-Michiru-
Michiru was waiting in front of her condo, when a small minibus pulled up in front of her.
"Good morning Michiru." Taiki greeted her as he got off and opened her the door.
"Good morning Taiki." Michiru greeted him back with a graceful smile.
"Good morning Michiru." Setsuna and Kakyuu greeted her from the inside.
"Good morning Setsuna. Good morning Kakyuu. Where is the rest?" Michiru asked the other passengers.
"Oh, they all had a sleep over at Usagi's, to make sure she will be ready today and we are on the way to them right now to check if they were successful." Kakyuu explained with a wink.
"I see." Michiru chuckled.
They made their way to Usagi's house, to pick up the rest of the girls, before heading to the airport.
"Where are Haruka and the other boys?" Minako asked Taiki, after everyone was sitting safely inside the minibus.
"They went ahead with Hotaru. She was so excited to fly, she hardly let any of us sleep." Taiki sighed.
"We are flying?" Chibiusa asked excitedly.
"Yes, driving to Hokkaido seemed to be a bit too much to ask of you and Hotaru-chan." Kakyuu explained whike smiling at the toddler.
Taiki pulled up to a special entrance and identified himself to the security guards.
"This isn't the entry way to the main terminals." Ami noted as they were granted access.
"Oh, we couldn't be sure when you ladies would be ready, so we are taking the company jet to stay flexible." Taiki explained.
"Why don't we have a private jet?" Rei asked Setsuna.
"That, you will have to ask Kakashi." Setsuna deflected.
Taiki drove into a hanger where Haruka and Kakashi were already waiting, dressed in full Pilot uniforms and talking to the engineer.
"Haruka-papa, Haruka-papa, they are here, they are here." Hotaru called excitedly from the entrance door of the jet and Haruka just waved to them shortly before she turned back to the engineer.
"Like what you see?" Setsuna asked Michiru as she noticed how her friend let her eyes travel up and down Haruka's figure, while passing Setsuna her bag from the minibus storage area.
"I could ask you the same." Michiru smirked.
"What can I say. I have a weakness for men in uniform." Setsuna shrugged easily.
"You do have a point there." Michiru chuckled.
Kakashi came over and welcomed them while Haruka signed some papers.
"If everybody could just get on board in an orderly manner and grab a seat. I am sure the stewards on board will be happy to help you out if you have any questions." Kakashi said evenly, before he entered the jet ahead of them and disappeared in the cockpit.
Michiru entered the spacious aircraft, after everyone else, and everybody excitedly took a seat next to a window while Seiya and Yaten helped them to stow their luggage in the back.
"Michiru-nee. Michiru-nee! Here is a free seat." Hotaru waved at the seat behind hers.
"Thank you Hotaru-chan" Michiru caressed the little girl's head before she sat down.
Haruka finally entered the plane and walked towards the cockpit while Seiya and Yaten closed the door behind her.
Michiru watched Haruka from afar, sitting down in the pilot seat and taking off her Pilot hat, revealing her messy yet soft looking blonde hair, before going through the checklists with Kakashi again.
Eventually Haruka's mischievous voice came through the intercom. "Welcome to a special flight with Sora airlines. This is your captain speaking. Please buckle up as the seatbelt lights have been turned on and stay buckled up, for as long as the lights are on, as we are getting ready for take-off. This will be a short 90-minute flight, therefore I recommend for you to stay seated as long as the seatbelt lights are on and to enjoy the view. All toddlers who move from their seats unsupervised and unauthorised, for any other reasons than a toilet break, will lose their desserts for the whole stay in Hokkaido. In case of an emergency landing or a crash, be assured that the lifejacket in the compartment under your seats is not going to soften the impact, they are merely there for decorative purposes as much as our stewards are, therefore we will skip the usual emergency instructions and point out that we do have snacks and drinks in the compartment under your armrests, for you to freely enjoy them at your leisure. In the name of the crew, I wish you a pleasant flight." Haruka finished with her trademark chuckle and the plane reached its take-off position on the runway.
Hotaru was very calm in front of Michiru, as she followed all instructions.
"Are you ok there Hotaru?" Michiru asked as she leaned forward.
"Of course. Haruka-papa is flying us after all" The little girl grinned broadly.
"Is this your first flight?" Michiru asked Hotaru.
"No, Haruka-papa dropped me off at Kindergarten with the helicopter once when we were running late." Hotaru told Michiru proudly.
The jet took off smoothly and soon they were high above the city, flying north towards Hokkaido. Hotaru was practically glued to the window, as the rose higher and higher into the sky, and was asking Chibiusa, who was sitting on the seat just on the other side of the jet if she saw all the same things that Hotaru did.
"Hey Seiya, is this really your jet?" Minako asked the black haired man who sat in front of Hotaru.
"Well, if you mean with 'your' as in Sora inc. then yes. It is convenient to have it around when you have a boss as impulsive as Haruka." Seiya smirked.
"I want my own jet, then I could just visit Mamoru whenever I wanted to." Usagi sighed next to Michiru.
"You could always ask Haruka for a job." Seiya chuckled. "We are free to use it whenever it isn't needed for a mission." He explained.
"Really?" Usagi asked incredulously.
"Yep. We are just barely using it because 'free' is not a word you will remember the meaning of when you have signed your soul over to Haruka and we hardly ever have the chance or the time to goof off." Yaten stated evenly.
-Atsuko-
Atsuko Yamaguchi was enjoying her tea, peacefully in the living room, when her oldest grandchild, Hiroshi, came to her a bit flustered.
"Obaa-chan, you have a visitor downstairs." He informed her.
"Who is it, Hiroshi?" She asked him in her usual kind manner.
"It is Tenoh, Takashi." Hiroshi told her nervous.
"I see. I will be coming down with you." The old woman stood up and followed her grandson downstairs to their small establishment, where a tall, strict looking man in a perfectly tailored suit with completely white hair was standing and waiting for her.
"Welcome Tenoh-san. Please have a seat." Atsuko gestured to a table nearby.
The old man nodded and sat down before Atsuko joined him.
"Hiroshi, please tell Kyoko to bring us tea." Atsuko instructed her grandchild.
"That won't be necessary, Hiroshi-kun." Takashi interrupted his counterpart. "I am not going to stay long. I have only come to enquire where Haruka is." Takashi said coldly, with no change in his stoic demeanour.
"I still want tea Hiroshi, you may just bring me some tea then, since our guests insists on not having any." Atsuko continued calmly.
"Where is she?" Takashi asked.
"She is not here." Atsuko pointed out the obvious.
"So where is she now?" Takashi demanded to know.
"What is it to you?" Atsuko asked in return.
"I have come to take back the tower." Takashi stated calmly.
"You are welcome to try, though for your own sake, I recommend you to refrain from doing so. You should not take what isn't yours." Atsuko replied in an even manner.
"Do you really think her servants could stop me?" Takashi asked coldly.
"I doubt that she sees the boys as her servants, but if it puts your mind at ease, they are not here either." Atsuko informed Takashi evenly.
"It belongs to my son." Takashi replied with a hint of annoyance.
"And your son left it to his child." Atsuko smirked as Kyoko brought her a cup of tea. "Thank you, Kyoko-chan. Please return to helping your brother with the preparations for tonight." Atsuko dismissed her grandchild.
"You are disrespecting your ancestors with this defiance. You are my servant and you are going to let me in there." Takashi demanded.
"I will tell you, what I tell you every year Takashi. My family might have been serving your family for generations, but we have never been your servants. My great grandfather might have chosen to serve by your great grandfather's side, but I chose to follow your son and I choose your grandchild over you any day. Wasn't it you, who said, not all Tenohs are born equal?" Atsuko asked calmly.
"Seems that applies to Yamaguchis as well." Takashi frowned.
