SAILOR MOON THE SAILOR MOON CHARACTERS, THEIR LIKENESSES AND NAMES
ARE PROPERTY OF NAOKO TAKEUCHI/KODANSHA, TOEI ANIMATION, D.I.C
AND OTHERS, THEY ARE NOT MINE.
Outer Senshi Parts
By Yorkie
Ever get an idea for a tiny little scene but it won't fit into a story
line? Maybe it's a story in itself, a short skit if you will. I have
lots of those just drifting around in what's left of that mushy pile of
gray matter I call my brain. Why just the other year, I saw a ketchup
splatter on the back wall of an elevator and thought...boy that could
be a good story about someone being shot! Or what really happens to
that one hour during daylight savings time. Hmmm...just little ideas,
read on and see what I mean...enjoy!
SICK DAY
Haruka sat in bed with pillows propped up around her viciously
Attacking the TV remote. She sneezed again, then noticed she was
out of tissues. Oh gross, she pulled off one of the pillowcases
and used that to wipe her nose. Yuck, she stuck it under the bed.
"Setsuna!" She tried to yell, her voice four octaves lower than usual.
"Setsu..." She tried again, this time she started choking and gagging.
Setsuna threw open the door. "What now?"
This was the third time in twenty minutes Haruka had called for her.
She picked up a bowl from the night table.
"My soup is cold." She stuck her finger in it. "See?"
"It was hot when I brought it!" She took the bowl from Haruka.
"It's nasty too. It taste like canned soup." Haruka sniffled.
"That's because it is canned soup. I don't cook, remember?"
Setsuna wasn't too happy playing nurse. "Anything else?"
She held up the empty box. "I need tissues."
Setsuna snatched the box from her. "Is that all?"
Haruka tried to look as pathetic as possible, which wasn't that hard.
"Can I have some soup? And not just that stuff again, after you
nuke it. I want home made soup."
"You have to be kidding!" Setsuna was ready to choke her.
"Michiru always makes home made soup for me when I'm sick."
"I've got news for you, Michiru is at school. You didn't like this
soup? Fine. You can starve until she gets home." Setsuna got
to the door.
"You're just cranky cause you haven't had a date in the past
century." Haruka tried to yell at her.
Setsuna turned slowly back to Haruka, the sick girl got a look into
those red eyes and realized she had said the wrong thing. The time
guardian looked at the bowl of soup in her hand, then she smiled a
very evil smile at Haruka.
Half an hour later Michiru and Hotaru came through the front door.
Michiru was carrying a bag of groceries, she sat them on the kitchen
counter. Setsuna followed her.
"How's your patient?" Michiru asked putting the food away.
Setsuna smiled. "Oh she's been pretty quiet for the past hour."
"Did she eat anything?"
"She had some soup." Setsuna was grinning ear to ear.
"What's so funny?" Michiru was missing the joke.
"Michiru?" She heard Haruka's husky voice call from their bedroom.
Michiru opened the bedroom door and smiled. "How are you?"
Haruka held her arms out to her. Michiru sat down on the bed and
hugged her. "Thank God your home! Setsuna was so mean to me."
"She was?" Michiru saw Setsuna standing in the door way trying not
to laugh. Haruka's shirt was wet. "You've been sweating haven't you?
Let's get you some dry clothes." She felt Haruka's head to see if she
had a fever. "Your hair is soaked."
"That's not sweat...Setsuna poured soup on my head!" Haruka pouted,
milking it for all it was worth. "She made me nasty canned soup, not
the good stuff like you give me, and when I wouldn't eat it she poured
it on my head!"
"Setsuna! How could you? Can't you see how sick she is? What got
into you?" Michiru scolded the older senshi.
Setsuna just laughed, she couldn't hold it in anymore, she turned and
walked from the room.
A few days later, Haruka was her normal self, just brimming with health
and vigor. Setsuna, on the other hand, had caught Haruka's cold and was
quite miserable. Haruka sent Hotaru to Setsuna's room with some soup.
It was still in the unopened can.
Hotaru marched back to the kitchen. "She wants hot soup."
Haruka smiled. Hotaru skipped back to Setsuna's room, she handed the
sick senshi a can opener and a pack of matches.
"Haruka-papa said to heat it up with these."
****
WARREN
Michiru was walking through the tenth street shopping district when she
Saw a familiar face. It was Warren, she hadn't seen him in over two
months. Haruka had forbidden her to go near him. Michiru followed him
from a safe distance, she wanted to see where he was working now. If
Haruka knew she was following him...well, she just wasn't going to find
out.
Warren was a sweet man with the most adorable southern accent, he came
from Texas. Michiru had met him a few months ago at the place where he
used to work. He had the most wonderful pair of hands, strong, yet gentle.
Michiru could testify to that, the way he used them to kneed...the man
was a true artist in his own right. The things he could do, Michiru put
her hand to her mouth, she was drooling like one of Pavlov's dogs.
