---Present Time--- I have a headache. While that might seem like a normal thing that could effect anyone, the fact that my headache was caused by my considering the possible ramifications to the Time Stream by the scene I had just witnessed is something no one else could comprehend. And my headache was steadily getting worse. The fact was; I had absolutely no idea how what was happening here in this hotel room would impact the future. No, that's not correct. I knew that the future in and of itself would still be intact; that Crystal Tokyo would still exist. My predecessor, Lady Aika, had instructed me relentlessly on the effects a time traveler had on the Time Stream and, unless Chibi-usa did something drastic (such as kill her own mother), there was nothing she could do that would effect the shape of our future (her present). However, as I have learned, due to Chibi-usa herself, the details of the future could be changed. For example, when the future Princess first used the Time Key to come to the past in her desperate search for Sailor Moon and the Ginzuishou; the future that she had come from did not include an awakened Senshi of Saturn, Neptune or Uranus. In fact, the 'future' I had been observing up until the moment of her arrival had Usagi and the others 'sleeping' until they were once again awakened just before the founding of Crystal Tokyo. But when Chibi-usa returned to her own time after the events that surrounded the Black Moon Family, the memories of the people of Crystal Tokyo were changed to include the events that had happened in their past. 'And there is no way any of us will ever be able to forget this.' I think to myself bitterly as I bring a hand to my temple as my head throbs. From the armchair I'm sitting in, I look around the room. The tension was so thick; you could cut it with a dull butter knife. Haruka was pacing back and forth, grumbling under her breath as her arms twitched as if she wanted to strike out at something. In any other situation, it would have been humorous to have seen the shorthaired blonde faint as she did a few moments ago; but this wasn't 'any' situation. Nearby, Michiru was sitting in the other armchair casting furtive glances between myself, her lover, and our daughter; her expression flickering from worry to concern to shock and disbelief. Makoto was leaning on a wall near the door, her face impassive. It was easy to see, though, that the tall brunette was ready to move into action incase Haruka did something...rash; which in truth wasn't outside the realm of possibilities. Minako was perched on one of the dressers, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. The blonde was oblivious to the tension in the air as she looked absolutely pleased with herself for 'knowing' about my daughter and Chibi-usa before anyone else did. Nearby, on the unused bed, Usagi and Rei sat. My future queen was still in a daze and had just recently recovered from her faint. It was obvious that seeing her future daughter (who was currently only a few years younger that her) and Hotaru together like we did shocked her to the core. Rei was sitting next to her and had an arm wrapped around the blonde's shoulders. The black haired priestess had been fretting from the moment Usagi hit the floor and to her, nothing else mattered; all of us could have been a million miles away as far as she was concerned. Ami, meanwhile, was kneeling in the aisle between the two beds; wrapping Hotaru's left wrist in an ace bandage. Of all of us, she was the only one who seemed unaffected by what we all witnessed earlier. Watching her, I'm struck by the differences between the blue haired girl before me and my Pai. The girl I knew and had loved in the past wasn't as interested in medicine as Ami was; which wasn't surprising in the least. For Pai, the only thing she had ever wanted to be; the only thing she 'could' be; was the Senshi of Mercury. Ami, however, had always wanted to be a doctor; like her mother in this life was. 'At least things weren't as worse as they could have been.' I think to myself, remembering what I had seen when we had walked into the room. On one of the beds, Hotaru and Chibi-usa lay sound asleep, absolutely naked as they spooned. My daughter had her arms wrapped around the pink-haired girl as the snuggled together in their sleep. It was obvious what we were seeing wasn't an innocent scene between two close friends but something quit different. When Minako had exclaimed that her intuition was right about the two young girls, the quiet tableau was shattered. The two young girls startled awake and leapt from the bed in shock, which was how Hotaru had injured her wrist. 