"It does, but unlike you, we desire peace over power." Atsuko drank from her tea.
"Power brings peace." Takashi argued.
"No, peace brings peace." Atsuko disagreed. "Power has the duty to preserve it but the hunger for power always destroys it." Atsuko added unapologetic.
-Haruka-
They soon reached Hokkaido and Haruka got ready for landing.
"Everyone please get ready for landing." Haruka spoke into the microphone before calling the tower for landing permission.
The landing itself went smoothly and Haruka parked in the allocated hanger before speaking into the microphone again.
"Welcome to Hokkaido. Since we are borrowing a parking spot with the JDF, there will be some formalities that still need to be finished before we can disembark, therefore everybody, please stay seated until Kakashi gives the ok to get up." Haruka instructed her passengers.
"I will do the check-ups, so go ahead and greet the major for me as well." Kakashi smiled as he went through the checklist.
Haruka put on her uniform's jacket and the hat before she headed out.
Outside, a slightly shorter man than herself with a seasoned face and robust build, greeted her and she saluted him in return.
"Welcome to Hokkaido Lieutenant Tenoh." He said in his firm voice.
"Thank you for having us, Major Yukimura." Haruka responded gratefully.
"You haven't change one bit since I have seen you last." Taro Yukimura commented as he looked her up and down.
"But it seems that Hokkaido is becoming you well Major." Haruka grinned. "Seems you have enjoyed a lot of snow crabs this year." Haruka snickered.
"Well, they are irresistible to me." Yukimura chuckled while he rubbed his stomach. "The vehicles that you have asked for, are outside of the civilian terminals, as requested." He informed her.
"Oh you are spoiling me Major." Haruka smirked and waved to Kakashi. "Please feel free to drop by while we are around. I am sure my uncle would enjoy having you around for dinner." Haruka invited Taro.
"I will see what night I can free up for that. Be sure to save me a seat a table." Taro nodded.
-Michiru-
They had arrived at the Ryokan a while ago and, after a good lunch, Michiru had finally settled in her room when she heard a timid knock at her door.
"Come in" She called.
"Michiru-nee, it's me, Hotaru." Hotaru called before she opened the door.
"What's wrong Hotaru-chan?" Michiru asked.
"Hugo has gone lost." Hotaru was close to tears.
"Where did you see him last?" Michiru asked Hotaru concerned.
"He was with me on the bus and then we came in. Chibiusa and I got changed into our yukatas and then we had lunch. I remember he was sitting next to me and then Chibiusa and I went playing with Usagi-nee and Mamoru-ji and then suddenly Hugo was gone." Hotaru sniffled.
"Have you asked Haruka if she has seen him?" Michiru suggested.
"I can't find Haruka-papa either." Now Hotaru was definitely fighting her tears, with all the might a four-year-old could muster.
Michiru picked up the little girl and wiped her face.
"Let's go and look for Hugo together." Michiru suggested and Hotaru nodded.
They started to trace all of Hotaru's steps and eventually returned empty handed to the room that Haruka and Hotaru shared, that was next to Michiru's.
Hotaru had cried so much she had fallen asleep in Michiru's arms and Michiru wanted to put her to sleep in her room when she noticed a shadow on the porch in front of it. After putting Hotaru down on the futon she silently slid open the door and noticed that Haruka sitting there. The blonde had fallen asleep there, with Hugo in her arm and next to her tea.
Carefully she lifted the blonde's arm to remove the bear and put it next to the sleeping Hotaru.
She then returned, with a thin sheet, to Haruka and covered the blonde's sleeping figure before sitting down next to her, to make sure she wouldn't fall over.
-Haruka-
"Michiru-nee, Michiru-nee Hugo came back!" Hotaru called out excitedly and woke Haruka up.
"Isn't that wonderful Hotaru." Michiru's gentle voice came from very nearby.
"What?" Haruka asked sleepily and noticed that she was lying on the porch, resting her head on the most comfortable pillow there was, Michiru's thigh.
"Look Haruka-papa, Hugo!" Hotaru held her teddy into Haruka's face.
"Yes, I can see Hugo." Haruka confirmed as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?" Haruka asked, with sleep still lacing herwords.
"It's three in the afternoon." Michiru answered.
"Sorry for having kept you here for so long" Haruka apologised sheepishly.
"That is fine, I wanted to rest for a bit and drink tea anyway." Michiru smiled gently and Haruka noticed that Michiru had finished Haruka's tea.
"Hotaru, it's time for your nap." Haruka pulled the little girl into her lap.
"But Haruka-papa, I already did nap, right Michiru-nee?" Hotaru refused.
"She did?" Haruka asked incredulously.
"Yes she did." Michiru confirmed.
"So what am I supposed to do with you until sundown?" Haruka asked Hotaru.
"We could go to the purple fields that I saw from the plane" Hotaru suggested.
"We will go there nice and early tomorrow." Haruka explained.
"So what will we do now?" Hotaru asked.
"Well, today was supposed to be there to get settled and rest." Haruka answered.
"So we could go to the Onsen together like the others or we could ask Chibiusa if she wants to play with us or you could show me the surprise you talked about." Hotaru suggested.
"The surprise has to wait for after the sun has gone down, so after dinner, but we can go for a walk around town now and get some ice cream if you like." Haruka offered.
"Michiru-nee is coming, too, right? And can we take Chibiusa along as well?" Hotaru asked.
"Sure." Haruka nodded.
"I will go and call her." Hotaru said excitedly as she got up.
"Ok, but we will go and get her together." Haruka said firmly and got up, too. "Are you coming?" Haruka turned to Michiru and offered her a hand.
"How could I say no to ice cream?" Michiru chuckled.
-Michiru-
They spent a comfortable afternoon with each other. Mamoru and his family joined them on the small stroll around town and of course everyone got ice cream. When they eventually returned for dinner, Hotaru had been telling everyone so excitedly about the surprise Haruka had planned for her after dinner, that everyone wanted to join in as well and were now waiting in front of the Ryokan, for the blonde to pick them up. Haruka eventually came out with Hotaru by her side, both dressed in fresh Yukatas and they all started to walk towards the woods.
"Where are we going?" Hotaru kept asking.
"It's a surprise." Haruka kept answering.
"Will it be scary?" Chibiusa asked worried.
"I don't think it is scary." Haruka chuckled.
"But you are brave Haruka." Usagi interjected.
"And you have Mamoru right by your side." Haruka responded calmly.
They walked for good ten minutes until they could hear a small stream gurgling nearby and suddenly they saw it. Hundreds of fireflies were either sitting on the plants nearby or flying over the creek.
"See Hime-chan, many, many little Hotarus" Haruka leaned down, picked up the little girl and put Hotaru onto her shoulders so she could see them better.
"Wow, so many." Hotaru was astounded.
The other girls were surprised as well and eagerly walked towards the small bridge that Haruka was heading to.
"How did you know of this place?" Setsuna asked as she walked next to Kakashi.
"Mum and dad used to take my brother and me here, every summer, when we were little." Haruka answered casually.
"This is really beautiful." Michiru said amazed as she reached the bridge.
"Not as beautiful as you." Haruka whispered offhandedly, yet smooth into her ear as the blonde passed her by to show Hotaru the little fireflies, in the tree next to Michiru, a little closer.
Michiru watched Haruka's back as Hotaru tried to catch a firefly and Usagi stepped up to her.
"Haruka always knows the best places around." Usagi commented.
"That, she does." Michiru agreed.
"Haruka might look rough and tough on the outside, but inside she is very sensitive and yet impulsive." Usagi said pensively.
"What makes you say that?" Michiru asked her curiously.
"Haruka may look like nothing could get to her, but history has shown over and over again, a very different side of her. Just be careful when you do get involved with her. Haruka might forgive, but she never forgets." Usagi said cryptically before she re-joined her family.