Warren went into a building up the street, she followed. This had to be
where he was working now. It looked like a nice place.
Michiru walked in, Warren was in his white uniform. He smiled when he
saw her. "Howdy Sweetpea." He called to Michiru in English. She
blushed when she heard his pet name for her. She took a seat at the
counter.
Warren walked up to her and took her hands in his. "Well now, I haven't seen
you in some time, but I know what you want. Why don't you come in the back
room? You can watch, or maybe you'd like to join in."
"I'd love to join in." Michiru said.
"Then come on, let's get to it!" Warren led her to the back room.
Michiru was desperately trying to please Warren, but she was having some
difficulty.
"Be gentle darlin, you're pulling too hard. Don't yank on that
thing...you have to have patience." Warren instructed her.
"I'm sorry...I never get to do this at home."
"Now you know you can come by and practice anytime you want."
Warren smiled at her, he put her hands on his full sack. "Sweetpea,
you be careful with this or it'll squirt cream all over the place."
A few drops came out of the end, Michiru licked them off her
fingers. "Warren, it's delicious."
"Don't you get any ideas of putting that thing in your mouth and
squeezing...it's way to big for that!"
Michiru laughed. "Well, the thought did cross my mind."
Warren shook his head. "You are a greedy little thing ain't you?"
Some time later, Michiru was standing at the door saying her good-byes
to Warren when Haruka drove past on her motorcycle. She hit the brakes
when she saw the two of them together. Haruka got off her bike and headed
for the pair, she didn't look too happy.
"Howdy Miss Haruka." Warren called out pleasantly. "How you been?"
"Fine Warren." She spoke politely to him. "Has she been bothering you
again?" Michiru was holding a bag, she tried to hide it behind her
back.
"Oh no, little Sweetpea here ain't no bother at all." He wrapped an arm
around Michiru and hugged her.
Haruka turned her attention to Michiru. "How many this time?"
"Just one." She answered softly.
"I don't believe you." Haruka stared at her.
"She telling the truth, she only had one dozen this time. Plus the ones
she helped me make." Warren added.
Haruka's eyes were wide. "How can anyone eat one dozen Lady Locks?
Michiru you promised!"
Michiru found her shoes to be infinitely fascinating. "I know, I
couldn't help myself."
"You'll have to excuse me ladies, I have work to do. You take care now!"
Warren walked back into the bakery shop.
"Michiru, what's in the bag?"
"Bag?" She tried playing dumb, it wasn't working. Haruka snatched the
bag from her. There were more Lady Locks inside.
"Did you forget how sick you got the last time you did this?
How you ended up cleaning the house at four in the morning because of
the sugar rush these things gave you? Or the way you complained
about gaining ten pounds from eating so many of them? Well?"
"No I didn't forget!" Michiru snapped back at her, she tried to
take the bag from Haruka, but she held it up so Michiru couldn't
reach it.
"Oh no, you're not putting me through that again! I'm sure Hotaru and
Setsuna are going to just love these."
Michiru sighed, she couldn't win. "Fine." She hopped on the back of
Haruka's bike.
"Get off my bike."
"Why?"
Haruka picked her up and put her on the sidewalk.
"What are you doing? How am I supposed to get home?" Michiru asked.
"Walk." Haruka put her helmet on.
"Walk? Do you know how far it is to home?"
"Yes I do, and you better start now before it gets too dark." Haruka
started the engine. Michiru was staring at her in shock. "Think of it
this way love, I'm just trying to help you burn off all those calories."
****
AUTO MECHANICS LESSON ONE
Haruka closed the hood on her yellow convertible when Michiru came
up behind her.
"Just look at you, you're all covered in grease." Michiru complained.
Haruka rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm full of grease, I've been
working on the car all morning. What did you expect?"
"Just don't bring any of that filth into the house with you."
"You mean I can't wipe my hands on the new drapes?" She winked at
Michiru.
"Very funny. Clean up, lunch will be ready soon." She turned to go.
"Hey, wait a minute. I want to show you how to change a tire." Haruka
popped open the trunk.
Michiru smiled at her. "You're so funny...show me how to change a
tire." She tried to walk away when Haruka grabbed her wrist.
"I'm serious. What happens if you get stuck somewhere with a
flat tire? You should know how to change it."
"I will never have to change a flat tire." Michiru stated confidently.
"Oh really? Why not?"
"For one thing, you always take me where I have to go, so if
we get a flat tire, you'll change it."
Haruka shook her head. "What if I'm not there, then what?"
Michiru reached into the glove compartment of the car and
pulled out a cell phone. "I'll call the garage, they'll come and
fix the tire."
"What if you don't have the phone with you?"
"Then I'll walk to the nearest phone." Michiru told her.
"What if it's raining? Are you going to walk in the rain?"
Michiru smiled at her. "If it's raining I wouldn't be in this car."
