Chapter 4: Tears of a Fire Fly.
Usagi made her way casually up the street all alone. It had been almost a week since Haruka and Michiru had left Japan and the young blond was still in a state of shock. It was true that the two older women acted rather cold towards her and the rest of her friends and that they had refused to cooperate with them when the situation called for it, but they were still fellow senshi and they all fought on the same team. Usagi still considered them her friends and like any of her friends Usagi cared about them a lot. But ever since the events with Galaxia, Usagi began to worry about them even more.
During the battle with Galaxia, Usagi/Eternal Sailor Moon was horrified by the action of the two outers. She just could not believe that two of her senshi, the very same two that had sworn their absolute loyalty to her just months before, would do such a thing to her and their team mates. Just what were they planning to accomplish by betraying her trust and that of their fellow team mates? But even though she was upset by their actions, Usagi could not help but to fell a bit sorry for them at the same time.
Because of their actions Haruka and Michiru had lost not only the trust of her and the rest of the senshi, but they had lost the family that they had created. Haruka and Michiru were in pain and Usagi knew it. But right now she could not focus on her two missing friends, she was on her way to visit some one who as far far as she knew, needed a close friend to talk too right now.
After a few more minutes of walking, the blue eyed blond came up to a home in one of Tokyo's more well to do districts. She walked up the small walk way and knocked on the hard wood door and withing moments, a man in his mid thirties with pale skin and silver hair answered the door.
"Good Morning, Tomoe-sensei." Usagi said politely to the home's owner. Professor Tomoe was the father of the senshi's youngest and quite possibly most powerful member, Hotaru/Sailor Saturn. For the last few months, the professor had been in hospital for injuries that she sustained when the school that he had founded was "bombed" by terrorist earlier that year. As a result he had no memories of the incident and he was forced to place his only daughter in the care of a nice couple that he had met when he first went into care. Or at least that was what he was told by the doctors, the kindly professor did not need to know that he was once the leader of a group that tried to bring about the destruction of the world, or that his injuries were a result of the battle that took place that resulted in the school's destruction. Right now he was enjoying the quiet life with his only child who he loved very much.
The older man smiled and replied, "Hello, Tsukino-San. And please, call me Souichi."
"Okay, Souichi." Usagi replied with a smile, "But only if you call me Usagi."
"Alright, fair enough. Please, would you like to come inside?" Souichi asked the younger woman. "Yes I would, but I am here to visit Hotaru." the young blond told the older man.
"She is in the back yard playing, do you want me to call her for you?" the silver haired man asked her. "No, I think I will surprise her. But I am actually here to talk to you about her." Usagi informed his.
Souichi was a bit taken back when her heard this, " Is there something wrong?"
"Well... I want to know if Hotaru had been having any problems sleeping." Usagi said, "Has she been having any nightmares or any thing?"
"Does this have any thing to do with her being Sailor Saturn?" the professor asked, as he began to feel a bit uneasy. It was only a few months ago that the kindly father found out that his daughter was one of the legendary Sailor Senhi and even though the idea of his only child going into harms way made him a tad upset, he knew better than to stand in the way of his daughter's destiny. If any thing he was actually proud of just who his daughter was and had understood that she had a duty to protect the world. But despite this, Hotaru would always be his little Fire Fly and he still worried about her from time to time.
"I am afraid so, but I can not get into details with you. I hope you understand." Usagi replied apologetically. She knew that Hotaru's father had every right to know what was going on with his child, but she did not know just how much he knew and she was afraid that he might become unreasonable if he found out the truth.
"I understand," Souichi replied, "When Hotaru's guardians came by a few weeks ago, they were acting a bit odd and when I asked if they wanted to see Hotaru, they said that the did not want to disturb her. I have a feeling that your visit has something to do with that?"
Usagi nodded sadly, "I would really like to see her please." The professor nodded and lead the young woman inside to see his little Hotaru.
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"Do you want more tea, Mr. Bunny?" Hotaru asked the pink stuffed animal next to her , as she sat in her seat and held up a small tea pot. A small table had been set up in the home's back yard and the young child was now in the middle of a "Tea Party" and she had about a dozen or so stuffed animals sitting at the table with her. "Okay Mr. Bunny, you can have some more." the young child added, as she pretended to pour a cup of tea for the pink rabbit.
"Hotaru, you have a visitor." Souichi called out from back door of the home. When the young child looked up, a large smile formed on her face. "USAGI-CHAN!" Hotaru squealed happily, as she ran up towards the young woman and gave her a gave her a big hug. Usagi could not help but to giggle a bit, as she bent down and return the young child's embrace.
"I am sooooo happy happy to see you!" Hotaru said, as she hugged the young blond. "I am happy to see you too, Hotaru." Usagi replied with a smile.
