Chapter 3-Second Closet

The fight was overwhelmingly unsatisfying. Two attacks and the phage went down. Sailor moon took care of the rest.

"Wow, who pissed you off today?" Sailor Jupiter asked. She stood up, limping on one leg. "That phage was so fast that it took the four of us to pin it down. If only we didn't get distracted by Sailor Moon falling, we could've taken care of this by ourselves."

"Oh, Haruka is just having a rough day." Neptune jumped in and explained.

"Haruka-san, that world shaking was amazing. Also, you could run as fast as that phage. That was AMAZING!" Sailor Moon looked at me with admiration. I couldn't help but smile a little.

Michiru and I said goodbye to the girls and we walked back to my car. Michi held my hand the entire way, silent and deep in thought.

"That attack was full of anger. You could've killed that phage. Are you okay, Haruka?"

I nodded. "I know what I was doing. I held back a little, didn't you see? Besides, that drive was like therapy, I feel better now. Is she still there?"

"I told your mother I came out to get you. She offered to stay behind and look after Hotaru. Those two bonded quickly. Setsuna came home after you left. Your mom looked at her weirdly. She probably thought you have two wives or something. Haha…" Michiru winked at me.

"Not funny, Michi." I revved the engine and let the sound drown out all the other sounds. Michiru sighed and looked the other way. We drove in silence for the rest of the way.

Mom was still there when we got home. Braiding Hotaru's hair. A new batch of cookies was cooling on the counter. Hotaru was already happily munching on one. Seeing us, she got up and twirled in front of us.

Mom grinned at us awkwardly, then a concerned look. "That cut looks bad. You need to disinfect it and then bandage it. What happened?"

Mom, I am a sailor senshi and I fight evil while wearing a mini skirt. I thought in my head. I wondered how she would react, if she found out one day. How weird I jumped out of one closet and now I was shoved into another. "Oh, the cut? I was playing…volleyball with Minako. Scraped the ground."

Michiru raised her eyebrows at me. She knew I was terrible at lying. "It's okay, Mrs. Tenou. I will dress the wound."

"It's getting late. I should leave. Haruka, I am staying at this hotel. Here's my number. I hope….I hope you will call me sometime." Mom handed me the card, while avoiding eye contact with me. She was probably crying, I couldn't tell.

Hotaru tugged at my hand, gesturing me to bend down. "Can grandma stay? She's funny, like you Papa. I like her." She whispered to my ears, but unfortunately loud enough for everyone to hear. I groaned internally.

I looked at mom, debating my next move. I don't know if I could trust her this time. Could people change? Seeing my hesitation, mom gracefully declined Hotaru's invitation. She left without saying another word.

I felt torn, seeing her walking away. No. I can't trust her. Sometimes there aren't second chances.

Michiru reached for my hand and gave me a gentle squeeze. "Everything will be okay, Haruka. One thing I learned from Usagi is that sometimes people are good. I want to believe. Like how she believed in everyone. Our princess taught us that."