Haruka walked away from the table, mumbling and rubbing a hand through her hair, causing Michiru to chuckle.
"You'd think she was preparing for an execution." Setsuna commented.
"Is she angry?" Hotaru asked, earning a chuckle from the green haired woman.
"No, she just hates paperwork."
Setsuna retorted
"Why don't you go check on her Hotaru?" Michiru suggested, wanting the girl to stop being so skittish around Haruka, who of course wouldn't hurt her.
"What if I make her angry?" Hotaru whispered, earning a small, reassuring smile.
"Hey, Haruka isn't that easy to make angry, maybe easy to annoy but not to anger."
Hotaru walked timidly out on the porch, lightly tugging at Haruka's pants leg, only to feel a hand ruffle her hair.
"Hey kiddo, what you doing out here hm?"
Haruka asked, looking down.
She looked tired, Hotaru decided but not angry.
"You seemed stressed out." she responded, earning a chuckle.
"Well paperwork and sitting still in general does that to me hime-chan." Haruka responded kindly before adding "I am a bit too energetic to sit still for long periods of time."
"Can I stay out here with you?" Hotaru asked, earning a nod.
"Of course kitten."
They sat in silence for some time, Hotaru taking a seat on the steps beside Haruka who just grinned over at her ever so often.
"Fireflies will be out soon. Have you ever caught them?"
Haruka asked earning a nod.
"My mama and Papa use to take me to the park to catch them when…."
Hotaru began, choking up slightly.
"I never got to catch them as a child, my mother claimed it unsanitary and my father didn't care." Haruka stated, putting a arm around Hotaru before adding
"I'm sorry about what happened to your parents….I know it means next to nothing but still."
Silence came over them then, lasting for several minutes before Hotaru spoke again, sniffling.
"Do you think that my parents would be angry that I wanted to live with someone else? Someone besides the person that Daddy left custody with?"
So that's who abused her.
Haruka thought, then sighed.
"I don't know about them Hotaru but if it were a child of mine I'd just be glad that they were happy and safe. Nothing else would matter to me beyond that."
Another bout of silence fell upon them then, though suddenly Haruka pulled away, turning her attention on Hotaru.
"Hey, How about one night when it's not cloudy we camp out back here in the yard?"
She saw the little girl go from shock to beaming in a minute's time.
"Sounds fun!"
Haruka chuckled as soon as she heard this.
"Okay squirt, let's go fill out papers though for now and it's getting near your bedtime and I think you bought a bubble bath you had yet to try out, right?"
That night as Michiru sat with Hotaru, singing softly as she tried to lull the girl to sleep she was suddenly stopped by a hand on arm, gripping at her robes.
"Michiru-san? Will you stay with me tonight?"
The child asked tiredly, earning a small chuckle.
"Of course." she replied calmly before adding "goodnight Hotaru." Michiru stated, moving so that she was laying beside her.
"G'night Mama."