The daimon screamed and seemed to fragment and waver. "LOVELY!" it
screamed, and then it was gone. In its place, the backpack fell to the
ground, and a large, fragmented egg popped out. It cracked open,
revealing it was a hollow, then a strange black shadow floated out of
it and faded away.
Uranus wiped her gloved hand across her forehead and came over to Neptune.
"Are they usually like this?"
"No..." Neptune shivered a bit. "They never had individualized attackers
before... they were all the same... Never any heart crystals..."
"Maybe they had a different method? The boy at the track turned into
that... that thing... Maybe the heart crystal was trapped inside of it,
and when it returned to its master, they could remove it?"
"Perhaps... now..." Neptune handed the heart crystal to her. "How do we
return this? We better hurry... we have no idea how long it takes before
they... they..."
"Shush, he's going to be okay." She leaned over the boy, propping him up to
examine him. She held her hand out towards him, and a look of surprise
crossed her face as the heart crystal floated back to him. It disappeared
into his body. His cheeks regained a healthy flush and he slowly opened his
eyes, only to find his saviors nowhere in sight.
"Talk about crazy," Uranus muttered as they dropped down into the alley
again. "So, this is definitely a change from usual?"
"Very much. The daimon was completely unlike the others, the heart crystals
were never involved, and that woman..." Neptune puzzled over it a bit. "I
suppose she's just a henchwoman, not really important."
"Hmmm... well, we better be going. Okaa-san'll worry about me being late."
They turned away from each other to detransform, then got back on the
motorcycle. "You know, Michiru, those skirts are very uncomfortable."
"A bit short. But it shows off your gorgeous legs nicely."
Haruka chuckled. "Speak for yourself. Convenient for fighting, though.
Don't slow you down when your kicking."
"You're the fighter, not me," Michiru said with a shrug, wrapping her
arms around Haruka's waist again. "Well... here we go again." She shut
her eyes tight as the engine started.
 
 
Sunao languidly stirred her coffee and sipped it. She'd expected Haruka
to be here earlier than this. It wasn't like her to be late. She hoped
she was okay.
She sighed and sat down on the couch in her living room. Despite her
irritation, she was grateful to see her daughter at all. Haruka had
gotten so caught up in her racing that she often neglected to call.
There was a knock on the door, followed by the sound of a key turning in
the lock. Sunao stood up and smoothed out her skirt. Sunao could hear
two voices in quiet conversation, and wondered if Haruka had brought a
guest.
"Hi, okaa-san!" Haruka called as she walked in the door.
Sunao opened her mouth to speak a greeting, and it dropped open farther
than she'd intended when she saw who was with Haruka.
Michiru politely bowed to her, smiling lightly. "Sunao-san. It's good
to see you again."
"Likewise, Michiru-chan... Haruka? Why don't you two have a seat, I'll
go get some tea for you... I hope canned is fine."
"That would be nice. Thank you."
Sunao went into the kitchen and took out two cans of tea from the
refrigerator. She blinked in wonder when she saw Haruka was actually
letting Michiru sit by her... and had her arm around her shoulders!
Sunao wondered what was going on.
"Here you go. Green tea, is that all right?"
"Oh, I love green tea," Michiru said, reaching for a can. She smiled
to Haruka. "You know, it's Setsuna's favorite..."
"That's right," Haruka said with a laugh, reaching for her own. She
tightened her arm around Michiru. Sunao wondered who "Setsuna" was. After
taking a long drink, Haruka asked, "So, okaa-san, you're coming to the
race today, I hope?"
"Yes, I will be..." Sunao scratched her chin and looked back and forth
from her daughter to Michiru. "Haruka, forgive me for being rude, but...
since when are you two even friends?"
Haruka and Michiru both laughed. "Oh, yesterday," Michiru said.
"Yesterday?!"
"Don't ask, it's too crazy to explain," Haruka said. They both laughed
again. "We're getting along great now, don't worry." She lightly poked
Michiru in the arm and said, "_This_ silly girl says she got a copy of my
key from you a few weeks ago, and she surprised me with coming over to
cook a surprise breakfast this morning."
