyebrow raised just like his dad, and his vivid eyes seemed to pierce her. Usagi didn't regret having her babies. She hoped they would always know they were loved and that she couldn't be happier to have them in her life, in her world. That didn't mean it would always go smoothly.

After the little ones were back in their crib, Usagi took the baby monitor and slipped it into the pocket of her robe next to her cellphone and made her way out of the apartment and down the stairs into the main living space. Only Luna seemed to be awake. She was sitting on the kitchen table, her communicator out in front of her as she muttered instructions.

"What's going on Luna?" Usagi asked. "You and Artemis didn't come to bed."

"Your mother took Diana and Manno for us," Luna admitted. "She's got Minako's girls too. Artemis caught something on the long range sensors but by the time we got the alarm it was too late. Mamoru showed me the photo Naru took. Already gone when she got there, but it only took her and Umino about three minutes. That isn't a lot of time."

Usagi's brow wrinkled. There was a lot she didn't understand, and spaceships were definitely on that list. It was the only thing she could think of that could have moved so quickly after landing however. She told Luna her theory and got a nod in return. Luna was busy talking to Artemis, who was at the Command Center, and only nodded to say she agreed.

Trying to be silent, Usagi made her way around the feline and headed into the kitchen for a glass of milk. Maybe it would help her get back to sleep. There was nothing she could do at the moment anyway. And she was tired after the second feeding of the night.

"Give them one day to be normal teenagers," Ikuko said, looking at Setsuna and Minako. "I know part of you wants to know where they are every second, but you can't. I didn't know there was anything going on when I told them they could go," she admitted, "but I think they need to just be kids for a day."

Minako sighed. "You're right," she said in a soft voice. "I didn't mean to freak out."

Ikuko chuckled. "If that was you freaking out then Kunzite is a lucky man." She reached out and pulled the younger woman into a hug. "I know you've had a rough couple of days. Coming down stairs calling for your kid is nothing to worry over. It's alright."

Setsuna frowned. "We should have figured you'd know where they were. I just worry about her. What if she gets hurt?"

"You can't protect your kids from everything," Ikuko answered. "As much as you want to, you can't be there every second of every day. It just doesn't work that way."

"Then what do we do? We've never had teenagers before," Minako asked.

"I always try to turn things into little teaching moments," Ikuko answered, reaching into the laundry basket to grab a handful of linens. "Here, help me fold while we talk."

Minako and Setsuna both pitched in to help as Ikuko started her instructions. Both young women listened carefully.

"Sometimes being a mom is about anything but discipline. The truth is that our kids have very few people in the world they can always count on. You want to be one of them. So talk to them. Help them understand the consequences of what they might choose to do, then let them make their own choices. They will make mistakes, but they'll also learn from them.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't have rules for them. You should. And they should absolutely be enforced. But remember to have a willing ear and a light hand. That way, when things do go wrong, you know they'll come to you."

"Parents make mistakes too," Kenji added from the doorway. "You all saw or heard about mine. I could have left the world without fixing it. So my advice is to be aware of your pride. Make sure it isn't talking instead of your heart."

"Good point," Ikuko agreed. "And always remember that you can come to us if you need help. They are really good kids though. Shingo and Hotaru can help them find their way around, and the others will help you keep an eye on them. Plus," Ikuko giggled, "Ami keeps an eye on them all anyways."

"How?"

"All the communicators have tracking devices in them. Artemis changed that when he updated them. He was worried about one of you being taken against your will. Some dream he had a while back." Ikuko smiled. "So you see. There is no reason to worry right now. All you have to do is call Artemis and he can find any of the others, including myself, Kenji, and Saeko. And Grandfather."

Minako and Setsuna both nodded in understanding, and after the laundry was folded, they took most of it upstairs with them as they went to check on their babies. "How are you feeling?" Sets asked, looking down at Minako, who was slightly shorter.

"Better this morning," Minako admitted. "Kunzite turned on the music last night and we danced and talked. Then we made dinner together. It was really nice. I still felt a little guilty, but Saeko had some good points. I can't believe you and Usagi and Ami were all having problems too and I didn't know. I felt like such a failure."

"I've heard anywhere between one in five to one in seven suffer postpartum depression," Setsuna answered. "I didn't think that was what was wrong with me though. I thought I was just doing it wrong."

"I totally understand," Minako agreed. "I was feeling like I couldn't do anything right."

