7 Days in the Life of My Family by Hotaru Tomoe

Chapter Eight: Sunday. 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Well, today turned out to be a lot more exciting than I could have ever imagined. It started out being really boring, and ended with a bit of excitement and a bit of personal redemption thrown in.

Today was the wedding anniversary of Mr. And Mrs. Kaioh, Michiru-mamas' parents and they were holding the party, as always, at a hotel in downtown Tokyo. We were in the grand ballroom of one of the best hotels in Japan, a real cause to celebrate right? You would think so, but then you don't know Michiru-mama's family. Unfortunately we do.

I have met the families of both Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa a few times. Haruka-papa's family is how should I put this, a bit strange. But I mean strange in a nice way, kind of like The Addams Family (do I watch too many American shows?). They are nice people, but completely whacko nonetheless. Michiru-mama's family on the other hand, well they make my (and Haruka-papa's, and Setsuna-mama's) skin crawl sometimes.

They are fairly wealthy businesspeople for the most part. And for the most part they all act like they're royalty. Kind of like Kimyo's ex-friends basically. Michiru-mama is one of the exceptions thankfully. I'll talk about a few of the others in a bit.

We got up fairly early in the morning to have time to prepare ourselves. We each put on our 'Sunday best' as it were. 

Michiru-mama tried to make a brave show of it, but wasn't doing a good job of it. Her parents didn't approve her relationship with Haruka-papa at all, and only tolerated her because of Michiru-mama. Setsuna-mama they kept pestering to see if she had found a husband yet, and occasionally would introduce her to some nephew or cousin, or whatever. Usually these guys were total jerks who, for the most part, were only interested in 'getting her in the sack' as Minako put it.

 Suffice it to say, if, by some miracle they went out on a date together, a rare occurrence, these jerks usually 
a) got slapped, 
b) got left in the restaurant, 
c) got the crap kicked out of them by Haruka-papa, Setsuna-mama, or, on two occasions, Michiru-mama, or 
d) all of the above. D only happened once and it's a long story with some pending legal issues attached.

Then, of course, there's me. They're favorite, if adopted, granddaughter, their only granddaughter in fact. Another little detail they hold against Haruka-papa.

They treat me well enough, nice presents on my birthday and at Christmas time, but on their last two anniversaries, they kept showing Michiru-mama and I off to the rest of their family and associates while snubbing poor Haruka-papa completely. 

Setsuna-mama was too busy fending of Michiru-mama's drunken Uncle to help us. I have never seen Michiru-mama get so mad before or since. I don't know exactly what she and Haruka-papa said to them after last year, but she did make them promise that this year would be different.

One thing that would be different was that I would at least be sitting at the same table with Haruka-papa, and Setsuna-mama, and not at the 'kiddie' table. And we would be seated at the front of the room, near the head table, where Michiru-mama would be sitting with her parents. Last year Haruka-papa was at the back with a gaggle of distant cousins, while Setsuna-mama got to sit with Uncle 'Lush' as she called him, and I was stuck at the kids table.

On the plus side, there were only a dozen kids ranging from 15 (the oldest boy), to 6 (a young girl). The problem was, they all treated me like dirt, well the 5 that actually talked to me anyway, because I was adopted. Then there were the 2, 13-year old boys who were making passes at me! Ignoring the fact that they were unattractive, pimple-faced, buck-toothed geeks, they were also the most obnoxious jerks I have ever met.

There was one other kid there, a girl my age, but she got to sit with her parents owing to the fact that she was blind. I talked to her and her folks, and they're all really nice people. Yuko Minaguchi has been blind since she was 6 years old, but she has learned to accept her blindness and compensate for it. She is a gifted writer and she has emailed me a few of her stories and poems. I read a few of mine to her and she really enjoyed them. I hoped she would be there at the hotel.

We tried to get out of going. Haruka-papa tried her 'going to the racetrack excuse', among other things. Michiru-mama whispered something to her about not getting something and Haruka-papa backed down. Setsuna-mama tried her 'going to the time gate' excuse, and backed down when Michiru-mama shot her a look that scared all of us. I just kept quiet and concentrated on my Game Boy.

Haruka-papa and Setsuna-mama even tried to contact Usagi and the others to bail us out. Her idea was that they would page us about a Yoma attack about two hours into the party and we would make an excuse and leave. Michiru-mama found out and, well she wasn't happy to put it mildly. I could hear her yelling at Setsuna-mama and Haruka-papa from outside, with the doors and windows shut. I just sat on a patio chair and played with my Game Boy.

But I digress. We put on our best clothes and went out to the car. Michiru-mama was happy and cheerful, at least on the outside, while Haruka-papa, Setsuna-mama, and I looked like we were being marched off to our executions. We piled in and drove off, but not at the normal speed that Haruka-papa drove at. Today she drove, well, like a normal person. The fact that it was raining heavily and would get worse as the day wore on didn't help things.

We went into town and made our way to the hotel. It's a really nice hotel, a four star hotel according to Setsuna-mama. I asked her how she knew that and she smiled and handed me a tour guide to the best hotels in Tokyo that was opened to that particular page. Silly me.

We arrived and Haruka-papa reluctantly handed the car keys over to the valet. She would only allow Michiru-mama, and, very rarely, Setsuna-mama to drive her 'baby'. People have accused her of loving her car more than me. I say its' not true, you can't give a car ice cream, or read to it for one thing.

The four of us signed in and made our way up to the grand ballroom. A few employees were outside the door, and a few assorted cousins were heading in. Michiru-mama greeted them warmly and they replied in kind. Well at least to Michiru-mama anyway. Sigh. Some things never change I guess.

The four of us went into the ballroom. It was fairly crowded with Michiru-mamas' family and her Dad's business associates. She was and greeting everyone warmly as we made our way towards her parents, while the rest of us did our best to try and fit in. I saw a few people point and make comments about us as we passed by. One of the cousins who tried going out with Setsuna-mama walked up and started making a pest of himself but moved on when he saw the look that Haruka-papa flashed him. He was one of the luckier ones; he only got ditched in the middle of dinner. A few of the unluckier ones saw us and stayed where they were.

Uncle 'Lush' was there as well, but he was preoccupied with wife #5 or 6, I think. She was just his type, beautiful, buxom, and brainless according to Haruka-papa. My two 'suitors' were there as well. They were still the same bucktoothed geeks I remember, only slightly taller. Oh well, I thought at the time, I could get some practice in from Makoto's martial arts training after all today. I walked past them ignoring them as much as I could, trying not to shudder as I realized the jerks were looking at my chest. Both Haruka-papa and Setsuna-mama noticed them and gave them menacing looks as well. They took the hint and scurried away. Then we finally reached Michiru-mama's parents.

"Michiru! Oh my baby girl, come and hug your mama!" Mrs. Kaioh cried as she came up with her arms outstretched, Mr. Kaioh behind her.

"Hello, Mom. Hello, Dad." Michiru-mama smiled warmly as she embraced her parents.

"Oh and you've brought your adorable little girl with you. How sweet." Grandma Kaioh as I called her smiled warmly and swept me up in a hug and planted a kiss on my cheek. Grandpa Kaioh did the same. They fawned over me saying how cute I looked, how I've grown, etc. I stood there smiling on the outside, and praying for a sudden Yoma attack on the inside.

Setsuna-mama they greeted warmly as well, asking her about her job, her love life, and weather or not they could set her up with yet another cousin/nephew/business associate's son. She answered all of their questions politely enough, and politely but firmly refused to be set up on another blind date, thank you very much. I could tell she was hoping for some monster to show up as well.

Haruka-papa they greeted warmly enough, but relations between them were still a bit strained. We all hoped that this day wouldn't end badly, like last year.

Michiru-mama went with her parents to the head table, while the rest of us were shown to our table. To my surprise and delight, we were seated with Yuko and her parents. I started to hope that this wouldn't be so bad after all. Silly me.

But I put a brave face on it as we went up to our table. "Yuko! It's me, Hotaru!" I said with a warm smile and a wave to her parents. Setsuna-mama and Haruka-papa did the same.

"Hotaru! Hello, great to have another friendly person here." Yuko smiled and turned in the direction of my voice as I sat down beside her. Her parents smiled at as we sat down with them, and soon we were all happily getting re-acquainted.

"Nice of you to come and join us Hotaru, along with at least two of your parents anyway." Mr. Minaguchi said warmly.

"I'm sure Michi would join us if she had a choice in the matter." Haruka-papa stated with a glance at Michiru-mama. She looked uncomfortable as she sat with her parents, but managed to smile warmly at us as we looked over at her. We waved back. She waved back and went back to talking to her parents and the others at the table.

Mrs. Minaguchi smiled. "Don't worry I'm sure she'll be able to get away from them long enough to drop by."

"I hope so." I replied. Setsuna-mama squeezed my shoulder.