"Do you want to come to my tea party? Please come." the young child pleaded , her deep violet eyes peering up at her. Knowing that she could not resist saying 'no' to the child, Usagi gave in and agreed to join her at the table. "I will be inside if you girls need anything." the professor announced, as he turned away and went back inside his home, leaving the two of them all alone in the yard. Hotaru took the older woman's hand and lead her back to the tea party that was already underway.
"Would you like some tea, Uasgi-chan?" the young girl asked, as she held up the small pink tea pot. "Yes please." Usagi replied, as she held out her cup and Hotaru "poured" her out a cup.
"So Hotaru, how are things with you and your dad?" the blond asked her younger friend.
"It has been great!" Hotaru beamed, "Daddy took me to the zoo last week and we spent the whole day there!"
"Sounds like you had fun." Usagi replied, as she took a "sip" of her tea. "Have you heard from Haruka and Michiru?"
"No. Daddy said that the came by a few days ago, but I was asleep when they came." the young child said sadly, "They told him that they were going away on a trip and they wanted to say goodbye before they left."
"Did they leave any message for you?" The young woman asked her younger friend. A sad look flashed upon the young child's face, "No they didn't. I really miss them a lot."
That statement got Usagi's attention, "You do?"
"Yes I do." Hotaru answered as she looked down sadly, "I wish I could have said good bye to them before they went on their trip."
"So you are not upset at them for what they did to you?"
"They were my parents, they would never do anything to hurt me on purpose." Hotaru began, "I know what they did was wrong but they only did it because they wanted to protect me."
"So you forgive them for what they did to you." Usagi asked her, surprised that Hotaru was showing such maturity and wisdom despite her young age. Hotaru nodded a bit and replied "They were my parents and I know they would never hurt me. I just know they feel terrible for what they did, I just know it! I wsh they would come back soon." the young child began to tear up again.
Usagi embraced the young child and held her for long minutes. Hotaru was truly upset. Not because her adoptive parents had betrayed her, but because they were gone and she did not get a chance to say goodbye to them. Usagi could not help but to think that both Rei and Makoto could learn a thing or two from this young child about forgiveness. She just wished that Haruka and Michiru were here right now so they could see how much pain they were causing this child because they left.
She just hoped that they would return home soon so that little Hotaru could see them once again.
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It felt like had been an eternity since Haruka had seen her lover smile. She along with Michiru and Alexander were now in the parking lot of the world famous Sea World and they were now getting ready to leave the famed park and head back to Alex's home.
Originally, the plan for the day involved Alex taking them sight seeing around the city in the morning and spend the rest of the afternoon at an near by beach. But the planned visit to the beach never materialized due to the fact that Michiru REALLY wanted to visit the park.
The senshi of the seas was like a little child that had just eaten a five pound bag of sugar. She literally dragged her lover from attraction to attraction, marveling at all the different animals that the park had. But nothing could compare to the absolute euphoric feeling that the young violinist felt when she got to interact with the park's resident dolphins. In short the normally regal and mature young woman had transformed herself into a giggling little child within a matter of hours. All the while, the tall blond woman struggled to keep up with her hyper lover and trying to get her to slow down,
If she could Michiru would never leave such a "magical" place and spend the rest of her life there, but finally and rather reluctantly Michiru decided to leave the park. Now she was happily sitting in the back of Alexander's Jeep, with a with a big child like grin on her face and a rather large Killer Whale plush toy in her arms.
"I am guessing that your girl really enjoyed herself huh Haruka?" Alex asked with a amused look on his face, as he saw the young woman in his back seat happily cuddle with her new toy.
"I guess she did." Haruka replied, as she too looked at her lover with amusement. Moments later the trio had driven out of the parking lot and were now on their way back home.
As she sat in her seat, Haruka could not help but to feel just a tad bit happy. For the first time in weeks, the senshi of the wind saw her lover laugh and smile. It was like for a brief moment, all the pain and guilt that had consumed both her and Haruka for weeks had just vanished and that everything was right in the world. But as she looked at her lover, Haruka knew that her euphoric feeling would soon come to an end and that the guilt would return soon enough and that she would fall back into her sour mood once again.
Haruka wished that there was some one that she and her lover could talk to , if not to help them deal with their problem, then just give them an outlet to let out some steam and vent. But sadly they did not have this luxury, the only persons that knew about their identities as senshi were the very same people that were mad at them.
Right now though Michiru was happy and her lover's happiness was the only thing that mattered to Haruka. Tomorrow would bring a new day and if Michiru was able to smile again maybe she would too, or at least that was had the senshi of the wind hoped, as she settled into her seat and looked at the sun as it began to set over the Pacific ocean.