(A/N: * Yukibara = jap. "snowflake", lit. "snow-rose")


A bumble bee landed heavily on a dandelion, the flower bending down under its weight.

"I like them, you know... Technically they shouldn't be able to fly. They are too heavy and their wings are too small. But they don't know that. They don't care about physics. They just do it..."

A gentle buzz in her pocket brought Hotaru out of her musings. She snapped her cell phone open and smiled at the sender's ID.

YUKIBARA (*)
Just got out of class. Sorry.

She sighed. Well, at least she hadn't managed yet to scare the girl off. She waited a moment, not wanting to make it look like she had been doing nothing but waiting for a response, before typing a reply.

LADY_LEGENDARY_TARU
Class? It's Saturday. You go to class on Saturday?

This time the water senshi's response came immediately, causing Hotaru to grin.

YUKIBARA
It's not for long. Just a prep class. It'll be over in a couple weeks.

"Oh, babe... You're hopeless when it comes to your studies, aren't you?" Hotaru shook her head, before another thought crossed her mind.

LADY_LEGENDARY_TARU
So, you're sayin in a few weeks you'll have Saturdays open, to spend time with your favorite girl?

"Pretty confident about that, aren't we?"

Hotaru blinked and looked around the sun-lit garden.
She was still alone out here, just as she had intended when she had fled the house to escape a still grumpy Haruka and a way too cheerful Michiru. Not to mention a certain Setsuna who had decided this Saturday to be the perfect day for a marathon of her favorite soap-opera...

But then again, she was never quite alone...

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "...just when I began to convince myself, I was just a ordinary, unstable teenager talking to herself..."
"Aw, come on. That's just mean. Also, ordinary is lame."

Hotaru dropped back on the lawn, cushioned her head comfortably with one arm and held her phone loosely in with the other hand on her stomach. She stared at the white clouds above her, watched them slowly moving and changing their shapes against the bright blue sky. After a moment of blissful quiet, her phone buzzed again.

YUKIBARA
Yes, that seems to be the case.

She smirked. Well, she didn't deny it, did she? But why did she have to be so short and passive in her replies?

"Wait for it..."
For a few seconds Hotaru frowned at the display.

YUKIBARA
I am sure, my favorite girl will enjoy that. I better make sure to inform her.

Hotaru's eyebrows shot up and a cackle echoed through her head.

"Pawned ya! Oh, she's good!"

"How on earth did you know, she was going to up one, Saturn?!"

"Experience, young padawan. Ami, like Mercury, has to weigh the consequences before acting. She wants you, but she's still testing the waters. ..And what do you have to say to that?"

Hotaru smiled to herself. "How would you reply?"

She could feel the dark smile creeping over the senshi's features. "Oh, that would all depend on what exactly I want from her. ...What do you want from her, Hotaru-chan?"

"I..."

"Argh, gimme that." Hotaru let Saturn take over control and watched as her fingers typed and send the message.

LADY_LEGENDARY_TARU
Maybe then I should leave you to that.

"Wha-!? Wait!" Hotaru stared in horror as the seconds ticked by.

YUKIBARA

"Seriously, Saturn, you can't play her like that." Hotaru pushed Saturn back and reclaimed her body control.

LADY_LEGENDARY_TARU
Sorry. ..ever let that voice in the back of your head out before you have a chance to filter it and you end up with your foot stuck in your mouth?

Hotaru sighed. "Great. Thanks. Now she thinks I'm crazy." She stared at the screen in silence, disappointment and regret carved in to her features as the minutes ticked by.

"Oh, just calm down and give her a minute. Besides, you gotta let me talk to her every now and then. We better ease her into me being around as well, rather sooner than later. I want to play with Ami too!"

"Play?! What do you mean, play!? You can't come out to PLAY with Am-"

YUKIBARA
...probably my fault, Firefly. I am not good at these things.

Her rantings stopped mid-word when a blush covered her cheeks. The name fell from her lips at a whisper, a smile shading and deepening the blush. "...Firefly. Firefly."

LADY_LEGENDARY_TARU
...Firefly?

YUKIBARA
Hai. It's not only the English translation of your name, but also... well, you light up the dark. For me. ...Do you mind?

Hotaru paused and let the girl's words sink in. Butterflies were dancing so fast in her belly, it left her somewhat dizzy. But she was so happy, she didn't care.

"Quite excited about this, aren't we?"

"We?! Certainly, I can FEEL your grin!"

LADY_LEGENDARY_TARU
You can call me anything you like, Yukibara.

"Wait, was that you again?! Saturn, would you cut that out?"

"Nope, that was your doing. ...not that I wouldn't agree."

"...what do you-"

YUKIBARA
...you think I am that vulnerable?