"I did give her a key..." Sunao looked over at Michiru. "I didn't realize
what she would use it for." She smirked a bit and said, "If I knew she
wanted it to court my dau--"
"OKAA-SAN!" Haruka hollered. Michiru blushed a bit. "Please!!! Don't
embarrass her!"
"Well, she was trying to get on your good side, wasn't she?"
"I was trying to be nice," Michiru murmured, still blushing. "I suppose."
"Oh boy," Haruka groaned. "Remind me to keep my mother away from you from
now on. She'll just start leaping to conclusions and doing her best to
embarrass you..."
"Oh, so I'm not good enough to show to your... friend?" Sunao said, raising
an eyebrow. She teased, "Are you embarrassed that I'm your mother?"
"Now that you mention it..."
"Haruka, be nice!" Michiru said, nudging Haruka in the ribs.
"Ah, she knows I'm teasing!" Haruka protested. "Watch the elbow, you'll make
me spill my drink." Michiru giggled and started drinking her tea again.
Haruka jokingly rolled her eyes and set hers down. "Okaa-san, can you get a
ride home after the game?"
Sunao raised an eyebrow. "I think so... why?"
"We... ah, we have plans--"
"Don't worry, I'll find someone to take me home," she said, giving Haruka a
knowing wink. "I'll go make some sandwiches or something."
"You have a wonderful mother," Michiru said. "She's always been really nice
to me. She loves to tease, but she is really nice."
"It's funny, she really came alive after we left," Haruka said. "She was
being held back, being trapped in an arranged marriage to someone she
wasn't sure she loved. And we never used to talk about _anything_."
"You're lucky to have her. My mother is... not so ideal." She frowned and
put her tea down again. "We've never talked. She just pressures me to do
things. It wasn't my choice to play violin or study art. I do love it, but
I wish I could have discovered it on my own. She's trying to mold me into
her idea of a perfect lady. If she knew about you... Well, I'd be finding
a new home."
Haruka tightened her arm around Michiru and pressed her forehead against
hers. "You're always welcome with me," she whispered. "My apartment is a
bit small, but we could get a new one, together."
"Oh, Haruka!" Michiru hugged her. "That makes me almost want to get kicked
out! To live with you--"
Haruka pressed her finger to her lips. "Wait until things get more serious,
hmmm?"
"I know, I know..." Michiru clasped her hand tightly. "But it's such a
wonderful thought."
"Um, ahem, ladies?" Haruka and Michiru both blushed brightly when they
saw Sunao standing there, holding a tray of sandwiches. "Sorry to
interrupt..."
They quickly pulled apart, folding their hands in their laps and trying
to act innocent.
"You two are so cute!" Sunao gushed, setting the tray in front of them.
"I can't believe you've only been together a day."
"Ah... well... um..." Haruka stumbled over her words, trying to think of
something to say.
"Sunao-san," Michiru cut it, "could you do us a favor? I know you have
some friends in the clothing business. Could you arrange for a tuxedo
to be dropped off at Teinei-san's? That way Haruka could drop me off
at my house and just go over there to get dressed. It would really
save us time."
"Sure, I'll go call them. Help yourselves to the sandwiches. And try
to keep your hands to yourselves." She winked again and left.
"Good thinking," Haruka said, exhaling sharply.
"You're cute when you're nervous," Michiru said, gently touching her
hand. "Well, better not let the food go to waste."
"Um, yeah!" Haruka took a few bites, then stood up and excused herself.
She went into the kitchen and talked to her mother awhile, then came
back.
"What was that about?"
"Oh, nothing. Just talking with okaa-san."
Sunao came back in, smiling. "Teinei will be over soon. She's going to
drive me to the race and take me back. Do you have her key with you?"
"On my keychain, of course."
"Good!" She sat down again. "Going to surprise her with your new...
friendship? It seems like much more than that."
They both blushed again and nodded.
"That'll be fun." Sunao took a sandwich from the tray. "Hmmm... I don't
want to spoil the mood, but..." She took a bite and looked thoughtful.
"Well, you need to know. The divorce has gone through, thank goodness."
"Okaa-san, that's wonderful!" Haruka leapt up and hugged her, crying a
bit. "That's some of the best news I've ever heard! How could that spoil
the mood?"
