Day 4

The morning had been a morning. It wasn't filled with the flirting and the laughter that the old Victorian house was used to. But then, no one expected it to be. What started as an all around innocent bet, started to escalate into cold stares and long silences.

The joke was over. The bet wasn't funny anymore in the household. Michiru and Haruka barely spoke anything to each other, and the tension grew between them. Setsuna said nothing about it, it was as if she had faith in the whole thing. Hotaru tried to get them to talk, but eventually gave up. She was out of tears. When either one of them competed, they competed to win.

In all honesty, Michiru missed her cosmetics. She was sure she was getting behind on her collection. She really itched to get this cute lipstick that she really, really was looking forward to. Going make-upless was not fun. She liked getting up early, when Haruka did, and then putting on her make-up while Haruka went out on a jog. They'd always meet downstairs at the exact same time. They would coincide perfectly and know exactly what the other wanted before they asked.

Michiru missed Haruka's shy smile and slight cough at Michiru's slight prodding. Setsuna would veil a secret smile from Hotaru about the true nature of the tease. Not that Hotaru wasn't old enough to understand. But it was a fun game they all played, and sometimes it would end in a laugh, or a giggle.

Michiru prodded her rice and eggs with a touch of caviar and looked across the table at Haruko.

Haruka ignored Michirou's glance. She felt that she was being overly punished for who she was. Wearing make up and being in a dress wasn't her idea of fun.

Setsuna knew they were being overly stubborn. Haruka and Michiru hadn't really worked as a team, like they used to, because there was no enemy since Nehalennia. It usually helped them to reconcile if they were fighting an enemy. She disliked the silences, but rather not get in between the two powerful senshi if they ever decided to really fight over it, despite her glare last night, which she regretted.

Hotaru glanced around the room from one person to the next. The room was dead. She didn't have to use an attack phrase to get it that way. Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama just had to be in a fight for it to happen. Hotaru didn't like it, but knew to keep her mouth shut, even though it upset her.

Meanwhile, the oblivious senshi from the Inner solar system were having an emergency meeting. Well.. maybe it really wasn't an emergency... and maybe they were just overly bored... and the heat hadn't let up yet.. and it was frying their central cortex, as Ami put it.

Ok, it wasn't even all of the Inner senshi. Ami had opted out of the affair of trying to spy on the couple.

Usagi and Mamoru had gone out to shop for clothes for Harvard, and Chibiusa had gone with them (bringing Hotaru with her, to cheer her up).

But still, Bi to kirei no kin no Hito and Jitsu no FEMININE josei were on the case. (The names had gotten longer everyday...). Uhh.. Rei was there, but she was mediating. (She just didn't have any sense of fun.. at least that's what Minako thought.)

Minako was oblivious to the fact that her bet had hurt anyone. She was too bored with her life as it was. She wasn't about to notice that her bet was not going the way it should. Instead, with Makoto, they were planning what Haruka would wear.

Makoto was reluctant at first, but Minako had promised to use her powers of love on Makoto to get her a nice guy. (Remember that she's really bored out of her mind).

Makoto held up a catalogue and said, "Haruka-senpai could look good in this..."

Minako nodded but then her eyes sparkled as she saw the perfect dress. She pointed to a Guccicci dress.

"I want that one."

Makoto looked at the orange dress incredulously. She tried to picture it on the white-haired girl.

"Minako... it wouldn't work on Haurka-san."

Minako shook her head, with sparkles in her eyes and said, "No, for me..."

Makoto fell over.

Makoto knew it wouldn't look good on Minako either, but slowly picked herself up and faked a smile.

"And Haruka-san?" Makoto drawled out slowly.

Minako smiled brightly. The sun had probably given her a stroke. Like those Americans said.

"Easy! Usagi said she would buy one..."

Minako really had lost it by now. Makoto sighed and decided to humor her. Someone had to watch her while she was in this mental state. Makoto listened to the soft calls of the cicada as Minako went on about geting a Channel bag, maybe even Lacome lipstick.

Makoto absently wondered when the rain was going to come, even if she felt sick during the thunderstorm..

Hotaru had returned from the Hammer Price Store. Ruruna and Naruru were such idiots at times. She really disliked them for it. She couldn't understand how Chibiusa could stand them. The trip had only served to make her feel worse, but cheered herself up about her own intelligence. Not to mention the fact that she'd gotten possessed by a Genius Loci for some odd reason. Her stomach still felt sick.

She opened the front door with her key... the door was oddly locked. She climbed up the old stairs to her room and fell flat on her bed face-first.

The house was completely silent. She couldn't hear Setsuna-mama, Haruka-papa or Michiru-mama. She turned over. Since her father died-- no since his physical body died-- he'd died a long time ago. They'd been a supportive loving family. Even if the kids at school sometimes didn't understand why she was living with three women, they seemed to be more accepting than they were in the past.