"Why not?"
"Don't be silly, it's a convertible!" Michiru said.
Haruka put her hand over her face. "I give up, have it your way!"
****
COMING OF AGE
Bright and early Monday morning, Haruka stumbled into the kitchen to
put water on for tea.
"Good morning Papa."
"Good morning." She muttered back, she took a seat across from Hotaru
at the kitchen table. Something was different about the girl. Haruka
looked at her for a few minutes before her brain clicked in. "Oh my God!"
She blinked a few times.
Hotaru laughed at her. "What's wrong...Papa?" She asked in a more than
slightly sarcastic voice.
"You...you've aged, how old are you now?"
"Same as you." Hotaru smiled at the look of concern on Haruka's face.
"I know, I look a lot like Mistress Nine don't I?"
Haruka nodded. "Where's Setsuna?" She was a little worried that the
Older girl wasn't around.
"Relax Haruka, she taking a shower."
"Haruka?" Haruka didn't like the sound of that at all.
The tea pot whistled, Hotaru got up to make the tea. Haruka watched
her, she was tall, almost as tall as Setsuna and her body...talk about
filling out. This was a parent's worst nightmare come true. A teenager
over night.
"You can't expect me to call you Haruka-papa anymore...we are the same
age now. How would that look? Oh, and not to be disrespectful, but could you
and Michiru kind of behave yourselves when I'm around? I don't want the
kind of reputation the two of you have." She placed a cup of tea in
front of Haruka. "I don't want people to think I'm. uh...living...with the
two of you. You know where I'm coming from right?"
Haruka was ticked. "Why you little..."
"Oh my God!" Michiru stopped dead when she saw Hotaru.
"Good morning Michiru." Hotaru said pleasantly.
Michiru threw a questioning look at Haruka.
"We aren't Mama and Papa anymore, in fact we aren't good enough to be
around anymore." Haruka informed her.
"What? Where's Setsuna? Why are you older?" She turned to Haruka.
"What do you mean not good enough?"
Hotaru shook her head. "I never said you weren't good enough. It's guilt
by association, if you two are a couple, then what are people going to
think I am? It doesn't matter to me what you two do at home, but in
public, now that's different."
Michiru's mouth dropped. "I can't believe I'm hearing this! You go to
Your room right now young lady!"
Hotaru laughed at her.
"You heard your Mother!" Haruka added sternly.
Hotaru's eyes narrowed, she stared coldly at her parents. "Or you'll do
what? You two are weaklings compared to me...or would you like me to
transform and show you what real power is like? Remember, I don't need
either of you anymore."
"That's enough Hotaru!" Sailor Pluto said. "I wanted to see if you
could handle being older, now I see that you can't. You still need
more discipline. The error in judgement was mine." She pointed
her time key at Hotaru and changed her back into a sweet, adorable eight
year old.
"Haruka-papa!" She jumped on Haruka's lap and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"I love you Haruka-papa, and Michiru-mama, and Setsuna-mama! I love everyone
in the whole world!"
"Aw, isn't that sweet?" Haruka squeezed the dickens out of her.
"We love you too Hotaru." Michiru added. "Go get your school books sweetie."
"Okay." Hotaru skipped into the living room. Haruka and Michiru turned
ugly faces at Sailor Pluto, who shrugged.
"Alright, I won't do it again!"
****
THE PLAY
When Hotaru brought the note home from school asking for
parents to volunteer their time with the school play, Michiru
volunteered.
In fact, it seemed like such a good idea that she volunteered everyone.
But, she should have specified what they would do to help out. Things
like serving refreshments, or seating people, that's what she had in
mind. It's not what the school had in mind though.
The school was putting on a new production of the Frog Prince, and it
seemed they needed someone tall enough to fit into the frog costume.
Setsuna was helping with refreshments, Michiru was helping the children
dress for the play, and Haruka was a frog.
She was hiding in her make shift dressing room refusing to come out.
Michiru banged on the door again.
"Come on Haruka, they need you on stage in a few minutes."
"I'm not coming out! You got me into this mess, you get me
out of it!"
Michiru tried coaxing her out. "Please Haruka, think how disappointed
Hotaru will be if you don't come out. She's so proud of you, it will
break her heart. You don't want to do that do you?"
There was dead silence on the other side of the door.
Setsuna appeared, video camera in hand. "Where is she?"
"Sshh, she won't come out if she knows you're here."
Michiru whispered.
"Who are you talking to? Is Setsuna out there?"
"No she isn't, I was talking to one of the children." Michiru
lied.
The door opened slowly, Setsuna stood back to get a good
view of Haruka. One large green flipper appeared at the door,
followed by the rest of her.
"I can't see a damn thing in this!" She had to lift her feet high
to walk. "Why...why do I let you talk me into these things?" She
struggled to get through the door. She stopped and pulled open
the mouth of the costume so she could see, that's when she spotted
Setsuna with the camera.