"Haruka-papa, can I take it home with us?" Hotaru asked Haruka as she held a tiny firefly in her hand.
"Hime-chan, if you truly care for it, then you need to let it go home to its family, don't you?" Haruka asked the little girl on her shoulders.
"That is true. Can we come again tomorrow and visit them again though, right?" Hotaru asked slightly sad.
"Of course we can." Haruka assured her.
After a while, Yaten suggested for them to head back and everyone regrouped before heading back to the Ryokan.
They had barely arrived at the Ryokan, when Michiru noticed that Hotaru had fallen asleep on Haruka's shoulders and suggested to help the blonde to get little girl down, once they reached her room without waking the child up.
They were standing in the dark room together when Michiru carefully lifted Hotaru off Haruka's shoulders before changing the little girl into her sleeping shirt and placing her onto the futon.
"Thank you for your help" Haruka whispered into Michiru's ear, once Hotaru was safely tugged in and they were standing on the porch that connected both rooms.
"You are welcome." Michiru whispered in return, enjoying the closeness and inhaling the smell of Haruka's clothes.
"About earlier, thanks for letting me sleep so long and looking after Hotaru for me and, ehm, sorry for all the hassle I am causing you" Haruka continued mumbling.
Michru looked deeply Haruka's eyes and suddenly remembered the last time Haruka had uttered an apology to her. She was overcome with so much gratitude that the blonde was alive and well, that she couldn't help herself, but just hug the sheepish blonde tightly.
"Never scare my like that again." Michiru whispered into Haruka's shoulder.
"Ok." Haruka agreed.
-Haruka-
It was five in the morning and Hotaru was still deep asleep, which probably gave Haruka another two solid hours, before the toddler would get up and would start looking for her.
She silently walked out of the room and towards the hot springs.
On the way, she bumped into Mamoru who headed into the same direction.
"Is Hotaru still sleeping?" Mamoru asked with a yawn.
"Yep, you look like you still need some extra snooze yourself." Haruka chuckled.
"Nuh, once Usagi and Chibiusa are up, I can wave my me time goodbye and there is no way that I would be able to enjoy the hot springs in peace." Mamoru sighed.
"I don't envy you." Haruka chuckled before each entered the entrance to the hot spring specified for their gender.
No one was around and Haruka enjoyed the serenity, as she took off her clothes and stored them the basket provided, before proceeding to the cleaning stations.
"Hey, Haruka." Mamoru called over as she was sitting down on one of the small stools and filled a bucket with hot water.
"What is it?" Haruka called back.
"Anyone on your side?" Mamoru asked.
"Nope. Your side?" Haruka asked back.
"Nope." Mamoru chuckled.
Haruka washed herself thoroughly, being extra careful around her fresh scars, before she entered the hot water with a sigh.
The surrounding wasn't quite awake yet and even the birds made only timid attempts on waking up the world.
"Have I thanked you yet for getting Usagi and Chibiusa here?" Mamoru asked across the bamboo screen that separated the pools.
"About three times by now. What do you really want?" Haruka chuckled.
"Just want to let you know that I am grateful." Mamoru laughed.
"Dude, we have been friends for ages now, there is no need to thank for every little thing we do for one another." Haruka smirked.
"What are you doing tonight, after we have gone to the lavender fields and flower parks?" Mamoru asked.
"I promised Hotaru to visit her name sakes again." Haruka informed Mamoru on the other side.
"Do you mind taking Chibiusa along with you?" Mamoru asked tentatively.
"Uh huh, so this is the real reason why you woke up so early." Haruka snickered. "You need a baby sitter." Haruka chuckled.
"One day, when you are a parent, you will see what I mean. Right now, you do not understand how hard it has been, and still is, to get some alone time with Usagi, since Chibiusa is around." Mamoru sighed
"Oh please, right now I am a full time working single parent. So please feel free to enlighten me about all your hardships that you have with your loving wife and adorable child." Haruka laughed.
"You are an on and off full time parent with flexible working hours, who has an entire entourage that adores Hotaru-chan and that would look after her any time you needed them to." Mamoru corrected Haruka. "You still get laid whenever you feel like it." Mamoru added with envy.
"Is that jealousy I hear? Or is the pressure down there already that high?" Haruka asked chuckling.
"Don't you dare to show off all the hot sex you are having, while I can't even get a private moment with Usagi." Mamoru grumbled.
"I would never do such a thing and you know it." Haruka replied evenly.
"You don't have to. I have seen the looks that Michiru and the female servants here have been giving you." Mamoru noted.
"You are imagining things." Haruka waved off Mamoru's comment easily. "And you know what? The statistics say: people in steady relationships get way more physical attention than the unattached, and you can't get any more unattached than me." Haruka laughed.
"You are the worst liar I know." Mamoru sighed.
"And here I thought you knew your uncle as well. Anyway, you could have all of that as well, if you would return to your father's fold." Haruka remarked.
"There is no way in which I would expose Usagi and Chibiusa to my family more than absolutely necessary. My mother still hates Usagi and my father and I are really still not on speaking terms since I left them for her." Mamoru said apathetically.
"Ok, I will be taking Chibiusa tonight, so you can offset the imbalance I cause in that statistic, but I expect you to be well dressed by the time I drop your child off again tomorrow morning. There is absolutely no need to traumatise anyone before breakfast." Haruka sighed.
"Chibiusa takes baths with us all the time." Mamoru stated evenly.
"I wasn't talking about her." Haruka said dryly. "You know that Usagi is still an innocent child in my eyes and I really prefer to keep it that way." Haruka added.
"Oh, she is far from innocent." Mamoru chuckled.
"One more word and I will break my iron rule on kiss and tell and describe you in detail what your sister did to me on your wedding day." Haruka said evenly.
"How dare you, I trusted you." Mamoru called out in return.
"You trusted me so much that you didn't even tell me that she was your sister." Haruka smirked.
"Fine. We will be decent by the time you come around." Mamoru caved.
"See, that wasn't so difficult." Haruka snickered. "And just for the record, Hiroko came onto me." Haruka chuckled.
"Of course she did." Mamoru groaned and Haruka laughed.
-Yaten-
Yaten was sitting at his laptop and was going through the security reports of the tower.
"Anything unusual?" Seiya asked as he came out of the bathroom.
"Not really, just the usual sad attempts to infiltrate." Yaten said bored.
"Did you up the security, like Haruka asked you to?" Seiya enquired as he got dressed.
"Yep, even added more dogs to all the tunnels and who ever passes them gets electrocuted by the new gates or riddled with bullets by the new shooting system." Yaten said evenly.
"No mercy this time?" Seiya asked surprised.
"There is, I put a new warning in the front of all gates and I leave the rest to Darwinism. We can't save them all." Yaten remarked. "What about you? How was the scouting?" Yaten asked curiously.
"All clear as usual. Just wanted to double check since we are not doing anything in particular anyway." Seiya shrugged easily.
"By the way, Haruka's grandfather had visited Atsuko-obaa-chan yesterday." Yaten stated annoyed.
"It's the time of the year again." Seiya sighed.
"Should I tell Haruka?" Yaten asked.
"Maybe after breakfast." Seiya suggested.
-Michiru-
As promised, Haruka and Taiki drove everyone to the parks and lavender fields and everyone enjoyed themselves, walking in between the flowers and taking pictures at every given opportunity to commemorate their time together there. Especially Hotraru and Chibiusa enjoyed running around and smelling all the different flowers as well as watching the bumblebees hard at work. Haruka had taken out her professional digital camera and took pictures of everyone while they enjoyed themselves, but her favourite motif seemed to be Hotaru and the little girl obliged by smiling wide on each picture, pointing out all her new discoveries or simply enjoying herself with whomever was around, especially with Chibiusa.
