the pleading for assistance... she told Haruka she didn't want her to follow
her...
She looked over at the rod, still lying on the ground. She squeezed Neptune's
hand a bit tighter. She's risked her life, her career, all so she could live...
so she wouldn't take the same path. Haruka closed her eyes tight, holding in
her tears. She didn't want to fight it anymore. She was sure of Michiru's love
for her, and was tired of pretending she wasn't falling in love with her. She
was tired of letting the fate of the world rest on Michiru's pretty shoulders,
letting her deal with all the problems alone. Michiru needed her help, Michiru
needed her love, she deserved better.
She carefully picked Neptune up and helped prop her against a wall. She smiled
sweetly at her, briefly touching her cheek. Neptune looked at her with fear
and wonder.
"What are you doing, Haruka?" she whispered.
"I'm not running away anymore," Haruka said to her, her smile turning sad.
"I'm giving in to fate."
"No! No!" Neptune grabbed her arm. "Don't, please... don't give up your life,
don't do this..." Neptune sobbed. "I-I can handle it... you don't need to..."
Haruka hushed her with a finger to her lips. She walked over to the rod,
ignoring the shaking in her legs. She reached for it, ignoring Neptune's
pleas. Looking back at her, not trying to stop her crying, she said, "I'm
doing this for you, Michiru. I'm doing it for you."
She grabbed it tight in her hands, lifting it up in the air. She felt swirls
of wind engulf her, light surround her. Words flooded into her mind, and
she grasped it tighter as she shouted them.
"Uranus Planet Power, Make-up!!!"
A larger gust of wind hit her, spiraling around her. Her clothing felt as
if it they were melting away, replaced with a new uniform. She stood there
afterwards, too stunned to react.
She wore a fuku like Neptune's, almost identical but for color. Her collar,
skirt, choker, back bow, and glove piping were indigo, her front bow golden
yellow. Her gloves came to her mid-forearm, and for shoes, she had high-heeled,
indigo boots similar to a pirate's that came just above her ankle. Her indigo
choker was bare of decoration, a gold hoop earring in her right ear, the gem
on her tiara indigo as well.
"Haruka..." Neptune choked out, standing up shakily. "S-Sailoruranus..."
Uranus turned to her, watching her stumbling steps. She moved forward and
caught her as she fell, pulling her into a tight embrace, but careful not
to hurt her. "Michiru," she breathed, pressing her face into her hair. "I'm
not going to run away anymore. I'm tired of hurting you... of you being hurt
because I refuse to fight. I accept this mission and any duties that go along
with it. Believe me, it hurt me terribly to treat you the way I did... I... I
was just so afraid of being a Senshi that I wanted to push you away... You're
so wonderful, so attractive, so incredible... It was all I could do to resist
you, and if I couldn't do that, I couldn't avoid my destiny. To accept you,
to allow myself to... to feel so strongly for you... means being your partner,
fighting alongside you... And I was afraid of that. I'm not anymore. I'm
going to be by your side, always."
"Oh... Oh Haruka..." Neptune sobbed into her shoulder. "Oh my God..."
Uranus held her tighter, crying with her. "It's going to be okay... we'll
save the world, we'll prevent the Silence... it's okay..."
Her head was pounding hard, and she didn't understand her own thoughts. Images
were swirling through her head rapidly, things she didn't comprehend. She
jumped a bit when the garage door slammed shut. A mist seemed to fill the room.
"What's happening?" she asked.
Neptune looked around, tightening her arms around Uranus. "I-I'm not sure..."
A silhouette of a tall woman holding a staff appeared. As she started walking
towards them, Neptune's eyes widened in surprise. "Setsuna?" she whispered.
The name seemed to jar a memory somewhere... Uranus had a strange vision of
looking up at a woman with dark green hair, much larger than her... she must
have been very young, a baby?... recalled words...
"Sailorpluto?" Uranus whispered.
"That's right." The woman emerged from the mists, nodded to Neptune, and fixed
her gaze on Uranus. "Welcome back, Sailoruranus."