"You said she wasn't here!" Haruka tripped over her flippers and
landed on her face. "Damn!"
"You look ravishing Haruka!" Setsuna teased her. "Say hello to the
camera!"
Michiru helped Haruka to her feet. "I'm going to shove that camera
up your ass!"
"Haruka! There are children here!" Michiru scolded.
Hotaru came charging across the floor. "Haruka-papa!" She threw
her arms around Haruka's legs, this time she fell on her backside.
Hotaru wrapped her arms around Haruka's neck. "I'm so happy!
None of the other kids have their parents in the play! Thank you
so much!"
Haruka sighed. "I'm glad you're happy Hotaru, now help me up."
The play was about to begin, Setsuna and Michiru stood in the
back waiting. The curtain came up and Hotaru walked out dressed
in her princess costume. She stood facing the audience.
"What a beautiful day for a walk in the forest, a wonderful chance to
commune with nature and all her glorious creatures. And I,
being a self-assured princess, don't need some stupid prince to
drag me around by the nose." Hotaru had finished her line, she
was waiting for Haruka to say her line. She stood center stage
waiting, nothing happened. "I said, I don't need some stupid
prince to drag me around by the nose."
She looked over at the frog. Nothing. Hotaru tapped her foot on the
floor in agitation. She marched up to the frog and pulled the mouth
on the costume open, then she stuck her head inside. The view the
audience had was one of the self-assured princess having her head
bitten off by the frog.
Michiru held her hand to her mouth. "What is she doing?"
"I don't know, but this is good!" Setsuna answered.
Back on the stage....
"Hey, say your line!" Hotaru told Haruka.
"What line? I have a line?"
"Didn't you read the script? I gave it to you last week!"
The audience was laughing hard, there was a microphone built into
the costume and they could hear every word.
"There was a script?" Haruka didn't remember a script.
"You're embarrassing me!" Hotaru snapped at her Haruka-papa.
"Embarrassing you! You're not the one in the frog costume!"
"How could you do this to me?" Hotaru's tone was getting nasty.
"Don't you talk to me that way young lady or I'll ground you for life!"
Haruka snapped back.
In the back, Setsuna was having a hard time holding the camera, she
was laughing too hard.
"Oh this is terrible!" Michiru said.
"Hey, don't worry." Setsuna told her. "I have plenty of film!"
****
THE WOOD DEMON
Michiru had the sweetest lips, the most gorgeous body and she could
talk Haruka into just about anything. In fact, she had talked Haruka
into a lot of anythings the night before. Michiru fell asleep
exhausted, which amazed Haruka since she had done all the work. But now
Haruka was trying carefully to get out of bed without waking her.
It wasn't easy, Michiru was wrapped all around her. 'I'm in love
with a contortionist. How can she do that without cutting off her
circulation?' Haruka thought. She eased her way out of Michiru's
grip, she had to go the bathroom, badly.
She slid out of bed silently and crashed into the night table.
"Damn!" She spoke a little too loudly.
Michiru woke slowly. "What? Haruka, what's wrong?"
Haruka glared in the dark at the table. "I hate this thing!
I'm always banging into it in the dark! Who put this thing here
in the first place? I don't remember putting it here, do you?"
"It came with the house." She answered in a sleepy voice.
"It hates me, you know that? It waits for me to get out of bed
so it can take a chunk out of my legs. You see the bruises I have
from this thing?" She narrowed her eyes at it. "Well, it's never
going to bite me again!" She left the room.
"That's fine dear." Michiru turned over and went back to sleep.
Haruka made her pit stop in the bathroom, then she went to the
garage to find something to 'fix' the table with.
Haruka flicked on the light in the bedroom, Michiru rolled over
and watched her lover raise an ax above her head, aiming at the
night table.
"Haruka! What are you doing?" She was fully awake now.
"I've figured it out...this is not table, this is a demon from the
Negaverse! And I'm going to kill it!" She was only half joking.
"You're being ridiculous, now stop that! Put that ax away and come
back to bed!"
"I will, as soon as this thing is dead!" She swung the ax down on the
table. It screamed. Her eyes flew wide open, a dark fluid poured from the
table onto the rug. The table jumped over the bed and out the second floor
window. The two girls stared at each other. Haruka was the first to
recover her senses.
"Ridiculous huh?" She raised her hand in the air. "Uranus crystal
power, make up!"
Michiru followed suit. "Neptune crystal power, make up!"
They ran out to the lawn after the demon table. The table had taken
on a human form, it fired huge wood splinters at them. They dodged
them easily.
"World shaking!" Uranus hit the demon right in its knothole.
Ouch! The demon exploded, splinters and wood shards littered the lawn.
Neptune stood over the mess shaking her head. "Demon possessed
furniture."
Uranus folded her arms across her chest. "You know, I've never
felt too comfortable about the living room couch either."
