The Silver Senchi
                                      By: Usagi (SilverMoon)

                                                   Prologue
                                                                                         
                                                                                     
              Ikuko shook her head.  How could one 16.... 17, she corrected herself.....year old, make so much mess??  Some how June the 30th always came to soon..........This year, Usagi wanted to try cooking the cake.   Not in a thousand years... Ikuko sighed to herself.   She looked up and resigned herself to cleaning the ravaged kitchen.  Some flour here.....a little icing there....and the occasional cook book lay in the counter top and floor.  Dishes and measuring cups were piled up in the sink.  Ikuko looked up when she heard a high pitched shriek.  There's my daughter.... the wonder cook..... she though, stifling a laugh as Usagi ran at break neck speed into the kitchen.  "I totally forgot about the tiiiimmmmmeee!!!!!"  She said, as she ran to the oven.  Usagi opened it hastily, grabbing the cake and whisking out of the oven and on to the counter.  She checked it over, and finally, satisfied it wasn't ruined, sighed in relief and leaned on the table.  A moment later, Makoto, the athletic cook, walked calmly into the kitchen, one eyebrow raised.  "So Usagi-chan, how's the cake?"  she asked, biting her lower lip to keep from laughing.  Usagi looked wearily up at her, "Barely...barely..." she panted, still out of breath from the mad dash into the kitchen, "I think I saved it though.....how does it look Mako-chan?" Makoto leaned over the cake, inspecting it.  After a minute or two, she looked up and declared it quite edible.  Ikuko watched the chain of events with a bit of amusement.  Everyone knew that Kino Makoto was one of the best cooks around, and could cook the best meal ever.  Usagi, on the other hand, couldn't cook a good meal if her life depended on it.  It was strange, that Mako, the total oppisite of Usagi in every way, could become such good friends with her.  Ikuko often wondered where all these new friends had suddenly come from.  Setsuna Meiou, Michiru Kaiou, and Haruka Tenou were a few years older than Usagi and the others, and Ikuko wasn't too sure of them.  Rei Hino, Ami Mizuno, Makoto Kino, and Minako Aino, on the other hand, were quite excepted my Ikuko and Kenji, as suitible friends.  Hotaru was......strange.....the pale little girl seemed to always be with Michiru and Haruka, as though they were her parents.  Which was of course, impossible.  Mamoru.........now that was a contriversial case.  Ikuko thought of him as a well-mannered young man, with a respect and love for her daughter, more than Ikuko had ever seen anyone else love her before.  Something was strange, and very different about their relationship, something that at times even scared Ikuko.  She didn't know how they had met, but she did know that they used to argue all the time.  And then, one day, totally out of the blue, they seemed to have fallen in love.  She did have to admit their age difference wasn't as close as she'd like it to be, Mamoru being 23, and Usagi being 17.  But she knew she could never stop them from being together, the look in their eyes told her that.  Kenji had tried his best to keep them apart, but it never worked.  But there was another friend....there was someone else....someone Ikuko could quite remember....her name had been Usagi.......No, Usagi is my daughter's name.... she thought.  But it had been Usagi, and Ikuko wouldn't remember her, she never would remember Usagi Chiba.  It was meant to be like that.  Otherwise known as Chibi Usa, she had returned home, a home Ikuko would never see or understand.  And ChibiChibi was only remembered by Usagi and the other senchi, not even Mamoru could remember her.  
              Ikuko was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of the door bell.  Who could that be? The party isn't until tonight..... she though.  This being Usagi's birthday, she was quite ready for the horde that would be here this evening, but who would be here this early?