"Well..." Sunao sighed. "He's really gotten off the hook. He went on a
gambling spree, lost, and filed for bankruptcy, just to keep from paying
child support. He didn't want to help you in any way. The court says
they have no reason to believe you were abused. The doctor that treated
you has disappeared, along with the medical records from the day we
brought you in. The ambulance drivers have so many cases that they can't
remember treating you. They said I was just lashing out at him because of
our failed marriage, and if you really had been abused, someone would have
reported it sooner."
Haruka's face reddened in anger. "They're just letting him go?! They
aren't doing _anything_?! Can't they check their phone records? I know
Michiru made a call! And what about the neighbors? They must've heard
something, remembered all the commotion!"
"I'm sorry, Har--"
Haruka slammed her fist on the chair arm. "Damnit! He deserves to DIE! He
has to pay! And they're just letting him loose!"
Michiru came over and hugged her from behind. "Haruka, calm down. It'll
be okay. I know you're really hurt right now, but don't worry. He can't
do anything to you anymore, that's all that really matters."
"I want him DEAD! I can't bear knowing he's alive somewhere!" Haruka cried,
turning around to face her. "After what he did--"
Michiru wrapped her arms around Haruka, letting her shoulder be cried on.
Sunao knealt down and stroked Haruka's hair gently.
"We'll make sure Katai pays, somehow," Sunao whispered. "It just takes
time." She stood and backed away, letting Michiru comfort her. The doorbell
rang and Sunao swore softly. "We'll go for a walk or something, give you
time to calm down. It's going to be okay." Sunao walked out her door,
talking loudly to cover Haruka's sobs.
Michiru helped Haruka stand up, guiding her shaky steps. She sat and drew
Haruka down with her, hugging her again. Haruka slowly stopped crying,
letting Michiru brush away her tears.
"I'm the fighter, huh?" Haruka choked out.
"Shhh..." Michiru held her closer. "Everyone cries sometimes."
"I... I suppose." Haruka sniffled a bit. "Even me," she said with a
grimace. She snuggled a bit against Michiru. "This seems backwards,
you holding me," she chuckled.
Michiru laughed and lay her head against Haruka's. "It feels nice,"
she whispered, pressing a hand to the back of Haruka's head.
"Very..." Haruka adjusted herself a bit, so Michiru was practically
cradling her, though her legs stretched out over the couch arm.
She rested her head on Michiru's chest, closing her eyes. "Thank you,
Michiru. Having you here... it makes everything be all right."
"Quiet happy to." Michiru inhaled sharply as Haruka gently ran her hand
along her back, rubbing her cheek against her. Michiru ran her fingers
through the short hair, shifting her arm so she could reach with her
other hand to stroke Haruka's thigh. Haruka stared up at her, surprise
in her eyes, and continued to caress Michiru's back. Michiru let out a
tiny gasp, pressing her face into Haruka's hair more to muffle her
sounds. Haruka laughed a bit, then let out a long, soft sigh as she
settled into Michiru's arms.
"This is wonderful..." She closed her eyes blissfully. "I can't believe
that..." she gasped a bit, then continued, "we haven't even kissed
and we're sitting here doing this."
Michiru giggled and nuzzled her head against Haruka's. "Seems a bit
backwards, doesn't it? But... oh, this feels really good... right
there..."
Haruka grinned at her. "If you react like this just to touching your
_back_--"
"Haruka!" she laughed, then her eyes twinkled mischievously. She
moved her hand more towards Haruka's inner thigh, inticing a loud
cry from her. "And how's that--"
"Michiru! Ohhh!!!"
"My, my, you _really_ like that!" Michiru started to shut her eyes,
then opened them wide. "Um, Haruka?"
"Mmmm?"
"Your mother has arrived. Again. And it looks like she's been
standing there awhile."
Haruka jumped a bit and looked to see Teinei standing there with an
amazed look, Sunao smiling sheepishly. "I couldn't convince Teinei
to go off for any length of time. I thought maybe it would be all
right to come in. I guess I should've known what would happen if I
left Michiru to comfort you. I guess you're feeling much, _much_
better now."