"She will, don't worry." She smiled reassuringly as a waiter came by offering us drinks and giving us each a menu. I helped Yuko with hers as we sat there. On the plus side, the food here is great, not as good as Makoto's or Michiru-mama's cooking, but good enough. The choices were limited but the quality was good. Yuko and I both ordered the chicken dinner. The waiter offered me a glass of milk instead of the white or red wine that was being served. I passed on the milk and asked for a glass of ginger ale instead.

"I'd forgotten that you didn't like milk, Hotaru." Yuko said.

"I'm lactose intolerant actually." I replied. "It kind of limits what I can and can't eat."

"Could've fooled me. I swear she eats more than I do some days." Haruka-papa said with a smile and a wink.

"Can I help if I'm a growing girl?" I replied with mock indignation. 

"And I've seen you pack away enough of Michiru-mama's cooking."

"Hey! She loves to cook and I love to eat. One of the reasons I love her so much, other than the great…ouch! Setsuna!" Haruka-papa didn't finish what she was about to say, something to do with Setsuna-mama pinching her arm I think. She sat there looking innocent. I sighed. I can't take them anywhere.

Yuko leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Um, dare I ask what Haruka was about to say?" She and her parents knew about Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama's relationship.

I whispered back to her and she looked a bit embarrassed that Haruka-papa would be so forward and said so.

"Trust me, she's a laugh a minute sometimes." I replied. 

Haruka-papa glared at me for a moment, then laughed.

Dinner arrived as we talked about the report I was writing, and everything I had done this past week. (Well most of it anyway.) Yuko and her parents were surprised when I told them about Haruka-papa taking me for a ride in a racecar and laughed when I told them about what happened afterwards. I stared to talk about my day at the amusement park with Setsuna-mama and my friends. She even showed them the medallion I had won for her. I started to talk about what else happened that day, but paused and looked at Setsuna-mama. She looked a bit sad again but she picked up the story when I faltered a bit.

"I admitted to Hotaru and our friends that I can't have children." She admitted with a slightly sad look. Haruka-papa put a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh my poor dear, that's terrible." Mrs. Minaguchi said sadly.

"That's okay. She has every right to know. She is my daughter after all." I took Setsuna-mama's hand as she said this.

"Well, I think she was very brave to admit her problem in the first place." Yuko stated firmly.

"Thank you Yuko, that means a lot to me." Setsuna-mama stood and went over and embraced Yuko. Michiru-mama saw this from where she was sitting and looked at us with a what's going on? Expression. Haruka-papa scribbled a quick note and handed it to a waiter to hand to Michiru-mama. She read it and nodded in understanding as she stuck the note in her purse.

Dinner and desert were finished, and it was time for the speeches. There was one speaker who turned out to be quite funny but he was the only one alas. The last speaker before Grandpa Kaioh practically put everyone into a coma. I woke up near the end of his speech and tried to duck out to go to the bathroom. But Grandpa Kaioh got up to the podium along with Grandma Kaioh and insisted that Michiru-mama and I join him. Man, this wasn't my day.

Grandpa Kaioh started his speech. Did I mention that he could be a pretentious old windbag? Well I am now. I stood there feeling very, and as I was told afterwards, looking uncomfortable. Haruka-papa and Setsuna-mama saw my discomfort and signaled to Michiru-mama. She noticed and tried to tell Grandma Kaioh but was told to keep quiet. Great. This was worse than last year. I stood trying to project my thoughts into him. Hey you old windbag! Wrap it up will you? I gotta go!

Maybe he heard me, or Grandma Kaioh finally saw how uncomfortable I was, but Michiru-mama talked to her again and then whispered to me: "hurry back."

I tried not to sprint to the washroom, but I was almost running. I paused by the table long enough to get my purse from Setsuna-mama. "Death Ribbon Revolution." I growled quietly out of the corner of my mouth. She chuckled and patted me on the arm as I left.

"What did she say?" I heard Yuko ask. Oops, I keep forgetting how good her hearing is. But I didn't worry about it as I headed for the restroom.

After doing my thing, I washed up and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked as tired as I felt. I looked at my watch and groaned. It was only 2:30 P.M. I splashed some cold water in my face and touched up my make-up. "This is going to be a long day." I muttered out loud to no one in particular.

Suddenly, I heard a lot of loud noises from the direction of the ballroom. There were several loud pops and people screaming. My first thought was that the brats were even more bored than I had thought and were setting off firecrackers. Then I realized that those weren't firecrackers, they were gunshots!

As quietly as I could I opened the door a crack and peeked out. I could see several armed people running around waving guns and making everyone lie on the floor. Then a man and a woman, each carrying pistols, came out and closed the doors. I quickly retreated into the bathroom, and into a stall. I closed the door behind me and sat on the toilet and pulled my feet off the floor.

I'll admit it I was scared to death. What do I do? I have to help them somehow. What do I do? I was nearly hyperventilating at this point. I calmed myself down, just like Rei taught me. Then it hit me, I needed help from the others. But how was I going to do it without blowing my identity? I couldn't worry about that now, I had to help my family. Digging through my purse, I found my Transformation Wand.

"Saturn Planet Power, Make-Up!" I said as quietly as I could. In a flash that I hoped couldn't be noticed, I transformed into Sailor Saturn. Now I could call the others, but I needed to get out of the restroom first.

I peeked out the door and noticed that the one guard, the woman, was gone. The man was still there by the door, pistol in one hand cigarette in the other. He was seated on a chair by the door and facing the other way. He then got a call on his radio and he got up and went back into the ballroom.

Thanking every deity I could think of, I exited the restroom and looked for the exit. I saw the door behind me and went upstairs. We were on the floor that was second from the top, and I headed for the top floor. The stairwell I was in went up to the roof I noticed. I exited onto the top floor and looked around seeing no one. The hotel was in the middle of renovating a few of the suites up here and I managed to get into an unoccupied suite that had been freshly painted and had no furniture. I thanked the deities again and called the others, remembering that all of them were at Rei's.

Usagi answered as soon as I called. "Hotaru! How are you?" She noticed I was in my Senshi uniform. "Is something wrong?" She asked, starting to get alarmed.

I quickly told her and the others that a bunch of armed gunmen had invaded the hotel and had taken several hostages, including my parents. They all gasped in shock, and told me that they would transform immediately, and teleport to my location as soon as possible.

"Hurry, Usagi, please!" I begged her.

"Don't worry, Hotaru. We'll be there soon." Usagi assured me.

"Just keep your channel open and we'll teleport to your location." Ami added.

"Be strong Hotaru!" Makoto added.

"Thanks, just hurry!" I said. As I was waiting, I looked around the room and saw a bunch of paint and other stuff. I also saw a phone there, and it was still working. I immediately called the police. After telling them my name and location they told me that they were already on their way after hearing reports of gunfire. Most of the hotel had already been evacuated except for the top two floors. I begged for them to hurry for my families' sake. They assured me that they would and told me to keep myself hidden.

"You're a very brave girl." The operator told me before we hung up.

 The others weren't there yet and I looked at the painter's stuff again. Finally an idea to protect our secret identities came to me. I remembered from last year that this hotel had several spotlights on the roof that they turned on at night. I found a big piece of cardboard and a felt pen and started drawing. I rummaged through the stuff for a few other things and found some duct tape, but no scissors or a knife. 

I sat there scratching my head for a minute then I looked at my Silence Glaive. It was awkward cutting, and I had to draw a second time, but I managed to get what I wanted without cutting myself. This Glaive of mine does come in handy sometimes.

Usagi and the others finally arrived, as I was finishing up. I told them the situation and gave them an idea how many goons there were. Ami used her computer to find the plans of the hotel and we studied them intently.

"Best thing we can do is draw them outside the ballroom one or two at a time and take them out." Ami stated.

"That sounds good to me." Makoto said, cracking her knuckles.

"We can't just come crashing in and blast them?" Minako asked.

"No we can't. These goons aren't Yoma. We can't just blast them because they are human beings. We can't kill them." Usagi firmly stated.

"Besides, if we do they'll start shooting people, including Hotaru's family." Rei added, putting her hand on my shoulder. I looked at her and nodded.

"Ok, that makes sense." Minako looked over at the object I had finished cutting out. "What's that for?" She asked, pointing at the object. I quickly explained my plan to them and they all smiled.

"Great idea!" Usagi smiled.

"That's almost crazy enough to work. Where did you get that idea from?" Ami asked.

"Um, from an old American TV show." I replied. They all laughed.

"Okay here's what we'll do: Ami and Rei head to the roof to work on Hotaru's plan, and the rest of us will head downstairs to start taking out some goons. Let's go!" Usagi commanded.

"Right!" We all chorused. We moved to the stairwell and split up. Rei and Ami both smiled and gave me a thumbs-up sign as they went to the roof. The rest of us went downstairs, Makoto in the lead.

