Disclaimer:  Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, and Hotaru were created by 
Takeuchi Naoko.  I'm just borrowing them for a little bit.

This is a story involving two women who love each other.  So if 
you are uncomfortable with this, that's fine.  Click the back 
button and go read another fic.

=================================================================
Mistress of the House (PG)

by Christina Anton
daylin@sailorsenshi.i-p.com
http://angelfire.com/anime2/dayanjell/antons/home.html


	In the Outers' house on a late friday afternoon, four 
females are going about their usual late afternoon business.  One 
is preparing dinner, another is working diligently in her garage, 
and the other two are reading quietly in the living room.

	Now come, let us take a peek into the lives of the Outer 
senshi.

* * *

	"Haruka!"  An oil stained blonde laying on her back on a 
creeper* heard a sweet melodic voice call.  Rolling partway out 
from under the car she was working on, she took a rag and wiped 
her face of accumulated sweat and grime.  "Hai?" she called out 
loudly, and a bit distractedly.

	"Go get cleaned up, Haruka!  Dinner is almost ready!"  The 
voice of her partner called back.

	Before rolling herself back under the car again, she called, 
"Alright, I'll be done in a minute."  Rolling back under the car, 
she proceeded to ignore everything else around her, noticing only 
her grease-slick tools and the car above her.

	Five minutes later.

	"Haruka!"  The blonde's partner called again, the sweet 
voice sounding a bit irritated.  

	However, Haruka, not being one to drop everything just for 
food, had put 99.5% of her effort into her mechanical wonderland, 
leaving that .5% to say, "I'll be done in a minute, Michiru!"  Not 
skipping a beat, she picked up a wrench to attack a stubborn bolt.

	Another five minutes later.

	"Haruka!"  Michiru's voice called once again, this time not 
sounding sweet at all.  In fact, if the blonde had been listening 
to it with more than less than half of her ear, she would have 
recognized the highly irritated quality to it.  

	So, not hearing that irritating quality, Haruka kept on 
working and distractedly called out, "Just another minute, 
Michiru!"

	Now, many may think of Kaioh Michiru as a very sweet and 
endearing young woman.  She does her best to be nice and polite to 
everyone, and even donates money to various charities for causes 
that genuinely need assistance.  However, when the turqoise-haired 
young woman gets irritated to a certain degree, as a certain 
blonde working in a certain garage has done, it is in everyone's 
best interests to run for cover.

	In the Outers' kitchen, Michiru is standing next to the 
table in a nice dress with her nice aquamarine apron over it, 
gripping a large wooden spoon in a white knuckled fist.  Setsuna 
and Hotaru, who had come when called and were already seated at 
the table, looked at their housemate worriedly.  

	The young violinist visibly fought to calm herself, and then 
called out one last time.  "Haruka!  Dinner is ready, so I suggest 
that you get out here and eat!"  

	When the blonde racer's voice called back, "In a minute, 
Michiru!" the two females seated at the table winced and saw the 
hand gripping the spoon tighten almost enough to break the wooden 
utensil.  They even heard the wood creak along with the grinding 
of Michiru's teeth.  

	"That is it.  She is going to listen to me, one way or 
another."  Michiru growled, and without even a glance at her two 
other housemates, she stormed out of the kitchen towards the 
garage. 

	As soon as the turquoise-haired woman stepped out of the 
kitchen, Setsuna brought out her Time Key, holding it at the base 
of the heart-shaped top.  The Garnet Orb glimmered, and a view of 
the Outers' garage was clearly visible within its depths.  At the 
look she got from her surrogate daughter, Setsuna shrugged and 
said, "What?  I need to get my kicks somewhere, and I'm not about 
to miss this."

	At that, Hotaru grinned and scooted closer to her Setsuna-
mama to get a better view.

	Back in the garage, Haruka was trying to unscrew a very 
stubborn bolt with no success.  Cursing as her hand slipped, she 
groped for the dirty shop rag that she had left on the floor near 
her, half her body still beneath the car.

	"Haruka."

	Hearing the love of her life's voice so close to her didn't 
faze Haruka one bit.  Making no move to roll out from under the 
car and still trying to turn the stubborn bolt, she did not see 
her mate's threatening stance, nor the large wooden spoon that 
could at any moment turn into a deadly weapon.  "Hai, Michiru?" 
she grunted, not knowing the potential danger that she was in.