Uranus shook her head to try and clear it. "What... What's going on? My head..."
"Flashbacks of your previous life. Don't fight them. You need to remember."
Uranus felt very uncertain about it, but Neptune gently urged, "Stop trying to
control them. It'll be all right."
Uranus nodded slowly and closed her eyes, allowing the memories to flood her
mind.
"The Dark Kingdom struck five planets today," Queen Serenity tells us. I
shudder inwardly as she lists the names. The war is getting worse... their
forces are drawing closer to us every hour. Their queen is so jealous of
our princess for winning the love of the man she also loves... A twisted
love triangle that's costing the lives of billions, and will soon cost
ours as well.
We can't win. I know that, thanks to my own love sharing it with me. She
knows a great deal about things, the true nature behind people and
events...
I almost jump up when my love's hand slips under the table to rest on my
thigh. She smiles pleasantly at me, then turns her attention back to the
queen.
"--That is why I called you here." She looks in particular at my love and
I. We very rarely are called to the Moon Kingdom, being stationed farther
out in the solar system. "Except for your companion that lies sleeping
still, and Pluto who is guarding the Gate... I need all of you here to
protect my daughter when they attack."
I lower my eyes a bit. Our first and foremost duty: protect the kingdom
from outside invasions. We couldn't stop this one, however. They were
simply too strong. We were captured, held in their clutches for weeks,
finally escaping when one of the captors neglected to check on us for
the night. Our second duty: protect the princess at all costs. That
we would not fail to do. It was, after all, not as hard as protecting
an entire system. That is why it was the Inner Senshi's primary mission;
it was something they could handle. The princess had never been injured
while we looked after her.
"My queen," I ask, "do you think we will survive this?"
My love and I know the answer already. This is for the benefit of the
others, after all. Too blinded by their faith in their queen and princess
and their own abilities to protect themselves to consider death.
She lowers her eyes to view the ginzuishou, resting in front of her on
the table. She looks at up at the sky briefly, and after some silently
mouthed words, whispers, "No."
The Inner Senshi gasp in horror. We don't react. It's no news to us.
I look to my love sadly. I don't want to die. I don't want our love to
end. Perhaps in the next life, we can be together... But I worry about
fate, circumstances... maybe we'll never meet?
The Inner Senshi and the queen start arguing, debating the issue. So
immature of them. My love gives me a sympathetic look. I gently bend my
head to kiss her pretty shoulders. She sighs blissfully and leans back
against me. We've discussed this already. We understand what will happen.
"--well, how long do we have?!" Venus asks, more like shrieks.
"I estimate their arrival for tomorrow, if they continue the advance at
the present rate."
Hands slam against the table, curses are uttered. She gently massages my
shoulders, softly pressing her lips to the back of my neck. The queen
looks over at us, and we sheepishly part. It's not that we're ashamed of
our relationship; she gave us her blessing. It just isn't appropriate
at the time; the Inner Senshi have to come to grips with their upcoming
deaths and we're over here enjoying ourselves.
"Does the princess know?" Mars asks softly. I smile inwardly. She is
quite possibly the most dedicated of all to protecting the younger
Serenity. Her temper makes up for her devotion.
"I felt it best not to tell her."
"My queen," my love starts, then pauses a bit. I'm curious as to what
she'll say. "I think... I think she would appreciate knowing so...
so she could have one last night with Endymion."
She smiles sadly at me. Another thing we discussed. If we're going to
die tomorrow, we're going to make the most of tonight, after all.
"I think that would be great for her," Jupiter says. "Last chance to..."
"No," the queen says sharply. "I will not have her worried." She gives
Neptune an apologetic look as she says, "I understand the desire for a
last night together, but I feel..." She coughs and says, "they have not
married yet, and I don't think that before marriage they would already--"
"I'm sorry I suggested it," my love says, sparing her embarrassment.
She looks over to me, her arm slipping around my waist.
"That's all right," the queen says. She stands there a few moments, silent,
then walks over the window to stare out at her kingdom, the last chance
she'll have to see it when the light fades for the night.