"Haruki has been trying to help me, but I don't think he really understood what was happening. I'm glad Kunzite is so observant."

"I think it's because I have two babies. It was more obvious I was struggling."

"Maybe," Setsuna murmured. "Anyways, Haruka and Michiru have taken my little one for the day and ordered me to spend time with my husband. So I plan to do just that."

"Good idea. I'm going to sit with the twins for a bit, and then I think I'll take a nap."

"She is coming."

The voice boomed, echoing around the strange grey world where Usagi found herself. It was so still and quiet that the voice terrified her when it sounded, and she jumped. Turning wildly, she looked for whoever had spoken.

"Who is coming?"

"The destroyer of worlds. Beware of her coming."

"When?"

"The date is not set."

"What does that mean?" Usagi yelled, exasperated.

"You will face many dangers before her arrival. None will be so great as the danger she poses."

"Who is she? Who are you? Why are you telling me this?"

The voice boomed again with an answer. "I am your future."

The tiny village of cardboard or wooden shacks hidden in a small park was quiet in the early light of morning. No one was stirring yet. The man peeked out past the curtain one of the women had placed over their door, then turned to pick up his tiny daughter. She was so precious. They had despaired of ever having a family, then they'd thought the Youma all gone and had come out of hiding. Now they weren't sure if their daughter would live to see her first birthday. There were two more assassin Youma left. Two more, and only three of their kind in existence, one a helpless infant.

"Knock knock," came a voice at the door. "I've come to check on your wife." The elderly woman pushed past the curtain without waiting for an answer and knelt next to the silent woman lying on the pallet. "Her color is worse. Are you sure you can't take her to the hospital? There must be someone there who knows your kind."

"No one," the man answered, losing hope. "I think she might die."

His wife had grown steadily worse after the birth. The ladies in the homeless camp thought a piece of the placenta must have remained inside because her labor stopped so abruptly. It was making her sick. But there was no doctor who could treat their kind. And if anyone knew they existed they would probably be captured and experimented on. His wife had made him promise not to take her to the hospital, but it killed him that he might lose her.

"I have a few more remedies we can try," the older woman said. "There's an apothecary a few streets over. The woman who owns it might help me."

"Thank you."

"I don't like this place," An said, staring out the window of the apartment they'd taken over. "It's heavy."

"I know it is, but Mother said Fiore was here," Ail argued. "Besides, look at all those humans down there. All that energy for the taking. This place will be a treasure trove to feel her with."

An sighed. "I don't know."

Ail paced from one side of the room to the other, occasionally glancing at the far wall, where there was a hidden entrance into the hidden dimension where Mother was kept safe and hidden. He knew they had to find her energy, and quickly. The trip to this planet had taken a long time and had expended most of her reserves.

"Well, there's nothing to do but try," he said at last. "Come on, pick a Cardian."

An closed her eyes for a moment, then reached out and touched the edge of one of the cards he held up. "This one."

"Vampir," he murmured. "Good choice." He put his flute to his lips and played a lilting melody. The card glowed brightly for a moment before Vampir stepped out of it. "Go and gather some energy from those humans." He pointed out the window and down to the street.

Once the Cardian was gone, Ail looked over at An, who seemed listless. "I have a good feeling about this planet," he told her.

An only sighed. "I just don't want anyone to die this time."

Reika was making her way from the airport to the Crown to meet Motoki at the end of his shift. She had decided to surprise him by coming a day early. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he looked up and saw her. She'd told her plan to the taxi-driver, who thought it was great fun. They were busy laughing about it while they waited for the light to change, when they heard people screaming.

"What is going on?" the taxi driver asked, looking out through the windshield.

Reika's jaw had dropped as she stared. It was a monster, looking very much like a Youma, standing on top of a tour van, screaming Vampir as it held a woman in each hand. They glowed as it drained their energy, then he threw them onto the ground and reached out for more.

Picking up her cell, Reika called the one person she knew could stop it. "Usagi," she said. "I'm in a taxi on the edge of the Juuban shopping district. There's some sort of monster. I'm going to get out of the cab here and take the alleys to the Crown. I thought you should know."

"Don't bother getting out," the cabby said, having heard the conversation. "I see a place I can sneak into." He turned the wheel and took his foot off the break, creeping the car to the edge of the road and the alley hidden behind a series of painted signs. Turning into it, he pressed on the gas and soon they were three streets away, closing in on the crown.

Reika could only hope that Sailor Moon and her friends could save the city from whatever new threat was out there.