Creeping quietly down to the ballroom level, Makoto reached out to open the door, but it opened by itself! The goon with the cigarette from earlier stepped in and came face-to-face with Makoto. Well, not exactly, as she stood several inches taller than he did. His cigarette dropped out of his mouth as he opened it in surprise. 

As his eyes started roaming over Makoto's chest, she grabbed his pistol and drove a knee into his groin. As he bent forward, she slammed her knee into his face snapping him upright again. She hit him again to make sure and then eased him quietly to the ground after handing Minako his gun. She held the gun in between two fingers as she looked out the door to see if anyone was coming. Seeing no one, she signaled us that we were clear and we jogged into the nearest washroom, the men's room.

We tied up our new friend with one of the rolls of duct tape we borrowed from upstairs and tossed him into a stall, after we frisked him. We found a handful of cash, keys, two extra clips of ammo for his pistol, a soggy hankie (yuck!), and a walkie-talkie. The pistol, ammo, and hankie went into the garbage can. The cash we, reluctantly (hey we are supposed to be heroes) left on the counter. Someone has to pay for damages right?

Ami and Rei came back and told us that they had completed their assignment. We all smiled and waited. Ami listened to the confiscated radio while we waited. As much as we could tell, these goons were here to rob the 'rich pigs in the ballroom' as one of them put it. Ami heard at least 7 different voices, including two females, one of which appeared to be in charge. They weren't calling for our new friend yet, so we had time.

Minako, who had discovered the wet hankie, much to her disgust, went next door to the ladies to clean up. Rei went with her as we agreed to travel in pairs only while the rest of us had a chat with our friend who was starting to wake up.

With Makoto holding him, and me occasionally poking him with my Glaive, Ami and Usagi got him to tell us a few things. There were only 8 goons all together, lead by a husband and wife team of robbers. They wanted to steal from the 'fat cats' to fund further operations of some sort. They only had a pistol or two each, three shotguns, and the husband and wife each had an MP-5, whatever those were. * None of them had any explosives.

We gagged him again as we heard a commotion from down the hall. Minako called us on her communicator. "Two goons are coming out, a man and a woman. The man is bringing someone else out, a hostage I think." She paused. "Kami-sama no! It's Michiru!" She gasped.

"Michiru-mama!" I nearly cried aloud before Ami put her hand over my mouth and Makoto stopped me from running out of the room. "They're coming our way!" Minako added.

"Hide!" Usagi whispered harshly as she hit the lights. Makoto dragged me into a stall and kicked it shut. I could hear Usagi get into another stall while Ami went into the stall with our friend. We waited for what seemed like an eternity until the man dragging Michiru-mama came in and turned on the lights. She was resisting a bit, but he had a shotgun.

"Ok, bitch. Let's you and I get to know one another." The pig growled. Makoto let me go a bit. I gripped my Silence Glaive a bit tighter as I peered through the crack. He had tossed Michiru-mama to the floor and had put his shotgun down on the counter. He then started unzipping his pants. I couldn't stand it anymore! I raised my Glaive up with one hand and opened the door with the other. I charged out with a cry of "Leave my mama alone!"

He managed to say "Huh?" before Michiru-mama drove her heel into his crotch. Ouch! That's got to hurt! I slugged him in the head with my Glaive. He staggered around, reaching for his shotgun, when he ran into Usagi and her version of what her favorite American wrestler calls 'Sweet Chin Music.' ** He landed on the floor in a heap, unconscious.

"Michiru-mama!" I cried as I ran up and hugged her after Ami helped her up. Makoto and Usagi tied up our newest friend and put him next to the first.

"Hotaru! Usagi, Ami, Makoto! What are you doing here?" She exclaimed in surprise as she hugged me.

"We're rescuing you, Haruka-papa, and Setsuna-mama, as well as the rest of your family." I replied, looking up at her surprised face. She stared at me dumbfounded for a moment then her eyes filled with tears as she smiled and kissed me on the forehead.

"Oh, my brave little princess, thank you. All of you." She smiled through her tears as she hugged Usagi, Ami, and Makoto. Rei and Minako came in with the female goon, tied up and unconscious. We tossed several more guns into the trash, and the goons into the stall. Michiru-mama hugged them as well.

"Three down, five to go." Rei declared as she shut the stall door.

"Their leaders are starting to get antsy as well." Ami added as she held up one of the confiscated radios. Their leaders were calling the three captured goons back because the SWAT team was on the way.

"We should turn these guys over to the police when they get here. Then work with them to save the others." Makoto declared.

"I agree. But let's see if we can't reduce the odds any further first." Usagi said.

"I'm coming with you!" Michiru-mama growled angrily as she brandished the captured shotgun.

"No you are not! You don't have your Senshi uniform on, and the police may mistake you for a thug and shoot you by mistake, especially if you are holding that thing!" Usagi snapped back, pointing at the shotgun Michiru-mama carried.

Michiru-mama looked ready to argue the point. "But that's my family in there." She said quietly.

Usagi put her hands on her shoulders. "We know Michiru, and we will do everything we can to save them. But we need you to stay safe for their sake. Think about Haruka and Setsuna." She paused then drew me in closer and placed Michiru-mama and my hands together. "Think about Hotaru." She added.

Michiru-mama looked at the two of us, then down at the floor. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. We would all do the same in your place." Rei said. The others nodded.

"Thank you again, all of you. Especially you, my little firefly." Michiru-mama and I embraced each other again.

"I love you Michiru-mama. We'll rescue Haruka-papa and Setsuna-mama along with everyone else, I promise you." I told her. She grinned at me and ruffled my hair a bit.

"I love you too Hotaru and I know you will." She said. We stood there holding each other for a while. Usagi stayed to watch us while the others dealt with a commotion outside. They returned with two more goons.

"Gotta catch 'em all." Minako giggled as they tossed them into another stall. We all laughed. It eased the tension a bit.

"We have to go now Michiru. Stay here and guard these thugs. We'll send the police here when we catch up to them." Usagi told Michiru-mama as we headed for the door.

"Usagi?" Michiru-mama asked as she canted a captured shotgun on each shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Keep my baby safe."

"Like she was my own daughter." Usagi and I smiled to her and dashed out. She smiled back.

We caught up to the police a few minutes later. We had a tenuous working relationship with the police at best, but they didn't shoot us when they saw our uniforms and recognized us. The six of us were immediately taken to see the officers in charge.

They looked a bit annoyed to see us, but were slowly becoming impressed as we told them we had already incapacitated over half of the thugs for them.

"The goons are in a women's restroom on the same floor of the Grand Ballroom. They are being guarded by one of the former hostages, Michiru Kaioh, the daughter of the couple celebrating their anniversary." Usagi told them.

The Officer in Charge sent a team to investigate, and they soon returned with 5 thugs and Michiru-mama in tow. She made a show of thanking all of us for rescuing her and begged us to rescue her family and find her daughter, me.

"Your daughter's name is Hotaru?" The Officer asked.

"Yes it is." Michiru-mama replied.

"She's the one who called us, and managed to signal the Sailor Senshi as well." He grinned and pointed up at the sky. One of the spotlights was on and shining a crude crescent moon into the cloudy sky. My 'Sailor Senshi Signal' was working!

"Your daughter is a very clever, and very brave young girl. You should be proud of her Miss. Kaioh." The Officer told her.
"I already am." Michiru-mama replied with a smile and a wink in my direction. I could feel my heart swelling with pride.

There was a call on the radio. "We are ready to initiate takedown." A voice declared.


"By all means do so." The OIC replied.

"Can we go back up and back up your team, just in case?" Usagi asked.

The OIC pondered her request for a moment. "All right, since you have helped us out so much already, I suppose I can bend the rules a bit. But stay out of the team's way and only assist if you are attacked directly. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir!" We said in unison. He gave each of us a radio headset tuned to their channel, and saluted us. We saluted back.

He smiled and radioed up that we were coming and ordered them to hold on. We rushed back to the floor and saw that they were ready to go in. We stayed away as ordered and waited.

"GO! GO! GO!" A voice roared.

The doors were knocked in as we heard the sounds of shattering glass and explosions inside. The SWAT team charged into the room. We heard a lot of screaming and gunfire. Suddenly a female with a gun attempted to run out. She ran towards us.

"Suspect attempting to escape!" A voice shouted.
"She's mine!" I shouted and charged at her. I was about to run her through but at the last moment I sidestepped and tripped her instead. She landed on the ground, and her gun popped from her grasp. She rolled over onto her back as I walked up, looking every bit like the angel of death Ami told me later, and stuck the business end of my Silence Glaive in her face. Her eyes went wide.

"Go ahead. Make my day." I said in my best low, menacing voice
. 
Yes I definitely watch too many American movies. She got the hint and surrendered.

"Suspect apprehended." An officer said from behind me. The female goon was placed into custody as several officers shouted 'clear!' from inside the room.

We went into the room as the officers went about their business. A tablecloth was draped over the body of one goon while the other was escorted out. We would find out later that the dead goon was the only fatality in this incident.

