Disclaimer: If I say it in another language, will it be more interesting? Nah... Oh well, SM isn't mine. And don't make me repeat it.

When Doubt Comes.

Haruka, sitting in the couch, watched her wife and daughter while eating a sandwich. Setsuna had proceeded to fall asleep like a big fat sack of potatoes in the other couch, which was larger. Haruka sniggered to herself: how lazy would this woman prove to be? Then again, with this heat, she didn't blame her. She would do it herself in a couple of minutes if nothing called her attention.

Michiru and Hotaru, who was only a toddler at the time, played with Hotaru's construction cubes. Hotaru laughed merrily every time they accomplished making a tower, or even when they came crumbling down.

It made Haruka happy: the fact that Michiru was happy playing with their daughter. That Hotaru had a peaceful life, at last. This last thought brought a pang of guilt: she had tried to kill her not two months ago. For humanity's sake. For the human race to continue alive.

The moment she first carried her to her crib, humanity could go to a trash can. A minute piece of life like Hotaru would be everything Haruka needed to feel her hands weren't dirty anymore.

Hotaru let out another fit of giggles as Michiru pushed down two towers of cubes, which came into pieces to the ground and started tickling her. Haruka stared at her with a blank expression; thought, the toddler never noticed.

Thoughts raced in Haruka's mind.

She was her daughter.

She was THEIR daughter.

She was... theirs?

Haruka knew well Hotaru had had a normal family before the infamous fire that took her original mother's life and turned her into a cyborg, in her past life. This was one big interrogant: would Hotaru really accept them as her parents?

'This is not a normal family.' She thought with a smirk. 'But love conforms a family, and she couldn't ask for more love in this one.'

"Papa!" Hotaru called between giggles. "Papa, come here!"

Haruka smiled; even thought a very intelligent child, Hotaru still had trouble saying certain consonants, so when she talked, be it babbling, be it the theory of relativity, it sounded funny. She crawled to the place in which Michiru sat and Hotaru stood.

"Yes, hime-chan?"

"Mama and I made this for you, while you ate your sandwich." She extended her a piece of paper. She had been drawing before Michiru and she took out her toys, Haruka noticed. It was made with crayons. "She's Michiru-mama," She pointed at a figure with aqua hair, apparently waving at her. "And that by the car is Setsuna-mama." A yellow car, more a VW, because of it's curves, than the Ferrari Haruka owned, had a passenger with large, dark, unmistakeable green hair, smiling at Haruka.

Haruka was impressed with how much Hotaru's drawings had improved withing three weeks; they weren't sticks and circles anymore, they actually seemed human. Not many toddlers Hotaru's age would be able to do so.

"And where is my hime-chan?" She asked, taking an arm around Hotaru's waist and sitting her in her knee. "I want a hime-chan in this picture."

"There." Hotaru replied, giggling, and leaning her head and back into Haruka's chest; Haruka knew Hotaru felt protected and comfortable being like this. "You didn't see yourself, papa! I'm right there!" She pointed at two figures, not too far from Michiru. A blonde figure took Michiru's hand by one hand and Hotaru's hand in the other, as well.

Haruka's semblant changed like someone had just informed her the sky was green and the ground was blue. She glared down at Hotaru, who looked back at her, still smiling. She felt tears threatening to come; but she wouldn't cry in front of her daughter.

"Give me a hug." Hotaru asked. Haruka gladly complied. Even if not her own blood, this girl was a huge part of the three of them. Michiru smiled sweetly at her. No words needed to be spoken; Haruka knew Hotaru loved her, no matter what had she done in the past.

******

Haruka put an exhaust Hotaru in her bed; too much playing for today. She quickly tucked her in, and gave her a kiss in the forefront.

Michiru watched from the door frame. She quietly walked hand in hand with Haruka to their bedroom.

"You're the best mother I've seen, Michi." Haruka complimented while taking her clothes off. Michiru smiled, doing the same, but she said nothing. She leaned on the bed, softly patting the place beside her. Haruka grinned and obeyed Michiru's unspoken command, jumping to her obliged place in the bed. Their faces were mere inches away; Michiru stole a kiss from Haruka's lips.

"You underestimate yourself. You're a great father, you know that?"

"Nah, I'm only a playmate." Haruka grinned. "And a lover when milady asks me to be so."

"Thought I've asked myself many times how old in brains are you..." Michiru stole yet another kiss: this time Haruka didn't let her go away as quickly as she did before and the kiss turned heated, passionate. "... I'll agree. One hell of a lover, too."

"So you finally recognize it, huh?"

"How modest."

"I was born modest."

"Well, Ruka, you don't act like you're modest."

Haruka only smiled at this remark. She made Michiru turn her back on her and embraced her from behind; the touch of their bare skin was enough to make up for a whole life of frustations.

"I love you." She said while putting her arms around Michiru's torso.

Michiru, smiling, only nodded.

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Little piece of inspiration. It's amazing what happens when you're bored outta your wits but your brains keep on active and working. I know it's not my best work, but hey, I had to get it out of my system.

Haruka aka Wing-kun