**************************************************************
ARE PROPERTY OF NAOKO TAKEUCHI/KODANSHA, TOEI ANIMATION, D.I.C
AND OTHERS, THEY ARE NOT MINE.
Outer Senshi Parts
By Yorkie
Ever get an idea for a tiny little scene but it won't fit into a story
line? Maybe it's a story in itself, a short skit if you will. I have
lots of those just drifting around in what's left of that mushy pile of
gray matter I call my brain. Why just the other year, I saw a ketchup
splatter on the back wall of an elevator and thought...boy that could
be a good story about someone being shot! Or what really happens to
that one hour during daylight savings time. Hmmm...just little ideas,
read on and see what I mean...enjoy!
SICK DAY
Haruka sat in bed with pillows propped up around her viciously
Attacking the TV remote. She sneezed again, then noticed she was
out of tissues. Oh gross, she pulled off one of the pillowcases
and used that to wipe her nose. Yuck, she stuck it under the bed.
"Setsuna!" She tried to yell, her voice four octaves lower than usual.
"Setsu..." She tried again, this time she started choking and gagging.
Setsuna threw open the door. "What now?"
This was the third time in twenty minutes Haruka had called for her.
She picked up a bowl from the night table.
"My soup is cold." She stuck her finger in it. "See?"
"It was hot when I brought it!" She took the bowl from Haruka.
"It's nasty too. It taste like canned soup." Haruka sniffled.
"That's because it is canned soup. I don't cook, remember?"
Setsuna wasn't too happy playing nurse. "Anything else?"
She held up the empty box. "I need tissues."
Setsuna snatched the box from her. "Is that all?"
Haruka tried to look as pathetic as possible, which wasn't that hard.
"Can I have some soup? And not just that stuff again, after you
nuke it. I want home made soup."
"You have to be kidding!" Setsuna was ready to choke her.
"Michiru always makes home made soup for me when I'm sick."
"I've got news for you, Michiru is at school. You didn't like this
soup? Fine. You can starve until she gets home." Setsuna got
to the door.
"You're just cranky cause you haven't had a date in the past
century." Haruka tried to yell at her.
Setsuna turned slowly back to Haruka, the sick girl got a look into
those red eyes and realized she had said the wrong thing. The time
guardian looked at the bowl of soup in her hand, then she smiled a
very evil smile at Haruka.
Half an hour later Michiru and Hotaru came through the front door.
Michiru was carrying a bag of groceries, she sat them on the kitchen
counter. Setsuna followed her.
"How's your patient?" Michiru asked putting the food away.
Setsuna smiled. "Oh she's been pretty quiet for the past hour."
"Did she eat anything?"
"She had some soup." Setsuna was grinning ear to ear.
"What's so funny?" Michiru was missing the joke.
"Michiru?" She heard Haruka's husky voice call from their bedroom.
Michiru opened the bedroom door and smiled. "How are you?"
Haruka held her arms out to her. Michiru sat down on the bed and
hugged her. "Thank God your home! Setsuna was so mean to me."
"She was?" Michiru saw Setsuna standing in the door way trying not
to laugh. Haruka's shirt was wet. "You've been sweating haven't you?
Let's get you some dry clothes." She felt Haruka's head to see if she
had a fever. "Your hair is soaked."
"That's not sweat...Setsuna poured soup on my head!" Haruka pouted,
milking it for all it was worth. "She made me nasty canned soup, not
the good stuff like you give me, and when I wouldn't eat it she poured
it on my head!"
"Setsuna! How could you? Can't you see how sick she is? What got
into you?" Michiru scolded the older senshi.
Setsuna just laughed, she couldn't hold it in anymore, she turned and
walked from the room.
A few days later, Haruka was her normal self, just brimming with health
and vigor. Setsuna, on the other hand, had caught Haruka's cold and was
quite miserable. Haruka sent Hotaru to Setsuna's room with some soup.
It was still in the unopened can.
Hotaru marched back to the kitchen. "She wants hot soup."
Haruka smiled. Hotaru skipped back to Setsuna's room, she handed the
sick senshi a can opener and a pack of matches.
"Haruka-papa said to heat it up with these."
****
WARREN
Michiru was walking through the tenth street shopping district when she
Saw a familiar face. It was Warren, she hadn't seen him in over two
months. Haruka had forbidden her to go near him. Michiru followed him
from a safe distance, she wanted to see where he was working now. If
Haruka knew she was following him...well, she just wasn't going to find
out.
Warren was a sweet man with the most adorable southern accent, he came
from Texas. Michiru had met him a few months ago at the place where he
used to work. He had the most wonderful pair of hands, strong, yet gentle.
Michiru could testify to that, the way he used them to kneed...the man
was a true artist in his own right. The things he could do, Michiru put
her hand to her mouth, she was drooling like one of Pavlov's dogs.
