AN: WOW. It's seriously been forever since I wrote a Sailor Moon story. For those of you reading Moon, Phoenix and Snake, I'm working on getting the next section up. I'm glad so many people seem to like it!
I've been on a Fullmetal Alchemist kick lately and I thought this would be kind of funny.
"Haruka-papa!"
Haruka grunted and managed to dislodge herself from the tiny space underneath her yellow convertible. Wiping the grease and oil from her hands, she called "In the garage, hime-chan!"
A few seconds later in bounded Hotaru, short black hair flying behind her. She threw her arms around Haruka but instantly pulled back, nose wrinkled. "Yuck, you smell!" the little girl exclaimed. Haruka rolled her eyes.
"Nice to see you too. Did you need something or did you just come in to criticize me?"
Missing her 'daddy's' sarcasm, Hotaru poked out her lower lip into a frown. "Haruka-papa, 'Suna-mama says there's no such thing as alchemy."
Haruka blinked, caught off guard. Since when had her daughter become so interested in such an archaic, complex subject? "Well, there is, but it isn't really considered a proper branch of science. It's more like chemistry than anything," she replied, recalling something she'd overheard Ami discussing. "Isn't being a superhero enough for you?" the blonde teased gently, giving Hotaru a gentle rap on the head.
Hotaru stamped her little foot. "I wanna be an alchemist like Edward Elric! I wanna fight homunculi!" She clapped her hands together, put them against the concrete wall and made an exploding noise. "Boom!"
Haruka chuckled. I should have known. For the last few months or so, the youngest Outer had been reading manga like mad. "Ah, so you've been reading Fullmetal Alchemist. Pretty cool story. Yeah, it's convenient how he can just use his powers whenever, huh?"
Hotaru nodded enthusiastically. "I wanna learn alchemy, but…" Her face fell. "'Suna-mama says it doesn't really work."
Haruka leaned over and scooped Hotaru into her arms. The little girl snuggled close to the blonde's chest, wrapping her little arms around her neck. "Well, Edward Elric can do some neat stuff, but you want to know a secret?"
"What?" Hotaru sat up, eyes shining.
Haruka made a show of checking the garage to ensure they wouldn't be eavesdropped on. "You can do things that Edward can't. Your scythe is so sharp it can cut through time and space itself. You're the guardian of a freakin' planet for crying out loud. You fight monsters and enemies a lot worse than any homunculus." She made sure to avoid the less child-friendly aspects of Saturn's abilities, like being able to destroy a whole planet in the blink of an eye. Still, Hotaru gasped excitedly.
"Yeah, you're right! I don't need to be an alchemist!" She wriggled free of Haruka's grasp and struck a pose, henshin wand held high overhead. "I'm Sailor Saturn, so you better watch out, homunculi!" Yelling a battle cry, Hotaru charged into the house.
Haruka chuckled as she grabbed a wrench and knelt back under the car. If only all their problems were so easy to solve.