A very sick little Kiseki lied in her bed, feeling absolutely miserable. As hard as she tried, she couldn't sleep. Every time she started to nod off, she'd start coughing and wheezing. Frustrated and tired, she began to cry.
Michiru heard her daughter's sobs and stood up from the couch. She made her way up the stairs and into Kiseki's room quickly. "Ki-chan," she said quietly as she sat on the edge of her child's bed. "Come here, baby."
Kiseki moved slowly into her mother's arms and rested her head above the woman's heart. Feeling a bit chilly without her blanket, she wrapped her arms around herself.
Michiru held her daughter and lightly stroked her hair, attempting to calm her. Resting her chin on the child's head, she gently rocked the small girl.
Kiseki coughed loudly, pulling her hands up to cover her mouth. She groaned a bit and leaned into her mother, ready to just give up.
Michiru sighed internally. "I wish I could make you feel better," she whispered, tightening her hold on the child. She placed a light kiss on the top of Kiseki's head.
Kiseki lifted her head and looked at her mother through bloodshot and tearful eyes. "Mommy?" she asked, her voice wavering a little.
Michiru looked at her and smiled softly. "What is it, baby?" She loosened her grip a bit and stroked Kiseki's cheek.
The girl sniffed and coughed again before continuing. "Can you sweep wif me, pwease?"
The request, as meaningful as it was childish, made Michiru smile. "Ok, but we can't stay on your bed. We both don't fit."
Kiseki smiled for the first time in a week but it was short-lived as she started coughing again. She felt her mother pick her up and she closed her eyes. Her head was throbbing and she felt more exhausted now than she had earlier.
Michiru carried Kiseki into her and Haruka's room and laid her on the bed. Pulling their blanket up around her daughter, she smiled. "Can you stay here for a second?" When the girl nodded, she bent and kissed Kiseki's forehead then went downstairs to use the phone. "We should really get one for our bedroom," she thought as she sat down on the couch again. Picking up the receiver, she dialed Haruka's cell phone number and waited for a response.
Haruka sat in a meeting with her crew members and manager. He was explaining how important the next race was and she was very bored. She mouthed a silent thank you to the ceiling when she felt her phone vibrate. When she stood from her seat, she was asked where she was going. "My wife's calling. I'll be right back." She left the room and answered the call. "Hey. No, I'm not busy. You saved me from dying of boredom, though. Mijikai-san called a meeting right before I was about to leave. That's why I'm still here. Trust me, it's not because I want to be here. Is she all right? Do you need me to come home now? I will if you need me to. Michi, you need to sleep just as much as she does. You've been awake almost every minute for the last week with her. Ok. I'm on my way." She put the phone back in her pocket and went back into the meeting. "I have to leave," she announced.
Mijikai looked angry. "Why do you have to leave this time, Tenoh?" he screamed.
Haruka glared at him. "My daughter's sick and I have to go home." She knew she was going to have a fight on her hands.
Mijikai shook his head. "That wife of yours can handle it. Now, sit down."
"Excuse me?" Haruka said, the anger blatantly evident in her voice. "My wife has been 'handling it' for the past week while you keep me hostage here." She looked around at her teammates and they all nodded. "Now, I'm going home to take care of my daughter." She turned and reached for the doorknob.
"Tenoh! Get back here!" Mijikai yelled. "If you walk out that door, consider your position on this team terminated."
Haruka turned around and looked him square in the eye. "If you're telling me that I have to choose between racing and my family," she started but stopped altogether. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before starting again. "My daughter means everything in the world to me. I love her more than anything. If I ever have to choose between anything and my family, I will always, always, choose my family." She turned and walked out the door, slamming it behind her. She was sure she was out of a job but she didn't care. Stopping in the hallway, she heard her teammates start yelling. She chuckled then made her way to her car.
Michiru put the phone back on the charger and sighed, thinking of their daughter. She got up and went back to her bedroom to join the child. When she entered the room, she found Kiseki asleep and curled into a ball in the center of the bed. Going over to the bed, she lied down next to her little girl. She smiled a bit when she felt Kiseki snuggle up to her. She held her close and gently rubbed her back until she too fell asleep.