"You may retire to your rooms, if you wish," she tells all of us in her
soft voice.
We stand, and all but myself curtsy, I preferring to bow. My love and I
start to leave, before she stops us.
"Neptune, Uranus..."
We turn to our queen. The others have left. She reaches a hand for us, then
pauses. Her hand seems heavy.
"Something wrong, my queen?"
"Forgive me," she whispers, turning away. "When you remember me and
your duty, forgive me for putting it upon you..."
Neptune looks to me, confused as I. "Yes, my queen," we say in
unison, though not sure what to make of her words.
We leave the room together, hand in hand. Our guest room is a little
way up the hall. I turn the key in the lock, Neptune turning on the
lights and going to our bedroom as I lock it again. I follow her in.
We've already had dinner. This is all that's left now, all that
matters.
I take her in my arms, kissing her neck as we lie back on the bed. A
tear slips from her eye and I quickly wipe it away. "Why are you crying,
love?" I whisper, my lips pressing to her throat.
"I'm going to miss you so much," she whispers. "Who knows when or if we
can be together again..." She nuzzles her face against my neck and says,
"Forget about that. Let's just enjoy this last time together... last
chance to express our love."
It saddens me to hear her so insecure. I'm uncertain about continuing.
"If you're too worried, Neptune... Are you sure you want to do--"
Her finger against my lips silences me. "I love you, Uranus," she
whispers. "I want to show you my love, for this last time. Don't mistake
my sadness for lack of desire."
I can't help but smile. I should have known better. Any and every chance
we get to spend together, we do.
Her hands grip my shoulders, not too hard, and she kisses my eyelids,
my cheek, my lips. Her lips are always so warm and soft. Her hands
start to slip my clothes off.
"I love you," I whisper huskily.
"I love you too."
 
 
The fact that the Dark Kingdom still hadn't attacked made everyone
nervous. Two days ago, we'd expected them to... but for some reason,
they hadn't disturbed us. That made me even more worried than if they
had gone ahead and attacked. It meant they were building up more forces,
which would ensure their win... not to mention the fact that we'd be
caught by surprise.
The Inner Senshi took it as a great sign, however, as did most of the
kingdom. Balls were held the past two nights, another one planned for
tonight, and the next... however many days we had left, if any. Neptune
and I avoided them. We spent every night alone, as if it was our last.
She had joked that she was rather enjoying the Dark Kingdom's inactivity;
it made our nights even more wonderful than ever before. I have to admit,
I'm rather enjoying it myself. The threat of death does wonders for your
night-time activities under the covers... not that it wasn't good to
begin with.
Another ball is getting ready to start. We are preparing to go back to
our room when Queen Serenity stops us. Her face is white as a sheet.
I take hold of her arm, supporting her in case she weakens to the point
of collapse. "What's wrong?"
"I... I feel..."
Neptune cries out, her hands clutching her chest, over her heart. I
leave the queen's side to help her sit down. When I turn around, the
queen has disappeared.
"Are you all right?!"
"I'll be okay," she forces out. "Give me a moment..."
"What is it?"
"They..." a tear slips out of her eye. "Oh no... they're attacking...
tonight..."
"Are you sure?"
"Four hours, perhaps... maybe less... I'm certain this time. It's
really going to happen."
"We need to tell the queen," I say, helping her stand. "She can tell
the armies to be ready. As for the partygoers..." I lower my head
sadly. "They won't listen. It's best to let them enjoy themselves
while they can."
We find the queen after looking for several minutes. Neptune tells
her what's happening. We're about to assist her when she stops us.
"Go, please," she says. "I can handle things. You two need to be alone.
There's not much time left..."
I look to Neptune, tears glistening in her eyes. "My queen," I force
out.
She hugs us tightly. I have the feeling this is the last time we'll
see her alive. "Please... share your love for the last time... the
_real_ last time."
