Hello, lovely fanfiction readers! So, this is not an update to Collide. For those of my readers that follow that story... I am so very sorry, and I promise that I will not leave that story unfinished. BUT, I needed some fluffiness in my life. This story is pure fluff! It is already completed, outlined beautifully, ready to be posted for you! I truly hope that you guys like this story, as it is so very different from any of the things I have written.

Shout out to two very beautiful, and talented ladies. My Bae-tas, my favourite Moonie friends, Ninjette Twitch and Revy679. They are both super talented, and if you haven't checked them out, you totally should!

Without further ado... please read, and if you like it, please review!

Prologue

To anyone else, the long cavernous hallways of Toranomon General Hospital in Minato, Tokyo, would have seemed a tad bit eerie at this late hour of the night. The fluorescent lighting that emitted a low buzzing sound was dimmed, though it still glistened off of the white linoleum floors. The white-bricked walls and the distinct sterile smell that wholly indicated you were treading through a hospital of sick people should have been enough to halt any, who did not need to be there, in their tracks.

That was not enough to deter the tiny, blonde pig-tailed four-year-old, though, as she skipped along the hallway, and filled the silence with the hum of a soft, lilting song that spilled from tiny bubblegum lips. It was difficult to tell, for any who might see her pass, if the song was to dispel the silence or if it was merely the soft inner musings of a carefree, innocent child, lost in her own world.

Nevertheless, the little blonde, with the sweet saucer-shaped blue eyes, made her way down the halls with a long-stemmed red rose clutched firmly in a tiny hand. She was on a mission, you see. To find her mother and her new baby brother that had somehow become lost when she'd become distracted by a rolling bed that she hadn't really meant to follow but had been too curious not to.

She should have been afraid, she was lost after all, but the little girl had never experienced a moment of fear or uncertainty in her short life. It just never occurred to her to stop and tremble in terror like any other toddler might have done. The clicks and the beeps from the machines were so fascinating, after all, and the half-domed security mirrors fixed to the walls made her giggle as they distorted her reflection when she passed.

She was following a yellow line painted along the floors when the soft sound of a sorrow-filled whimper spilled from the partially opened threshold of a darkened room into the hall and made her pause. Her little blue eyes widened curiously, and her tiny, pale-pink dress of ruffle and lace swished around stockinged legs as she carefully stepped towards the door.

Tiny hands clutched the cold steel frame as she leaned over the threshold and blinked into the darkness. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but when they did, a sweet smile spread across her cherub-cheeked face at the sight of an ebony-haired boy sitting atop cool, white starched sheets. Her smile melted into a frown, though, when she noted that he seemed so alone, so afraid, dressed in the mint green pyjamas given out by the hospital. Tiny legs tucked into an equally tiny chest, smalls arms wrapped around them as he shuddered and burrowed a bandaged head into his knees.

The little girl did not like that the little boy was alone and afraid. So, she slipped into the room, a flurry of blonde hair and pink lace, and skipped, unafraid, into the darkness before stopping beside his bed.

Her voice was like a wind chime, sweetly tinkling in the breeze. "Hello!" She chimed lightly, and the little boys head shot up. His startled cobalt blue eyes narrowed onto the strange sight of a little toddler, smiling up at him, and clutching at the mattress with tiny fingers.

He didn't say a word, little lips pressed into an angry, grim line as hardened eyes perused her face distrustfully. The little ball of sunshine was not deterred, though, and with a giggle, she scrambled up onto the bed beside him. He flinched back, surprised by the intrusion into his personal space.

The dimples in her cheeks were veritably adorable as she propped herself on tiny knees and grinned widely at him. "I am Tsukino Usagi. I am four years old," she exclaimed, and lifted four tiny fingers, just like her mama had shown her, to emphasize her age to her new friend.

Still, the boy said nothing and scrambled back away from her. This, more than anything, made little Usagi frown. The little boy was very afraid, it would seem, and she could not think of any other reason for his fear, except that it must be because there were monsters in here.

Her lips parted, and her eyes widened as she rapidly scanned the darkened crevices of the room. When she was satisfied that there was nothing, she turned back to the boy. Perhaps he was afraid because he wasn't feeling well? Her eyes lit up, suddenly, with a brilliant idea.

She held her hand out, her eyes glinting merrily, and dropped the slightly crumpled red rose into his lap. The boy's eyes widened, and his little brow furrowed as he gingerly picked up the flower to carefully inspect it. Confusion etched into the pools of sorrow-filled eyes

The little blonde giggled again. "My mamma just had my baby brother, so I brought this for her so she could feel better. That was before I sawed you. I think you need it more than mamma since daddy brought her a whole bunch of them!" She exclaimed brightly, and clapped her hands excitedly, so proud that she could offer him a gift.