'Not surprising, considering where her hand 'was' when they awoke.' I think to my self, the image of the two girls laying naked together coming to my mind unbidden as my head throbbed anew. "There you go, Hotaru-chan." Ami said comfortingly as she finished wrapping the girls' wrist. "It's just a minor sprain, so you have nothing to worry about as long as you take it easy. But if it still bothers you after a few days, you should go see a doctor." Ami moved from her kneeling position on the floor and sat next to Usagi. The moment she was seated, Haruka stopped her pacing and faced the two younger girls. "What do you think you were doing, young lady?!" she growled out angrily. "Haruka-san..." Chibi-usa started to say, only to be cut off by the shorthaired blonde. "Was I talking to you?!" Haruka snapped, eyes flashing; causing the pink-haired girl to cringe. Sighing heavily, the blonde scrubbed her face with a hand before running it through her short hair. "I really, really don't want to deal with this right now." Crossing her arms across her chest, Haruka turned her back to the young girls and was silent for a moment. "Pack your things, Hotaru-chan. You and Usagi-chan are trading rooms." "But Haruka-papa..." our daughter moaned. "Don't 'Haruka-papa' me, young lady!" the shorthaired blonde barked as she spun around and glared at Hotaru. "You really don't want to get into this right now with me! I'm going for a drive." Brushing past Makoto, Haruka stormed out of the room. Glancing around the room, I meet Michiru's eyes. After sharing a look, we both stand and follow Haruka out the door. "Michiru-mama...? Setsuna-mama...?" I hear our daughter plead quietly. We both pause and look back into the room; and despite my headache my heart almost melts. Hotaru is watching us with a look pure and utter despair and I almost turn back around and embrace her in a tight hug. Before I could do anything however, Michiru speaks up. "We'll talk later, Hotaru-chan; once Haruka's calmed down." the aquamarine haired woman said kindly before the two of us exited the room. Out in the hall, we both share a meaningful look. When the three of us had agreed to raise Hotaru as a family, we all decided that any decisions about our adopted daughter would be made by us all. However, something that surprised me repeatedly since that day was how strongly Haruka took to her roll as father figure. Several times the blonde haired woman had acted like an extremely over protective father, to the point of embarrassing us all. So I wasn't surprised at all that Haruka had overreacted; not that I didn't think that she was out of line. With a weary sigh, Michiru looked down the deserted hall. "It won't be until morning before Haruka will be able to talk reasonably about Hotaru." Nodding my head in agreement and understanding, I turn and walk towards the elevators. "I'm going for a walk." I announce without looking back. Waiting for the elevator to arrive, I keep my mind blank. While I might seem as calm and collect as Michiru was, inside I feel like how Haruka was acting; although for very different reasons. Looking back; I realize there were signs that 'something' had been going on between our daughter and Chibi-usa. The reason for Sailor Chibi-Moon's late night patrols; he sudden change in Hotaru's eating habits and overall attitude; the open window I saw that night after Usagi and I had are talk. Little signals everywhere that 'should' have alerted me to something; all missed because I was absorbed in my own problems. The elevator finally arrived and, seeing it was empty, I step inside and wait for the doors to shut. Once they close, I slip out of the Time Stream and appear in front of the Gates of Time. I summon the Time Key Staff and with a thought the Gates of Time open before me. While I might logically believe that the future was intact, I wouldn't be satisfied until I see for myself; and hopefully do something to sooth my headache. Despite what the others might think, when I use to Gates of Time to see the future I'm not actually seeing images like one would see when watching a movie. What I see is the warp and weave of the Time Stream as it twists and spirals in contorted flows. It was only with experience and training that I was able to 'read' how the shape the future was unfolding. I study the endless swirls of the Time Stream for several hours before I'm satisfied that everything is fine. Unfortunately, with my big worry taken care of I'm left alone with my own thoughts...thoughts I'm been trying to avoid thinking about all day. With a slight shutter, I remember the feel of Ami's flawless skin as I worked the suntan lotion into her back. The perfect smoothness of her skin; the taut feel of her supple muscles; the subtle, intoxicating scent of her hair; the sensual curve of the nape of her neck... Taking a deep breath, I rub my temple as my headache comes back with a vengeance. With a slight effort of will, I banish the Time Key Staff and extend my senses towards the position in the Space/Time Continuum that the hotel resides in. Locating an empty