Then I saw Haruka-papa and Setsuna-mama along with Yuko and her parents. They were supporting each other and crying. I was so happy that they were alive that I wanted to go over and hug them all, but instead I just went over and asked them if they were all right.

"We're fine, Sailor Saturn, thanks to you and the other Senshi." Setsuna-mama told me with a warm smile.

"Yeah, great work kiddo, thanks." Haruka-papa grinned. It was a major effort for me not to cry out and hug them both.

"Thank you Sailor Saturn." Yuko came over and hugged me, much to my surprise.

"You're welcome Miss." I replied, hugging her back. She looked a bit puzzled at this point.

"Do I know you? Your voice sounds familiar…"

"Um, I get that a lot. This officer will look after you. Be well." I dropped my voice down a few octaves and handed her over to a police officer that helped her out of the room. Thankfully she was blind so she couldn't see me blush.

The OIC and the SWAT team leader both came up and thanked us personally for our help in taking down the criminals. "You all did a great job, and we are proud to have you working with us." The OIC said as he shook each of our hands. A few flashbulbs went off. This time I didn't mind.

"Saturn, right?" The SWAT leader asked me. I nodded. "Great takedown on the lady there. We've wanted to nab her for a long time. Her and her husband were wanted for several robberies and murders. Thanks to you she's going away forever. Nice job, hero." He added. I could feel my heart nearly bursting with pride at this point as Usagi and the others came over to congratulate me. The battle with the Centaur seemed a distant memory.

"Excuse me, Sailor Senshi?" Setsuna-mama and Haruka-papa came up to us tentatively. "We were looking for our daughter Hotaru. Have you seen her?"

"Brunette, about so tall?" Haruka-papa held her hand about 4' 9" above the floor. I thanked them silently for helping me cover my identity, even though Haruka-papa got my height wrong by 3 inches. Gee thanks.

"Don't worry, we'll find her. C'mon guys." Usagi said as we sprinted out of the room past several cheering ex-hostages and police officers. We ran back upstairs to the empty room.

We stood there quietly for a few moments then we all started clapping and cheering and slapping each other on the back.

"WE DID IT!" We all screamed. We danced around for a bit and then embraced each other.

"Thank you all for rescuing my family." I told them as I changed back to my normal self.

"You're welcome. That's what we're here for…little sister." Usagi replied. I cried out and hugged my big sister and Princess. Then I hugged the rest of my sisters. Finally, I allowed Makoto to pick me up and carry me downstairs to rejoin the rest of my family.

The rain had finally stopped when we got outside. I spotted my parents talking to the OIC.

"Michiru-mama! Haruka-papa! Setsuna-mama!" I shouted out joyfully. Makoto put me down and I ran towards them.

"Hotaru!" They all shouted as they ran towards me. We met halfway and collapsed into each other's arms crying and laughing. Usagi and the others walked up behind us.

"Oh thank Kami you're all right!" Michiru-mama wailed as she held me.

"Our little Princess is okay!" Setsuna-mama cried.

"Nice to have you back with us Firefly!" Haruka-papa grinned through her tears.

"I love you, all of you!" I wailed. We huddled together like that for a while. I never wanted this moment to end.

"Thank you Sailor Senshi, officers, for bringing our beloved Hotaru back to us." Michiru-mama told them as we hugged each of my sisters as well as the OIC.

"You're the one who called us and made up that signal?" The OIC asked me. My 'Sailor Senshi Signal' was still on.

"Yes sir."

"Clever girl! I'll see to it that the Mayor gives you some kind of medal for your bravery. Your courage and ingenuity saved a lot of lives today and for that I salute you." He stood at attention and saluted me. I stood there speechless. Haruka-papa prodded me and I returned his salute. He laughed and hugged me.

"We have to go now. We have other duties to perform and more evil to fight." Usagi said with a big smile.

Setsuna-mama scrawled a quick note and handed it to me and nudged me towards Usagi. "Thank you for rescuing me and my family Sailor Moon." I cried as I hugged her, passing along the note, an invitation to come by later.

My sisters all smiled at me and disappeared into the night.
I looked up at my smiling parents. "Let's go home."

The four of us went home after assuring the rest of Michiru-mama's family that we were okay. Grandpa and Grandma Kaioh promised to buy me a big present soon. I was actually looking forward to it. Yuko and her parents were relieved that I was okay and invited us to dinner next week. I made a compromise by inviting them to our place when Kimyo and her mama were coming over. They all said yes. I figured they would get along well.

We rode home in silence, we were tired but happy to be alive, and with each other. Once we got in the door though it was a different story.

I barely had my jacket off when they all grabbed me and started hugging me fiercely, whopping and crying with joy.

"Our baby girl is a hero!" All three of them shouted. And you know what? For the first time in what felt like forever, I actually felt like one as well. I laughed and hugged each of them back.

"Setsuna-mama, Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama. I love you." I told them.

"And we love you, our little Princess." They said together. We held each other for a bit longer, then went and changed clothes. Then we got ready for Usagi and the others to arrive.

Two hours later, Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako arrived. They all hugged my parents and I, and we were all happy to be together again, safe and sound.

We popped a ton of popcorn and a few gallons of soda and sat to watch the news together. We all cheered when we were mentioned and praised by both the police and the media for our efforts in rescuing the hostages. There was talk about making the 'Sailor Senshi Signal' a permanent method of summoning us in times of need. We weren't sure if we should laugh or be flattered, so we did both. The Chief of Police thanked us for our help, and then a picture of me in my normal clothes being thanked by the OIC was shown.

"On behalf of the citizens of Tokyo, as well as the Mayor and the Tokyo Police Department, I would like to commend the young woman in this photo, Hotaru Tomoe. Her remarkable ingenuity and courage helped us save many lives and apprehend several dangerous criminals. Her selfless acts are an inspiration to us all. We thank you, and we should all be able to sleep easier tonight because of her actions. Your family should be proud of you. Thank you."

Everyone hugged and kissed me as I sat there stunned at what the Chief had said.

"Well, this will make one hell of an ending for your report." Haruka-papa remarked, laughing. I stared at her dumbly then I laughed as well. Would it ever!

In Conclusion:
My name is Hotaru Tomoe and this is my report on seven days in the life of my family.

Well, I did say that it was never dull around here didn't I? Although I seem to have a huge gift for understatement, don't I?

It has been an amazing week, full of joy and tears, but then that's life for you. You can't predict what can happen next with any degree of certainty. Except maybe Setsuna-mama of course, and if she did see any of this, she's not saying anything.

All I can say with absolute certainty though is that as I look at my family, which consists of two mamas, Michiru and Setsuna, one papa, Haruka, and five sisters, Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako, that I Hotaru Tomoe, am indeed the luckiest girl in the whole, wide world to have a family like mine.

The End.
* The Heckler & Koch MP-5 sub machine gun is a common weapon among Police SWAT teams and Special Forces units' worldwide. Although I doubt a 14-year old girl like Hotaru would know about that. At least I hope not.

** The wrestler in question is the Heart Break Kid Shawn Michaels. I could imagine why Usagi and the others would like him.
AN: Finished! Whew! Thank you all for your reviews. I hope to have another new, and hopefully different story up in the near future. As I said at the beginning, this was an experiment to see if I could actually write in the first person. I tried a few times in school years ago, and it didn't turn out well, let's just say.

Thanks to everyone who said that this was new and unique. I was really surprised by this statement until I started looking back several pages. You guys were right. I just did this because I was tired of the plethora of 'betrayal' stories among other things. So if there is something I have learned, and hopefully you all have as well, it's this: Dare to be Different! Thank you and live well.

7 Days in the Life of My Family by Hotaru Tomoe

Chapter Seven: Saturday.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. 

Saturday is here already. Where does the time go, I wonder. I seem to recall asking Setsuna-mama once and I think my brain melted during the third hour of her 'brief' explanation. I haven't asked her since, and I'm too scared to ask Ami.

Anyway, tonight was Karaoke night, and I had a lot of fun too. We'd been practicing a bit, and I even picked out a song that I wanted to sing. Setsuna-mama did tell Minako that if she had to sing Everybody Have Fun Tonight by Wang Chung ever again though, Minako would be waking up in the middle of the Spanish Inquisition! Haruka-papa thought she did a great job tonight, even if her voice gave out while trying to sing a high note. Hmm, on that note, (Hotaru looks out the window and sees Haruka run past chased by an angry Setsuna. She has a frying pan)


. Yep, Setsuna-mama is still a bit sore on that subject.

Yes I am still calling her Setsuna-mama. We talked for a while last night after she cried on my shoulder, and while I moved her by calling her 'Mama', she didn't want to upset Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa. I don't know if it would really upset them but I love them both and don't want to upset them. Besides it's really cool having two mamas.

This morning though we had a bit of time to kill and I was idly wondering what to do when Michiru-mama came into my room.
"Good morning, Hotaru. Are you feeling any better?" She asked as she put her arms around me.