Her eyes were so luminous and round as they peered up at him through thick black lashes so expectantly, that the little boy's hardened expression softened beneath her gaze. "Thank you," he whispered and swallowed around the lump of emotion that formed in his throat. He was young too, after all, and Tsukino Usagi was the first person since he'd awoken here to melt his heart.

She smiled and impulsively leaned forward and clasped his bigger hand in her delicate, smaller ones. "What's your name?" She questioned, her tone still significantly lighter.

The boy visibly swallowed and averted his pain-filled eyes, though he let her continue to hold his hand. "I think it's Chiba Mamoru," he answered miserably, in a tone that Usagi didn't understand.

She tilted her head to the side, her eyes bright with curiosity, and tiny silken curls tumbling over her shoulder. "You only think? How come you only think that is your name?" She asked, unusually perceptive for a four-year-old.

His gaze met hers, and his eyes filled with tears. "Because. I don't remember. I don't remember anything," he murmured brokenly, softly, and haunted by the small wisps of something Usagi didn't understand.

Her face fell too, at the sight of the sorrow etched into Mamoru, who she had just decided was her new best friend. "I'm sorry you can't remember your name," she whispered comfortingly. "Where's your mommy and daddy?" She asked, and though her question was innocent, the little boys face crumpled with devastation.

He yanked his hand away then and pulled away from the little blonde that was worming her way into the hardened shell he'd only just started building around himself. "I don't know. I don't have a mommy and daddy anymore," he said wistfully, as he fixed his gaze onto something outside of the window that showcased a twinkling Minato skyline.

Usagi's face scrunched up in contemplation. "So, you are all alone?" She asked, her tone imbued with the sadness that was mirrored in his slumped posture.

He didn't respond, simply nodded curtly, expecting, hoping even, that the sweet little girl would leave now, and let him cry alone. Usagi, though, was a little ball of sunshine, and now she was filled with stubborn determination. Her little chest puffed up and she clumsily stumbled to her feet, her tiny shoes twisting up in the fabric of the sheets. She steadied herself quickly, and Mamoru peered up at her. His eyes filled with shock and confusion as she propped tiny little fists onto her hips.

Her smile was blinding in its brightness. "Well, you are not alone anymore, Chiba Mamoru!" She exclaimed proudly, prodding her chest with a tiny extended finger. "I am very strong! My mamma says that I am a fighter, and I will fight all the monsters that stealed all the things away from you!" She said, then giggled as she bounced on the tips of her toes, distracted by the thought of jumping on the bed. "You are not alone! You are my best friend!" She proclaimed mid-bounce, then offered him a little hand. "Jump with me! It's very fun!" She said breathlessly, her hair, and the rippling cotton fabric of her dress, fluttering with the movements.

Mamoru was confused for a moment, as the little six-year-old boy had just made a solemn vow never to let anyone get close enough to hurt him, not ever, right before the little blonde had snuck into his room. Luckily, Mamoru Chiba was still young, and very vulnerable to the sweet disposition of Usagi Tsukino.

Though his head still throbbed dully from the accident that had taken his memories and his only living family members, Mamoru Chiba accepted Usagi's invitation, and they bounced, played, then whispered about monsters and the sunlight that could kill them late into the night.

That was how a frantic, terror-filled Tsukino Kenji found his daughter, followed closely by an equally concerned nurse. The hospital had just been on lockdown for the past two hours as they'd searched for the little girl that had somehow slipped from her mother's hospital room.

It took a moment for Kenji's racing heart to calm; his raven-coloured hair ruffled from the number of times he'd raked a trembling hand through it in the past couple of hours. Usagi, blissfully unaware of the chaos and panic that she'd caused, smiled brightly and bounced off of the hospital bed with a giggle and a precarious flourish that he attributed solely to the bright, and trusting nature of his daughter.

He was still quaking with fear, so his tone was harsher than he meant it to be when he spoke. "Usa-chan," he growled, as he fell to his knees in front of her, and firmly grasped her shoulders. "What were you thinking? We've been worried sick!" he said, and his voice shook with the remnants of the raw emotions he'd felt when he couldn't find her.

Her bright smile faded, and her tiny brow crumpled into an indignant frown that made him inwardly smile. "Papa! I was fighting the monsters with my very best friend!" She blurted petulantly, her lips pursed haughtily as if it made all the sense in the world.

He inhaled deeply, and calmly pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to soothe his frayed nerves before responding to the little four-year-old that truly didn't know any better.

He was opening his mouth to respond, still favouring a lecture when a small, whispered voice interrupted him. "My apologies, Tsukino-san. I'm the one who kept her here for so long." Kenji's head snapped up, and his eyes met the steady, serious gaze of a little boy that he noted stepped closer to his daughter, who'd begun to smile brightly once again.