They were a good family, the best family she had. She remembered Setsuna-mama had looked up more information on Tomoe Keiko.. her mother, and Michiru-mama had shown Hotaru her mother's grave, and taken her whenever she wanted. Haruka-papa had even paid for her father's tombstone and fought to put it next to her mothers. That was when they used to laugh more.

Setsuna's reassuring smile had faded.

Hotaru jumped when she heard the door downstairs open. The house, despite all of the memorbilia, collections, fine rugs, still echoed. She peered out her door and then creeped out and then looked down to the front hall crouching behind the banaster.

It was Michiru-- rather Michirou-papa with a young school girl. Hotaru recognized the girl. One of her friends at school knew her older brother.

The words, "No, I don't blame you," came up the stairs. Even though Hotaru knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, she still wanted to listen.

Michiru stood in the main hall and said, "No, I don't blame you at all. But you know how THEY can be at times."

The girl said, "Yes, but I didn't know, really I didn't."

Michiru repeated, "It's not your fault. Why don't you take a seat? Haruka won't be back until after her race, so you should be safe."

Hotaru struggled to remember her name, and then remembered that it sounded like her sailor name. She wrinkled her nose. It was lucky that the kids at school never knew about her sailor self, she'd never hear the end of it. Yes, Dousei.

Dousei said, "But I caused so much trouble. I really didn't mean to."

Michiru said coldly, "Haruka was the one that hit on you. It's not your fault that she has no common sense not to hit on girls and try to trick them."

Hotaru tried to lean over the banaster so she could see them better. But she was too short. She half-regretted the fact she couldn't grow taller at her own command.

Hotaru could see the girl's hair which was back in a headband and a low-set bun, which was sloppily done in a scrunchie as if it was an afterthought, but she couldn't really see anymore. She sighed in frustration and settled for eavesdropping instead of watching and listening to the conversation.

"She does know that I'm--" That was Dousei.

Michiru interupted her and said, "How could she not know?"

Hotaru leaned back and tried to remember what her friend had said about the Aoi family. She leaned back and finally let herself fall to the floor. She looked up at the part of the ceiling that Haruka had promised to mend this week and tried to remember. She nearly hit her head on the banaster as she remembered. She snuck back into her room to call Chibiusa.

Haruka had naturally won the race. She'd done it faster and better than anyone. She wanted to run away from her troubles, like she had a long time ago. The first time she realized she liked women, all she had done was run. When she finally was allowed to drive, and Michiru fought with her, she drove the fastest she could around the track.

Now, now she was running again, feeling comfort in the long sensation of her calves and thighs burning long and hard. The air beating against her swollen windpipe, and the relief in the wind that she, herself, created. The release of her sweat seemed to drip away all of her anxiety.. even if she had to do this race in makeup and a wig, it felt unnaturally good.

She didn't care if any of the girls thought she was weird. She didn't care if the men taunted her, she won anyway. She just wanted to run. It was a feeling she knew that Michiru didn't relate to. She found comfort in that at this moment. Though, Michiru was usually there to cheer her on, claiming Haruka as her own.

Haruka ran into the locker room too. She let the burning sensation in her throat sink in. She took a shower. The heat melted off of her, she made it quick, and then redid her make up and put back her wig.

The congradulations from the fellow girls rang softly in her ears. But her mind was focused on Michiru. Winning a bet was not worth losing Michiru over. Haruka was sure that if she let Michiru win the bet, and gave up right then, that Michiru could come back. Michiru would like that.

Haruka got dressed in her dress and high heels and went out to the winner's circle.

Minako, after cooling down a little, and another round of video games.. though she'd beat the Pachinko machine too many times to count, she decided to go back to spying. Makoto had abbandonned her for cooking class.

Minako dragged herself around, wondering why Usagi had ditched her this time. Usagi was probably clinging to Mamoru... ever since she found out he was going to Harvard... she'd tried to help him pack, and support him.

Minako didn't feel like studying. The video games felt boring, even though the air conditioner had been long since fixed. The others had found things to do. But she hadn't, even the prospect of going to a concert seemed like no fun without her friends.

That left her mission.. someone had to do it. But Hotaru and Chibiusa were busy too.. so she didn't have the proximity of the intended spying targets.

Usagi bit her lip nervously. She clung to Mamoru's arm while thinking about what Michirou had said. Michirou's request wasn't out of the question, but it did worry her a little. If she was going to be Queen (well officially be Queen, since she was coronated.. though the Earth didn't know about it) she had to be more aware of her subject's problems.

She paused in front of a store, and stopped in front of it. Mamoru also stopped beside her. She looked up at the boutique name, and then down at the dress. The one she was supposed to pick out. She really didn't want to be mean to Haruka-san...