Warren went into a building up the street, she followed. This had to be
where he was working now. It looked like a nice place.
Michiru walked in, Warren was in his white uniform. He smiled when he
saw her. "Howdy Sweetpea." He called to Michiru in English. She
blushed when she heard his pet name for her. She took a seat at the
counter.
Warren walked up to her and took her hands in his. "Well now, I haven't seen
you in some time, but I know what you want. Why don't you come in the back
room? You can watch, or maybe you'd like to join in."
"I'd love to join in." Michiru said.
"Then come on, let's get to it!" Warren led her to the back room.
Michiru was desperately trying to please Warren, but she was having some
difficulty.
"Be gentle darlin, you're pulling too hard. Don't yank on that
thing...you have to have patience." Warren instructed her.
"I'm sorry...I never get to do this at home."
"Now you know you can come by and practice anytime you want."
Warren smiled at her, he put her hands on his full sack. "Sweetpea,
you be careful with this or it'll squirt cream all over the place."
A few drops came out of the end, Michiru licked them off her
fingers. "Warren, it's delicious."
"Don't you get any ideas of putting that thing in your mouth and
squeezing...it's way to big for that!"
Michiru laughed. "Well, the thought did cross my mind."
Warren shook his head. "You are a greedy little thing ain't you?"
Some time later, Michiru was standing at the door saying her good-byes
to Warren when Haruka drove past on her motorcycle. She hit the brakes
when she saw the two of them together. Haruka got off her bike and headed
for the pair, she didn't look too happy.
"Howdy Miss Haruka." Warren called out pleasantly. "How you been?"
"Fine Warren." She spoke politely to him. "Has she been bothering you
again?" Michiru was holding a bag, she tried to hide it behind her
back.
"Oh no, little Sweetpea here ain't no bother at all." He wrapped an arm
around Michiru and hugged her.
Haruka turned her attention to Michiru. "How many this time?"
"Just one." She answered softly.
"I don't believe you." Haruka stared at her.
"She telling the truth, she only had one dozen this time. Plus the ones
she helped me make." Warren added.
Haruka's eyes were wide. "How can anyone eat one dozen Lady Locks?
Michiru you promised!"
Michiru found her shoes to be infinitely fascinating. "I know, I
couldn't help myself."
"You'll have to excuse me ladies, I have work to do. You take care now!"
Warren walked back into the bakery shop.
"Michiru, what's in the bag?"
"Bag?" She tried playing dumb, it wasn't working. Haruka snatched the
bag from her. There were more Lady Locks inside.
"Did you forget how sick you got the last time you did this?
How you ended up cleaning the house at four in the morning because of
the sugar rush these things gave you? Or the way you complained
about gaining ten pounds from eating so many of them? Well?"
"No I didn't forget!" Michiru snapped back at her, she tried to
take the bag from Haruka, but she held it up so Michiru couldn't
reach it.
"Oh no, you're not putting me through that again! I'm sure Hotaru and
Setsuna are going to just love these."
Michiru sighed, she couldn't win. "Fine." She hopped on the back of
Haruka's bike.
"Get off my bike."
"Why?"
Haruka picked her up and put her on the sidewalk.
"What are you doing? How am I supposed to get home?" Michiru asked.
"Walk." Haruka put her helmet on.
"Walk? Do you know how far it is to home?"
"Yes I do, and you better start now before it gets too dark." Haruka
started the engine. Michiru was staring at her in shock. "Think of it
this way love, I'm just trying to help you burn off all those calories."
****
AUTO MECHANICS LESSON ONE
Haruka closed the hood on her yellow convertible when Michiru came
up behind her.
"Just look at you, you're all covered in grease." Michiru complained.
Haruka rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm full of grease, I've been
working on the car all morning. What did you expect?"
"Just don't bring any of that filth into the house with you."
"You mean I can't wipe my hands on the new drapes?" She winked at
Michiru.
"Very funny. Clean up, lunch will be ready soon." She turned to go.
"Hey, wait a minute. I want to show you how to change a tire." Haruka
popped open the trunk.
Michiru smiled at her. "You're so funny...show me how to change a
tire." She tried to walk away when Haruka grabbed her wrist.
"I'm serious. What happens if you get stuck somewhere with a
flat tire? You should know how to change it."
"I will never have to change a flat tire." Michiru stated confidently.
"Oh really? Why not?"
"For one thing, you always take me where I have to go, so if
we get a flat tire, you'll change it."
Haruka shook her head. "What if I'm not there, then what?"
Michiru reached into the glove compartment of the car and
pulled out a cell phone. "I'll call the garage, they'll come and
fix the tire."
"What if you don't have the phone with you?"
"Then I'll walk to the nearest phone." Michiru told her.
"What if it's raining? Are you going to walk in the rain?"
Michiru smiled at her. "If it's raining I wouldn't be in this car."
"Why not?"
