Chapter 17-Baby Hotaru
We made our way down slowly, through the remaining ruins. I held on to baby Hotaru tightly, afraid to let her go. Professor Tomoe's body was laying on top of one of the fallen pillars. I covered Hotaru's eyes as we walked past.
We went to a café afterward. Haruka was hungry and so was Hotaru. I needed a place to sit and think about what to do next.
The waitress was nice enough to run across the street and bought a baby bottle. Seeing how bruised we were, she took care of us without asking any questions. She filled up the bottle with warm milk and gave it to Hotaru.
"You guys look good together," Haruka said warmly. She reached over and held Hotaru's hand.
"She's an orphan now. She has nowhere to go. We could give her away, hope that she gets adopted by a nice family. Or…." I trailed off. Could we possibly do it? Could we be both parents and Sailor soldiers?
"We could raise her ourselves," Haruka finished my sentence. "I have never taken care of a baby before, so I will have to learn. Plus, we are the best-suited parents for her."
That was true. This baby was not ordinary. She was the rebirth of Sailor Saturn, the soldier of ruin. When the crisis hit Earth again, Hotaru would mature quickly and Sailor Saturn would be reawakened. I wanted to be there for her, to help her and to guide her. Plus, Haruka and I would protect her from evil until the end.
So that day, Haruka, Hotaru and I became a family. We moved out of our apartment and rented a house near the beach. Baby furniture was purchased. Books about how to take care of babies were bought. Our new mission was the baby.
Quickly, sleep deprivation became our number one enemy. "That baby eats like Usagi," Haruka complained one night. "And always in the middle of the night. I almost gave her a beer last night. I was so sleepy I thought the beer bottle was the baby bottle."
I almost choked on my black coffee. I made a mental note to move the beer out of the fridge later. "Haruka, maybe we need help? Between work and fighting and taking care of the baby, I am so tired. You have a race this Saturday and I have rehearsals all week next week." I put my head down on the table and sighed. I wished Setsuna was here.
Eventually, the lack of sleep started to affect our fighting. In one easy battle, against a simple monster, we almost got killed. At the last moment, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter jumped out of nowhere and saved us.
"What are you guys doing here?" Asked Mercury.
"I sensed some evil so we came to investigate. I presume you guys are doing the same?"
Mercury and Jupiter looked at each other awkwardly and then smiled nervously. I shot Uranus a look.
Just then, a cry came from the baby monitor that was on Uranus's belt. "Time to go, Neptune. The baby is awake."
"Is that baby Hotaru?" Jupiter asked. "Can we come visit?"
We got home in seconds. Haruka's driving was unnecessary fast in the middle of the night. She ran into the house like the wind and she was already mixing the milk powder before I even take my shoes off.
I pushed the junk that was on the sofa to one side. Normally, I would be embarrassed at how messy the house looked, but I was beyond tired to even care. Makoto rolled up her sleeves and started cleaning. I protested. She looked at me and said, "It is clear you guys are overwhelmed by the baby. Let me help. Let us all help."
Ami came out of the room, holding a sleeping infant. Ami gently passed the baby to Makoto, and they both leaned against each other as they stared at Hotaru.
"You guys look good together," Haruka said. Ami and Makoto's faces blushed to their maximum.
So that night, we all sat and chat. We all took turns feeding the baby and soothing her back to sleep. Ami and Makoto became Hotaru's regular babysitters after that. We were finally able to spend some time alone.
The rest of the scouts eventually came to know the baby as well. Hotaru was loved and protected by everyone. Usagi and Chibiusa came and played with her, Ami read up on baby developments and bought "appropriately" advanced toys, Makoto made her meals and Minako called and sang to Hotaru every night. Haruka would drive the baby around at night, as it was the only way to get her to fall asleep. Rei and I stood guard and kept our senses open. Any approaching evil was quickly eliminated.
Baby Hotaru was Sailor Saturn after all. She might be the soldier of ruin in the future, but she was a baby now. That had attracted some attentions in the galaxy. When she released her power in Tau Nebula, destroying Pharoah 90, her power was sensed by others and desired by many. The scouts and we became allies finally.
There were a lot of monsters to fight that year but it was my happiest year yet. Hotaru brought all of us joy and she reunited the scouts. We spent Christmas together that year. Makoto and Minako put up a huge Christmas tree for us. Rei and Ami were starting a bonfire outside on the beach. Usagi and I had a rare moment to talk, just the two of us.
"I am glad everyone is happy. You and Haruka are good parents. Look at how happy the baby is?"
"We couldn't have done it without you guys. And you, especially you. Usagi, you went into the black hole with Hotaru. When the hole collapsed on itself, Hotaru would have been erased from existence. You went in and rescued our daughter. So, thank you, Princess."
"Hahaha," laughed Usagi. Oh, that contagious laugh of hers. I couldn't help but laugh with her. "Oh, Makoto's cookies are ready. I can smell it already." She grabbed my hands and ran toward the kitchen.
Makoto was feeding a tiny piece of cookie to Hotaru. That was her very first cookie, made by Auntie Jupiter. Hotaru clapped her hands in happiness and gestured for more. She had a sweet tooth, just like her Haruka-papa.
I wished Hotaru could grow up normally, but that wish was irrelevant when evil approached Earth again. One month and two days after her first birthday, her duty was called upon and Hotaru grew up over night.