"I was about to ask you the same thing..."

Hotaru laughed.

LADY_LEGENDARY_TARU
No. Rather the opposite. But to me, you are a unique, one of a kind beauty. Simply perfect.

"D'awww! But again, agreeing."

Trying not to count the seconds it took for Ami to react to her last message, Hotaru tilted her head. "Okay, now you have to elaborate. What exactly are you agreeing on?"

"She's the one."

"...You... you think so too?"

"Definitely! I have been waiting an eternity for someone like her. She makes my heart jump like yours. And more. Go and get her!"

"...wait. This is not going to be some kind of kinky threesome relationship, is it?"

"When will you ever learn it? I am a part of you. I AM you! And YOU are absolutely in love with that girl."

Hotaru felt a huge blush creep up her cheeks. "...love?" The word was heavy, weighted with its implications. Her head buzzed with excitement, elation and fear. The certainty in Saturn's voice caught her off-guard, scared her. A thousand questions flooded her mind, each birthing a thousand more. Could it really be?

The phone buzzing in her hand pulled her back to reality.

YUKIBARA
(So, what happens next?)

"Oh, geez..."

"Just.. breathe."

LADY_LEGENDARY_TARU
...A date would be a nice start. ;)

YUKIBARA
...I would like that.

"And then?"

"What do you mean? We go out, date, have fun... we- ...Oh."

"Exactly. I mean, the kissing so far was really good, wasn't it?"

"...you were-... I rather not think about that..."

"Don't be so shallow. You don't think Mercury was there, enjoying every part of it too? Anyhow... yeah, I think, we got the kissing-part down. Just thinking of it makes me all fuzzy inside..."

"...can you please stop that? That's my insides too, you know?" There was a thoughtful pause. "...You've seen her? Mercury, I mean?"

"We've both seen her, you just didn't realize it. She surfaces just as I do. I've watched her, for a long time. ...and she's just as stunning as our little Ami-chan..."

...Mercury. Did Ami experience these things the same way? She doubted it. No, she was positive that her relationship with Saturn was a special one. Hotaru had hinted her split personality to her parents once, and it had almost freaked them out. She had never mentioned it again and had tried her best to withhold her Saturn'esque powers in front of them unless she was transformed.

...but what Saturn said, was it true? Had she really seen Mercury?

...sometimes. Sometimes Ami's eyes changed when she looked at her. It was these rare occasions when all insecurity left those crystal clear blue eyes, when they were so close that there was no room for neither rationality nor analysis. There, she felt something rear its head within the genius water senshi. Something powerful and wise beyond age. Something, or someone breathtaking. A hidden potential, a free spirit... Maybe Saturn was right. Mercury was there all along.

But it worried her a little. Saturn had seen and understood something about Ami she had failed to recognize to this point. What else could she be missing out on? How did it really feel for Ami to grow with Mercury together? How much did Mercury within Ami influence her thoughts and feelings? Was she coming on too strong? Should she tease Ami even more to help the girl break free from her shyness and reservation? And was Saturn in the back of her head grinning at her inner ranting!?

Hotaru shook her head. It wasn't that new to her to share her most intimate thoughts with her alter-ego. But this was definitely a topic she was still trying to get used to on her own. ...On the other hand, why not take advantage of an ancient mind and its experience.

"Okay, Saturn, help me out here. How can I please Ami?"

"...we can always spy on your parents, you know..."

"STOP THAT! THAT'S ICKY! THEY ARE MY PARENTS FOR GOD'S SAKE! EW!"

"Well, you're the one that said you were curious. I'm pretty sure *they* would know... Your parents, not mine."

"I didn't mean-... agh, you are impossible! I meant, making her happy!"

"Well, I am positive, she would not be unhappy about getting into our pants. Not that I know what's to be done once that happens"

"You don't kn-... ...damn. Two virgins trapped in one body. We are screwed."

"Actually, that's what we are hoping for..."

"Argh! Just... slow down, will you? All we know is that she likes me too. We can't go jumping her first chance we get and scare her off."

YUKIBARA
That... poses some problems, though. Your papa, for one.

LEGENDARY_LADY_HOTARU
Let me worry about that. ;)

"Actually, I think your mom's already onto that..."


Michiru let out a sigh, not really following the motions on the TV in front of her. She dropped a hand and grabbed some popcorn out of the full bowl between her and Setsuna and munched on them noisily.

"Wait... wasn't she going out with that other guy last episode? What happened?"

A familiar swash of sandy blond moved in her peripheral vision. It stopped at yet another window, hovered in a huddled crouch, before the blinds snapped back shut with a click and the form slid over to the next.