elevator, I slip into the Time Stream and reappear back in 'normal' space. A few moments later, the elevator arrives on my floor and I make my way back to my hotel room. The hotel room that I'm sharing with Ami...the one person I was trying to not think about. Coming to a stop before the room, I pull out the keycard and unlock the door; glad that I remembered to pack plenty of aspirin. "Oh, hello Setsuna-san. Welcome back." Ami said brightly as I enter the room. Because I know I'll be needing it. *********** The elevator doors close and I rest my forehead against the cold metal. I've been driving around for several hours trying to calm down...with little success. From the moment I saw...saw THEM together, I've been feeling angry and hurt at the same time. Since that day, all those years ago, when we adopted our little princess; I've done everything I could do to be the proper father figure for her. Feeding time, bath time, bedtime, even changing her diaper; I did it all. As she grew, I've loved and cared for her as if she were my own flesh and blood. I've held her as she cried from fear of what she could do and I laughed with her at the antics of the other Senshi. I've taught her how to ride a bike and I've watched her sleep like a little angel. Everything I've done has been for her; even the whole fiasco with Galaxia had been so we could defeat the galactic Senshi without our little princess having to resort to using her ultimate attack and dying in the process. The elevator arrives and the doors open and I slowly make my way down the hall. Arriving at my room, I unlock the door and step inside. "I'm back, Michi." I say listlessly. "Hello, Ruka..." my love says, but I barely hear her as I make my way over to the window. Looking out at the night's sky, I sigh. How could she have betrayed us, betrayed me, like that. It wasn't the fact that she was apparently a lesbian; hell, like I'm one to talk. But it was painfully obvious that she had betrayed our trust. We sacrificed our lives to take care of her, I was on the cusp of going pro on the racing circuit before we adopted her and with Michiru's talents she could have written her own ticket anywhere; not that either of us ever regretted our choice. "Oh Ruka..." The fact that she was hiding something like...THAT from us hurt me deeply. Thinking back, I realize that ever since that...that 'spore' had come back to our time, Hotaru had been acting differently. I never stopped to think 'why' she had suddenly seemed more cheerful and outgoing, I was only glad that she was apparently truly happy; something that she rarely was. "Haruka..." It was all Her fault. Yea, that must be it! That little pink haired spore must have come back in time to seduce my little baby! Hell! She had access to the Time Key and the Gates of Time! There are probably dozens of innocent girls throughout the centuries that she has corrupted with her sugary sweet charms! How dare she treat my daughter like she was just another notch on her headboard?! "Oh, Haruka..." Of course, Hotaru should know better that to fall for the charms of such an evil succubus. I mean, I know that she's had the 'Talk'. Not that I was present for it; for some reason Michiru had banished me from the house that day. But I know Michiru well enough to know that she would have covered the topic of dealing with people like that pink haired Jezebel. After all, Michiru had complained to me many times about some annoying 'smooth operator' she had to deal with...although, for some reason, she would never tell me who the annoying jerk was so I could teach them a lesson about bothering my Michiru. "Haruka dear..." Besides, my little baby was only fourteen years old. She was too young to be dating; let alone to be doing 'that'. She shouldn't be dating until long after Crystal Tokyo was established; and then only with a chaperone. All right, so I was dating at that age, but that was different. I mean, I knew what I was doing and what I was getting into and I had my share of problems; that's why I started dressing and acting like a guy and I was damn lucky to end up finding Michiru. "Oh, Haruka dear..." I sigh with remorse. If there was one thing that I truly regret about not being a man was that I'd never be able to give Michiru a child that was truly 'ours'. There've been many times when we were taking romantic walks through the park that I've seen her glance at the happy families with little babies with longing when she didn't think I was watching her. To us it didn't matter that we had adopted Hotaru, she was our daughter; that was all that counted. Which was why I had to do something about that little odango'ed strumpet for what she did to our baby! The next time I saw her I would...I would... "Haruka. Go get some ice." I would go get some ice! 'Huh?' My train of thought broken, I turn around and ask in confusion, "Why would we need ice?" . .. ... 