Well, let's see.

[bloodsong1]

"Hurry, Miss Sarah! Come on!" Usagi called, racing Marc-kun down the street.

~Powers, she's fast,~ Miss Sarah grumbled, trying to keep up with Becca riding piggy-back. Usagi skidded to a stop in front of her house and laughed when Marc-kun overshot.

"Over here, Marc-kun!" She waved. The boy turned and jogged back, shaking his head.

~Hurry up, Mom!~

"Yes, yes," Miss Sarah finally joined the two and let Becca-chan down. "Usagi-chan, about this..."

"Oh! That reminds me! Here." Usagi dug into her pockets and produced three white pens. Miss Sarah cocked her head. "Luna and Artemis made them for you! They're supposed to be instant translators. As long as you keep them on you, you'll understand everyone and we'll all understand you!"

"Really?" Miss Sarah took the pens and gave one to Marc-kun before clipping Becca-chan's to the back of her sundress.

"Mommy? What's that?" Becca-chan asked, trying to look behind her."

"It's for you to talk to Chibi-Usa. Leave it!" Miss Sarah explained, batting Becca-chan's hand gently away when she reached over her shoulder.

"Yay!" Usagi jumped in place, clapping her hands. "I understood that!"

"We were speaking English. Well! Points to Luna and Artemis," Miss Sarah said, tucking her pen into her pocket. "Do NOT lose that, Markl!"

"I won't," Marc-kun rolled his eyes and stuffed the pen into his cell phone pouch.

"Okay! Let's go meet Mama and Shingo! Oh, and Marc-kun? Don't let him tease you about the clothes."

---------------

Sarah had braced herself for a cheerfully suspicious Mrs. Tsukino, a sarcastic Shingo and a glaring Chibi-Usa. Apparently she had severely underestimated Usagi's powers. Shingo, upon hearing Marc was a year older, decided that an American 8th grader was automatically "cool". The two boys trooped off to play video games immediately after introductions. Chibi-Usa, delighted that she could now understand Becca and vice versa, begged permission to show off her room and those two disappeared right after the boys. Sarah, feeling relieved and slightly abandoned, turned to Mrs. Tsukino with a smile.

"You have a lovely family, Mrs. Tsukino."

"Oh, please, call me Ikuko. Come, let's sit down and you can tell me all about New York. It sounds so exciting!" Ikuko ushered Sarah into the living room, Usagi skipping in behind them.

"Can I help, Mama?" She asked. Ikuko smiled.

"Entertain our guest and I'll be back," She said and hustled away. Sarah looked at Usagi wryly.

"Will her enthusiasm disappear when she finds out I live in the countryside?" She asked. Usagi's eyes grew wide.

"Really? In the country? Do you have a farm?" Sarah blinked, then chuckled.

"No. I live in a small town, but my house was built in 1897."

"Wow. Does it have any ghosts?" Usagi leaned forward, hands folded in front of her mouth. Sarah chuckled again.

"No. It does have an over-possessive dragon, though. And Guanyin." Sarah blinked as Usagi's eyes grew to enormous sizes.

"A...d...dr...dragon?" She whispered, shivering. Sarah smiled.

"He's a very nice dragon once you're properly introduced. He's just very protective of his space, so no ghosts can get in, and he doesn't leave his scroll."

"Scroll?" Ikuko asked, walking in with a tea tray that included a lemon pie. Usagi's attention was immediately diverted. Sarah turned to Ikuko.

"I have a scroll of a dragon hanging in a special room in my house. He's grey-green and he's shrouded in storm clouds and he's been summoned by an artist at the bottom of the scroll. The artist has a lightning rod in his hand, just in case, and the brush used to summon the dragon. The writing says 'When you find your inner dragon realm, there is your greatest wisdom and understanding'." Sarah explained, and pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Let me see if I can find the picture." She hunted through her photos while Ikuko served the tea and pie. Usagi inhaled her piece. Sarah found the picture and showed it to the others.

"My goodness! That is beautiful," Ikuko said, passing the phone to Usagi. Sarah sipped her tea.