"Don't be silly, it's a convertible!" Michiru said.
Haruka put her hand over her face. "I give up, have it your way!"
****
COMING OF AGE
Bright and early Monday morning, Haruka stumbled into the kitchen to
put water on for tea.
"Good morning Papa."
"Good morning." She muttered back, she took a seat across from Hotaru
at the kitchen table. Something was different about the girl. Haruka
looked at her for a few minutes before her brain clicked in. "Oh my God!"
She blinked a few times.
Hotaru laughed at her. "What's wrong...Papa?" She asked in a more than
slightly sarcastic voice.
"You...you've aged, how old are you now?"
"Same as you." Hotaru smiled at the look of concern on Haruka's face.
"I know, I look a lot like Mistress Nine don't I?"
Haruka nodded. "Where's Setsuna?" She was a little worried that the
Older girl wasn't around.
"Relax Haruka, she taking a shower."
"Haruka?" Haruka didn't like the sound of that at all.
The tea pot whistled, Hotaru got up to make the tea. Haruka watched
her, she was tall, almost as tall as Setsuna and her body...talk about
filling out. This was a parent's worst nightmare come true. A teenager
over night.
"You can't expect me to call you Haruka-papa anymore...we are the same
age now. How would that look? Oh, and not to be disrespectful, but could you
and Michiru kind of behave yourselves when I'm around? I don't want the
kind of reputation the two of you have." She placed a cup of tea in
front of Haruka. "I don't want people to think I'm. uh...living...with the
two of you. You know where I'm coming from right?"
Haruka was ticked. "Why you little..."
"Oh my God!" Michiru stopped dead when she saw Hotaru.
"Good morning Michiru." Hotaru said pleasantly.
Michiru threw a questioning look at Haruka.
"We aren't Mama and Papa anymore, in fact we aren't good enough to be
around anymore." Haruka informed her.
"What? Where's Setsuna? Why are you older?" She turned to Haruka.
"What do you mean not good enough?"
Hotaru shook her head. "I never said you weren't good enough. It's guilt
by association, if you two are a couple, then what are people going to
think I am? It doesn't matter to me what you two do at home, but in
public, now that's different."
Michiru's mouth dropped. "I can't believe I'm hearing this! You go to
Your room right now young lady!"
Hotaru laughed at her.
"You heard your Mother!" Haruka added sternly.
Hotaru's eyes narrowed, she stared coldly at her parents. "Or you'll do
what? You two are weaklings compared to me...or would you like me to
transform and show you what real power is like? Remember, I don't need
either of you anymore."
"That's enough Hotaru!" Sailor Pluto said. "I wanted to see if you
could handle being older, now I see that you can't. You still need
more discipline. The error in judgement was mine." She pointed
her time key at Hotaru and changed her back into a sweet, adorable eight
year old.
"Haruka-papa!" She jumped on Haruka's lap and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"I love you Haruka-papa, and Michiru-mama, and Setsuna-mama! I love everyone
in the whole world!"
"Aw, isn't that sweet?" Haruka squeezed the dickens out of her.
"We love you too Hotaru." Michiru added. "Go get your school books sweetie."
"Okay." Hotaru skipped into the living room. Haruka and Michiru turned
ugly faces at Sailor Pluto, who shrugged.
"Alright, I won't do it again!"
****
THE PLAY
When Hotaru brought the note home from school asking for
parents to volunteer their time with the school play, Michiru
volunteered.
In fact, it seemed like such a good idea that she volunteered everyone.
But, she should have specified what they would do to help out. Things
like serving refreshments, or seating people, that's what she had in
mind. It's not what the school had in mind though.
The school was putting on a new production of the Frog Prince, and it
seemed they needed someone tall enough to fit into the frog costume.
Setsuna was helping with refreshments, Michiru was helping the children
dress for the play, and Haruka was a frog.
She was hiding in her make shift dressing room refusing to come out.
Michiru banged on the door again.
"Come on Haruka, they need you on stage in a few minutes."
"I'm not coming out! You got me into this mess, you get me
out of it!"
Michiru tried coaxing her out. "Please Haruka, think how disappointed
Hotaru will be if you don't come out. She's so proud of you, it will
break her heart. You don't want to do that do you?"
There was dead silence on the other side of the door.
Setsuna appeared, video camera in hand. "Where is she?"
"Sshh, she won't come out if she knows you're here."
Michiru whispered.
"Who are you talking to? Is Setsuna out there?"
"No she isn't, I was talking to one of the children." Michiru
lied.
The door opened slowly, Setsuna stood back to get a good
view of Haruka. One large green flipper appeared at the door,
followed by the rest of her.
"I can't see a damn thing in this!" She had to lift her feet high
to walk. "Why...why do I let you talk me into these things?" She
struggled to get through the door. She stopped and pulled open
the mouth of the costume so she could see, that's when she spotted
Setsuna with the camera.