Usagi twirled out of his grip, practically bouncing as she reached for the boy and firmly grasped his hand in her own. The little boy's cheeks flushed warmly, and he smiled down at the little blonde with a softened gaze that was protective and far beyond what one would expect from someone so young. "See! I told you, papa! Mamo-chan is my very best friend, and I told him all about Shingo… can he come and meet Shingo, papa? And mommy too?" She questioned breathlessly, little pink cheeks flushed with excitement as she bounced onto the balls of her feet.

Kenji sighed, his brow still furrowed as he glanced up at the nurse that he noted for the first time stood in shocked silence, her fingers pressed to her lips in surprise. He turned back to his expectant daughter. "Usa, it's very late. I don't think-" he trailed off at the simultaneous looks of disappointment on both children's faces, though Usagi's was more irritated, and the boy seemed more resigned.

He exhaled slowly and grimaced at the idea of disappointing his daughter. "Usa-chan, I don't think your friend is well enough to leave his room," he murmured apologetically, and though he was trying to find a way to break it to her gently, he had noted the bandages wrapped around his head. "I'm sure his parents will worry about him if he leaves his room. Just like I was worried about you," he said firmly, his tone gently scolding now at the reminder of how his distracted, easily trusting daughter had slipped through his fingers, and promptly put them all into a frenzy.

Usagi vehemently shook her head, little golden ringlets whipping across her face with the movement. "No! Papa! He doesn't have a family," she stated innocently in a matter of fact manner that made him cringe. "I'm his family now. Can he come? Please?" She pleaded, her tone rising from a melodic octave to something a little more shrill.

Kenji frowned, carefully considering his next words when the nurse, Mayumi, interjected. "It would be alright, truly, if he went for a small visit," she said, and he was confused as she'd said it with an imploring tone that slightly mirrored his daughters.

Kenji sighed with reluctant acquiescence and adjusted his thinly-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose as he pulled himself to his feet. He nodded softly, and couldn't help but smile as Usagi squealed with delight and forcibly pulled the little boy by the wrist and out into the hallway.

Kenji and Mayumi followed the children into the hall. "Usa-chan, this way," he called, and Usagi giggled sweetly and pulled the boy ahead of them. She skipped, and Kenji noted that the boy did his best to keep up with her pace.

"I got losted in this place, Mamo-chan," he heard her whisper loudly, and Mamo smiled down at her indulgently. "But it's okay!" She exclaimed, "Cause I rescued you!"

Kenji shook his head in disbelief at his daughter's precarious nature as he followed closely behind with the nurse who watched the interaction with chestnut-brown eyes narrowed in disbelief.

Kenji frowned. "Who's the boy?" he asked quietly, and just out of the children's earshot.

Mayumi's gaze met his, and her eyes softened and filled with sadness. "His name is Chiba Mamoru, " she murmured gently. "He was admitted just over a week ago. He survived a horrific car accident that took the life of both of his parents," she breathed, and Kenji's face paled at this terrible piece of information.

His eyes narrowed as he quietly studied the tiny boy's profile. He could now see the sorrow that was etched into his posture. That, paired with the serious expression carved onto the contours of his face and the wise, sorrow-filled look in his eyes, tugged at Kenji's heartstrings. It made perfect sense to him that Usagi had naturally gravitated towards the boy. She was forever plucking up downtrodden creatures and showering them with her brightness.

He cleared his throat, "Does he have any other family?" he prodded, and his heart sank with the look of resigned dismay on the nurses face.

She shook her head and tucked a tawny-coloured strand of hair behind her ear nervously. "Unfortunately, he has no one else," she responded, and Kenji could sense that she was truly upset about the boy's fate. "This is the very first time he's spoken, much less smile. Your daughter must have worked some kind of magic on him. We weren't even sure he could speak," she said, her gaze fixed with grateful awe on little Usagi that bounced on ahead of them.

Kenji smiled, proud of his little girl, before turning back to the nurse. "What will happen to Mamoru?" He asked, though his heart was clenched tightly in his chest. He already knew the answer.

The nurse shrugged sadly, "Foster care, Tsukino-san. That will be the only other option," she murmured and fixed her gaze firmly ahead of them.

Kenji sighed and raked a hand through his hair again. He'd never been the sentimental type. Not really. As a journalist, he'd been faced with many horror-filled stories that could have easily ripped away at him if he'd let it. So it was unusual that the fate of one orphaned little boy bothered him so much. Maybe it was because he'd just watched his wife give birth to his own son, or perhaps it was because he knew that the bright-eyed little blonde hurricane of sunshine that was his daughter would never give up on Mamoru now. Either way, he inwardly vowed to keep an eye out for little Mamoru Chiba that he had a feeling was going to become an important fixture in the Tsukino's lives.

oOo