'Woah!' A vision of beauty, Michiru was reclining on our bed looking at me with smoldering eyes. She was wearing a light green lace-up corset with matching garter belt and stockings. On her feet were a pair of six-inch stiletto heals that matched the color of the corset and completing her outfit were a pair of elbow length gloves of the same color. And was that...? My mouth went dry when I saw she was also wearing...crotchless panties?! "Ice! Yes! Ice sounds good! I think I'll go get some ice!" I stammer out and dash out of our room only to stop, turn around, and grab the ice bucket before I bolt down the hall. Moments later, I'm heading back to our room; whistling a jaunty tune as I balance the bucket full of ice in one hand. I can't help but think about how lucky I am (and, coincidentally, how 'lucky' I was going to get!) to have Michiru by my side. She is my rock, my support; no matter where I go or what I do, she will always be their for me with open arms to protect me and guide me whenever I go astray. She loves me unconditionally no matter what I do and she's always there to give me a push in the right direction. To be honest, the thought of her not being there for me scares me right to the core. I nearly drop the bucket of ice, but catch it before I lose control. That wouldn't do; no, that definitely wouldn't do. I know I'm grinning like a fool, but I don't care. As long as I've known her, Michiru has always had a 'thing' about water in all its forms. While some of her ideas border on the strange, you will never hear me complain; after all, she can get very creative when she puts her mind to it. On the flip side, I'm sure if I ever found a way for us to be together while traveling at over a hundred mph, I'd jump at the chance. Just before I get back to our room, I hear a sudden commotion from the room across the hall from ours. To my surprise, the door slams open and Setsuna; my cool, calm, level headed housemate; burst out of her room and race down the nearby stairs; nearly knocking me over. I stand their blinking for a moment, trying to process what had just happened; clearly remembering the look of total panic in the older woman's eyes. In all the time I've known her, Setsuna had never looked like that; she was always the picture of composure. Curiosity getting the better of me, I move to the still open door and look inside her room. Wary of what I would find, especially considering what I had seen in the last room I had entered without announcing myself, I peek inside trying to find what had panicked Setsuna so. On one of the beds, Ami sat, a look of complete and utter dejection on her face. I had seen that look on girls faces before; most recently on my daughter when I had yelled at her this afternoon; but also on the faces of several girls I've dated in the past after they found out the 'truth' about me. But why would Ami be looking like that? Unless...? Nah, it couldn't be that, could it? ---Flashback--- "So, what else happened?" I asked with burning curiosity. "Well not much." Michiru replied, "As you saw, Mako-chan has been in a funk ever since. But Mina-chan did say that Ami-chan was interested in someone else though." "Oh really? Did she say who?". "No she didn't." ---End Flashback--- 'Ami-chan has a crush on Setsuna-san?' I think to myself, the notion completely baffling me. 'Since when? That doesn't make any sense. I mean, there should've been 'some' hint about it, right? Somebody would have noticed something like that...' ---Flashback--- I walked Minako to the front door, Artemis following behind. Arriving there, I opened the door and smiled. To my surprise, she looked at me with a mischievous grin. "I know something you don't know!" she said in a sing-song voice. "Oh? What?" I asked curiously. "That would be telling. Maybe you'll find out at the beach! Ja ne!" ---End Flashback--- 'Oh boy...' I take a long moment to look at the blue haired girl in the room, then down at the bucket of ice I'm carrying. Glancing back at Ami, I see that, yep, she's still despondent. Looking down at the bucket, I see it still has ice in it. Ami, ice, Ami, ice, Ami, ice; back and forth I look until I hear a choked sob followed by a sniffle. 'I just know I'm going to regret this.' I think to myself as I prop the door open with the ice bucket and go to get Michiru. ------ To Be Continued... Author's Notes... Dum, dum, dum... It looks like things have finally come to a head (he, he, he) Oh, if anyone complains that Haruka is acting OOC, well, too bad! That's the whole point. I wanted to portray her as an over-protective; over-reacting father...and I think I've captured that. As Always any C&C would be appreciated This fic and others can be found at my FF.Net account, which is www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=266642 12/15/03
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