"You said she wasn't here!" Haruka tripped over her flippers and
landed on her face. "Damn!"
"You look ravishing Haruka!" Setsuna teased her. "Say hello to the
camera!"
Michiru helped Haruka to her feet. "I'm going to shove that camera
up your ass!"
"Haruka! There are children here!" Michiru scolded.
Hotaru came charging across the floor. "Haruka-papa!" She threw
her arms around Haruka's legs, this time she fell on her backside.
Hotaru wrapped her arms around Haruka's neck. "I'm so happy!
None of the other kids have their parents in the play! Thank you
so much!"
Haruka sighed. "I'm glad you're happy Hotaru, now help me up."
The play was about to begin, Setsuna and Michiru stood in the
back waiting. The curtain came up and Hotaru walked out dressed
in her princess costume. She stood facing the audience.
"What a beautiful day for a walk in the forest, a wonderful chance to
commune with nature and all her glorious creatures. And I,
being a self-assured princess, don't need some stupid prince to
drag me around by the nose." Hotaru had finished her line, she
was waiting for Haruka to say her line. She stood center stage
waiting, nothing happened. "I said, I don't need some stupid
prince to drag me around by the nose."
She looked over at the frog. Nothing. Hotaru tapped her foot on the
floor in agitation. She marched up to the frog and pulled the mouth
on the costume open, then she stuck her head inside. The view the
audience had was one of the self-assured princess having her head
bitten off by the frog.
Michiru held her hand to her mouth. "What is she doing?"
"I don't know, but this is good!" Setsuna answered.
Back on the stage....
"Hey, say your line!" Hotaru told Haruka.
"What line? I have a line?"
"Didn't you read the script? I gave it to you last week!"
The audience was laughing hard, there was a microphone built into
the costume and they could hear every word.
"There was a script?" Haruka didn't remember a script.
"You're embarrassing me!" Hotaru snapped at her Haruka-papa.
"Embarrassing you! You're not the one in the frog costume!"
"How could you do this to me?" Hotaru's tone was getting nasty.
"Don't you talk to me that way young lady or I'll ground you for life!"
Haruka snapped back.
In the back, Setsuna was having a hard time holding the camera, she
was laughing too hard.
"Oh this is terrible!" Michiru said.
"Hey, don't worry." Setsuna told her. "I have plenty of film!"
****
THE WOOD DEMON
Michiru had the sweetest lips, the most gorgeous body and she could
talk Haruka into just about anything. In fact, she had talked Haruka
into a lot of anythings the night before. Michiru fell asleep
exhausted, which amazed Haruka since she had done all the work. But now
Haruka was trying carefully to get out of bed without waking her.
It wasn't easy, Michiru was wrapped all around her. 'I'm in love
with a contortionist. How can she do that without cutting off her
circulation?' Haruka thought. She eased her way out of Michiru's
grip, she had to go the bathroom, badly.
She slid out of bed silently and crashed into the night table.
"Damn!" She spoke a little too loudly.
Michiru woke slowly. "What? Haruka, what's wrong?"
Haruka glared in the dark at the table. "I hate this thing!
I'm always banging into it in the dark! Who put this thing here
in the first place? I don't remember putting it here, do you?"
"It came with the house." She answered in a sleepy voice.
"It hates me, you know that? It waits for me to get out of bed
so it can take a chunk out of my legs. You see the bruises I have
from this thing?" She narrowed her eyes at it. "Well, it's never
going to bite me again!" She left the room.
"That's fine dear." Michiru turned over and went back to sleep.
Haruka made her pit stop in the bathroom, then she went to the
garage to find something to 'fix' the table with.
Haruka flicked on the light in the bedroom, Michiru rolled over
and watched her lover raise an ax above her head, aiming at the
night table.
"Haruka! What are you doing?" She was fully awake now.
"I've figured it out...this is not table, this is a demon from the
Negaverse! And I'm going to kill it!" She was only half joking.
"You're being ridiculous, now stop that! Put that ax away and come
back to bed!"
"I will, as soon as this thing is dead!" She swung the ax down on the
table. It screamed. Her eyes flew wide open, a dark fluid poured from the
table onto the rug. The table jumped over the bed and out the second floor
window. The two girls stared at each other. Haruka was the first to
recover her senses.
"Ridiculous huh?" She raised her hand in the air. "Uranus crystal
power, make up!"
Michiru followed suit. "Neptune crystal power, make up!"
They ran out to the lawn after the demon table. The table had taken
on a human form, it fired huge wood splinters at them. They dodged
them easily.
"World shaking!" Uranus hit the demon right in its knothole.
Ouch! The demon exploded, splinters and wood shards littered the lawn.
Neptune stood over the mess shaking her head. "Demon possessed
furniture."
Uranus folded her arms across her chest. "You know, I've never
felt too comfortable about the living room couch either."
**************************************************************
