"Michiru-mama! Haruka-papa!" The blonde groaned and rolled away, arm thrown over Michiru's waist as she woke tiredly. The room was still dark but the bouncing child that was stepping all over them didn't seemed to notice.

"Michiru-mama! Haruka-papa!" Little Tomoe Hotaru exclaimed in exasperation as both women failed to rise out of bed at her calls.

"It's your turn," Haruka murmured into Michiru's shoulder as she borrowed deeper under the covers.

"You promised! You promised!" Hotaru jumped onto Haruka, leaving the blonde underneath grunting for breath.

"I'm up, Hotaru-chan," Michiru grinned a little even though she was still a bit frazzled at having to wake so early. "Let's go watch that sunrise, ne?"

"Let your Papa sleep, hime." Haruka muttered as she buried herself into the beddings and pulled the covers over her head. Michiru glared at the blonde but sighed as the other obviously can't see her exasperated expression. Haruka sighed beneath the sheets in relief when Hotaru jumped off of her and grunted again when the little, energtic child stepped on Haruka's back to get off the bed.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Hotaru cheered as she hopped off the bed and chased after Michiru.

"Hotaru-chan, don't forget to wear your sweater!" Michiru called after the bundle of energy and sighed when Hotaru was already stomping down the stairs, obviously having failed to hear a word Michiru said. Struggling into warmer clothes and picking two coats from the closest, Michiru hurried after her young charge. As she stepped onto the dark porch and followed the stairway up to the roof, she smiled at herself ruefully at the situation she found herself in. Who would have thought that she'd get the chance to play house with Haruka at their young age.

With twinkling eyes of mirth, Michiru emerged onto the flat platform Haruka, Setsuna and herself had built for Hotaru to sit and watch the sun rise and set. "Michiru-mama," Hotaru turned to Michiru just as the sun peaked out from the horizon. The shadows flew across the floor as red and gold flooded and engulfed Hotaru's frame with color. In that moment, Hotaru's large, violet eyes darkened to black and glittered at Michiru with a haunting age that stemmed the tides of time.

"Hotaru...-chan?"

Hotaru turned away and laced her fingers behind her as she watched the sunrise.

"Dawn is so beautiful, Michiru-mama," Hotaru said softly.

"Yes, it is." Michiru replied, cautiously, unsure if what she saw was a vision or a secret. Approaching Hotaru silently, Michiru draped the coat over her adoptive daughter's small frame, kneeling beside the child-like girl as they faced the East together. The black line that stretched beneath the rising sun, separating the earth and the heavens, began to fade into the golden light.

"Will you paint something like this for me someday?" Hotaru asked quietly. When Michiru looked to the girl though, childish eyes belied the serious tone and blinked at her innocently.

Smiling, Michiru nodded, hiding her doubts. "Un, Hotaru-chan!"

"Alright!" Hotaru cheered and wrapped her arms excitedly around Michiru. "Thank you, Michiru-mama!" Holding Hotaru close, Michiru watched the fading dawn disappear into the light of a new day. Here, beneath the warm touches of the sun, Michiru wondered about the shadowy child in her arms and prayed that this momentary ordinarity would last just a little longer.