"I, um... oh crap." She took her hand away from Michiru's back,
Michiru adjusting herself so she was holding Haruka in both arms.
"Hi, oba-san... um..."
Teinei broke out in a fit of laughter. "It's all right! It's all
right! Oh lord, you should've seen the looks on your faces! You
were so mortified!" She grinned broadly. "I'm _quite_ happy for
you two! It took you long enough to hook up!" She wagged her
finger at them. "And don't be embarrassed that I saw you two
together. Believe me, I've walked in on Murasaki and Kanpeki
making out enough times that it doesn't faze me anymore. And
believe me, that's worse than just some touchy-feely."
"She always seemed to eager to go to your house," Michiru commented
with a smile. "Not much privacy at ours."
"That's true. So, Sunao's having a tux sent over, I hear? First
date, huh?" She winked at them. "Congratulations!"
"Thanks," Haruka said, smiling up at Michiru. "I can't wait."
Michiru smiled sweetly at her in return.
"But what are you going to do when Haruka picks you up?"
Michiru's eyes widened, looking from Haruka to Teinei. "I... I
hadn't considered..."
"Simple, I'm Michiru's date. They don't have to know I'm a girl.
And since I'll be wearing a tux..."
Michiru breathed a loud sigh of relief, then gasped. "What if
Suteki tells them?! If she sees you, she'll recognize you!"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Don't worry." Haruka
smiled. "And... well, remember what I said earlier. I'd prefer
to wait, but I'll be here for you if you need me."
"Thank you," Michiru said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"You know..." Teinei sat down and crossed her legs, "it's going to
be difficult for you two to keep this hidden. I know Suteki is
against it, and I'm sure your parents would be, too. She caught
Kanpeki and Murasaki together and threatened to tell your parents.
Kanpeki has to pretty much bribe her to keep her mouth shut. I know
Genki would never say anything and Kanzen is much too nice for that.
What about Kirei?"
"I think Kirei will keep it to herself. We've been spending more time
together and she's been very accepting."
"That's good." Teinei checked her watch, then said, "Well, I had
wanted to get some shopping in before the race. I better get going.
Coming, Sunao?"
"Sure," she said, "I'll get my purse."
Sunao left the room and Teinei leaned in towards Haruka. "I don't
think she told you, but a guy she works with asked her out yesterday!"
"Really?! Well, what did she do?"
"She said she'd _consider_ it," Teinei said, rolling her eyes. "I
think she's just not ready to deal with another relationship yet.
But I really wish she'd accepted! He was very handsome. Really,
really nice guy, too. Maybe you could drop hints that she should
date."
Haruka laughed, "I don't think she'd listen to _me_ for advice on
what _men_ to date!"
"Ah well! Try anyways. I'll see if I can convince her."
Sunao came back in and gave Haruka a quick hug. "See you at the
race. Good luck... like you need it!"
"Yeah, ha ha! Bye."
Haruka got up and helped Michiru to her feet as Sunao was leaving.
Michiru smiled and wrapped her arm around Haruka's. "Well, it's still
too earlier to head over, right?"
"Yeah. We could go back to my apartment. I need to change vehicles
anyways. Wouldn't want to mess up our clothes on our date, huh?"
"Good thinking. After that... hmmm. I wouldn't mind going over to the
track. It'll give me the chance to talk to Hayasa-san."
"You know Hayasa-kun?"
"He comes over to the stands to talk to Murasaki-san whenever she comes,
and he sometimes comes and talks to me and Kirei. Kirei has been pining
away for him ever since your first race, and I want to try to give him
a nudge in her direction."
"I think he's mentioned her before... if this is the 'hot brunette' he
keeps talking about."
"She'd love that!" Michiru laughed. "Good! So, is he interested in her?"
"I hope so, if he's talking about her like that. Don't worry, he comes
off as a jerk, but he really is a nice guy."
"What do you mean? He was very charming."
Haruka's eyes widened. "Oh _really_?" She grinned wickedly. "Well then,
He's _definitely_ interested then! He never acts all gentlemanly,
especially when he first meets someone. He's gotta be interested."
"Well, I'll definitely have to talk to him then. I hope he'll be there
already. Come on, we better get going."