Setsuna furrowed a brow in response.
"Yes, well, she thought he was in an accident, so she got with his brother. But it turns out the accident was a fake, and now she's in love with both brothers at the same time."

"Okay, who's that guy?"

"That's her ex."

"Besides the two brothers!?"

Meantime her lover had reached the glass door, hiding in exaggerated stealth between the curtains, her ear pressed against the glass. When that yielded no results, she let out a puff of exaggeration and pressed her face firmly against the glass, squishing her nose against it as she stared out at her daughter through the pane.

"Well, yeah. Her ex-ex, I guess. He used to own the company the brothers work for before his wife died from cancer. It was a sad episode."

"His wife? Wait, that doesn't make sense, does it?"

"Yeah, she was his affair. But that was okay, because the wife cheated on him with his lawyer. She was hot... Too bad she moved to Canada."

The racer moved again, a silent crouch-walk as she moved to the neighboring window, depositing herself firmly beside a potted plant. The leaves shook for a moment as the body adjusted against it, then the plant was still as the curtains on the window ever-so-slowly got pulled away from distracting view at knee level.

Michiru groaned. This show was way too confusing anyway. She pulled herself from her comfortable position, stood and turned, to get a full view of the spying houseplant. With a sigh, she closed the distance until she leaned directly above it, watching as some of its leaves and a peculiar patch of blond foliage moved in the direction of her daughter.

"You know. Most normal people craving for sunlight just go outside."

The plant jumped, yelped and a startled Haruka dropped out of it with a fwump.

Adding to her amusement, the derailed spy shot her a reproachful look for being disturbed. She still had a twig in her hair and several leaves decorating her clothes, on top of her completely disheveled and sprawled position on the ground. With some skill, Michiru managed to choke down the smile that tried to show itself. Instead, her look darkened as she crossed her arms above her chest and tapped a foot in impatience.

"Caught the neighbor skinny-dipping again? It is THEIR property, you know."

The racer gulped, before readjusting her feet beneath her.
"Hotaru doesn't need to see that."

Michiru rolled her eyes.
"They have a fence. Setsuna's the only one in the house who has a view. You're not watching them, you're watching Hotaru."

A grunt affronted itself from the couch.
"Yeah, 'Take the west wing, Setsuna. It has a GREAT view,' they said."

Michiru chuckled, covering the melodic sound quickly with a hand. She turned her eyes back to Haruka, but the woman had rolled onto her stomach, a hand pulling curtains back so she could peek into the backyard. "What are they talking so much about... She's had a cell phone for a year and never cared about it, and now she won't take her eyes off it..."

"Oh, will you stop that!"
She pulled the woman up by the collar, pulling her back from the window and forcing her gaze away from the yard.

"I'm worried about her, Michi."

A deep sigh.
"Yes, I'm sure you showed that quite clearly enough when you punched her love interest."

A pause as they caught their breath and the TV volume suddenly lowered. The crunch of popcorn came from the couch.

Haruka swallowed under Michiru's firm gaze.
"But-.. but... But she KISSED my BABY...!"

"Yes. Obviously, Hotaru needed saving. She was very much in danger."

"She's way too young for this kind of stuff! How can you be so calm about it, when that-.. that-... miscreant launched herself on our little, innocent girl!"

"Are we still talking about Ami? And Hotaru? Because, a few months ago you were running around asking her to teach our daughter, and were quite relieved to have gotten out of tutoring her yourself."

A voice chirped from the couch. "Not to mention that 'miscreant' being a genius and a senshi that had saved your butt plenty of times as well."

"I DIDN'T ASK HER FOR THAT KIND OF TEACHING! ...And I wanted her to make some friends!"

"Okay, so she picked up some extra skills along with her math. Her grades have gotten better, and now she has friends and more. What do you expect? She's hit that age-.."

"She's still a BABY!"

"She's physically well-mature!"

"SHE'S TWO!"

"...her body and mind are more like... fifteen..."

"SHE'S STILL MY BABY!"

"...you are aware, that your tantrum makes YOU look like a baby? ...which is rather unsexy by the way."

An awkward cough sounded from the couch.
"Haruka, have you ever considered, that our shy friend Ami is less likely to have initiated the relationship?"

"Relationship!?" Haruka's eyes went wide at the idea.

"Well, they're obviously more than friends at this point."

As if on cue, the glass door opened and light flowed into the room as the curtains got pulled back in a sweep. The entire room's gaze fell to Hotaru who stood beaming in the frame, bouncing on toes happily and cell clutched tightly within her hands. The girl's eyes roved over the entire room before settling onto the dark gaze of her papa.

She side-stepped her papa as she rolled her eyes.
"Don't worry. No one was skinny dipping."