Soon it was lunch time and Haruka had reserved them tables at a special restaurant that had an open desserts buffet.
"How come I am not surprised that they have a whole lot of different desserts here?" Michiru chuckled as they entered.
"Haruka, are you sure we can have as many desserts as we like after lunch?" Usagi tried to confirm with Haruka.
"Yes, I am pretty sure. I can especially recommend the little cheesecakes with the forget-me-nots." Haruka laughed.
"Haruka-papa, can I have more than one then?" Hotaru asked with big eyes.
"Yes, but only if you have finished your lunch first." Haruka said firmly.
The owner of the establishment welcomed them and they got seated at tables that overlooked the big garden.
The staff took their orders and soon they were served various specialities of the region.
Even during lunch, Haruka couldn't help but snap pictures every time she saw that something looked interesting or was about to happen.
"You really enjoy taking pictures, don't you Haruka?" Michiru commented as she sat opposite to Haruka and ate her lunch.
"Well certain moments only come once and Hotaru will only be so little once. I want her to be able to revisit all her happy times at any time she wants to." Haruka explained after she had snapped another picture of Hotaru struggling with her ramen noodles and put the camera aside again. "How about you Michiru, don't you want to take pictures?" Haruka asked in return.
"I am." Michiru tapped at her temple. "I do it with my eyes and heart." Michiru chuckled. "Being in the moment, captures a lot more than a camera can capture." Michiru explained.
"That is true." Haruka nodded in agreement. "It is still nice to capture some of it though, especially when it is funny." Haruka grinned.
They finished lunch with few but pleasant chats and soon moved on to the desserts.
Especially Usagi and Minako were keen on trying all the small desserts on display and Makoto was keen on discovering new flavours and combinations. Even Seiya, who usually avoided desserts, tried the strawberry shortcake and the cheesecake Haruka had spoken of earlier.
Hotaru had her second dessert when Haruka's phone rang and she excused herself from the table to take the call.
"Michiru-nee, can I have another dessert?" Hotaru asked innocently when Haruka was out of ear shot.
"Hotaru, you haven't even finished the one you are having right now." Michiru reminded the little girl.
"But when I am done, can I have another one?" Hotaru tried to negotiate with her puppy eyes.
"Ok, but just a small one." Michiru gave in with a sigh.
When Michiru took Hotaru to the dessert counter, she watched Haruka talking on the phone outside and noticed that the frown on Haruka's usually carefree face grew ever deeper, the longer the conversation lasted.
-Haruka-
When Haruka returned to the table, Michiru had taken hold of her camera and took pictures of Hotaru, devouring another small cake.
"I thought you preferred to be in the moment rather than taking snapshots of it." Haruka smirked when she sat down again and resumed eating her own dessert.
"I just wanted to make sure that you do not miss Hotaru's childhood either." Michiru winked.
"Ah, is that so?" Haruka chuckled as she slowly finished her cheesecake.
"Are you going to have another one Haruka-papa?" Hotaru asked curiously.
"How many have you had so far?" Haruka asked suspiciously and Hotaru slowly raised her hands with three fingers sticking into the air.
"Which one do you want to try?" Haruka sighed.
"The cherry cake and the peach pudding." Hotaru said hesitantly.
"But you are full aren't you?" Haruka suspected.
"Only a bit." Hotaru admitted sheepishly.
"Ok, so when I get those, would you like a bite to try them?" Haruka offered while Hotaru beamed and nodded vigorously.
Haruka sighed and joined Taiki at the dessert counter.
"You don't strike me as someone who'd have more than one cake." Haruka said evenly as she stood next to him.
"And you don't strike me as a person who could be this glum, in the face of so many little cakes and puddings." Taiki returned calmly. "How bad is it?" Taiki asked quietly as he leaned in, to have a closer look at the peach puddings.
"It is being handled but grandfather has detonated one of the remote tunnels that he has found." Haruka said through gritted teeth.
"Do you want to go home?" Taiki suggested.
"No, we can get that fixed when we get back. There has been no breach of any inner perimeters and right now he is just fishing for weak spots. I wanted to close that tunnel anyway." Haruka said offhandedly. "I want the security around us here heightened though. But we are on holidays and we have Hotaru and the others around, so I contacted the major to lend us a hand." Haruka informed the tall brunette who just nodded.
Returning to the table with a peach pudding, a cherry cake and a mochi with special bean filling, Haruka grinned wide to cover her underlying concerns and offered Hotaru a bite of each while she refilled her tea cup with more tea.
-Michiru-
Towards the end of the day, everyone was exhausted from all the walking and they headed back to the Ryokan. While they were driving back, Haruka told everyone that on the next day there would be a festival in the small town that they were staying in with summer fireworks. So to preserve energy for that, there wouldn't be any program during the day, but everyone should just stay within the perimeters of the Ryokan to rest up. While they had dinner Haruka suggested for Chibiusa and Hotaru to have a sleepover in her room, after visiting the fireflies, and both kids excitedly hopped up and down.
"I thought you had already forgotten about our arrangement." Mamoru sighed with relief next to Haruka.
"I keep my word." Haruka said evenly as she sipped on her tea. "Anyway, does anyone else want to join for the fireflies again?" Haruka asked cheerfully but since only Hotaru and Chibiusa got carried around all day, everyone else was too tired to join.
"Well, if it is like that I better join you." Michiru proposed.
"Don't you trust me with two toddlers?" Haruka asked slightly offended.
"No, I am more worried that all three kids will get over excited and might fall into the creek while chasing fireflies." Michiru chuckled.
After bidding everyone a goodnight and making the kids brush their teeth before they would go and see the fireflies, Haruka, the two kids and herself made their way to the creek again. With both kids between them, they slowly walked towards the creek and Hotaru and Chibiusa happily chatted away about all the things they had seen today.
"How often did your parents take you here when you were young?" Michiru asked Haruka casually, as they reached the creek.
"They took us every year, since dad tended to get sick during the rainy season." Haruka responded unguarded. "Later on, Kakashi-ji would take us once in a while, but he was most of the time too busy with work, so we would stay over at Yamaguchi's for the summer holidays or join Kakyuu and her family for their vacations." Haruka explained. "How about yourself, any fond holiday memories?" Haruka asked in return.
"You could say we travelled too much when I was a kid and it was a lot of times hard for me to tell when holidays started and school had ended for the year." Michiru reminisced while they watched the kids catching fireflies in the bushes.
Eventually all the excitement of the day caught up with the two little children and Haruka had to carry Hotaru, while Michiru carried Chibiusa, back to the Ryokan.
After tugging both children into a futon, Haruka invited Michiru for a drink onto the porch, after she had changed into the more comfortable yukata.
"No tea this time?" Michiru asked as Haruka poured her a small cup of sake.
"I might drink tea all the time to relax and be a tea aficionado, but there is a time and space for tea and time and space for other pleasures." Haruka chuckled. "Thanks again for helping me with the kids." Haruka raised her cup appreciatively and Michiru raised her cup in return before both drank.
"What kind of arrangement did you and Mamoru talk about earlier?" Michiru asked curiously.
"Oh, he asked me to take Chibiusa off his hands so he could have some alone time with Usagi" Haruka chuckled.
"Oh" it dawned on Michiru.
"Do you mind if I smoke?" Haruka asked as she pulled out a silver Kiseru from her sleeve and small tobacco box.
"I suppose I don't, as long it is out here." Michiru gave permission.
"I know it is a bad habit." Haruka snickered as she rolled a small ball of tobacco and filled the pipe with it.
"So if you know it is bad, why do you do it?" Michiru asked sceptically.
"It makes me feel less alone." Haruka explained before she lit it with a match, took a couple of puffs and then blew a ring into the air.
"My dad used to do this when I was little, only when my mum wasn't watching, to unwind and later my brother and I competed to do it when we would come here." Haruka chuckled as she leaned back and looked up the starry sky and after the ring of smoke that she had created, slowly disappearing into the darkness.
