(20) Close your eyes and go to sleep
"What are you watching?"
Haruka jumped next to Michiru on the couch, not caring that she spilled some of the popcorn she was holding in her hand. She had spent the last twenty minutes in the bathroom and another ten minutes in the kitchen fighting with the microwave. Finally it was able to give her her dearly loved popcorn.
"Charles Dicken's Christmas Carol." Michiru shook her head as Haruka offered her the still warm bowl.
"The Disney version?"
"No, the Muppets' one." Michiru picked up the remote control before Haruka could take it and watch one of her boring sport mission. Haruka, however, did not mind. She lifted the warm blanket and flitted under it next to her best friend. She already changed into her pyjamas and did not want to get cold.
"Gonzo as Charles Dickens." She shook her head and hugged her popcorn bowl.
"There are bigger sins on the telly than singing puppets."
"But hardly a bigger nose."
"Ruka!"
"What? He has a big nozzle, right?"
"Eat your popcorn and be nice and quiet."
"Hai, Ma'am." Haruka grinned and leaned back on the couch, eating her popcorn and enduring her best friend's taste in Christmas movies. It was late in the evening after a long day. They visited Hotaru at the hospital again and were told by the exciting girl that she would be discharged two days before Christmas. Still she was not completely recovered, but it was safe enough to let her home. She wanted to celebrate Christmas with the persons she loved under a big tree. Her father would be near her all the time just in case that something would happen. But Haruka and Michiru knew that nothing would happen. Sailor Moon could not heal Hotaru's entire illness, but the little girl would never have to suffer another heart attack again.
"It's true where ever you find love, it feels like Christmas…" Sang Michiru silently along to the Ghost of Christmas Present and Michael Caine as a perfect Ebenezer Scrooge. She snickered as Haruka sighed in mock suffering, closed her eyes in surrender and filled her mouth with more popcorn.
Their Christmas tree, a pine, stood right next to the TV set. It looked grey in the living-room's darkness, but Michiru was sure that it would shine once they would decorate it with the electrical candles and the bouncing silver balls. Originally they wanted to decorate it today, but Usagi forbid them to do so when they met her in hospital. She told them that it was tradition to wait till December twenty-third. First Michiru did not want to listened to her. There had never been many Christmas traditions in her family and Haruka had never heard of that particular one, as well, but when they finally returned to their small apartment they felt too tired to decorate their pine. So they decided to obey their future queen's advice and invest their time and strength into hot ramen instead.
Michiru went to take a nice hot bath while she made Haruka do the dishes. The blonde grumbled but did as she was told. Now she even put up with Michiru's personal TV programme. The sea beauty was impressed.
She's been so different since we haven't had to search for Mistress 9 any longer, since she has understood that Hime-chan's not angry with her, since Usagi has told her personally that no one blames her for the happenings during that night when we fought against Mistress 9.
Michiru reached over to the table to gulp her medicine. Her arm hurt again, but she put an ice bag on it to make it shut up. She wanted to watch this movie and not to argue with her injured part of the body.
Or has Haruka always been this way but I have never noticed, because we both were under immense pressure during the past months?
Michiru did not know, but she was more than willing to find out.
It was when the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come appeared that Haruka leaned her head on Michiru's healthy shoulder. The sea beauty almost jumped, because she had been so involved into the movie and into the dark shadow standing before a shaking Scrooge that the sudden touch startled her.
Nani?
She turned her head and saw Haruka leaning against her. The bowl was empty, nevertheless did Haruka hold it tightly in her arms. The blonde was half covered by the blanket, her eyes were closed. Michiru needed some moments to realise that her best friend was fast asleep.
"The movie's not that boring." Whispered the sea senshi but softened the TV set nonetheless. She did not want to wake Haruka so she did not move; she only wrapped her uninjured arm around her sleeping beauty. The day had been exhausting and Michiru suspected that the blonde did not sleep a lot while she had been in hospital. Besides, the room was dark, the blanket warm and Haruka's belly filled, perfect conditions to take a nap.
"Sleep tight, Ruka."
Michiru made herself at home on the couch and concentrated again on the movie showing the deep change in the old miser, Scrooge. Absent-mindedly she caressed through blond hair, not noticing the tired smile on Haruka's face.
Sweet dreams, my Ruka.
It is the season of the heart, a special time of caring, the ways of love made clear.