Haruka raced home, thinking about her girls the whole time. "I'm sorry, Ki-chan," she thought aloud as she pulled into the driveway of their home. Leaving all her things in the car, she got out and went inside. Everything was silent and the blonde knew that the two were upstairs and were probably asleep. She quietly made her way up the stairs and peeked into Kiseki's room, only to find it empty. Closing the door, she moved down the hall to the master bedroom and went in silently. She smiled at the sight of her wife and daughter; Michiru lied on her side with Kiseki nestled against her. The silence was broken though when Kiseki coughed and Haruka shook her head. She went over to the empty side – her side – of the bed and lied next to her little girl.
Kiseki stirred a bit and opened her eyes. Although she was facing her mother, she could tell that someone else was in the bed with them. Rolling over, she seen her dad and felt a tiny bit better.
Haruka looked at Kiseki and smiled. "Hi, baby," she whispered. She reached out and lightly ran a hand over her child's head.
Kiseki moved over and hugged her dad as tight as she could. "Stay home?" she pleaded, looking at her dad with her best puppy dog eyes. She had missed her dad terribly during the last two weeks while she was away racing.
Haruka chuckled. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." She hugged her little girl back and kissed her forehead. She let the child go when she started coughing. "Has mommy given you any medicine?"
Kiseki nodded and frowned. "It was yucky, daddy," she said loudly.
Haruka chuckled again and raised a finger to her lips. "Don't wake up mama." She looked over at her wife when she moved a bit. Knowing that she was still asleep, she nodded. "Let's go to sleep ok?"
Kiseki sighed and nodded just before coughing. She moved herself over and snuggled up to her dad.
Haruka wrapped one arm around her baby and held the back of her head gently with her other hand. "I love you, Ki-chan." She gained no response but she didn't mind. She knew that her daughter loved her as well. After a few minutes of complete silence, all three of them were sound asleep.
A few hours later, Michiru slowly woke up. When her eyes focused, she saw the back of her child's head and a patch of darker blonde hair. Smiling, she stretched and sat up.
Since she wasn't really tired when she got back, Haruka wasn't sleeping as hard as she usually did. Michiru's movements woke her easily.
The other woman got up from the bed carefully, trying not to wake her child. She yawned silently as she walked to the bathroom.
Haruka thought for a moment before also leaving the bed. Before she left the room, she bent over and kissed Kiseki's forehead. Sliding out of the bedroom, she closed the door and waited for her wife to enter the hallway.
When Michiru was finished in the bathroom, she decided to go to the basement to work on her music composition that was due to her orchestra conductor in a week. When she opened the door and seen her blonde lover, she smiled. "Welcome home," she said as she moved to hug her wife.
Haruka wrapped her aqua-haired goddess in a tight hug and didn't want to let her go. "You don't know how much I wanted to just leave and come home."
Michiru chuckled. "Probably as much as we wanted you to," she whispered. She laid her head on Haruka's chest and closed her eyes. Feeling the blonde's hand on the back of her head, she sighed contently.
Haruka smiled and closed her eyes as well. Her smiled faded slowly though, unbeknownst to her wife, as she thought of the day's earlier events. "I think I might have lost my position today," she whispered.
Michiru looked at her wife, clearly confused. "What are you talking about?" She let go of the blonde and stepped back to look into her eyes.
"On the team," Haruka explained. "Mijikai said that if I left the meeting, I should consider my position terminated." True to form, she showed no emotion. Inside however, she was beyond nervous. How would she be able to take care of her family?
Michiru sensed the blonde's nervousness and blinked then took the racer's hand. "He won't let you go. You're too good. If it wasn't for you, he'd still be managing the junior circuit."
Haruka sighed and nodded. "You're right. I probably shouldn't worry about it." As much as she hated to admit it, even only to herself, she was probably overreacting.
Michiru gave her trademark smile. "Exactly. You're too valuable, and I don't mean as just a racer either."