"Yes I'm feeling a bit better." I wasn't as sore as I had been and I could sit sown without yelping in pain.

"What did you want to do today before we head out to the Karaoke place?" Michiru-mama asked.

"I don't know, hmm." I stood there thinking for a few minutes. "We never did make it down to the swimming pool the other day did we?" I asked.

"No we didn't, did we? Tell you what I'll keep Sets from killing Ruka while you go find your swimsuit. That new one we bought last week. Ok?" She smiled at me.

"Ok." I smiled back. She kissed me again and went to find Haruka-papa and Setsuna-mama. 

After awhile we were all piled into Haruka-papa's car and we were off to the pool for a few hours.

As I said before, I like swimming it's a lot better exercise, at least for me, than running. Michiru-mama makes it so easy to enjoy it. I've never been any good at sports owing to my weak constitution. Swimming turned out to be the one sport I'm good at thanks to her.

We got to the pool, which wasn't too crowded for a Saturday. Haruka-papa isn't a good swimmer in fact I think she's afraid of the water. She was content to sit up in the stands and watch the three of us.

I put on my new bathing suit, a one piece in royal purple with gold stripes. Setsuna-mama had a simple one-piece ruby red suit, while Michiru-mama had her one piece aquamarine with white stripes suit on. We grabbed our towels and headed to the pool.

We saw Haruka-papa waving to us as we got to the pool. We waved back and Michiru-mama dove gracefully into the pool to a round of applause from the three of us. Setsuna-mama and I were content to slip carefully into the water.

We swam around for a bit then Michiru-mama started with this weeks' lesson, the backstroke. With their help I was feeling confident enough to go on my own, and I managed to swim a few laps with the two of them pacing me.

After a while, we noticed Haruka-papa waving at us. She was standing and pointing at her watch. We looked at the wall clock and realized it was time to go. So we crawled out of the pool, changed, and headed home to get ready for Karaoke night.

We got home, showered, and changed into our party dresses. I wore the dress Setsuna-mama designed for me. A royal purple, knee-length skirt, and a matching purple vest with golden fireflies embroidered into it. A gold coloured blouse, purple bolo tie, and calf-length purple boots completed the ensemble.

I went downstairs and saw that Haruka-papa was ready and watching TV while she waited. She had a simple pair of black slacks, a white, short-sleeved shirt, gold tie, black vest, and a pair of blue suede shoes. Her black leather jacket hung over the back of the couch.

"Hey, princess. You look great." She said as I came and sat down beside her.

"Thank you, Haruka-papa, so do you." I replied as I snuggled up to her. We sat their watching auto racing while we waited.

Setsuna-mama came down next. She wore a black mini-skirt, white blouse, red leather jacket, and knee length black boots.

"Are we ready to go yet?" she asked as she sat down beside us, putting her arm around me and smiling.

"Just waiting for slowpoke to come down." Haruka-papa said with a smile. I giggled while Setsuna-mama smiled as well.

"I heard that Haruka." Michiru-mama called from the top of the stairs. We all stood up and turned to watch as she came down the stairs. She had on a similar outfit to mine, but her vest (embroidered with flowers), skirt, bolo tie, and ankle boots, were aquamarine. She wore a white blouse as well.

"Like it? It's a designer original." Michiru-mama smiled as she walked up and placed a hand on Setsuna-mama's shoulder.
Haruka-papa looked at the three of us in admiration. "Well I can say, without doubt, that I am escorting the three best dressed ladies in Tokyo out for a night on the town."

Michiru-mama went up and kissed her. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Haruka dear." She said in a seductive voice.

"Is that a promise?" Haruka-papa replied. Setsuna-mama stood there rolling her eyes and checking her watch, while I hid my head behind her and made more gagging noises.

"There's plenty of time for that later you two. Let's go before the others give up on us." Setsuna-mama stated firmly.

"Ok, grumpy. We're coming. Sheesh." Haruka-papa replied as she grabbed her jacket and the two of them headed out to the car, Setsuna-mama and I behind them. We all put our jackets on, since it had started to rain again. We were on our way, finally.

We went to a Karaoke place that Minako had introduced us to a few months ago. It was for families, so I could get in despite only being 14, and it didn't serve alcohol.

Once we got there we could see Minako and the others outside waiting for us. It was still raining lightly, and it was getting colder.

"About time you showed up." Rei growled by way of greeting.

"Yeah, yeah, we're a bit late. Sue us." Haruka-papa growled back. Then they both laughed.

"Don't mind Rei, she forgot her medication." Usagi said with a grin.

"Speak for yourself, odango atama!" Rei growled at her, and the inevitable tongue war began. We all sighed and started to head in without them.

"Hey! Wait for us!" They shouted as they caught up to us. Works every time.

The place was fairly crowded, but we had called ahead and reserved a table. It helped that Rei and Minako were fairly popular here, not to mention Haruka-papa was a local celebrity.

The 10 of us were seated, we ordered drinks, and finger food, and we sat and talked while we waited for the evening's festivities to commence.

A few people went up before us and sang some not half bad (at least according to Minako and Rei) renditions of a few Japanese and American pop songs. A few younger kids came up and sang a song from Card Captor Sakura. Then some guy came up and sang 'Moonlight Densetsu'. Figures. Every time we come here someone has to sing that cheesy song. If there is one thing we all agree on, it's that we all loathe that song.

After the torture session (did I mention he sucked?) it was our turn. Rei went up first and sang a song from Disney's Mulan, then Minako followed with a song by Phil Collins, an artist she liked when she lived in England years ago, called Two Hearts.

  Setsuna-mama got conned into singing Everybody Have Fun Tonight by Wang Chung. She hates the song with a passion because she has problems singing the beginning of one of the verses, the one that starts with 'On the edge of oblivion…' It's a high note, and Setsuna-mama has problems with those. And she hates the song to begin with. This was when she threatened to send Minako back to the Spanish Inquisition.

Ami and Makoto did a duet, as did Usagi and Mamoru, than it was my turn. I had chosen a song that was released fairly recently, and I had brought a copy with me in case they didn't have it, but they did. I picked up the mike, sat down to face the audience, and smiled.

"My name is Hotaru Tomoe. The song I have selected is called The Words 'I Love you'* by Chris De Burgh. I hope you enjoy it." I closed my eyes as the first movement came on, then I commenced to sing.

There are those who think that love comesWith a lifetime guarantee,
But we know from those around us, that this
May not always be,
It's the simple things that come between a
Father and a son,
But when they try to talk, the knives are out
Before they have begun
Well that was me, and I have seen the light
That shines for eternity,
Because I learned to say the words 'I love you;'
So many hearts have been broken by the
Lies of history
And so many arms are still open for that
Final mystery;
We must show respect for all the rest,
And what a man believes,
And the one, who died upon the cross,
Well he is the one for me,
And he said, "Come with me and you will
See the light that shines
For eternity, be strong and learn to say
The words 'I love you;"
And this endless road that we are on just
Keeps on going round,
But there's one destination that always is
Here to be found;
So come with me, and you will see the
Light that shines for eternity,
Be strong and learn to say the words 'I love you,'
Be strong and learn to say the words 'I love you,'
The words 'I love you,' the words 'I love you,'
The words 'I love you.'

I sat back and relaxed a bit as the song ended. There was a loud round of applause led by my family and I bowed appreciatively. 

"Thank you, all of you." I said before I left the stage.

"That was great Hotaru!" Ami said as I sat down.

"Yeah, you were amazing!" Rei added.

"You've got a lot of talent, Hotaru. You're welcome to come record an album with me anytime." Minako said. I just sat there smiling and feeling embarrassed at all of the attention.

We sang several more songs, including Rei, Minako, Ami, Setsuna-mama, Usagi, and I singing a song appropriately entitled United We Stand, then, regretfully, we had to call it a night. We still had Michiru-mama's parents wedding anniversary party to go to tomorrow, as Michiru-mama pointed out after looking at the time.

"Oh, lord. Don't remind me." Haruka-papa groaned, putting her head on the table. Setsuna-mama looked as though she had a migraine. I agreed with both of them. Michiru-mama tried to smile reassuringly but was failing slightly.

"Don't worry Ruka, Daddy promised that what happened last year won't happen again." Michiru-mama said. I hoped not, since we were totally embarrassed by her family last year. Haruka-papa became a public spectacle after a few remarks that Mr. Kaioh made about her and Michiru-mama, and her racecar driving. 

Setsuna-mama kept fending off the advances of one very drunk Uncle of Michiru-mama's, and I got stuck at the kid's table with some of the most obnoxious kids I have ever met. These brats would really shake, if not shatter, Usagi's faith in humanity. No, I don't think I'm exaggerating. I'll talk more about them tomorrow. If I survive that is.

We parted company with Usagi and the others and went home. Tomorrow promised to be a very, very, long day.