"What would your mother do when she caught him smoking?" Michiru asked curiously.
"Tell him off, of course." Haruka laughed as she took another sip of her sake. "She called it my dad's unhealthy oral affixation." Haruka said chuckling with a melancholic look in her eyes.
"She could have just occupied him with something better." Michiru suggested.
"And that would be?" Haruka asked curiously.
Michiru reached over to Haruka's face and kissed the blonde deep.
"This is also pretty relaxing, makes you feel less lonely and it is a lot healthier than smoking." Michiru said evenly as she looked deep into surprised and unguarded teal eyes.
-Haruka-
Haruka was dumbstruck as she slowly drowned in those beautiful blue eyes of Michiru's. She had just experienced the most intoxicating kiss that she could remember, from the most beautiful person alive that she knew of. The beauty still had her soft hands on Haruka's cheeks and wasn't pulling away despite all the bad sites that she had seen of Haruka so far.
Haruka wanted more and leaned in for another kiss, but just in that moment Michiru's phone rang loudly from her room.
"I better get that before the kids wake up." Michiru said smiling gently, before she stood up and Haruka could just look after her siren as Michiru disappeared in her room.
Taking a moment to catch herself again, she poured herself another cup of sake and downed it in one go.
'For goodness sake's Haruka, get a hold of yourself.' Haruka scolded herself. 'Hotaru and Chibiusa are just in the room behind you.' Haruka thought to herself.
Suddenly she heard the dreaded name that made her stomach sink, escaping from the lips of the siren that had taken hold of her soul.
"Hello Daniel." Haruka could hear Michiru say melodiously on the phone and suddenly all the butterflies in her stomach turned into heavy stones.
'Right…. there was something…. Or better someone' Haruka sighed to herself as she watched the tobacco in her pipe slowly burn out.
She could hear Michiru walking into the bathroom, to talk in private and Haruka emptied the ashes into a small ashtray, that lay ready for her on the porch, before she opened her tobacco box again, to roll another ball of the finely chopped tobacco.
'Why would she need to hide the conversation from me?' Haruka asked herself and, at the same time, she knew very well that she had no right to ask for the reasons.
The only reason why anyone ever called up Haruka at this hour, was when something was about to go sideways or was already scraping at rock bottom and needed rescuing.
She really shouldn't begrudge Michiru for having someone who cares for her, to call her up at this time of the night. It was only natural for him to call eventually, since he has been doing it for the past days since the council meeting was over anyway.
'Maybe she just wanted to be quiet, so not to wake the kids' a small and hopeful voice suggested in the back of Haruka's mind, but that didn't really matter.
Haruka knew that Daniel was the sensible choice, the one with more prospects, options and most importantly, more safety on his side.
She stuffed the tobacco slightly absent minded into her pipe before she took another match out of the box and struck it. Watching the flame burst to life and slowly shrink, she thought to herself that the kiss was probably just that, a small outburst of desire.
She lit her pipe again and took several small puffs to get it going.
There was no future for Michiru and her, just the present, she thought bitterly as she took a long drag and blew a big ring into the air.
'Ne, Haruto, we truly suck in the matter of love, don't we?' Haruka silently asked the into the night's sky as she watched how a small breeze slowly wiped her ring of smoke away.
With the long silver kiseru in one hand, but still hanging off her lips, she poured herself another cup of sake with the other.
'To ever unfulfilled desires and dreams, brother' Haruka thought morosely as she downed another cup.
-Michiru-
Michiru had just finished talking to Daniel about work related matters as she stepped out of the bathroom and saw that Haruka had fallen asleep on the porch again.
Haruka must have been exhausted today. She knew that the blonde was up in the early dawn hours to take a bath in peace and quiet and the whole day she had made sure that everyone was entertained and not lacking anything. Haruka had barely recovered. This was supposed to be her time off and yet Haruka was so highly strung that she had not truly laughed even once since they had arrived. Not to mention the mysterious call Haruka had received during lunch, that made blonde feel even more distant than usual.
Michiru took the Kiseru, that seemed to just have gone out in Haruka's hand, carefully out of the blonde's grasp and emptied its contents into the ashtray. She traced the intricate pattern on it with her fingers and wondered on how many lonely nights Haruka had to resort to this memento to feel less abandoned by the people who had been closest to her. She carefully put it back into the silk sleeve in which it was wrapped when Haruka had pulled it out and packed it together with the small tobacco box back into Haruka's bag that lay close by. She tidied up the sake cups and noticed that the big bottle was already to three quarters empty. Michiru wondered how long she had been talking to Daniel and how fast Haruka could drink as she put the bottle away.
Maybe Haruka had drowned out the stress she was feeling from having to take care of everyone around her, Michiru thought to herself, as she ran her fingers through the soft blonde hair that had fallen into Haruka's face.
She leaned carefully down to Haruka and whispered: "Haruka, come to bed. You can't sleep out here like this. The mosquitos might eat you up."
"I don't care" Haruka drawled sleepily.
"You promised Hotaru to go to the Onsen with her in the morning, before breakfast." Michiru reminded the blonde as she helped the Haruka up, but Haruka was bigger and heavier than expected without the usual body tension that she had. Michiru had a hard time dragging Haruka over to the free futon, after sliding the door behind them shut and was easily overwhelmed by the drunk blonde. Before she could stop what was about to happen, Haruka had tumbled over her and was lying right on top of her.
"Haruka, you need to move if you don't want to me sleep over under you." Michiru tried to wake Haruka.
"Why would I not want that?" Haruka mumbled half conscious and pulled Michiru into a tight hug, before she fell completely back asleep.
Michiru half sighed and chuckled as she got as comfortable as possible in her position. She wondered how she was going to explain this to Hotaru in the morning while Haruka would probably be nursing a hangover.
-Haruka-
Haruka could hear the first birds starting to break the morning silence and thought to herself that the early birds could go choke on those worms. Trying to stretch herself she noticed that her left arm had gone numb. Panicky, she opened her eyes, just to see that Michiru was all curled up in her arms and was resting her head, a bit unfortunate for Haruka, but judging from the peaceful look on the violinist's face, in a very comfortable position for Michiru.
Alarmed, Haruka looked around the room and found Hotaru and Chibiusa still deep asleep on the other futon.
Haruka sighed with relief before she slowly pulled herself out from under Michiru and replaced her shoulder with her pillow under Michiru's head.
Her head was pounding and her mouth was dry.
'No fast moves Tenoh' Haruka thought to herself as she slowly crawled into the bathroom to avoid falling over.
Once there, she washed her face and reassessed the dishevelled state she was in.
The Yukata was totally out of place in all spots and she had no recollection on what happened last night.
She didn't …or did she? Haruka frowned and the pounding between her temples absolutely didn't help her thinking capacity right now.
She carefully peeked out of her bathroom and looked on how Michiru looked.
In comparison to herself, Michiru looked very well put together and Haruka sighed once again with relief.
Ok, nothing happened…
'Note to self, boosters increase the effectiveness of alcohol.' Haruka made the mental note as she readjusted her attire before she went to the mini fridge and grabbed herself a bottle of cool water, which she downed in one swift go. She was reaching for another one when she noticed movement from the corner of her eyes and turned around.
"Haruka-papa?" Hotaru called out sleepily as she sat up on her futon.
"Sshhh Hime-chan, everyone is still sleeping." Haruka cautioned the little girl and walked over to her. "What's wrong little one?" Haruka asked as she sat down on the tatami floor next to the child.
"You promised to take me with you when you go to the Onsen." Hotaru reminded Haruka.
"Yes, I remember, I wasn't going yet. I just needed something to drink." Haruka explained.