"Yes. My husband and I bought it on our honeymoon from a local artist that had studied in China. It was the last trip we took together."

"Oh?" Ikuko asked. Usagi froze in the middle of stealing another piece of pie. Sarah stared into her tea cup, a faint smile on her lips.

"We couldn't afford a honeymoon when we were married, so for our seventh anniversary, we took a weekend to a lake town. That was in June. He died three months later." Usagi sat back, the pie forgotten. Ikuko gasped and covered her mouth. Sarah blinked hard, looked up and smiled.

"It's all right. It was three years ago." She sipped her tea, put the cup down and clapped her hands. "So! Ikuko, how did you meet your husband? I met mine at a science fiction club meeting!"

---------------

"Miss Sarah, you're so brave," Usagi said, leaning against her bed. Miss Sarah shrugged, resting one arm on the table and folding her legs comfortably. After the older women had swapped husband stories, Usagi had claimed Miss Sarah to show off her room. The blonde superheroine also wanted to talk about getting the family back to their Tokyo. Ami, Luna and Artemis were trying to find an energy point that matched the Americans' signatures.

"I'm not the one saving the world every month, Usagi-chan. If anything, I think you're the braver one."

"Me?" Usagi laughed. "I'm terrified every time a Daimohn shows up!"

"Being brave means fighting through the terror, which you do. Tell me something. How do you deal with the anger?"

"Eh?" Usagi cocked her head. Miss Sarah drew her knees to her chest and Usagi blinked at how the movement turned her from a calm mother to a pensive girl.

"Aren't you ever angry? You had this duty thrust upon you because of something that happened a thousand years ago. You're out there, defending this planet and all its inhabitants without hazard pay, without benefits, without being able to tell your family for their own protection. Don't you ever want to scream?"

"Every day," Usagi answered, leaning forward. "And I usually do. Don't your stories mention what a crybaby I am?" Miss Sarah smiled.

"Yes. They also mention your incredible strength and capacity for forgiveness and hope. I wish..." She trailed off. Usagi shifted so she could kneel next to Miss Sarah and hold her hands.

"What do you wish?" She asked. The young widow sighed and lowered her legs, linking her fingers with Usagi's.

"I wish I could stand beside you in what's to come. I wish I could hold you when you cry and cheer you on when you triumph. I wish I knew a way to thank you for everything you've done. You take care of EVERYONE, even enemies and love rivals. You have the most amazing heart, Usagi-chan." Miss Sarah squeezed her fingers. "I am so blessed to have met you and the Senshi." Usagi squeezed back.

"I'm glad I met you too, Miss Sarah. It's comforting to know that somewhere, the Earth is free of ice and there are good people like you living their lives in the future. It gives me hope."

"Usagi-chan, while I'm here, if you need a shoulder to cry on or you have questions about Mamoru or Chibi-Usa, please let me know. This applies to all the girls, but especially you." Usagi smiled and nodded.

"It would be nice to have an older sister, if only for a little while."

"Older sister?" Miss Sarah pulled her hands free to wag a finger under Usagi's nose. "Usagi-chan, don't expect me to give you tips on how to pleasure Mamoru-kun!"

"WHHHAAAAAAAA????" Usagi flushed crimson from her neck to her scalp. Miss Sarah folded her arms and nodded.

"I WAS married for seven years. I have a lot of experience and I know you're only a year or so away from your sixteenth birthday..."

"NO! NO! I'M NOT READY SARAH-NEESAN!" Usagi shouted, shaking her head so hard Sarah had to duck to avoid the pigtails. The widow laughed merrily.

"Surely you've thought about it!" Miss Sarah asked once the shouting had stopped. Usagi cracked one eye open, then fiddled with her fingers while looking all around the room.

"Well, um, I mean, that is," She stammered. Miss Sarah giggled and gently ruffled the blonde's bangs.

"I'm only teasing, Usagi-imoto," Usagi grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. "Besides, your mother would probably kill me if she heard."

"No, but Papa might."

"Good point." The two grinned at each other. Sarah snapped her fingers.

"I just thought of a good way I can thank you all for everything! Usagi-imoto, where's a good craft store?"