	"Haruka, I have called you four times already for dinner.  
If you do not get out from underneath that car right now, I will 
have to do something about it."  Michiru said with forced 
calmness.

	"I'll be done in a minute, Michiru."

	Big mistake.

	As soon as those words were out of her mouth, Haruka found 
herself being pulled by her pantleg out from underneath the car, 
yelping and dropping her wrench in surprise.  Once out from 
underneath the car, Haruka finally got a view of her very irate 
partner.  Michiru no longer looked sweet and endearing.  She 
tapped the end of the wooden spoon into the palm of her hand, and 
there was a quite unholy light shining in her eyes.

	Knowing that she had just condemned herself to some horrible 
fate at the hands of her mate, Haruka nonetheless tried to spare 
herself.  "Oh, Michiru, I didn't even hear you.  Is dinner ready?  
Something sure does smell good!"  The blonde squeaked, laughing 
nervously.  

	Michiru's eyebrows slowly raised almost to her hairline.  
Unable to hold back her rage anymore, she let out a growl that 
would have made a bear squeak in fear, and let loose her wooden 
kitchen utensil on her partner.

	Back in the dining room, a woman of unknown age and a child 
of confusing age were almost falling off their chairs in laughter 
at watching one of their housemates whacking the other with a 
large wooden spoon.

	"Oh gods," Setsuna chuckled, wiping a tear from her eye.  "I 
haven't had entertainment this good since the Trojan War."

	Hotaru, who was struggling to get upright in her seat, 
looked at her strangely.  "What was so entertaining in the Trojan 
War?"

	Turning back to her Garnet Orb, the older woman smiled and 
winked at her.  "I'll tell you when you're older."

	By the time the two looked back at the scene in the orb, 
Haruka was kneeling on the floor of the garage with her hands 
covering her head and whimpering.  "Alright Michiru, I want to go 
eat now!"

	Pausing in her rain of blows upon her lover, Michiru arched 
an eyebrow at the oil and grease stained form.  "Oh no you don't," 
she growled.  "You're not coming to MY table looking like THIS!"  
And with that, she took the bruised and dirty blonde by the ear 
and dragged her towards the bathroom, threatening Haruka with her 
wooden spoon when she struggled.

	"Alright Haruka, you're going to get cleaned up young lady!"

	The orb's view followed the two to the bathroom, but 
Setsuna quickly shoved it back into her sub-space pocket.

	"Why'd you do that, Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru asked, frowning.

	"There are just some things that no one but those involved 
should see."

* * *

	Ten minutes later, a squeaky clean Haruka entered the dining 
room with downcast eyes, Michiru herding her along behind her.  
Michiru herself looked radiant, though she still wielded her large 
wooden kitchen utensil of bludgeoning.  

	"Alright, let's eat." The utensil wielding violinist said, 
sitting down across the table from Haruka.

	It took everything Setsuna and Hotaru had to keep themselves 
from laughing hysterically from the events they had seen through 
the Mistress of Time's talisman, but they managed to do so through 
the meal.  Despite the powers that the two held, one the Mistress 
of time and space and the other the soldier of death and rebirth, 
neither wanted the young violinist's anger directed at them.  

	The meal itself was a quiet one, the four only talking about 
mundane things and asking for things to be passed.  When Setsuna 
and Hotaru finished, they hastily left the table to release their 
fits of laughter in the safety of their rooms.

	Haruka and Michiru stayed at the table, wondering at the 
actions of their two housemates.

	"Do you think...?" Haruka asked, raising an eyebrow at her 
partner.

	"I wouldn't put it past them." Michiru smiled.

	Haruka nodded and then grinned devilishly.  "I should ignore 
you more often.  It comes with... unexpected... results."

	Flashing a devilish grin of her own at her partner, Michiru 
twiddled with the wooden spoon that had been resting in its place 
of honor by her plate.  "I promise I won't be as gentle next 
time."

	"I'm counting on it."	

End

* A creeper is one of those platforms with wheels on it that you 
lay on to roll underneath a vehicle. (Thanks Dad!)

Author's Note:  The way I portray the Outers has been greatly 
influenced by Saun's fanfics and part two of Tim Nolan's 
"Awakenings".  So, if you see some elements of those two fanfic 
author's works in my own stories, that's why.  If you haven't 
read any of Saun's or Tim Nolan's stuff, than I suggest you do so.  
You're missing out on something great.

Started:  8/12/01 
Finished:  8/14/01