Usagi instinctively knew that the bet that Minako had made was causing a rift between the Senshi from the Outer Solar System, and though she couldn't really intefere, she didn't really want to make it bigger. That was part of the reason she'd first agreed.

"Usako?" Mamoru asked softly.

"Mmmnuun?" she said in reply.

"Do you want to go into the shop?" he asked.

She finally nodded, very slowly. She took out the slip of paper she had from her purse and read the measurements. She stepped into the store.

Chibiusa gasped and said, "No way!"

Hotaru said, "Yes! It can be solved, right?"

Chibiusa paused on the other end of the phone and then said, "Yes, I think so."

"But if I tell, Michiru-mama will be angry at me. She'll know that I eavesdropped."

Chibiusa sat up at the edge of her bed, and then sighed. Hotaru had a point.

"But it's for the greater good, though, right?" Chibiusa said slowly.

Hotaru said, "Yes, I guess it is.. Yes it is... but still."

"They trust you, right? They would trust you more than they trust me," Chibiusa said, tinged with a little bit of jealousy at her friend.

Hotaru was silent at the other end and then said, "Though it will cause a lot of trouble, I'll tell."

Chibiusa smiled and then said, "Oh! We're going back to the Hammer Price Shrine... at the end of the week."

Hotaru made some kind of sarcastic noise at the other end.

"That soon?"

Chibiusa smiled and said, "You'll come won't you?"

"Naruru and Ruruna will be there?" Hotaru asked, less than pleased.

"Oh... they know nothing about Otakura posessing you. It'll be OK."

Hotaru made an exasperated sound at the reminder that she could be reduced to being posessed more than once. In a spiteful moment, she thought she was being reduced to being like Prince Endymion.

Michirou had snuck out to the Terazuka theater. It was strategy, she told herself. It was strategy. Surely, the men that went, either were one of the following:

1. Dragged by their girlfriends.

2. Otaku.

3. Homosexual.

The gay bars weren't paning out for her, afterall, and though she tried to act more manly, or even less manly, it wasn't working. She was getting popular at the bar, but more as a friend-type rather than a prospective flirting partner.

For a while, she would melt into her role of being a man and it was fun. She was having fun figuring out what that other gender really thought of her as a man.

Besides, flirting with men wasn't that hard, she'd done it before as a woman.. though she never really meant any of it. It was to get Haruka jealous, that's all.

She settled herself down, though it was lonley being by herself, watching the players on stage comforted her. The man next to her leaned over and said, "Aren't these things awful? What happened? Your girlfriend made you come and see it?"

Michirou almost-- almost seethed at him, but it wasn't manly, so she said, "No... I'm gay."

The man made an "Oh" look and it dawned on his face. As if that explained it all. Entirely disgusted, she took an empty seat the next row over, after the performance started.

During intermission, she walked outside, slowly feeling the heat on her face. A man approached her and said, "How can you stand Terazuka theater?"

She looked up. The man was a classic beauty. The kind the inner senshi often drooled over.

She smiled and said, "It's not that bad."

"I never liked it, though my boyfriend used to drag me all the time, because his friends used to go-- they were high school girls you see... and-- well, you must get the idea."

He paused awkwardly. Then said, "So, are you here with someone?"

Michirou smiled and said, "No."

Minako crouched behind a bush and gasped. She couldn't believe it. She groaned. Michiru had won by chance.

The end of the fourth day came down. Michiru didn't gloat at her victory, but was wondering how to handle her date friday night. how was she going to tell him that she was a girl... She played with the idea of telling him that she was a Terazuka player... but knew he wouldn't believe her. Mostly she was worried that Haruka would cut off his head-- well she wouldn't really, but she would fight him.

Michiru thought about it. Haruka wouldn't fight for her. Not after this. She fought back her feelings, like she was accustomed to back when she was first became a Sailor Soldier, and then opened the door to the Victorian house.

This story references specifically to the Hammer Price Shrine Story in Volume 17 as well as Mamoru leaving for Harvard, which happens in Volume 16. So Ruruna, Naruru, Otakura, Guiccicci, Hotaru being posessed, Hotaru being sarcastic all fit into that category.

This story, therefore takes place around that time mentioned, as I stated before, so that's what that's in reference to.

Bi to kirei no kin no Hito- Beautiful and pretty gold person. (roughly) using my Japanese language lessons. Sorta a light tribute to Usagi and Mamoru together?! NO WAY! (Mako-chan.. I think she won't mind)

Jitsu no FEMININE josei- Loyal Feminine girl for Makoto...

If you want to know what the whole Dosei thing is about, look it up, I'm really trying to hint at it.

Uhh.. I confess this fan fiction installment was colored quite a bit by Jon Carp's fan fiction. ;; Though I took nothing from him.

And also exposing more stereotypes of homosexuality too.. both made by the characters and society in general... this was a bit more serious, but hey, I stuck in some humor too.