She kisses our foreheads and tracing our forehead symbols with her
index finger. I even bring myself to curtsy with Neptune, and we
both kiss her hand tenderly. She's given us so much in our lives...
the chance to meet each other, escape from our planet's legal system
so we aren't forced into an arranged marriage with a prince from
another world, becoming a second mother to all of us. It's hard to
leave her like this...
But she's right. I know I wouldn't be able to fight knowing that I
hadn't taken the chance to spend my last few hours with Neptune
before I had to go into battle.
 
 
I keep from crying out in pain when the sword bites into my shoulder.
I've always kept it bottled up. I never cry. Never. Neptune whirls
around and let's loose an attack on the man that struck me. She
quickly pulls me away from the attacker. One of those damned Shitenno,
I'd imagine... all four of them in distinctive gray uniforms. They
once served us, but the dark queen corrupted them.
There's too many people here, too many bodies both living and dead.
The ballroom is littered with corpses already, the army rapidly being
slaughtered. We can't win. It's hopeless.
All it takes is a quick glance to see that Neptune and I are the only
Senshi left. I had a feeling we'd be the last ones. I have a bitter
taste in my mouth. Pluto... Our dear friend... I saw her briefly.
She wasn't fighting, just standing their with that staff of hers,
watching. We could've used her.
Neptune and I rejoin the battle. I lash out with my own sword, cutting
through muscle to reach bone. Neptune attacks furiously. We're wearing
out quickly, though. I'm losing blood fast, Neptune is no better. I
fear more for her than myself. We stand back to back, as usual, covering
each other while protecting ourselves.
Someone suddenly leaps between us, jostling me, forcing us apart. I
lose sight of her. One of the Shitenno... long, honey-colored hair,
vaguely familiar. He tries to lash out at me and I quickly stab him
through the gut, leaving him to double over in pain and die of the
wound. I notice the one with long white hair is watching. I quickly
look away. They were lovers, I remember. The princess once told us
we should be friends with them; we had something in common, right?
I accused her of being stereotypical. Now that I see him standing here,
seeing me kill his lover, I can't help but pity him. It isn't his fault
that the dark queen corrupted him. He just wanted a happy life with
the man I just killed. I quickly turn away, frantically search for
Neptune.
She's holding off pretty well, but she looks terrified. Worried about
me? I start to approach her. The white-haired Shitenno tenderly holds
the honey-haired man in his death throes. I am so close to reaching
her. He bows his head, then leaps up, a sword in his hand. He's
unbelievably fast. Probably wasted a lot of energy to do that; the dark
queen's troops all operate on limited energy reserves. I want to scream
out when he reaches Neptune. She whirls around, not sure of what to do.
I run to her and jump between them, tell her to get back. The general
comes at me. My mind whirls rapidly, several thoughts coming to mind:
He's trying to kill Neptune. I should kill him for that. I killed his
lover. He deserves to be put out of his misery. I feel no remorse as
I ram the blade into him. He slumps to the ground, and I grab Neptune,
holding her tightly to me.
Not many people left on either side... the battle is slowly winding
down... I see the dark queen has reached our princess. We've failed
miserably.
"Q-Queen... B-Beryl... is she..." Neptune can barely whisper through
her sobs.
"She's reached Serenity," I whisper, knowing what she's asking. "It won't
be long now."
She falls silent. I worry a bit about that. She seems to look over my
shoulder. I let out a startled shout as she shoves me rather forcefully
to the side. I'm about to question her when the worst possible thing
happens.
The white-haired Shitenno... he isn't dead... His sword is raised,
leaping for _me_, or where I was moments ago, blood streaming from his
chest... Neptune now stands in the path... I scream loudly, but there's
no time to stop it... His sword cleanly stabs into her chest and emerges
from her back. He smashes into the ground, probably driving the last
life from him with the impact... Neptune...
I feel hot tears streaming down my cheeks as I hold her bleeding body
in my arms. She's trembling all over, shaking with her last energy. I
can't comprehend what I'm saying, I'm babbling, sobbing... She grips
my hand tightly, looking up at me through her own tears. She doesn't
have much time... I quickly bend to her, kissing her lips one last
time. "I love you!" I sob.