TBC.
*AN: The song The Words 'I Love You' was written and performed by Chris De Burgh from his new album The Road to Freedom (2004, Ferryman Productions). If you want to hear an excerpt, go to his site, .com, and give it a listen. It was the first single released.

7 Days in the Life of My Family by Hotaru Tomoe (Chap 6)

Chapter Six: Friday.

Well, today I got a good indication of what the phrase 'The best laid plans of mice and men' means. Although Minako phrased it a lot differently as she always does. I won't repeat what she said, but it did earn her a couple of glares and a smack upside the head. I also learned a secret about Setsuna-mama.

Let me explain the first part. We were supposed to go down to a recording studio today to help Minako, but they called her at the last minute and postponed the session until next week. Minako was, understandably, a bit upset at this news, but this being Minako, she bounced back quickly. Instead she decided to spend the day at the amusement park and invited us to come along.

Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa stated that they wanted to spend some time together, and insisted that Setsuna-mama take me there. Their argument was that she did say that we were supposed to spend today together. I sided with them on this.

You would think that there would have been a lot of arguing, begging, and temper tantrum throwing to get Setsuna-mama to take me there, but it turns out that she had planned to take me there before the recording session came up. Funny how these things work out isn't it?

And so, Setsuna-mama and I found our selves being pushed out the door and into the mini van by an eager Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama. As we drove off, we could see them waving to us before they both practically ran back into the house.

"I really wonder who the children are in this family sometimes." Setsuna-mama remarked, shaking her head. I just chuckled a bit.
We went past the Hikawa Shrine and pick up Rei, Usagi, and Minako.

"Where are Ami and Makoto?" I ask.

"Well, Ami wanted to stay home and study as usual, so Makoto was going over to her place to convince her to join us." Minako replied. Just then our communicators beeped and Rei answered. It was Makoto. She had a big grin on her face.

"Hey guys, I've got Ami all ready to go here if you could ask Setsuna to come by and pick us up." She said. We could hear Ami saying something in the background, but it was muffled like someone had his or her hand over her mouth.

Setsuna-mama nodded and Rei said; "No problem. We'll be there shortly."

"Great. See you soon then. Ow! Hey! What did I say about biting…?" Makoto's transmission was cut off. We all stared at each other for a few moments, then shrugged and drove to Ami's.

We pulled up in front of Ami's apartment building, and Minako got out announcing our arrival over the intercom. A few minutes later a giggling Minako came back followed by a giggling Makoto who was carrying a very annoyed Ami over her shoulder.

"Makoto Kino! Put me down this instant!" Ami shouted at Makoto. She responded by tossing her unceremoniously into the rear seat between Usagi and Rei and slamming the door shut after she got in herself.

"Floor it Setsuna!" Makoto shouted with a grin. Setsuna-mama laughed and floored it. We were on our way.

Rei and Usagi had managed to restrain Ami with her seatbelt, while Minako and Makoto buckled up as well. Ami just sat there glowering at us, her face red and her arms folded.

"I can't believe you guys sometimes! Makoto and Minako kidnap me in broad daylight, with Rei and Usagi as accessories! And you, Setsuna, acting as the getaway driver! And on top of this you drag poor innocent Hotaru into this. You'll be having her pulling bank robberies next!" Ami rambled on like this for some time, and we just sat there giggling.

Usagi put an arm around her shoulders and smiled. "Come on Ami, relax a bit. We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves. It's Spring Break, or what's left of it anyway. Loosen up a bit."

"Yeah Ami. You need to enjoy life a bit more. All that studying is good, but you need to relax sometimes." Rei added, putting her arm around Ami's shoulders.

"Just try and have fun today, okay Ami? Please?" I pleaded.
Ami's colour returned to normal and she relaxed a bit. "Ok. I'll try to have fun today. But next time don't kidnap me, all right?" She smiled.

"All right. Next time we'll let you kidnap someone, deal?" Minako grinned at her.

"Deal." Ami grinned back. We all laughed, relieved.

"It's nice of you to drive us to the amusement park, Setsuna." Usagi remarked as we drove.

"I was planning to take Hotaru anyway, even before we heard about Minako's recording session. Sorry about that by the way." Setsuna-mama said to Minako.

"That's okay. I have a new session next week and everything will be fine, I hope." Minako said with a sigh.

"I hope so too, Minako." I said.

"We'll all be there for you, in spirit if not in fact." Usagi stated firmly.

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate it." Minako smiled warmly at us.

"Hey! We're here!" I called out as we pulled up to the amusement park. We found a parking spot after a while. It was a beautiful day outside, and the place was already crowded.

"Was Mamoru joining us?" Setsuna-mama asked as we were getting out of the van.

"He might be. I left him a message saying that we would be here today." Usagi replied.

There was a loud sneeze from behind us. We all turned and saw Mamoru walking towards us. "Hello Usako, everyone." He said with a warm smile.

"Mamo-chan!" Usagi exclaimed as she rushed into the arms of her lover and future husband. The rest of us went up and greeted him as well. The Inners had known him for a lot longer and regarded him as an older brother. My parents liked him well enough, seeing as he is our future king, although privately they kind of find him to be a bit dull, especially his dopey speeches. He seems nice enough to me, and we get along great.

We all went into the park together. As I said it was crowded, but it was still a lot of fun. On the midway we watched as Makoto easily won a big prize in a test your strength contest. She gave the prize, a big panda bear, to Ami as a way to apologize for kidnapping her. 

Mamoru won a few prizes for Usagi in a darts game, while Minako and Setsuna-mama tried the ring toss game. Rei was helping me with another game after I spotted a prize that I thought Setsuna-mama might like. It was a shooting game with water guns, and after a few tries I managed to win a game and I picked out Setsuna-mamas' gift as a prize.

After that we went on a few of the rides. Usagi got a little mad at us for ganging up on her on the bumper cars. I have a few pictures of Setsuna-mama laughing like a little girl on the merry-go-round. Ami and Makoto were almost inseparable after Makoto gave her the panda bear as they went on several rides together. A few of us, especially me and Usagi, got a bit queasy after riding the rollercoaster a few times, but none of us got sick thankfully.

We sat down for a rest and Setsuna-mama and I pulled out the pictures of me from yesterday's adventure at the racetrack. All of them asked me for a picture of me in my racing outfit. We also talked about Minako's session at the recording studio, which went well. I hoped she would make it, she is a beautiful singer and she has been working so hard to realize her dream. I told her all this and she thanked me and gave me a big hug.

After lunch, we noticed that the park had a karaoke contest that day and Minako entered it, with Rei and me as back up singers. We sang a few popular songs together, and she even let Rei and I sing a few solo numbers. With their help I managed to sing a song from my favourite anime Card Captor Sakura, without screwing it up. I hoped I would do better tomorrow night. Minako won the contest after doing a number from The Phantom of the Opera. She won a trophy and a cash prize.

Soon after we were all relaxing and watching the young kids in the playground. We all just sat there with our prizes and each other. Mostly we were quiet, but soon we were talking about things like life in general, what Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama were up to at the moment (like that wasn't obvious), the future, and families.

When the subject of having kids of his or her own came up, I noticed that Setsuna-mama got this sad expression on her face that she got whenever the subject came up. She never talked about having children of her own and I never asked her about it. Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama have seen her react this way as well, but never pressed the issue.

Usagi was talking about having Chibi-Usa in the future when Minako looked over at Setsuna-mama. "Have you ever had any children of your own Setsuna?" She asked.

I looked back at Setsuna-mama when Minako asked this. She had her head down and her eyes full of tears as she stared at the ground.
"I can't…" She whispered.

"Can't what?" Minako prompted.

"I can't have children." Setsuna-mama said softly and began to cry.
We all looked at her in shock. Everyone had tears in their eyes now. Minako's hands flew to her mouth. "Setsuna, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" She began than her voice faltered. She stared at the ground in shame.

"It's all right. You would have found out eventually." Setsuna-mama said quietly. Then she rose to her feet and took me by the hand.
"Setsuna-mama?" I asked.

"I think it's time we were getting home. I'll drop the rest of you off at Rei's home if that's all right?" Setsuna-mama asked.

"That'll be fine." Usagi spoke for the rest of the group who nodded quietly.

We drove back to Rei's in silence. Usagi went with Mamoru and the rest were with us. Minako looked devastated as she sat between Makoto and Ami who held on to each of her hands with looks of worry on their faces. Rei sat behind me looking concerned as well. Setsuna-mama drove quietly, her face expressionless. I could see a tear come out from behind her sunglasses but otherwise she showed no emotion whatsoever. That worried me more than anything.

After we got back to the shrine, I got out of the van and thanked everyone for coming out. Setsuna-mama just sat in the van quietly. Usagi and Mamoru both hugged me then went around to the drivers' side.

