Chapter 7: Fearful Tears
"No way you'll go to work tomorrow!" Michiru called out, looking at the ill Haruka, angered. "You broke down just three days ago, remember? If you go to work now, it will happen again!" Haruka shot her a glare that caused a cold chill to run down the aqua haired girls spine. "I'm not a child." The blonde now slowly spoke, her voice as cold as ice. "And I don't think that you have the right to tell me what I can or can't do. Kaioh-san." The last two words were spoken in such a rough, unfriendly tone that Michiru flinched. "You're right, Tenoh-san." The aqua haired girl now softly spoke, her eyes glued to the dark blue carpet of the bedroom. "I don't have the right to tell you such things. But…I just don't want you to break down again." Haruka snorted, not bothering to say anymore afterwards. Michiru could feel hot tears starting to burn in her eyes, and she slowly retreated from the room. During the last three days, she had done her best to help the ill Haruka, but the only rewards she had received were coldness and harsh words. "I bet she doesn't even like me." The aqua haired girl thought to herself. "She's probably just waiting for a good moment to fire me…oh Gods, what if she really does? I need this job so badly…" As soon as the bedroom door had closed, the aqua haired girl let out a strangled sob, hoping that Haruka hadn't heard it. She didn't want the blonde to know about her misery.
Haruka let herself sink back on her pillows and stared up at the ceiling. All of a sudden, she heard a strange noise from outside the room, and after a few seconds, she realized that it had been a sob. "Great." The blonde mumbled to herself. "I made her cry." She let out a little sigh and closed her eyes. Although Haruka still was feeling more than miserable, she wanted to go back to work tomorrow and make sure that the Olympic games license was all prim and proper; after all, she never could know what her employees had arranged with the holder of it. The blonde snapped out of her thoughts when she heard how the door of her bedroom opened, and she looked who entered the room. Hotaru poked her head in, looking slightly scared. "Hotaru." Haruka now spoke, sitting up in bed. "What is it?" "Michiru is crying, Daddy." Hotaru replied while she entered the room and closed the door. "Have you been mean to her?" "No." Haruka replied, sounding colder than she had intended to. "I just informed her about her position in this house." Hotaru climbed on the bed and looked at her Daddy, a serious expression in her dark eyes. "She just worries about you, Daddy." The little girl finally spoke, taking Haruka aback. After a few moments of silence, the blonde was able to speak again, and her voice sounded bitter. "Why should she worry about me? I'm her boss, not her goddamn wife or girlfriend." "Just because you're her boss, she can't be worried about you? Maybe she likes you." Hotaru pointed out. Haruka just shook her head. "No. I don't think she…likes me." How could she like me, the way I treat her? "I'm sure she doesn't like me." The blonde corrected herself. The only ones who really like me are Hotaru and…Miko. And Miko is dead, so… "Maybe you should try and be nice to her." Hotaru now spoke, looking at her Daddy thoughtfully. Haruka sighed and nodded. "Okay, I'll try. Are you satisfied now?" Hotaru let out another sigh and replied, "You're hopeless. You shouldn't be nice to her just because of me, you should be nice to her out of your own free will." Haruka was too stunned at the words of her daughter to reply anything, and so Hotaru stood up and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Good night, Daddy!" she chirped, finally sounding like the twelve year old she was again and not like the twenty year old she had sounded like just three minutes ago. "Good night." Haruka mumbled, and Hotaru bounced out of the room, yelling for Michiru in the process.
Haruka looked up from her newspaper when somebody softly knocked the door. "Yeah." She called out, and the next second, the door opened. Michiru slowly walked in, her eyes red from crying, avoiding Haruka's eyes. "I brought your dinner, Tenoh-san." The aqua haired girl now softly spoke, placing the tray on Haruka's nightstand. "Thanks." Haruka replied, trying to sound friendly. Obviously, she succeeded, since Michiru looked at her with surprise in her eyes. Thats when Haruka realized that she never had thanked Michiru for anything she had done before in the last three days. Great. Can I behave any worse? "Thanks." The blonde now repeated. Michiru, dumbstruck, just nodded and just wanted to leave when Haruka called out her name, causing her to turn and look at her. "I…I just wanted to…apologize for my behavior towards you before. I shouldn't have snapped at you that way, after all, you're just worried." Michiru's eyes bulged out until Haruka feared that they might fall out of their sockets and land on the carpet. "Well…it's okay, I guess." She finally managed to stammer out. Haruka gave her a weak smile and nodded. There was an awkward silence before Michiru finally spoke, "Umm…I'll go and put Hotaru to bed now. If you need anything…just call for me." Haruka nodded, and Michiru quickly left the room. Outside on the hallway, she nearly fainted with relief.