"I love you too," she whispers. She fixes her eyes on my face, her hand
too weak to hold mine anymore. She closes her eyes and grimaces, pressing
her cheek to my chest. My tears splash across her cheeks. She's in so
much pain...
There's a tiny quiver of her shoulders, and a small exhale of breath,
then utter stillness, utter silence. I frantically shake her, but there's
no reaction. My hands start to go slack, and I carefully lay her on the
ground. I'm shaking all over, my vision too blurred with tears to make
out anything I'm seeing. I let out a long, loud, pain-filled scream.
I want to strangle that man as he somehow props himself up.
"Damnit, would you just DIE?! You fucking KILLED HER!"
He rasps out, "A-and YOU... k-killed HIM, bitch!" He looks down at Neptune.
"S-she died for you," he chokes out. "S-she l-loved you?"
"Yes..."
He seems to be fascinated with my tears. He grabs my sword. I move to
squeeze the last breath from his throat, and I end up screaming as
I end up run through with my own sword.
i seem to be lying on the ground now... she's right next to me. i
weakly reach to clutch her hand. i hear him mumbling to me, "y-you
tried to k-kill me, b-but i s-suspect there was some m-mercy behind it
... i d-don't have m-much time left either, s-so the least i-i can do
is l-let you join her... a mercy k-killing."
i surprise myself by whispering, "thank you." i manage to drag myself
to her side and wrap my arms around her. i'm going to die next to her,
holding her, i'll never be separated from her, not even by death.
i feel i'm taking my last breath. i close my eyes, leaning against her.
i feel it coming close. i smile faintly as i feel my life dim.
"neptune..."
 
 
Neptune carefully shook Uranus. She'd fallen into a trance of sorts when the
flashbacks started. Pluto teleported them to Haruka's apartment while she was
still in that state. They laid her on her bed and waited for her to wake up.
Pluto stood, as usual, Neptune sitting next to Uranus's prone form. Her wounds
had already healed thanks to the Senshi's quick healing abilities, but she
was still sore and some scabs showed. Pluto was emotionless as usual as she
viewed them, Neptune was getting frantic waiting for Uranus to wake up.
Slowly, Uranus came out of it. She trembled, clutching her arms as if seeing
if she was really alive.
After several moments of this, she gasped out, "Neptune?"
Neptune hugged her tightly. "I'm here, it's okay..."
"I... I saw... I... I died..."
Neptune remembered her own frightening visions of her death, the horror of
the battle, the pain of the sword, the strange sense of rightness as she
took the strike meant for her lover. She hoped it hadn't been so bad for
Uranus...
Then she realized how horrible it must have been for her... to see her
love die before her eyes, after taking a blow meant for her, to have her die
in her arms...
"Are you going to be all right?" she asked her.
Uranus pulled away from her embrace. "I think... I just need a moment..."
She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, then massaged her temples a bit.
"Are all the flashbacks this bad?"
Neptune gently squeezed her hand, laying her head against Uranus's shoulder.
"Our deaths are painful to remember... but there's good times to remember,
right? Did you see anything except that final battle?"
Uranus's cheeks burned at Neptune's touch and at the memory of their last
time together. "Before... Before the battle, when we..." She coughed and
fell silent. Neptune blushed a bit, too.
"Uranus," Pluto said, "do you know exactly what your mission is?"
Uranus frowned a bit. "The visions were... a bit confusing. I know that...
we're supposed to prevent the destruction of the world, the Silence... and
I remember seeing a girl holding a tall weapon, and three shining items...
I can't piece it together from that."
Pluto nodded and calmly explained the mission, her words eerily the same as
Queen Serenity's. Neptune wondered if the queen had rehearsed the whole thing
with Pluto, perhaps they spoke often; the queen still existed in spiritual
form, after all. Uranus listened attentively, not asking any questions. Her
eyes were very sad, painful to look at.
