Haruka lay in bed later that night when she heard a crack of thunder sound, rattling the windows of the house.

Jeez...They said rain showers not a freakin' thunderstorm!

She thought just as she heard a crash come from down the hall.

I see she's still afraid of thunder.

She thought as she got up, walking toward the bedroom.

When she walked into the child's room she was surprised to hear the little girl suddenly start begging for her not to be angry.

"Princess….Stop. It's okay, I'm not mad...I wanted to check on you because you were afraid of storms before. No need to freak out."

Haruka said soothingly as she slowly came over to the bed, kneeling beside it only to have the little girl suddenly fling herself into her arms.

Haruka picked her up then, feeling Hotaru's small arms wrap around her neck tightly as she nuzzled into Haruka's chest.

"Shh...you're okay. You're safe...I'm here."

Haruka murmured, resting her chin atop the small girl's head as she carried her out of the small, dimly lit room and into her own.

"I know princess...It's loud but it's just sound..you're okay even if it is scary."

Haruka muttered soothingly, sitting the child on her lap and letting her cling to her.

The next morning Haruka woke up to find Hotaru snuggled against her, still clinging to her shirt.

She heard the sound of the doorbell downstairs and groaned, getting out of bed after gently detaching herself from the child, tucking her in before heading downstairs.

Opening the door she felt herself blush when she saw who was standing at the door.

"Oh my."

Michiru laughed, seeing the blonde standing there in her pajamas.

"Don't start...I had a rough night."

Haruka retorted, moving and motioning the other woman into the house.

"The storm kept the little girl up?"

Michiru guessed, earning a laugh.

"Oh that's not the half of it. The kid was fucking terrified of me when I went to check on her. I don't know what that bitch did to her but it has the poor kid terrified of any adult. She even flinched when I turned to face her last night while we were fixing dinner!"

Haruka ranted, only to feel a hand rest on her shoulder.

"Calm down, if you start yelling you'll just wake her up and she'll think she has done something wrong." Michiru reminded her gently, earning a sigh.

"sorry...It just pisses me off that someone would hurt a little girl so much as to make her afraid of even smiling." Haruka retorted, feeling arms wrap around her from behind.

"I know. I can't believe someone would do such a thing."

Michiru retorted, earning a nod.

"I hate to ask but would you mind waiting down here while I go get changed and then waking up Hotaru?"

Haruka stated earning a nod.

"I'll start making brunch if that's okay with you, we can just hang around your place if you want."

Michiru stated, earning a grateful look.

"thanks Michi, I owe you a proper date as soon as everything settles down."

Haruka retorted before vanishing upstairs.

Haruka chuckled as she nudged Hotaru, getting swatted at by the sleepy child who just rolled over.

"Taru, time to get up."

She called, trying not to laugh as she little girl sat up.

"Ruka-Papa….I didn't sleep well."

She whined tiredly, earning a laugh.

"I know little firefly but there's someone here that I want you to meet and I am sure that you need food." Haruka retorted with a grin.

Hotaru didn't argue when Haruka picked her up, carrying her down into the kitchen.

"Hotaru, I want you to meet Michiru Kaiou, the girl I was talking to last night on the phone."

Haruka introduced, watching as the little girl's eyes went wide.

"She's pretty."

Hotaru stated causing Michiru to blush slightly and Haruka to laugh.