"I want some, too." Hotaru said as she rubbed her eyes and Haruka opened the water bottle for her child before she passed it to the little girl.
"Why don't you sleep some more Hime-chan." Haruka suggested, but the little girl shook her head.
"But you are up." Hotaru yawned and crawled over to Haruka to sit down in the blonde's lap and Haruka wrapped her arms around the small body in front of her.
"What's wrong Hotaru-chan?" Haruka asked softly as the little girl leaned into her.
"You stink. You smoked again." Hotaru pouted.
"Hmmm" Haruka confirmed Hotaru's observation.
"I like the rings, but my teacher told me smoking is bad." Hotaru lectured Haruka.
"Hmmm" Haruka nodded.
"She said it makes you sick and your life shorter." Hotaru continued her lecture.
"Hmmm" Haruka agreed.
"I don't want you to be sick and I don't want your life to be short." Hotaru wrapped her arms around Haruka's and held her tight. "I want you to be here with me forever." Hotaru whispered.
Haruka was speechless and nuzzled Hotaru's messy hair while she held the little girl tighter. "Hmmm." Haruka merely mumbled as she thought to herself that probably another human enemy would get her before the occasional smoking would have a true impact on her life.
"I can't promise to be with you here forever, but wherever I am, I promise you to be here as long as you need me." Haruka tapped at Hotaru's heart.
Hotaru just held Haruka tighter.
-Michiru-
Michiru watched the quiet exchange of words in front of her silently. As Haruka's back was turned to her, she knew that neither of them had noticed that Michiru was awake as well, but Michiru didn't want to disturb the small moment the blonde shared with her daughter and so she kept lying quietly on the futon. Not soon after Hotaru made Haruka promise to wear a summer yukata with her to tonight's festival, Chibiusa woke up as well and asked the two sitting figures if it was time for the morning bath yet.
"Ok, we can go now but you have to be very quiet." Haruka instructed both kids.
"Why?" Michiru giggled behind the blonde as she saw how Haruka flinched at Michiru's sudden words.
"Did we wake you up?" Haruka asked as she slowly turned around.
"No, no, I wanted to go to the hot springs myself this morning as well." Michiru smiled softly.
Both kids cheered and quickly got up and ready to go.
"You really don't have to force yourself to go this early." Haruka said sheepishly after Haruka grabbed her fully charged phone.
"Are you telling me you don't want to share a bath with me Haruka Tenoh?" Michiru asked mischievously as they were about to leave the room.
"Nuh, I was just worried that you might not be able to handle so much heat in the baths." Haruka smirked as she closed the door behind them all.
"Is that so?" Michiru replied with a snicker while they walked towards the Onsen.
"Haruka-papa can really handle a whole lot of heat." Hotaru nodded knowingly as she walked in front of the two adults with Chibiusa holding her hand.
"Oh, I don't doubt that your Haruka-papa can do that Hotaru-chan" Michiru said with mirth.
"What can I say, I like it hot and wet." Haruka smirked.
-Haruka-
Ok, it was not really something unexpected, they were in an Onsen after all, Haruka thought to herself, but still, watching Michiru peeling off that yukata and placing it carefully next to hers cost Haruka every bit of her self-restraint not to succumb to the allure of the siren next to her.
'Think of something extremely sad Tenoh, come on. You can do it.' Haruka told herself in her mind. 'Dead puppies, yes dead puppies, if that isn't depressing. I don't know what is.' Haruka continued her train of thought as they walked over to the cleaning station.
Naturally, Haruka helped Hotaru with the washing while Michiru took care of Chibiusa, since she had more experience with longer hair.
"Look Haruka-papa, I have a foam beard." Hotaru called as she took foam from her shampooed head and spread it over her face and everyone laughed light heartedly.
Once they were all clean, Haruka hurried ahead with Hotaru to the hot spring and Haruka immersed herself in the hot water. 'This ought to distract me.' The blonde thought to herself as she sat neck deep in the hot water while Hotaru soaked sitting on a higher step next to her. While the heat of the water permeated her tired body, Michiru entered the hot spring as Haruka looked up and Haruka wondered how it was possible for someone to look this irresistible from every damn angle that existed.
'Dead puppies.' Haruka thought to herself.
"Haruka, are you in pain?" Michiru asked Haruka softly as she sat down next to the blonde.
"Dead puppies... What?" Haruka asked startled in return.
"Where do you see dead puppies?" Hotaru asked shocked and Michiru looked around them.
"What? No, no, what I said was bread puppies, I would love some bread puppies for breakfast. You know, those buns that look like puppies?" Haruka tried hard to talk herself out of the awkward situation.
"You mean those doggy breads we saw at the station, with the chocolate filling?" Hotaru asked for confirmation.
"Yep, those." Haruka said confidently.
"Oh, those were great." Hotaru said reminiscent.
"Can we get those for breakfast?" Chibiusa asked full of hope.
"We can only get those when we are back in Tokyo." Hotaru explained patiently.
"Yea…such a pity, isn't it." Haruka nodded.
"If you are already that hungry, we can go to breakfast earlier." Michiru suggested.
"What? No, no. This is fine. Being here is good. I am not that hungry yet." Haruka waved the topic off easily.
"Well the way you mumbled bread puppies, I got the impression you were starving." Michiru chuckled.
"Oh, you have no idea, how much I could devour a bread puppy right now." Haruka smirked.
After their bath and dropping off Chibiusa with her parents, they were walking now back to their own sleeping quarters to get changed into fresh clothes.
"Haruka-papa, what are we going to do after breakfast?" Hotaru asked as they walked together to breakfast.
"We can go for a stroll in the woods if you like. But after lunch you will have to take a long nap so you can stay up tonight for the fireworks and have more energy for the street festival." Haruka reminded Hotaru.
"Ok," Hotaru agreed. "By the way Haruka-papa, can I take pictures this time?" Hotaru asked tentatively.
"My camera is probably a bit too big for you Hime-chan but, if you like, I can buy you a camera as your holiday present, but that means that will be your only summer holiday present. Are you sure you do not want anything else?" Haruka asked the little girl who looked at her with puppy eyes.
"Yes" Hotaru sounded determined.
"Not even candy?" Haruka teased the child and Hotaru started to struggle with her resolve but stood her ground.
"Yes." Hotaru stayed resolute.
"Ok, then we will get you a camera after breakfast and you can use it on our walk and at the festival tonight when you are careful with it." Haruka said smiling and Hotaru nodded happily.
-Michiru-
"Has Hotaru already fallen asleep?" Michiru asked Haruka as the blonde joined her on the porch after their lunch.
"Yep." Haruka nodded grinning as she held the little girl's camera in one hand and her laptop in the other. "I just want to back up all her pictures in case something happens to it in the hustle and bustle tonight." Haruka explained as she sat down next to Michiru.
"Have you backed up your own pictures yet?" Michiru asked curiously.
"Oh, true, I should do that as well." Haruka agreed and got back up to go and get her own camera.
Michiru reached for Hotaru's camera and looked through the pictures the little girl had taken throughout their walk and suddenly noticed a suspicious looking shadow in several of them. The camera was not good enough to zoom in enough to make out any details, but Michiru just knew that there was something.
Haruka came out just moments after Michiru had made her discovery, but Michiru decided against sharing her vague findings with Haruka to avoid unnecessary stress on the already tired blonde.
Haruka transferred all the pictures onto her laptop within seconds and slowly went through each picture that Hotaru had taken while Michiru watched her closely.
If Haruka had noticed something, she didn't show it at all.
"Something wrong?" Haruka asked her suddenly.
"No, what gave you the impression that something would be wrong?" Michiru asked light heartedly.
"You have suddenly gone quiet or is the tea, I have chosen, not to your liking?" Haruka asked mildly concerned.
"No, the tea is very good. I have to admit it has been a while since I had a cold brewed green tea." Michiru confessed.