"I understand," she quietly whispered when Pluto finished. "I..." She looked
down at Neptune, then said, "I accept."
A ghostly smiled flickered across Pluto's face. "Very well. You will sacrifice
the holders to retrieve their Talismans, with the understanding that it means
their death?"
"Yes."
"You will use any means necessary to ensure that the Talismans are in your
hands?"
"Yes."
"You will retrieve the Holy Grail at all costs?"
"Yes."
"You will give your life, if need be, for the Messiah of Light?"
"Yes."
Pluto hesitated briefly, then asked, "You will let your partner die in battle
while you escape to continue the mission, if need be?"
Uranus sat still, her eyes darting over to Neptune. She lowered her head and
whispered, "If need be... _only_ if it is absolutely necessary."
"Then I welcome you to the ranks of the Senshi, Sailoruranus. Good luck.
Goodbye to both of you; I must return to my post." Pluto disappeared.
Neptune felt her heart aching as she looked at Uranus's face, hardened into
a scowl. She lay a hand on Uranus's shoulder. "You better detransform, try
to get some rest. I don't think you can make it to practice, but you don't
really need it. I... If you need me here, I'll stay..."
"Please, don't leave me," Uranus whimpered. Neptune was shocked at her voice.
"Don't let me be alone..." She shivered a bit, then asked, "How do I get out
of my fuku?"
Neptune turned to face the opposite direction. "Just think about it really
hard, and it will happen."
"All right then..." After a little while, she let out a startled yelp. "Thank
you for looking away! God!"
Neptune laughed a bit. "I hope you'll show me the same courtesy then."
Haruka jokingly covered her eyes with her hands but peeked through her
fingers. Neptune laughed and tossed a pillow at her face, and while she was
occupied, detransformed.
"Spoiled all the fun!"
"I didn't look at you, so it wouldn't be fair if you looked at me!"
Haruka winked at her. "Oh, so you want to see me na--"
"My, my! How did you ever guess?"
Haruka blushed deeply and looked away while Michiru just laughed. "I, er...
Hold on a moment please."
Michiru raised an eyebrow and turned away. She heard Haruka unzip her fire
suit, and after a little while, zip it back up again. "There, much better."
Michiru turned around, noticing Haruka had taken off the bindings she usually
wore. "Definitely better. Flat doesn't suit you."
"Michiru!" she lightly hit Michiru's arm. "I swear, you just love to tease
me about my body, don't you?"
"I've had plenty of time to study it. It's quite... exquisite."
"Ah..." Haruka coughed a bit. "W-well then... Let's go outside, shall we?"
Haruka got up and walked to the sliding glass door leading out to her balcony.
She held out a hand to Michiru and beckoned her to follow. Michiru took her
hand and stepped outside. She was surprised at the view. It over-looked a park
with a huge lake, and some rather pretty buildings. She could sense the water's
eagerness, and it was more so than usual. There was something else different
about it, something that wasn't there before. She noticed a wind blowing across
the water, and glanced up at Haruka, smiling wistfully at the sight. Haruka's
eyes were closed blissfully, enjoying the breeze.
"Can you feel it?" she whispered. "The wind is much happier now. It's rather
enjoying itself. It's having fun dancing across the water." She opened her
eyes and fixed them on Michiru.
Michiru gripped the railing between her hands. It made perfect sense, didn't
it? The wind and water were a part of them, and now that the barriers were
being broken down, they rejoiced in each other.
"The sea is calm... but excited." Michiru looked over to Haruka. "I think it's
wondering what more will come of this... ?"
Haruka moved to stand behind her, her arms reaching around either side to grip
the railing, Michiru standing between them. "I want to be with you, Michiru. I
want things between us to be... more than partners in battle, more than friends.
I have no reason to stay away anymore. I want to follow my heart." Michiru
trembled a bit as Haruka's arms encircled her waist, embracing her tightly from
behind as she rested her cheek against Michiru's. Michiru blushed deeply and
let herself relax against Haruka, enjoying the feel of her body pressed up
against hers. "Well?"
