I can't believe I'm posting 2 chapters in one day! Go me! Chapter Five! Wee! This is the farthest I've ever taken a fan-fic, too! I'm so excited. I suppose now I have to work more on my other story. Also, I should be coming out with a FAKE fanfic soon, too.
Chapter Five
Over the next two weeks, Haruka, Michiru, and Sakura spent a lot of time together. Michiru finally became comfortable calling Sakura by her first name. Setsuna took care of baby Hotaru uncomplainingly. Haruka was sometimes a bit embarrassed when she realized how little she and Michiru had helped with Hotaru, but Setsuna always subtly pushed them away, clearly trying to give the couple and Sakura time to become re-acquainted.
Haruka had to admit that she needed and appreciated the time with her mother. The argument of years before had more than slightly warped her opinion of her mother for so long. Haruka was shocked to realize how much she had misinterpreted her mother as selfish in so much that she was simply original in. Ever since Haruka had awakened as a Senshi her opinion of her mother had piece by piece begun to come back into focus; it's amazing how facing the destruction of the world can straighten one's priorities. Now the actual presence and actions of her mother instead of the emotion-laden memories that had been all that she had completed the process. The final piece of the healing was certainly her mother's acceptance of her relationship with Michiru. Sakura treated Michiru as a daughter, just as she treated Setsuna and Hotaru. One night they all met several of Sakura's friends for dinner at a restaurant. When the two couples, the Emmanuels and the Maxwells, arrived Sakura unabashedly introduced them. "This is my daughter Haruka, who has been attending high school in Japan, her girlfriend Michiru, her friend Setsuna, and Hotaru, the daughter of a close friend they're taking care of for a while." After a moment of discomfort, both couples gladly greeted the four girls and the rest of the evening went off without a hitch.
At the end of the second week Haruka woke up to Hotaru's cries for a diaper (she had forced Setsuna to give her Hotaru for the night, arguing that Setsuna deserved a break and Hotaru needed to be attached to her, too, since Hotaru would be living with all three girls). Haruka attempted to put a diaper meant for one-month olds on the infant, but it wouldn't fit. As Haruka stared at the infant, it hit Haruka just how much Hotaru had grown over the last month (the girls had spent two weeks in Tokyo after the battle cutting through the red tape for the adoption of Hotaru; Setsuna, as the only adult of the trio of caretakers, had been the only one who could officially adopt her.) Michiru walked into the room rubbing her eyes. "Something wrong, Haruka?"
"Michiru, the diapers don't fit."
"What? They've always fit her before." Michiru looked confusedly at the infant and the diaper. "You're right, though, they don't fit her. That's really weird."
"She should be growing, of course, but I think she's growing even more than is usual."
"You're right. Maybe she's trying to catch up to the age she was before she died." Haruka chuckled lightly at Michiru's comment, but both knew the comment was serious.
"You're almost certainly right about that. Well, nothing to do but buy the next size up of diapers tomorrow morning."
"Don't you mean later today?" commented Michiru, catching sight of the clock. Haruka looked: it read 2:42 AM.
"I suppose I do. Well, let's go back to bed." Haruka looked at Michiru. "As long as you don't try to seduce me or anything I think we'll be okay if sleep in the same bed. We haven't been in the same bed since the hotel on the way here."
"You're worried I'd try to seduce you at three o'clock in the blessed morning when we've both been woken up for diaper duty with your mother in the next room? Aren't you trusting."
"One of my better qualities."
They finished the night's rest with Hotaru between them in bed. They awoke simultaneously at seven-thirty, both struggling to catch their breath and shivering. They looked at each other.
"Did you..." Haruka began.
"... have a dream?"Michiru finished. Neither needed to answer the question.
"I saw a cold but strong light, full of hatred, headed straight towards Earth."
"Bent on revenge and conquest."
Setsuna came quietly through the door at that moment. "You two, also?"
The girls nodded. "We need to return to Tokyo."
When Sakura came out dressed for her day as a professor of linguistics, she was greeted with the sight of all four girls at the kitchen table, the older three looking thoughtful. "Good morning, Sakura-mama," Haruka greeted. Sakura gazed levelly at her daughter.
"What happened?" The girls looked at each other. Sakura sighed. "You have to return to Tokyo, don't you? To fulfill your responsibilities as a Senshi in some way."
Haruka nodded. "All three of us had the same dream last night. Something is definitely going to happen very soon, by Christmas at the latest is our guess."
"Your foretelling dreams are rather vague, aren't they?" Sakura grimaced. "Perhaps you should work a bit on narrowing down the premonitions of doom you receive, force them to give you more specifics."
"We wish we could, believe me."
"Well, the least I could do is come along to help take care of Hotaru. I guess I'll put in my papers for vacation today and be there as soon as possible with you four. Or do you think you could wait to go to Tokyo until I can go with you?"
Haruka looked at her mother. "You... want to come to Tokyo? To help us take care of Hotaru?"
"Of course. You'll need help if things get messy, won't you? What would you do with Hotaru while you're off fighting whatever creature wants to destroy Earth or steal souls or whatever it want to do this time around? You can't exactly fight with a baby attached to your side."
Haruka looked at her mother and smiled. "Thank you for the offer, but we can't accept. Hotaru is our responsibility. Besides, what if you get caught up in the fight with us and get hurt? You're safer here."
"I don't think that's likely. I trust you and I trust Sailor Moon and the others. Between the two of you, there is no way whoever is trying to do... whatever it is they're trying to do will do it."
Michiru broke in. "We thank you for your vote of confidence, but Haruka is right. It's far too dangerous to bring you in. For all we know, the Senshi may be the specific targets this time. In that case, they may come after Hotaru specifically and what would happen if none of us were around to protect you or Hotaru? We need to keep Hotaru with us for protection. Hotaru may be able to call on her Senshi powers in an emergency or she may not, we simply don't know. If she can't, there is no way you can protect her or she can protect herself or you."
"But how do you expect to take care of an infant and fight? It's impossible. I'm coming, and that's that."
Haruka sighed, but in her heart she was glad.
Yeah! In the next chapter, I'll actually pick up with the official manga timeline, starting with the short story "Princess Kaguya's Lover" that was printed in volume 11 of the manga and was the basis for the S movie. In other words, the other Senshi will show up! Yeah!