"Yea, that takes time, actually it takes all night for the tea to infuse into the water when you want this crisp taste." Haruka said pensively as she took a sip herself.
Michiru nodded before she asked. "Can you send me some of the pictures of the trip when we get back to Tokyo?"
"Sure" Haruka nodded when suddenly her phone rang. "Just choose the ones you like and transfer them to your device." Haruka said as she passed Michiru the laptop and reached for her phone.
Excusing herself, Haruka took the call and disappeared in the bathroom.
Michiru went through the pictures Haruka had taken yesterday with her camera and started to look for the suspicious shadows she had seen in Hotaru's pictures, but Haruka's seemed to be totally free of them.
As she went through the pictures, she had to admit Haruka had quite the eye for the right moment to snap a picture. First she thought that the majority of pictures would be of Hotaru and Chibiusa, but there were quite a lot of pictures of the couples that were with them on this trip.
Of course, there were romantic looking ones of sweet moments between Mamoru and Usagi, but there were also adorable pictures of Ami and Makoto looking at flowers and laughing together. Quite conclusive pictures of Minako and Rei talking and sharing food with one another. Even some cute ones of Kakyuu and Taiki sitting together in the shade or walking side by side and gorgeous ones of Kakashi and Setsuna fawning discretely over each other.
She noticed that she herself was also in quite a few of them as well and was surprised that she didn't even notice Haruka having taken any of those pictures of her. She quickly looked for a picture she had taken of Haruka the day before, as the blonde was standing alone on a tall rock overlooking the landscape. She remembered thinking that Haruka looked particular good in that picture and quite out of this world. Like she was untouchable and yet here. Michiru quickly found it and transferred it along with a picture in which Haruka was smiling carefree and had a happily grinning Hotaru on her shoulder. She cherished those two pictures in particular, of all the ones that she had taken that afternoon, since they both showed two of the aspects that Michiru adored about Haruka the most.
Haruka returned from her phone call and sat back down next to Michiru.
"Found any you like?" Haruka asked her casually.
"Not yet." Michiru replied aloof.
"Well I am sure I will take much better pictures when everyone is wearing their summer yukatas this afternoon and is enjoying themselves on the festival." Haruka smiled.
Hotaru suddenly got up, went to the toilet and came back out, to walk directly to Haruka. The little girl was clearly still half asleep as she lay down in Haruka's lap and continued to sleep there as if that was the most natural thing to do in this world.
A warm summer breeze surrounded them and they could hear the wind chime ring gently nearby. They stayed quiet, as not to wake the sleeping child. Haruka leaned back against the wall behind her and closed her eyes. It didn't take long for Haruka to join Hotaru in her nap and Michiru got up quietly to get her sketch pad. Taking pictures was a nice thing, but some moments just deserved the touch and care of a good sketch and the love of a hand drawn picture.
-Haruka-
Haruka and all the guys were standing outside of the Ryokan with Hotaru, all already fully dressed in their summer yukatas and were waiting for the women to join them.
"Haruka-papa, are you sure that Hugo prefers to stay back?" Hotaru asked concerned as she looked at the entrance of the Ryokan.
"Yes Hime-chan, I think he would be way more upset if you lost him somewhere on the festival and anyway, you can now take pictures of all the things you will see and show them to him when we get back." Haruka pointed out the camera around Hotaru's neck.
"Haruka-papa, will you take a lot of pictures, too?" Hotaru pointed out the camera that was securely hanging around her upper body.
"Yes, I will and right now. I will take a picture of the most beautiful little girl in the most beautiful yukata that I have ever seen." Haruka said grinning as she leaned down and took a picture of Hotaru.
"What is taking them so long?" Seiya asked impatiently as he paced around at the entrance.
"Seiya-ji, girl's yukata is way more difficult to put on than boy's yukata." Hotaru explained patiently.
"But you are already out here Hotaru-chan." Seiya pointed out unimpressed.
"That's because Michiru-nee helped me to get ready and I know that can't let Haruka-papa wait alone out here." Hotaru grinned unapologetic.
"Sorry for the wait." Setsuna said evenly as she came out with the rest of the girls, following her closely. All beautifully dressed and their hair done up.
"Haruka, don't be so tardy and take a picture of us." Kakyuu teased Haruka.
"Yes, yes, ma'am. As you wish." Haruka obliged with a sigh. Hotaru naturally rushed to Michiru and stood smiling in front of the beautiful violinist and once all the girls stood close together in their gorgeous outfits Haruka took a picture of them.
"One more with the guys." Kakyuu insisted and Haruka asked an employee of the Ryokan take a picture of the whole group for them.
Once she had explained her camera to the shy girl, who usually welcomed them in the Ryokan at the door, Hotaru called Haruka over to stand behind her and Haruka hurried over. Michiru was now to Haruka's right while Kakyuu stood to her left.
"You are welcome Haruka-chan." The doctor had whispered when Haruka squeezed in, making her smirk.
-Michiru-
When all pictures were taken, they made their way to the town centre where the festival was being held.
The streets were lined with food vendors and the afternoon air was still very warm around them. Many people were filling the streets and enjoying themselves to the sound of drums and other sources of music.
Hotaru kept taking pictures of everything that caught her eye, which mainly consisted of Chibiusa and all the game vendors along with the souvenir stalls.
Haruka joked around with the guys but always kept a vigilant eye on the kids.
Several times when Hotaru was about to trip, Haruka was conveniently around to prevent her from doing so.
They progressed at a very comfortable pace and even in such a big group, everyone got to see and do what they liked. Several times they stopped for Takoyaki and Yakisoba, not to mention all the other street snacks that filled the air with their mouth-watering aromas.
When Michiru was sitting next to a shaved ice cream stand, while everyone else was still waiting for their orders, Setsuna joined her.
"Don't you want any shaved ice?" The tall green haired woman asked the violinist.
"Not right now." Michiru answered as she kept a watchful eye on their surroundings. "You don't seem to have any yet, either." Michiru commented as she looked over to Setsuna.
"Kakashi is getting some for me." Setsuna replied casually.
"Finally giving up on the whole charade of not going out with each other?" Michiru snickered.
"I do not know what you are talking about." Setsuna feinted ignorance as she watched Hotaru sharing a big serving with Chibiusa. "He is just being considerate." Setsuna replied easily.
"Haruka took quite a few nice pictures of you two yesterday." Michiru egged Setsuna on.
"Haruka takes pictures non-stop. Like even right now." Setsuna pointed to the left and Michiru turned her head.
Click.
Haruka took another picture and grinned, before she turned around and took pictures of Rei and Usagi fighting over some candy floss.
"Ne, Setsuna, have you noticed anyone following us?" Michiru asked casually.
"It could be a coincidence. There are so many people around here, all slowly getting ready to go and watch the fireworks." Setsuna replied calmly. "If you really want to know if someone is following us, it would be safest to ask either Haruka or Taiki, since they would have set up the security measures for this trip if they were necessary." Setsuna continued.
"You trust them quite a bit." Michiru remarked.
"If you can't trust your chosen family, then whom can you trust?" Setsuna asked in return.
They soon moved on and Michiru was walking next to Haruka towards the shrine's grounds from which they wanted to watch the fireworks.
It was comfortable walking next to the tall blonde. Her carefree nature seemed to ease Michiru's concerns, but she still kept an eye out for possible threats nonetheless. They were blessed to be in Japan, where threats were rare, so any malicious intent was easily detected, but still, a good adversary would not be obvious to start off with.
It was getting increasingly crowded and suddenly a man bumped into Haruka who apologised quickly, yet briefly, to the blonde who waved the man away good naturedly.
They reached the shrine which lay a bit higher above the street festival and looked down to the hustle and bustle on the streets.