"Setsuna, I'm sorry for what happened. If you want to talk about it call me. I'll be there for you anytime, no matter what." Usagi stated as she reached through the window and placed her hand on Setsuna-mama's shoulder.

"That goes for me as well." Mamoru added, placing his hand on her shoulder as well.

Setsuna-mama smiled a bit. "Thank you, both of you. I will try to call you one day soon, I promise."

Minako came up to the window with a look of remorse on her face.

 "Setsuna, I just wanted to say that I am so very sorry for saying what I did. Please forgive me." She looked at Setsuna-mama with tears in her eyes.

They stared at each other for several moments until Setsuna-mama opened the door and stepped out of the van. Minako took a few steps back, looking as though she expected to be struck. Instead Setsuna-mama walked up and embraced Minako. Minako looked relieved. "I forgive you, my friend." Setsuna-mama said as she kissed Minako on the cheek. Minako smiled and returned the gesture. We all said our goodbyes and Setsuna-mama and I went home.

When we got home we found Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama sitting in the living room together watching a movie. They both looked surprised to see us home so early (It was only about 3 o'clock). Ordinarily Setsuna-mama would make a joke like "I'm surprised that you two still have your clothes on." But all she said was "I'll be in my room." And she went upstairs.

"What happened at the fair today, honey?" Michiru-mama asked, concerned. So we sat down together and I told them what had happened.

After I told them what Setsuna-mama had said, they looked at each other with sad, but knowing looks. "I figured this would happen one day." Haruka-papa remarked.

"You knew about Setsuna-mama not being able to have children?" I asked.

"Yeah, she told us about it just after we took you in." Haruka-papa replied.

"We were at the playground one day when you were still a baby, and Ruka and I were talking about having children of our own one day. That's when we saw Setsuna looking so sad and when we asked her why, she told us. We promised her that we would let her tell you about her problem when you got older. We never brought it up since then." Michiru-mama explained.

I just sat there feeling sad and depressed. "Do you regret not having children of your own?" I asked.

"A bit sometimes. But you are our daughter, and we will never stop loving you, no matter what." Michiru-mama stated as she and Haruka-papa hugged me. We sat there like that for several minutes.
Finally we broke the embrace. "You should go and talk to Setsuna now." Michiru-mama said.

"I will. I have something for her that I won at the fair." I said as I pulled the prize out of my fanny pack.

"I think she'll really love it, Hotaru." Michiru-mama said as she examined the prize.

"I'm sure she will." Haruka-papa added.

"Thank you Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama. I know she'll love it." I said before I went upstairs to Setsuna-mama's room. I knocked on the door.

"Come in, Hotaru." She called out. She always knows who's knocking on her door. She's kind of freaky that way.

"Setsuna-mama?" I called quietly as I entered her room, which was very dark. She had the curtains closed and the lights off. As soon as I spoke, she turned on the light on her nightstand.

"Hello my little princess." She smiled as she sat up on her bed. She had been crying a bit more, as the make-up on her face was smeared.

I sat down beside her and she put her arm around me. I put my head down on her shoulder and we sat there for a few minutes like that.

"I won a prize for you at the fair today Setsuna-mama." I said after a while.

"That's so sweet of you Hotaru. What is it?" She asked. I smiled and pulled out my gift. Her eyes lit up. It was a gold medallion with a gold link necklace. On the medallion was the inscription "World's Greatest Mom."

She laughed a bit as I placed it around her neck. "This is wonderful, thank you so much Hotaru." She smiled at me as she took both of my hands in hers and we sat on her bed facing one another. She had tears in her eyes again.

"You're welcome. I love you Mama." I replied, dropping the prefix.
She sat there staring at me in total shock. Then she started sniffing, than sobbing, then with a loud cry she drew me into a tight hug and put her head on my shoulder and I held her as she cried for once. I could almost feel her loneliness dissolving away from her as she cried. We sat like that for hours.

TBC.

AN: I intended this at one point to be a standalone piece entitled 'A Simple Gift' but I incorporated it into this story instead as I was kind of stuck on what to write for this chapter. As for the bit about Setsuna not being able to have kids, well it was entirely my idea after I did a bit of research on a few sites. I haven't read all of the manga and have no idea if she has kids of her own or not. So no flames please.

7 Days in the Life of My Family by Hotaru Tomoe (Chap 5)

Chapter Five: Thursday.
I woke up this morning after finally falling asleep around 0230 AM. Still a bit woozy, not to mention really sore from where that Centaur kicked me yesterday, I crawled into the shower.

Today I was going to the racetrack with Haruka-papa. I've been there a few times to see her race, but today she was promising something special. "This should really make your friends at school jealous when they hear about what I have planned." She told me with a grin and a wink. I honestly don't know if I should be excited or worried.

After my shower and applying more ointment, I got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. I could hear Setsuna-mama in her room slowly getting ready. I chuckled and shook my head as I went by. As I said, she isn't a morning person.

"Good morning Hotaru. Are you feeling better?" Michiru-mama asked as I sat down in my chair, which had a large pillow in it. She served up a few pancakes to Haruka-papa and me. She was reading a newspaper from a small pile that she had with her.

"I'm feeling a bit better thank you. The ointment is helping a bit. I'm still a bit sore though." I replied before digging in. Michiru-mama beamed at me then turned back to making a few more pancakes for herself and Setsuna-mama.

Setsuna-mama came downstairs into the kitchen with a warm "Good morning, family. And you too Haruka." She added with a grin. Haruka-papa stuck her tongue out at her while we laughed. She swiped a newspaper from the pile and sat down. Occasionally she can be quite cheerful in the morning.

We sat there eating and discussing our plans for today. Haruka-papa and I were going to the racetrack while Michiru-mama and Setsuna-mama were going to meet Rei and Minako at a local recording studio. Minako got an offer to record a few songs, including one that Rei had written. It was an opportunity for both of them. Michiru-mama was going there to play the violin while Setsuna-mama was there for moral support. She can sing a little bit, but she gets a little nervous in front of others.

While we were talking, I glanced over at the newspapers. There were a few pictures of the battle from yesterday, mostly of us fighting the yoma. "Can I see some of the papers, please?" I asked.

"Sure, here you go." Haruka-papa smiled and handed me the comic page.

"No, I wanted to see the whole paper Haruka-papa." I said.

"Are you sure? You were feeling pretty down after what happened and we didn't want you to get even more upset." Haruka-papa said.

"There are a few less than flattering pictures of you in there." 

Setsuna-mama added. But they both handed over a few papers.
I flipped through them. Most of the pictures were of the others fighting the yoma. There was one of me holding my Glaive above my head and putting up my Silence Wall. Then there was a picture of me that depicted me screaming and flying over several cars. And there was one of me lying on the car, face down, with my bum to the camera. I started giggling as I stared at this picture.

"Hotaru? Is something wrong?" Michiru-mama asked, concerned. I burst out laughing.

"You okay, princess?" Haruka-papa asked. I was clutching the paper and laughing even harder now. I was laughing so hard that I fell off my chair and landed on my sore bottom.

"Ow!" I cried out. Then I looked at the picture again and started rolling on the floor, laughing my head off.

The three of them came over to me with expressions of concern, but they were smiling as well. "What's so funny?" Setsuna-mama asked as she sat beside me holding me. Michiru-mama sat on my other side and held me as well. Haruka-papa held onto my legs.

I held up the picture and tried to talk in between giggles. "I think they captured my best side!" I blurted before going back to laughing my head off.

The three of them stared at me like I was crazy, then, one by one, they started giggling, then chuckling, then they were all laughing as hard as I was. We sat there like that for a while and we eventually calmed down.

It was quiet for a few minutes until Michiru-mama spoke up "Its' good to see that you can laugh about something like this." She said quietly as she hugged me.

"True, if this happened a few years ago you wouldn't have spoken for days." Haruka-papa added.

"Our little princess is growing up." Setsuna-mama stated with a sigh and a smile. We sat there and held each other for several minutes. I wished that this moment would last forever, but it wasn't going to be.

"Aw man, look at the time! We're going to be late. C'mon princess we've got to go." Haruka-papa stood up and helped me to my feet.
"Be careful and have fun today." Michiru-mama said as we were leaving. We all hugged each other.

"I will. Say hi to Rei and Minako for me. I love you." I replied.

Haruka-papa and I got into the car and we were off to the track.
We made good time getting down to the track, and we weren't as late as we thought. Still, the man in charge of Haruka-papa's pit crew, a man named Mr. Anoki, did chew her out a bit. Mr. Anoki is about 44 years old with grey hair and some old burns on his face from an accident several years ago. He's about 5'8' and 165 lbs. He's a bit gruff on the outside, but he turned out to be a really nice guy who takes pride in his work and who expects good results from his team.

Haruka-papa went to change into her driving outfit while I chatted with Mr. Anoki and his crew. They all liked having me around and showed me a lot about cars and everything that makes them work. Mr. Anoki also gave me a lecture on safety.

