Title: Pink spots and oatmeal
Author: Ree
Theme: Haruka/Uranus (itch: day 11)
Genre: General
Version: Anime/Manga
Rating: G

This complex lady and her friends belong to Takeuchi Naoko. I just asked if they could play for a while. The cameo person is not mine either.

Pink spots and oatmeal

Haruka looked at the pink, goopy liquid resting on her fingers. Hotaru was also staring at it. The little girl spoke first, her voice laced with disbelief. "That will make the itching stop?"

"That's what the pharmacist said." Haruka gave her a reassuring smile."So Childling, where does it itch?"

Hotaru pointed to the little bumps that were on her face, and then to the ones that were dotting her arms, legs, and chest. "And my back, too." Haruka dabbed the calamine lotion on each of the spots.

The now pink spotted girl sat down at the kitchen table. Haruka handed her the thermometer after she washed her hands. "Okay, now take your temperature, and then you can have your drink." Hotaru laid her head on her hands after she stuck the thermometer in her mouth.

Haruka looked down at the tired girl. 'She said she wanted to watch TV, but she's so tired. I should...' Smiling at the idea that popped into her head, she went to get the living room ready.

Dragging out the old futon, she laid it in front of the TV. Then she went up to Hotaru's room and retrieved her pillow and comforter. When all was ready, she went to check on her daughter. Laying a gentle hand on Hotaru's head, she looked into a pair of tired eyes. "What was you temp.?"

"A hundred point five." Hotaru sat up and took a sip of her water. Haruka was glad to see that most of the glass was empty. Hotaru absentmindedly started scratching.

"You can't scratch. That makes them worse."

Pouting at her papa, Hotaru stopped. "Wasn't the pink goo supposed to make the itching stop?"

"It only helps a little. Do you want to go watch the TV?" When the little girl's face lit up, Haruka helped her out to the living room. Hotaru's eyes widened at the sight of the futon on the floor. "You can lay down and watch at the same time."

Once Hotaru was settled, Haruka turned on the TV and flipped the channel until she found the cartoons. 'Detective Kunkun maybe a little childish for her, but it will entertain her.' After making sure one last time that Hotaru was comfortable, Haruka walked back into the kitchen.

Sitting down at the table, she stared at the bottle of calamine lotion. 'I guess we should have let her stay home this morning.' She remembered how Hotaru had dragged about that morning, but since she wasn't running a temperature, both she and Michiru had sent her onto school.

The time on the clock caught her attention. 'It's Michiru's lunchtime. I better call her.' The phone rang four times before Michiru answered it. "Hello?"

"Hi."

"Haruka? What's going on? Are you alright?" Worry echoed through her words.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's Hotaru that's not feeling too great. The school called me at the track. She got worse during the day, and was running a temperature."

"Didn't you have to test a new engine today?"

"I was supposed to, but the students from Nekomi Institute of Technology wanted to tweak the engine a little more. Morisato-san said he was sure he could improve it." Haruka heard the disbelief in her own voice. That kid had been tweaking that engine for over a week. "So I was able to pick her up."

Michiru sounded relieved. "I'm glad. Even though it might be inconvenient for you. Is she going to be able to go back tomorrow, or does she need to go to the doctor?"

Haruka shook her head, even though she knew that Michiru wouldn't be able to see it. "No, no school tomorrow, or probably the rest of this week. " Suddenly, a small fear crept into her mind as she realized there were still things she didn't know about her partner. "Um-m-m-m, Michiru? ... Have you ever had the chicken pox?"

"The chicken pox? Is that what she has? Oh our poor girl. Yes, I had them, and since you don't sound to worried about yourself, I assume you did too?"

Haruka didn't even try to hide the relief in her voice. "Yeah, I did. And our poor girl is all pink right now. But we both know how much that stuff really helps. Do you know of anything else to help with the itching?"

The phone was silent for a moment, and Haruka waited patiently. Finally Michiru answered. "An oatmeal bath."

"Oatmeal? Like the stuff we have for breakfast occasionally?" Haruka walked over to the pantry and started looking for the round box.

"Yeah, that stuff. But I think I have some oatmeal bath flakes in the bathroom. If I don't then the cooking one will work."

Haruka pulled out the oatmeal box and set it on the counter. "So, do I scrub her with the oatmeal?"

Michiru tried not to laugh. "No. You need to put some in the tub and let her soak in it." Haruka saw the tub filled with thick cooked oatmeal and Hotaru stuck in the middle like a spoon. The image popped as Michiru continued. "Just a little oatmeal. Just enough to discolor the water." Haruka heard the orchestra warming up through Michiru's phone.

"Okay, I'll see you when you get out of rehearsal. And we'll figure out the rest of the weeks schedule when you get home. Love you. Bye."

"Love you, too. Bye."

Hanging up the phone, Haruka went to find the oatmeal bath flakes. She stopped to check on Hotaru as she walked through the living room. The comforter was pulled up around her shoulders, and the little girl was fast asleep.