Haruka smirked. "I love you, too." She stared into Michiru's eyes for a moment in silent thought. Images of her daughter ran through her mind and she could tell that her wife was thinking of the same thing.
Letting go of the blonde's hand, Michiru turned and walked away, heading for the basement. She needed to get that composition finished.
The taller woman looked perplexed. "Where are you going?" she asked as she followed the aqua-haired girl. She caught up to Michiru quickly and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl's waist, holding her close.
Michiru chuckled. "I have a piece to finish," she said quietly. She turned her head up to look into Haruka's eyes. After a moment, she turned in her wife's embrace and put her arms around the older girl's neck.
Haruka gave a fake pout. "I've been gone for more than two weeks and you want to work on music? I see how it is." She loosened her arms and made to turn away but was stopped by Michiru placing a hand on her cheek.
The artist smiled at her wife and chuckled lightly. "I'm sorry." She pulled Haruka's face closer to her own and kissed her lightly. She felt Haruka hug her gently and sighed, breaking the kiss. "I'm glad you're home. I really am, but I have to get this done in a few days."
Haruka smiled and laughed quietly. "I can imagine. Honestly, with Ki-chan being as sick as she is, I'm surprised you've gotten any work done at all." The admiration in her eyes shown brightly but there was still a hint of worry.
Michiru shrugged. "We all have to make sacrifices sometimes, right? I'd usually work when she fell asleep for the night." She pulled Haruka closer and laid her head on the blonde's chest.
"You shouldn't do that to yourself, Michi," Haruka chimed. "You're not as invincible as you think you are." She scoffed and continued. "I'm one to talk." She closed her eyes and thought of all the near-misses she's had on and off the track.
Michiru looked up at the blonde. "Ruka, even though we're senshi, we're both still human. People aren't perfect, no matter what they think." She sensed Haruka's thoughts and they frightened her. "We all do our best at everything. That's all that is asked of us. You and I are no different. Kiseki will be the same. She just needs examples to follow." She hugged the blonde tighter. "No matter how many times you might almost crash or almost fail, she'll always follow you. I don't think she really cares if you make a mistake. She adores you." She chuckled. "She's not the only one."
Haruka had to chuckle at Michiru's last comment. "I know, and you're right." She moved her hand up to stroke Michiru's hair. A few minutes later, she let her wife go. "I'm still kind of tired. I'll leave you alone to your work." She moved forward and kissed Michiru's forehead.
The musician laughed. "I thought you didn't want to be alone after being gone for sixteen days."
Haruka chuckled. "I have Kiseki to keep me company. Besides, she shouldn't really be upstairs by herself right now. She'll probably panic if she wakes up and no one's around."
Michiru nodded. "Yeah, you're right." She sighed, wishing she had some magical way to make her daughter feel better. "Ok. I have work to do, so go take care of Kiseki."
Haruka smirked. "All right. Let me know if you need any suggestions?" She gained a nod as a response and nodded herself.
Both of them turned and headed for their respective destinations. Before her dad reached the bedroom, Kiseki woke up. Looking around, she found herself alone and wanted to cry. When she seen her dad come back inside, all tears dissipated but she still felt horrible.
Haruka looked at her daughter and frowned. "Hey, kid. Feeling any better?" She bent over and picked Kiseki up after she shook her head. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she cradled the girl close to her chest, rocking her gently. "Go back to sleep, baby." She watched as her child closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep.
The young girl's head was pounding and her entire body ached. She turned slightly in her dad's arms, wrapping her arms around herself.
Haruka felt a small shiver and stopped rocking her baby. "Are you cold?" There was a tiny nod and Haruka laid Kiseki back down on the bed. She pulled the comforter up and covered the girl. Getting under the blanket herself, she felt Kiseki moving closer to her. She held her daughter loosely. "Oyasumi, Ki-chan."
AN: Call it writer's etiquette, but don't you think it's rude to read a fic and not review? No matter what's thought, it's a common courtesy to leave a comment on a piece. Please review.