"Hotaru? I have a little gift for you." Haruka-papa said as she walked back in her blue and gold Nomex driving outfit. In her arms was a large box with a red ribbon on it. She handed it to me and I eagerly opened it. Everyone stopped what he or she were doing and watched me with big smiles on their faces.

I opened the box and gasped. Inside was a driving suit like Haruka-papas' but this one was black with purple stripes. It even had my name on it!

"Go in there and try it on. I hope we got your size right." Mr. Anoki grinned and pointed to a locker room.

"Thank you Haruka-papa, Mr. Anoki!" I hugged both of them and ran into the locker room to change. It fit perfectly. There were even matching gloves and boots to go with it. Haruka-papa was right Kimyo and the others at school were going to be so jealous when they saw the pictures of me in this outfit. I was so glad that I had remembered to bring our digital camera.

Haruka-papa took several pictures of me as I walked out of the locker room. Then, one of Mr. Anoki's crew took a few pictures of Haruka-papa and I in and around her racecar, as well as a few pictures of Mr. Anoki and me. The last shots were a big group photo in front of Haruka-papas' racecar.

"This is so cool! I love this outfit! Thank you Haruka-papa! And you too Mr. Anoki, everyone." I was running around and hugging everyone in sight at this point.

"You're welcome princess, but the surprises don't end there. Put this on and get into the car." She handed me a helmet and put one on herself.

"Do you mean…?" I asked tentatively.

"That's right! We're going racing!" Haruka-papa grinned as she helped me put my helmet on.

"All right!" I was literally bouncing up and down at this point. Then Haruka-papa got into the driver's seat while Mr. Anoki picked me up and put me in the car. This wasn't a normal racecar we were in but a modified sports car that had a passenger seat. It was reinforced for racing. *

I was strapped into the car with the four-point racing harness and after making sure we were comfortable and secure, Haruka-papa started the engine and we moved up to the starting line.

"Ready for this kiddo?" Haruka-papa asked me over the radio. There were earpieces and lip mikes built into the helmet.

"Ready Haruka-papa." I replied.

"We're ready on our end." Mr. Anoki called out. I looked over and saw him give us a thumbs-up sign. We both did the same. 

Haruka-papa and I did a slow practice run around the track to get a 'feel' as she put it, for both the car and the track. After that we went up to the start line.

Haruka-papa started revving the engine. The light in front of us was red. "Get ready." A voice called.

The light turned yellow. Haruka-papa brought the car up to speed. My heart was racing furiously. "Get set." The voice said.

Green light. "GO!" The voice screamed. Haruka-papa floored the accelerator and we were off. We went down the first straightaway at a modest 120 MPH and started accelerating. She slowed a bit as we took the first corner and accelerated again. We were going even faster going towards the next corner, and faster yet as we rounded the corner and went straight down to the line.

This was incredible! I've been driving with Haruka-papa for years but never like this. I was beginning to see why she loved it so much.

"Ok, now let's see what this baby can really do!" Haruka-papa growled as we began our second lap and we were going even faster. I looked at the speedometer. 180 MPH and accelerating! I gulped and shut my eyes.

"How are you doing kiddo?" Haruka-papa yelled over the engine noise.

"Great!" I shouted back. I still kept my eyes shut as I felt us turning the corner. And we were still accelerating! I squeezed my eyes shut even tighter. We did a few more laps then went into the pit.

"How are you holding up, young lady?" Mr. Anoki asked as he gave me some water.

"Great." I replied a bit nervously. He laughed and patted me on the shoulder. "That's the spirit."

The Pit Crew did their jobs and we were off again. I shut my eyes again before we reached the first corner. I could hear the engine, the roar of the wind, and Haruka-papa shouting something I couldn't make out.

"Now let's really open her up!" She shouted into her mike. I felt myself being pressed into the seat as we went through another high G or gravity turn and into the straightaway. I chanced a look at the speedometer. 285 MPH! I closed my eyes again quickly.

On and on we went until Mr. Anoki signalled that our time on the track was up and the next team was about to start their practice runs. We slowed down and drove into the pit area. After we stopped and shut down, Haruka-papa climbed out of the car and removed her helmet. I was still sitting there in my seat, unable to move. Finally Mr. Anoki reached in, undid my harness, and pulled me out of the car. He chuckled as he helped me take off my helmet.
"Don't worry, everyone feels the same way after their first time." He grinned and patted me on the head. I just stood there and nodded as my heart restarted itself.

"Are you okay, Hotaru?" Haruka-papa asked. Her face was still flushed a bit from excitement. I was starting to feel something else.

"I'm…okay. I think." I replied. I was really dizzy, and starting to feel a bit queasy.

"That was fun wasn't it?" She asked, grinning. I was getting even queasier.

"Yeah. Fun." I croaked. Bile rose in my throat. "Haruka-papa, I'm going to…" I managed to stammer before I rushed past her and threw up into the nearest garbage can. She came up to me and started rubbing my back.

"Yep, just like the first time I took you for a ride in a race car, Haruka." Mr. Anoki chuckled.

I just stood there heaving for a bit while everyone smiled and offered words of encouragement. I just hoped that Michiru-mama wouldn't be too mad at Haruka-papa when we got home.

"YOU TOOK OUR BABY GIRL FOR A RIDE IN A RACE CAR! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND HARUKA TENOH?" Michiru-mama screamed when Haruka-papa admitted to what she had done. So much for her not overreacting.

I was still pretty dizzy when we got home, and I think me staggering into the living room, bumping into furniture, and falling face first into Setsuna-mamas' lap while she was sitting on the couch just might have tipped her off that something was amiss.

"Well I wanted to do something special with her for her report." Haruka-papa muttered nervously, flinching under Michiru-mama's angry glare. I just sat there in Setsuna-mama's lap groaning while she held me.

"Special! If she were any greener she'd be the Hulk! Not to mention that she's probably scared out of her wits!" She shouted angrily. I tried to speak but couldn't. Setsuna-mama just sat there quietly watching us.

"You see? She's to scared to talk even!" Michiru-mama ran over and hugged both of us.

"Don't worry baby. I'll protect you from the crazy woman." She said softly as she rocked the both of us back and forth. Haruka-papa stood there looking dejected.

"Michi, I…" She began.

"Go away! Go play with your precious car or something, I don't want to see you or look at you." Michiru-mama shouted. I tried to say something again but couldn't. Setsuna-mama looked like she desperately wanted to be somewhere else.

"But…" Haruka-papa tried again.

"Go!" Michiru-mama yelled. Haruka-papa trudged away slowly, looking defeated. Michiru-mama held on tightly to the two of us with her head down on my shoulder. I watched as Haruka-papa went out to the garage, slamming the door behind her.

A little while later, after talking to Michiru-mama about our day together, she finally let us go. Good thing too, both Setsuna-mama and I were starting to loose circulation.

Anyway, I went into the garage with a can of Coke for each of us. She was sitting on a chair staring off into space with the unhappiest look I have ever seen on her face. I walked up beside her and placed the cold can of soda on her cheek and waited for a response.

"Huh? What? Oh, its' you princess." She smiled and took the Coke. 
"Thank you."

I pulled up another chair and sat down next to her, opening my drink. "You're welcome." I smiled.

We sat there drinking quietly for a few minutes. Finally she asked; "Did you enjoy yourself today at least?"

"Yeah I did, Haruka-papa. It was fun. Well, except for the being scared to death part and the throwing up part." I replied, smiling.
She laughed a bit and put her arm around me. "I'm glad. If you ever want to do it again, just let me and Michi know okay?"

"Okay. I told Michiru-mama everything, and I told her that I really did enjoy myself." I replied.

We heard a sound from the doorway and turned to see a smiling Michiru-mama with a smile on her face and a can of Coke in her hands. She came in and embraced both of us. "I'm sorry for overreacting like that Ruka." She said softly.

"That's ok. I'm sure if our roles were reversed I would react the same way." Haruka-papa replied. They kissed each other tenderly. I hugged both of them.

"How was the recording session?" Haruka-papa asked after a while.

"It went well. In fact we have another one tomorrow, and Setsuna and I asked if we could bring Hotaru along tomorrow. Minako thought she could use another back-up singer and we thought you might want to give it a shot. You can sing pretty well, and we figured that you would enjoy yourself. What do you say?" Michiru-mama looked at me.

"Yes, I'd be glad to." I was starting to feel a lot better now, not to mention excited. I hugged her again.

Setsuna-mama came in at this point with a can of Coke in one hand and a handful of pictures in the other. "I ran these pictures you took through my computer. I must say that you look really cute with your racing outfit on Hotaru." She said as she walked up and joined us.

Michiru-mama agreed with her as we moved back into the living room and looked at all of the pictures together. It'll give me something really interesting to show my friends tomorrow, that's for sure.

TBC.
* AN: There are races for cars in this class I have seen them on TV. Just be damned if I can remember the proper name. I should do a bit more research.