"Haruka... you have no idea how happy that would make me..." She felt tears
spill down her cheeks. "Thank you..."
Haruka smiled and pulled away from her. "I'm... I'm glad..." Haruka ran her
hand through her bangs. "I'm not sure what to say now," she said with a
nervous chuckle.
Michiru linked her arm around Haruka's and grinned at her. "I think... Well,
I'll be going to your race, of course. Maybe afterward, we could go out to a
nice restaurant and talk some more."
"I'd like that. I'll give your name to Engi-san and tell him to let you into
our building, all right? Come as early as you like, I get there hours befo-- You
know that already, don't you?"
Michiru blushed faintly and laughed. "Well, yes..."
Haruka smiled slyly. "It's going to be fun to learn more about you, Michiru.
You definitely have the upper hand..." She gently gripped Michiru's shoulders
and pressed her forehead to hers. "...but I think you'll find me quite
resourceful. I may not know that many personal details, but I understand how
your mind works. I know how to get to you."
Michiru gulped in air. It felt wonderful to be this close to Haruka, her face so
close, her breath upon her... But it was too soon. She carefully removed
herself from Haruka's grip. "That you do, Haruka... But..." She sighed with
a bit of disappointment. "I think we need to take this slow. We haven't even
been friends in these months, it will take a bit of time before we can be..."
Haruka silenced her with a finger to her lips. She smiled faintly at Michiru.
"My body tends to act before my brain," she joked. "I would prefer to take
this one step at a time... I..." She pressed a finger to her forehead. "You
understand how hard it is for me to get close to anyone. And considering how
close we were back then, if we were to be that serious in the future... It
will take time. I have to break down my own defensive walls that I've put
up against this. I've never trusted anyone, not after my father... Hayasa
and Engi are my friends, Engi-san's more like a real father to me... but...
when you get down to it, I can't really trust them. Hell, I don't even trust
my mother, my aunt..."
"I know, Haruka." Michiru hugged Haruka loosely. "I know. But I promise you,
I will never, _ever_ hurt you. I couldn't even if I wanted to. I'll do
everything I can to make you the happy. You deserve a better life than what
you've been given... You didn't deserve that bastard for a father, to be
destined to this mission..."
Haruka grabbed her hands and stared hard into her eyes. "No matter how much
I hate the idea of my fate being controlled by outside forces, it brought
me to you. I was too scared to realize that I couldn't escape it, I could've
spared us both a lot of pain, but I was just too terrified... yet..." She let
go of Michiru's hands to tenderly press her hands to her cheeks. "If it wasn't
for this mission, I might not have been as serious about you. I might have
just modeled for you like you asked without considering that you wanted me to
be anything more than a friend. I would have ignored my feelings because I
thought there was no chance at being your lover."
Michiru closed her eyes to block another welling of tears. She rested her
hands on Haruka's, carefully stroking them with her fingers. "I love you,
Haruka," she said softly. "I... I don't expect you to say it back. You
haven't had the chance to get to know me well enough to say that..."
She opened her eyes and saw Haruka was crying. She was silent about it,
but tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Michiru... I... thank you...
I have to say though... I know that I am falling in love with you. And
to know that someone as wonderful as you loves me... It makes me so
happy..."
They hugged each other tightly, crying into each other's shoulders. After
several minutes, they pulled away. Michiru sniffled, then glanced at her
watch.
"I... I have to leave... my parents will be expecting me back. I'm really
sorry..."
"It's all right. I'll get your phone number from Teinei, all right? So, I'll
call you tomorrow morning before I leave..."
"Yeah..."
She gave Haruka one last hug, exchanging a broad smile, then turned and
walked out of the apartment.
Haruka sat down on her bed, clutching her arms in her hands. She cried
tears of happiness. She lay back on the bed, gazing up the sky with
a wistful look on her face. She grabbed her notebook and wrote something
in it quickly.
There was no more fear. There would be no more pain. There would only
be the joy of sharing a love with Michiru.
Haruka fell asleep with a smile on her face.