When everyone was distracted by the view they had, Michiru stepped closer to Haruka and spoke to her quietly, so not to raise unnecessary alarm with the others. "Haruka, I have a feeling that something isn't right." Michiru shared her concerns.
Haruka turned to face Michiru and looked her pensively into the eyes.
"Do you trust me?" The blonde finally asked after a few moments of silence.
"I do." Michiru answered after a few moments being mesmerised by the depth that revealed itself in Haruka's eyes.
Haruka leaned in and whispered into her ear: "Then don't worry. I would never let anything happen to you or anyone else here."
Click.
-Haruka-
The fireworks had just started and Hotaru was positively distracted by the colourful display in the sky when Haruka slowly moved away from the group. Michiru held her back by the wrist and Haruka lifted her hand and kissed Michiru's before she looked at the violinist apologetically and left to grab Mamoru.
Mamoru followed her wordlessly and both went deep into the woods behind the shrine.
Once the sounds of the festival and fireworks were well behind them. Haruka pulled out a tracker and directed them steadfast to specific GPS point.
There, they found two masked men who were guarding a third, who was kneeling on the ground with a black bag over his head.
The two masked men saluted Haruka silently and Haruka saluted wordlessly back.
"Did you get the others as well?" Haruka asked the two masked men who nodded and gave her a bunch of cameras. Haruka flicked through the pictures of them before she removed all the memory cards and erased the in-built memory wordlessly.
She walked up to the men kneeling on the ground and removed the black bag.
"Yours?" Haruka asked Mamoru who frowned and nodded.
Haruka leaned down to the man who was looking at her defiantly with a cold stare and said ever so calmly. "Listen carefully. You might not know me, but your master does, so run home with all your little friends now and tell him that Haruka Tenoh, has let you go and that you have disturbed her vacation. If you don't, then I will find each of you and skin you alive before I hang you out to dry somewhere deep in the woods as an offering to the bears."
-Kakyuu-
Kakyuu noticed how Haruka suddenly left with Mamoru just after the fireworks had barely started and stepped closer into their group. She looked up to Taiki who was standing next to her and just shook his head before he pointed back at the sky. Kakyuu didn't feel like admiring the fantastic display high in the sky though and searched for Hotaru. She quickly found the little girl standing right in front of Michiru who seemed to be watching the magnificent fireworks rather absent minded with her hands on the little girl's shoulders. Kakyuu wrapped an arm around Michiru's waist and startled the violinist slightly. Kakyuu could see the concern Michiru had for the blonde clearly reflecting in Michiru's eyes in the light of the fireworks as the violinist turned to face Kakyuu and thought to herself how difficult it must be for Haruka to not spill all her secrets she held deep within herself and tell the woman in front of her all that plagued the blonde. Kakyuu smiled at Michiru reassuringly and pointed back to the sky.
-Mamoru-
He was walking behind Haruka, back to the others, with his irritation quite visible on his face.
"If you don't wipe that look off your face you will worry Usagi-chan." Haruka pointed out calmly as she walked steadfast towards the shrine.
"I can't believe my father would resort to these tactics." Mamoru mumbled.
"We do not know what their actual objective was and I do not feel like bloodying my hands to find out today. Either way we should enjoy the last two days before I return everyone to Tokyo and you have to return to Takumi-senei's side." Haruka said evenly.
"If my father thinks he can just force me to talk to him this way, then he doesn't know me." Mamoru said bitterly.
"How can he? How many years has it been since you have actually visited them and how many decades has it been since you last had a heart to heart talk?" Haruka asked Mamoru challengingly.
"You are the one to talk. Wasn't it you who avoided him like the pest on my wedding? You even refused to be my best man and stayed hidden throughout the whole reception." Mamoru replied sceptically.
"I just didn't want to cause your family to bring up the whole alphabet issues that they oppose so much. I didn't just do it for you, you know? I did it also for Usagi as well, since it was her wedding day, too, and for girls it is supposed to be the happiest day of their life." Haruka replied calmly.
"My family doesn't object any alphabet issues." Mamoru said defensively.
"Your sister sure doesn't." Haruka snickered. "Anyway, give your family a real chance to get to know Usagi a bit more. They will like her if they get the chance to. She'll eventually even grow onto your mum. She does that with most people. Trust me, when I was told that I had to train her as a favour for Kakashi, because he is friends with her mum, I nearly gave up my entire career on the second day of training, just so I would not have to deal with her whiny and clumsy ways." Haruka chuckled.
"Oh yea, she told me about that under tears. Haruto was always the patient one between the two of you and you would just grab her and carry her through the whole obstacle course." Mamoru sniggered.
"Yea, if he hadn't been there, I would have probably just locked her up in a cotton ball cell for the rest of her life to keep her safe from herself." Haruka laughed. "But hey she finished basic training somehow and PURELY theoretically she could defend herself if push came to shove. Though I am very unwilling to put that theory to the test." Haruka sighed.
"Yea, neither would I." Mamoru agreed resigned.
"I am glad you survived with us the training under the Yamaguchis. Imagine you hadn't, then I would have to worry about two cry-babies." Haruka laughed.
"Hey, I wasn't so bad!" Mamoru replied indignant.
"You could have fooled me, mommy boy." Haruka teased.
"THAT ONLY HAPPENED ONCE. I thought I was going to DIE in the mountains ALONE and ABANDONED." Mamoru replied defensively making Haruka laugh even harder.
"You surely were a sight for sore eyes for your dad, after we picked you up." Haruka recalled, hardly capable of containing herself.
"How can you do business with my father even though he rejects everything about you?" Mamoru asked seriously.
"Him and I aren't so different when it comes to work. He'd do anything to provide for his family and to keep it safe. Even sign his soul over to the devil. It just happens that I am hell's broker." Haruka snickered.
"I am sorry for causing you so much trouble." Mamoru said shamefacedly.
"Hey, we are friends. No need to say sorry, no need to say thanks. I got your back and you've got mine." Haruka said grinning as she turned around to give him some reassurance. "Now, we better grab some ice cold drinks to excuse our absence and I trust you to get enough hangover cures for tomorrow. I promised Seiya to have a boys' night tomorrow and the Major will come by as well." Haruka smirked.
-Michiru-
The fireworks had just finished and Hotaru was so enchanted, she forgot to take pictures.
"Don't worry Hotaru-chan, I took some for you." Kakyuu pointed at the camera that Haruka had given her earlier.
"Where is Haruka-papa?" Hotaru asked as she looked around.
"I am here!" Haruka called from the stairs as she held up a bag filled with drinks. "Come and get your favourite cold Ramune." The blonde grinned as Hotaru and Chibiusa rushed over to check out the selection Haruka had bought for them. Michiru sighed with relief as she saw that Haruka was unharmed and watched Mamoru and Haruka opening various bottles of Ramune for kids before offering some to the others.
Haruka seemed, ever so slightly, more relaxed than before and came over to Michiru with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "And you ojou-sama? Which flavour can I offer you?" Haruka asked huskily.
"What can you recommend?" Michiru asked in return with mirth.
"Hotaru loves raspberry, but I only have pineapple, watermelon and original left." Haruka smirked.
"I have heard pineapple is supposed to be good." Michiru snickered.
"All Ramune is good, when handled correctly." Haruka winked as she offered Michiru the ice cold glass bottle. "Need me to help you to pop the marble?"
"Well, since you seemed to be well practiced with it, you might as well do it for me." Michiru chuckled.
"As you wish." Haruka smirked as she skilfully pushed in the glass marble into the bottle and kept her hand on it for a few more moments to avoid spillage.
"I usually avoid drinking Ramune since it can be such a mess when you don't open it right." Michiru remarked offhandedly.
"Oh it is all about the right touch and pressure. You shouldn't be afraid of the mess, sometimes that is half of the fun of it." Haruka chuckled.