 
 
Haruka went into the backroom to put on her firesuit while Michiru took
a seat in one of the chairs propped against the wall. Only a few racers
were in the garage, and they cast her looks that made her uncomfortable.
When Haruka emerged from the room, she glared at them and they quickly
went back to working on their cars.
"Sorry about that," Haruka said. "Some of these guys are real disgusting."
"Very much so." Michiru looked around some more. "Well, when does he
usually show up?"
"It depends. Sometimes he's hours early, sometimes he gets here with just
minutes before his time trial. We'll just have to wait." Haruka sat down
next to her. "You bought tickets already, I suppose?"
"Yeah--"
"Throw them out," Haruka said with a smile. "I'll arrange for you to get
a spot near the track without paying a dime. I might be able to pull a
pit seat for you, if you can stand the smell and noise."
"That would be great!" Michiru threw her arms around her. "It'll be nice
to be right down there with you."
Haruka grinned at her and hugged her back. "I'm sure it'll help my
performance to know you're close by."
"Heeeeeey, Haruka-san! What's going on?"
"Hayasa-kun!" Haruka stood up and smiled at him. "Just who we were looking
for."
"I'm touched," he said sarcastically, but grinning at her. "What's going
on here, hmmm? Michiru-chan, I thought you didn't know each other."
"Well..." Michiru nervously looked away.
"Relax, Michiru," Haruka said with a smile. "Hayasa-kun's my best friend."
"_Michiru_, huh?" Hayasa nudged her in the ribs. "C'mon, Ten'ou, spill it!"
Haruka shrugged. "I think it's pretty obvious. You're not _that_ thick-
skulled!"
"Ooooh that was harsh," Hayasa laughed, slapping her on the back. "Well,
now I know I was right. I thought you'd been nuts about someone for the
past few months, what with how moody you've been, and I was sure it was
a girl. Kinda expected that of you. But Michiru-chan! I would have never
thought such a pretty girl would be interested in--"
Haruka grabbed his collar and glared at him. "She's _my_ pretty girl,
don't forget that."
"Ah, ah, let me go please? I didn't mean anything by it!"
"Okay, okay." Haruka gave him a light push. "Well, Michiru wanted to talk
to you, so I'll go tune my engine. Be back in ten."
Hayasa sat down next to Michiru as Haruka walked off. "Well, what do you
have to say?"
"It's about Kirei..."
"Ahhhh. I see." Hayasa settled himself. "Let me guess. Kirei-chan is madly,
passionately in love with me. She's hoping I like her, too. She doesn't
want to tell me herself, and you're here to do it for her."
"Actually, she doesn't know I'm doing this. I just want to help her out."
"Hmmm..." Hayasa smoothed his hair with one hand. "Well... I can't say I'm
not interested, that'd be lying. But..." He sighed softly. "Is she sure
about this? She's still in high school, and I'm college age. I don't mind
an age difference, but does she realize it?"
"Actually, she said she prefers to date men a few years older than her."
Michiru put a hand on his shoulder. "Please, she is really interested in
you. It would make her so happy if you went out with her."
He smiled and said quietly, "It would make _me_ really happy, too."
"That's wonderful!" Michiru almost wanted to hug him. "She'll be coming
to the race today! You can tell her!"
"Calm down, calm down!" he laughed. "I'll ask her out. And speaking of
dating..." He grinned broadly. "What exactly is going on with you and
Haruka-san? I can't believe I couldn't tell you liked her."
"Well, I do, I love her," she whispered. She cleared her throat and
said, "And we're going on our first date tonight."
"That's great!" He squeezed her shoulder in a friendly matter. "I hope
things work out between you. I haven't seen Haruka-san this happy since
she won her first race. She's crazy about you. The past few months, she's
been really distracted and acted really off towards everyone. She would
always be writing in that notebook of hers. She accidentally left one
of her poems behind, and it was all about some girl she was afraid to fall
in love with. But I guess she got over that, huh?"
"Yeah..." Michiru smiled wistfully. "She's definitely come around."
"How long have you two been--"
"A day!"
"A DAY?!" Hayasa whistled. "Boy, you two don't act like it's been a day!
I'll be scared to be around you in a month!"
