�Stay in the car. I�ll go in and change.�
Tenshi didn�t want Neko to get yelled at with her for staying out all night. She ran into the house and almost immediately found herself face to face with Haruka.
�Where the hell have you been all night?!� Haruka barked at her. �Your okaa-san has been worried sick.�
�You? Or Michiru-mama?� Tenshi knew better than to be a smart-mouth in this situation, but it had just hit her how tired she was after watching over Neko all night, not to mention fighting the ocean for her and sharing her life-force with her. That all tended to take it out of her. So when she asked the question, she hadn�t meant it as a sign of defiance, she had simply been too weary to figure out which mother Haruka had been referring to.
Unsurprisingly, Haruka did not interpret it that way. She grabbed Tenshi�s shirt by the collar. �Tenoh Tenshi! You are about five seconds away from having no freedom for the next year!� Tenshi cast her eyes to the floor and kept her tongue. There was nothing she could say at this particular moment that was going to get her out of trouble. If Haruka had a little time to cool down a bit, she could explain, but right now it was best to keep silent. She knew Haruka wouldn�t hit her or anything, but it was possible that she might make good on her threat to ground Tenshi for a year� at least until Michiru talked to her and (hopefully) got the sentencing down to a month or something. And then, of course, there was the issue of the apartment�.
Haruka hadn�t forgotten that issue either. �Do you really think that Michiru and I would let you have an apartment after such a display of disregard for our rules?! Especially after what happened the last time you were out all night?! Were you thinking at all?!�
Haruka�s censure was interrupted by a small voice at the doorway. �Please don�t yell at her, Tenoh-sama.� Mother and daughter looked up at Neko, who was standing timidly in the entrance. Tenshi had never seen Neko speak out against Haruka before, and it was obvious the idea frightened her to no end. Still she persisted. �She only stayed to make sure I was okay.�
Haruka evidently didn�t know what to make of Neko�s plea. �Koneko, just go back to the car,� Tenshi instructed her softly, hoping to spare her an admonishment of her own from Haruka. It wasn�t her job to save Tenshi. Tenshi was supposed to rescue her.
Neko took a step forward instead. �She helped me get back my memories,� another step, �and saved me from drowning,� and another. �Please don�t punish her for following her heart,� she begged Haruka, now facing her directly.
In the last few minutes, Haruka�s eyes had been narrowed with anger and then widened with shock. Now, to Tenshi�s surprise, they seemed to soften a little. �You sound a bit like Odango Atama,� Haruka told Neko.
Tenshi wasn�t sure that that was meant to be a compliment � Haruka didn�t always agree with her queen, especially on matters of compassion � but Neko took it as one. �Thank you,� she said, looking away shyly.
�Papa��
�Don�t �Papa� me! You�re still in trouble,� Haruka told her harshly. �Now go get whatever it is you came for before you go out to do whatever you were going to do with Neko-chan. We�ll discuss this further when Michiru gets home!� Tenshi stared at her, surprised by her leniency. �Hurry, before I change my mind!�
Tenshi dashed up the stairs to get changed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Neko stood in the hallway, awkwardly searching for anything to say to Tenshi�s mother.
�Don�t worry, Neko-chan. I promise not to kill her.�
Neko stared at her hands, still unable to speak. Her beautiful tanzanite ring was still on the wrong hand. It had been there for almost a week and that seemed much too long. She wanted nothing more than to switch it back at this moment.
�We�re home!� Michiru called as she entered the house with Puroko. �I see our wayward child has returned.� A relieved smile, pretending to be a cheerful one, was spread across her face.
�Neko-san!� Puroko cried happily, running over to her for a hug.
�You didn�t hurt my car, did you?� Haruka teased Michiru.
Neko�s head was spinning from the speed of everything going on around her. She focused on hugging Puroko back while Haruka explained to Michiru what she knew of Tenshi�s disobedience. Puroko, who had been so sad that Neko didn�t remember her; who had given her a wonderful gift for Christmas.
Neko-san, Tenshi said you were going to join our family, but I didn�t want to make Michiru-san sad. So you can have Tenshi, if you want her to join your family instead.
�Thank you, Puroko-chan,� she whispered to the younger girl.
She stood back up and looked nervously at Tenshi�s parents, who were still discussing Tenshi. She was tired of waiting, and they probably couldn�t get any madder at Tenshi than they were now, so�.
�Tenoh-sama, Kaiou-sama, I was wondering if you would join Puroko-chan in giving me your blessing. I would like to take Tenshi�s hand in marriage,� she said unflinchingly and clearly.
�Nani?� They both looked at her in shock.
Now that she was committed to this, her voice became a little shakier, betraying her nervousness. �Tenshi asked me to marry her. If it�s okay with the two of you, I would like to do so. We thought we�d probably wait until I was out of high school for the actual wedding, but I would like your permission now.� Her voice grew quieter and quieter, as she continued. She knew it would be hard, but she hadn�t expected this.
�Don�t be mad at her for asking me. We just love each other so much. But it�s very important to her that you give her your blessing. It�s the same as for her apartment � she could leave at anytime, but she loves you so much, so she won�t unless you say it�s okay. I wouldn�t blame you for wanting to keep her to yourselves, and all you need is to tell her if you don�t want us together, but it would break both our hearts. So please give us your blessing. We love each other so.�
�Is all that true, Tenshi?� Haruka asked.
Neko followed her gaze to the top of the stairs where Tenshi stood, newly outfitted in a much warmer-looking purple sweater and a fresh pair of jeans.
�We were supposed to do that together,� Tenshi told Neko quietly. But Neko could tell she wasn�t mad. She looked Haruka in the eyes and said, �I wish for your permission to marry her.�
Haruka glanced at her wife, but Michiru�s eyes were shining romantically. She turned her eyes to the sky. �I don�t want to get blamed for inspiring you to corrupt Neko-chan. So you may have your apartment, as long as Neko-chan does not stay there unless her parents have given her their permission.� They all looked at her expectantly, waiting for the answer to the real issue at hand. She winked at Neko. �Neko-chan, you�re a lucky girl. I wouldn�t trust my eldest daughter to just anyone.� She finished more seriously. �Know that if you ever hurt her, you�ll have to answer to me.�
That was as close as Haruka was going to get to a blessing, but it was all any of them needed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
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