Light of Hope

Chapter 13

"Chibi"

Her all too familiar answer to nearly everything she had been asked so far, drove Mamoru almost mad.

He felt that he was close to find the Star Seed they were looking for in this time. This girl was supposed to be the key to come back to his own life, but all she replied to his questions, was a single word which absolutely didn't make any sense to him.

With a deep sigh, he picked up the red haired toddler and left the reception together with her. After a while, they reached the Tsukino house. Everything looked quiet from outside.

'Usagi and Kenji are probably still at the embassy.' Mamoru concluded when he couldn't spot his car and saw that the lights in Usagi's bedroom were switched off.

"Hey!" He heard Diana whispering. When he looked up, he saw her sitting on the rooftop.

With an elegant jump, he reached the little feline and gave her a slightly annoyed glance once he had taken a seat next to her with his already sleeping fake daughter in his arms.

"Weren't you in charge of Kousagi during our absence?!"

Diana put on an apologetic face and hurried to explain

"She must have sneaked out while I was busy with my research. I guess she missed you and thus, decided to follow you." The cat shrugged and added innocently "You know that we don't have a clue to who she belongs to but she is certainly not important to our mission."

"I wouldn't say that!" Mamoru narrowed his eyes and put on a very serious face. "I think she is nothing but the Light of Hope we are looking for, disguised as a child."

Diana gave him a long glance in utter disbelief. "Impossible, there isn't any evidence at all. I've run several scans and I can assure you that-"

"I don't think we have a problem to find the Light of Hope but rather how to get it...out of her." He sighed deeply and explained his assumption to a completely confused grey cat.

"I am sure it is Usagi and me who triggers the Star Seed she carries inside. The moment we - I mean my past self and Usagi - kissed each other at the embassy, I recognized a sparkling energy, materializing in front of this little girl. It is an enormous energy...so warm...with healing capabilities, like a promise that there will be hope for this world...and I felt it before when I kissed Usagi in the hotel room whilst little Kousagi was sleeping. Not that much in comparison to tonight...but WHAT else could it be than the Star Seed of Galaxia we are searching for in this time?!"

Diana had listened to Mamoru's explanation carefully and stated thoughtfully, once he had finished his speech.

"Perhaps you are right...so this would mean that we could take her with us back to Elysion and send her over to your time in order to save the world, couldn't we?"

Mamoru took a long gaze again at the sleeping girl in his strong arms until he admitted hesitantly.

"I don't know. It seems as if there is something missing. I can feel it somehow."

"If we don't try it, we will never know."

Diana declared and pulled out the time travel key, ready to put her words into action.

"Wait! Not now!" Mamoru said sharply but was interrupted by a sound coming from the street below them.

When both looked down in order to see properly, they were confronted with quite an alarming scene; A sleeping fourteen year old Usagi in her school uniform approaching the house...carried by her friends Ray, Amy and Luna.

"Damn it!" He hissed "She cannot enter the house as a teenager, she is supposed to be a mature woman for her family!"

It got even worse when they watched a car turning around the corner which they identified as nothing but Kenji's red VW Golf II GTI.