Haruka walked over and pretended to shove Hayasa out of his seat. "Don't
you need to get to work on your car?"
"Riiiight." He got up, let Haruka take his seat, and left.
"Well?"
"He's going to ask her out," Michiru said, smiling. "Sometime today. I'd
assume before the race."
"That's good." Haruka wrapped her arm around Michiru's shoulders. "You
want to brave the media and come with me to accept my trophy?"
"I can handle it. They swarmed me at a few of my concerts. I've been
asked about magazine interviews before."
"Why didn't you accept?"
Michiru looked away from her and said, "I wasn't up to it. It was within
these last few months..."
Haruka reached up to touch Michiru's cheek. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"It really hurts me to know that I hurt you."
"I forgive you, you know." Michiru rested her hand against Haruka's.
"But if you think you need to make up for it..."
Haruka laughed and smiled at her. "I promise you I'll more than make up
for it. I'll treat you like a queen, no, an empress. Don't worry about
that!"
"Well then! That's more like it!" Michiru laughed, resting her head
on Haruka's shoulder. They sat quietly for a few minutes.
Haruka noticed Engi had come in, and gently nudged Michiru to sit up.
"Engi-san! Hey, over here!"
Engi smiled and waved to her, signaling with a finger that he would be
there in a moment. He had a brief discussion with a man standing in
front of him, then walked over to where they sat.
"Ah, Kaiou Michiru, I believe!" He bowed slightly. "I have a lot of
admiration for you!"
"Engi-san, interested in something besides racing? The fine arts, of
all things?" Haruka teased.
"Racing isn't my entire life," he said. "I didn't realize you two were
friends."
"Um, well..." Haruka paused, then said, "I just haven't gotten around to
bringing her here yet."
"Oh, well, if you want to join me in the pit later, go right ahead. I'll
tell them to let the lovely lady in. That way you can watch your friend
race up close, okay?"
"Thank you, that would be great."
"Well, I have to get these boys--" he pointed his thumb over his shoulder,
"--ready for the race. Even professionals need someone to hold their hand,
hmmm?"
"Bye, Engi-san," Haruka said as he left. "Well, I'm glad he offered to
let you in. I don't like asking favors of him. He already did me a huge
favor by helping me get into racing."
"Yeah..." Michiru bit her lip and said, "Haruka, why didn't you tell him
about us?"
"Remember what I said last night? He's the father I never had. I don't
want to lose him. I'll make sure he's okay with it before, _if_ I tell
him. It's not that I'm embarrassed about us or anything, but--"
"It's okay," Michiru said, smiling. "He's very important to you, and I
respect that."
"Thank you," she said softly. "You're perfect, you know that? You're the
embodiement of perfection."
"I..." Michiru looked down sadly. "Haruka, I know you meant that as a
compliment but... really, people always _accuse_ me of being perfect,
and I know I'm not."
Haruka slipped her hand to the back of Michiru's head and gently stroked
her hair. "Well, to me, you _are_ perfect," she whispered. "You're
everything I've ever wanted and more. You're my angel."
Michiru sighed and snuggled against her. "Who would know you were such
a romantic?"
"No one, of course. I've never let anyone be this close to me. I haven't
let anyone see this side of me."
"I'm glad... I'm glad you're sharing yourself with me."
"I'm glad to be sharing my life with you." Haruka hugged Michiru, gently
brushing away the tears slowly sliding down her cheeks.
Engi, sitting at his desk across the room, smiled.
 
 
"Well, off for my time trial. Want to go out there with me?" Haruka asked,
slipping her hands into her gloves.
Michiru handed Haruka's helmet to her and nodded.
"Great! I'll take you over to the pit." Haruka wrapped her arm around
Michiru's waist and smiled at her, holding her helmet in her other arm.
"Shall we be off?"
"Haruka, if you're trying to hide this from Engi, holding me like this..."
"Ah..." Haruka took her hand instead. "No big deal if I hold hands with
a _friend_, huh?"
Michiru rolled her eyes mockingly and laughed. "You're silly sometimes."
"Yeah, well, there's something in the air today... I don't know, everything
seems so... crisp and clean. I guess the wind is just going nuts or
something. I feel really giddy. Come on, I need to get out there."
