I awoke to something pulling on my shirt, turning over only to see Hotaru's moist violet eyes staring at me.
"Okay i'm up...did you have another nightmare squirt?" I asked with a yawn as I sat up.
Her only reply was a shy nod.
"Okay, well why don't we go downstairs? Let Michiru sleep?" I suggested and she nodded as we got out of bed. She was shivering slightly as she climbed out of bed and followed me, whimpering a bit when we entered the dark driveway.
"you don't have to be scared I'm here." I stated as I knelt down and lifted her into my arms. I felt her nestle against me and hide her face against my cotton shirt.
"Sorry." she whimpered and I sighed, rubbing her back a little as I walked down the stairs.
"for what princess? You've not done anything wrong." I retorted as I flipped on the light and sat down on the couch.
"but I woke you up." she whined and I rolled my eyes.
"So? I'm seventeen and even I sometimes get to talk to Setsuna about things." I retorted as I switched on a TV and tried to find a child friendly channel.
"Really?" she asked and I nodded with a sigh.
"Yeah I had a really hard life before and sometimes I still like to be able to talk with my mom about it." I admitted and she glanced up at me with a smile.
"may I ask you what happened?" she asked timidly and I sighed.
"Well all of my foster homes hated me for some reason because I wasn't a 'girly' girl after all. A lot of my foster homes treated me like your step mom and your father treated you." I answered, shuddering at the thought and Hotaru hugged me tightly.
"sorry I asked." she whispered and I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Kitten, it was a long time ago...Besides Setsuna adopted me and has raised me since." I stated with a smile as I hugged her lightly.
"can we still spend time at your house this weekend?" she asked and I nodded
"of course silly...can you stop worrying yourself sick? We are your family now." I answered with a smile causing her to snuggle tight against my body. She had stopped shuddering and was now just watching TV as she sat on my lap.
"it is okay that I call you daddy right?" she asked me suddenly, shocking me a bit.
"Sure, if you see me as a father then that is what I'll be." I replied, causing her whole face to light up with emotion before she kissed my cheek.
"Thank you Haruka-San!" she exclaimed before resting her head on my chest. I don't know how long we sat there but finally I felt Hotaru's breathing level out as she slipped into a deep sleep so I took her back up to bed and tucked her in.
"she wake up again?" Michiru's sleep deepened voice and I nodded
"yeah, she just needed someone to show her that she cared abut her." I answered as I crawled back into bed.
"How could someone hurt that little girl? She's so sweet...all she really wants is someone who will care about her. If I had know this is what Souichi was doing I would have took action to get her out of there." she stated softly, sighing as she added "I wish..."
"Michiru, don't worry she's here now and they're locked up. Don't worry about what should have happened but what you can do now to give her a better life." I stated with a smile as I reached over the child and gently took the aqua haired girl's hand, her grip was gentle as she squeezed my hand.
"I'm so glad that you found her. She needed someone to show her not everyone would hurt her." Michiru stated softly and I smiled, I was glad that everyone seemed to trust me even if I had a track record of trouble.
"I am so afraid that I will hurt her Michiru...you know how bad my temper is." I admitted and she snorted.
"Haruka, the worse thing you'd probably do is yell at her. You wont hurt her though." she stated and I smiled a little.
"Thanks Michiru." I managed to say however then Hotaru whimpered in her sleep and then nestled tight into Michiru's side and quietened once more. Michiru smiled down at the little girl's sleeping form. Michiru looked like an actual mother at that moment. She was a loving person and I knew that anyone would be lucky to earn her affections. Yet she had asked me to date her and now she had a small child nestled under her arm.
"she is like a little angel." I stated and she chuckled.
"yes, she is. Why anyone would want to hurt her is beyond me." Michiru stated with a smile before we both eased into sleep