Michiru laughed the whole way as Haruka practically dragged her out to the
track. Haruka waved to some of her fellow racers as they passed. Some cast
her jealous looks and ignored her.
"Most of them are single," Haruka said with a grin. "The sight of someone
else with a girlfriend really irks them."
Michiru looked at her in surprise, wondering if Haruka realized what she
had said. "Well, I... imagine that..."
"Oh my," Haruka said, laughing nervously. "I just said you're my..."
"Well, I am, aren't I?"
"I... um... yes. Not that it's a bad thing!! But... wow. Guess this is
one of those moments where the impact of the situation hadn't entirely
hit me yet."
"Come on, you have a time trial," Michiru said, leading Haruka. "I see
where the pit is. And your car is over here."
Haruka started to pull on her helmet, then stopped and looked at Michiru.
She smiled and hugged her, whispering "for luck," slipped on her helmet,
and climbed into her car. Michiru blew her a kiss and walked over to the
pit after Haruka had started.
Engi was polishing the hood of someone's car when she came over. He looked
up after a moment and smiled at her. "Excited?"
"Very! I've never been here before, always been in the stands."
"You're in for a real treat then. It's much more interesting down here."
He wiped off his forehead with a clean cloth and tossed it aside. "It
can get hectic, so make sure you don't get in the way of the crew."
"Don't worry, I won't." She found a spot off to the side where she could
stand and not interfere.
Engi went back to working on the car. Michiru watched him a bit, then
turned her attention to Haruka's car, speeding through the track. A
racer came over and climbed into the car Engi was working on, and Engi
handed him the keys. The racer looked over to Michiru and took off his
helmet.
"Say, what are you doing here all by yourself?" He gave her a friendly
smile.
"I'm Haruka's guest," she said.
"Oh," he said coldly. He quickly pulled on his helmet and started his
car, then pulled out of the pit.
"What was that about?" Michiru asked Engi.
"He can't stand Haruka-chan. He's very jealous of her skill at racing.
She bumped him out of the number one spot. He seems to think Haruka's
trying to take everything from him now, but he's always been like that.
Everytime he loses a title to someone, he think they're out to get him."
"So, I guess he thought..." Michiru quickly stopped speaking. She
didn't want to say what she had been about to say or it would tip off
Engi to her and Haruka's relationship.
"I think he was interested in you when he saw you, and I guess he assumed
if Haruka-chan had brought a girl to the track... Well, he assumed he'd
lost any chance with you to her." Engi shrugged. "Haruka is a master of
disguise, all right." Michiru remained quiet. Engi gave her a concerned
look, then turned his attention to the track. "Well, she finished first
again, as expected." He reached into a pocket and pulled something out
that was wrapped in plastic. "You better take these ear plugs. It gets
very, very loud. Don't worry, they're new."
"Thank you." She opened the package and put them into her ears. The
other cars were lining up for the race. She settled back to watch.
 
 
Haruka went into the final lap well ahead of everyone else. She had
never raced this well before. She felt a new confidence now. She smiled
to herself. Michiru was so incredible. When she'd made a pit stop,
Michiru rushed over to lean in and give her a quick hug, making sure it
didn't get in the way of the men working on the car. Haruka had re-
entered the race pleasantly light-headed.
She floored it as she crossed the finish line first, as always. After
she got her car to stop and got out, she was nearly knocked over when
Michiru hugged her.
"Hey, ow, loosen the grip... Well, did you enjoy that?" she laughed.
"It was wonderful! You were great!" Michiru smiled up at her. A few
of the other racers came over and gave Haruka friendly slaps on the
back, some of the others walking by glaring at her. Haruka was
accustomed to ignoring them. Hayasa rushed over after he'd fought off
some camera-men headed in their direction.
"Hey! Haruka-san!" He grabbed her in a tight hug. "I got second! Ha!
Finally finished on your tail!"
"Great!" She pushed him off her. "Now stay off me!"
He laughed and winked at her. "Like I meant anything by it! Michiru-chan!
I talked to your sister, and she's going to go out with me!"
"That's great!" Michiru smiled broadly at him. "I'm very happy for you!"
"Thanks, and-- awww, here come the cameras!"
Haruka put her arm around Michiru's shoulders and tried to lead her away
from them. Michiru laughed as they shoved microphones and video cameras
towards Haruka, not seeming to understand the words "leave me alone." She
was surprised when someone thrust a microphone in her face.
"Kaiou Michiru, famous violinist, are you going out with Ten'ou-san?"
She pushed it away and cast Haruka a pleading look. Haruka nodded and
scowled at the reporters. They finally backed off and let the two pass
through. Haruka went through the usual process of accepting her prize,
then led Michiru back to the garage.
"I don't know how you do that every week," Michiru said.
"It's a small price to pay," Haruka said with a laugh, shutting the
door to the backroom so she could get into her regular clothes. "I'm
pretty much used to it by now. But it's still very, VERY annoying!"
"I'm glad I don't get that much attention," Michiru said. "I thought
it was bad enough, but it's nowhere near what you're putting up with."
Haruka came back out and took her arm. "We better leave before they
decide to try and follow us. They do that sometimes, never done it to
me before... but they might decide we're a big item and try to get
pictures, y'know?"
They climbed into her car and drove over to Michiru's neighborhood.
Haruka stopped in front of Michiru's house. "Well, I'll go over to
Teinei's. Do you want me to just wait for you or be brave and ring
the doorbell?"
"Well..." Michiru sighed. "Even if I make up an excuse, I know they'll
spy on me when I get into the car. They'll realize I'm on a date so...
Might as well be brave. I guess you're my 'boyfriend' now, huh?"
Haruka laughed loudly at that. "Yeah, right. Well, see you soon."
Michiru smiled and got out of the car. When she opened the door, she
was surprised to see her father standing right there.
"Hello, Michiru-chan," Tadashii said. "I saw you on t.v."
"Oh, um, really? Um, when was that?" she asked nervously.
"Genki was a race and they put the camera on the winner, and I saw
you with him. Michiru-chan, why didn't you tell me you were seeing
someone?"
"I, well..." she tried to think of what to say. "We're going on our
first date tonight..."
He hugged her tightly. "My little girl has grown up so fast," he
whispered. He pulled back and smiled at her. "A famous racer, too.
I hope he's not some arrogant jerk like most of them."
"Oh, no! Haruka's not like that at all!"
He raised his eyebrow a bit. "Just Haruka? Oh, don't blush, it's
all right. I hope you two are very happy together. So, do I get to
meet him?"
"Uh, yes, I... well, I better go get ready..."
"Oh, I'm sorry! I know it takes forever girls to get ready for dates,"
he said, winking at her.
Michiru rushed up the stairs and hurried to get ready.
 
 
Haruka adjusted her tie several times before she was finally satisfied
with it. She took in as deep a breath as she could manage considering
how constricted her chest was. She couldn't believe this was real. She
combed her hair and took another deep breath. She looked over to the
countertop at the dozen red roses she'd had delivered. She didn't
expect to be so nervous. She looked in the mirror one last time then
retrieved the bouquet and went out the door. She parked her car in front
of the Kaiou house and waited a few minutes to gather her thoughts.
It hadn't even been twenty-four hours that she had become a Senshi and
welcomed Michiru into her life. It felt like weeks. This one day had
been the most exciting day of her life, and she still had several hours
to go. She looked up at the house, wondering where Michiru's room was.
Michiru would, of course, look amazing... she always did.
Haruka picked the roses up from where she'd sat them on the seat next
to her. She considered what she had told Michiru yesterday, that she
was falling in love with her. She wondered if she already had. Resting
her head on the steering wheel, she let out a sigh. She wondered how
she could be sure. She'd always felt so attracted to Michiru, wanted to
be with her. Michiru had always been so wonderful to her despite the fact
that she treated her so harshly. She wondered how long Michiru had loved
her. It had always shown. Even though it had been torture to resist her
feelings for Michiru, she still enjoyed her company and adored her time
spent with her, despite the fact that she must have made it a living hell
for poor Michiru. And now, everything was fine between them. One day
together with Michiru was pure bliss. She had always felt strongly for
her, but this one day had made her feel even more towards her.