"--seems really interested in this Ten'ou Haruka," Kirei was commenting.
"She's our neighbor Teinei's niece, lives across from that park over
there. I'm beginning to wonder about Michiru..."
"You never know," Suteki commented. "I heard Ten'ou-san might be...
y'know. I have a friend that goes to her school and has P.E. at the same
time as her. She said Ten'ou-san sometimes looks at the other girls when
they're changing then quickly hides it and is very nervous around girls.
She never dresses out around them. And my friend's younger sister in her
class says Ten'ou-san has a friend named Sai that has an _enormous_ crush
on her, and she doesn't seem to notice and doesn't seem to want him
anywhere near her."
"Did he have brown hair and eyes?" Kirei asked. "I saw a really cute boy
walking with her today and I was curious if that's him. He did seem to
like her..."
"She loaned me the yearbook from the junior high, let's take a look. Here
we are."
"Oooo! It's him! Isn't he cute?!"
"Hmmm, you'd _have_ to be a dyke not to like _him_!" Suteki agreed. "How
can she keep ignoring him unless she's--"
"Well, she must be, because she pretty much avoids him like the plague."
"_She's_ the one with a plague!" Suteki howled.
They both laughed at that. "It's a shame... she's really pretty," Kirei
said.
"Yeah, but what good is being beautiful if you aren't going to use it to get
guys?"
Michiru nervously went back to her room, gathering her violin case in her
arms. They thought Haruka was... no way... She couldn't help but chuckle
to herself as she headed over to the stairs. She bumped into Kanpeki, who
was just starting her way down, too. Michiru thought she saw tear-stains
on her sister's cheeks but wasn't sure; Kanpeki fled down the stairs too
fast. Michiru wondered about it, then stopped thinking about her family and
went back to her thoughts of Haruka.
If Haruka was also... maybe she would be interested in her... She set the
case down on a couch and took out her violin, laughing silently. Strange
how fate works sometimes. If she was going to be this interested in that
girl, it was good that Haruka would be interested in girls, too.
"Hey Michiru-chan!" Kanzen called. "They're here! Geez, you fall asleep
or something? Come on, they're out on the back porch!"
Michiru blushed to herself as she went out to the porch with her violin.
Rippa and Miyage sat there waiting; Rippa wore her waist-length deep blue
hair down as usual, with a long-sleeved white shirt that buttoned up the
front with a high collar, and a long black skirt; Miyage in a blue-gray
business suit, his green hair touched with white and gray around his
temples. Michiru often thought it odd that while her mother had faint
white and gray hairs, the older Rippa did not, and she didn't even dye
her hair. Her face seemed untouched with age except for faint lines around
the corners of her eyes. Perhaps it was Rippa's almost carefree attitude;
while she was definitely a refined lady, she was easygoing unlike Ki, who
while also was a refined lady, was strict and uptight. Rippa came over and
hugged Michiru, and Michiru bowed to Miyage who returned the gesture. "Thank
you for having us over. We don't see you often enough, even if we do live
only a short walk from each other."
"Any chance to spend time with family is a welcome one," Michiru replied
formally with a weak smile. She really wanted to get this over with.
"I'm surprised your brothers and sisters didn't come down to see us,"
Miyage commented. "I asked them if they wanted to listen to you with us
but they said they would rather not."
"Well, that's my silly siblings for you." Michiru commented.
"Well, they are a bit silly sometimes," Rippa said. "Want to set your
case down over here?"
"All right," Michiru responded dazedly. She couldn't get her mind off
Haruka. Sure, she'd just seen her today and only knew about her from what
people told her, but she was fascinated with the aloof blond. "Ojii-san,
I have a favor to ask," she started as she set the case down.
"All right, go ahead," Miyage replied.
"There's a woman that lives a few houses down--Ten'ou Teinei--and I want
to know if you could listen to me for less time than usual today so I can
go speak with her after I'm done."
"Of course, Michiru-chan. May I ask why though?"
Michiru hid her blush. "I just wanted to, uh, talk to her about... about
her niece."
"Eh? The girl living with her?"
"Huh?"
"Oh... sorry, there's a girl about your age living there, Murasaki's her
name... I think she's a cousin of some sort, or something like that..."
"Oh... not her..."
"That's fine," Miyage said. "Say, why don't we get a quick snack before you
play; you want your energy, don't you?"
"Sure."
Michiru didn't really want to play for him, but it would be rude of her
to refuse. Oh well. She had plenty of time to talk to Teinei, no sense
in rushing things.
 
 
Haruka adamantly refused to speak to Sai when they got back to her house.
She dropped her things by the couch and attempted to run away from him
to her room. Before she could get up the stairs, he grabbed her around
the wrist and pulled her, kicking and screaming, back down. "Leave me
alone!" she shouted. "Don't touch me! Go away!" It terrified her when he
had grabbed her arm, reminding her of that first time Katai had beaten
her.
She didn't even notice her father was in the next room listening as she
started shouting incoherently at Sai, who stood with his arms crossed
as she rambled on.
When she stopped to suck in a breath of air, he cut in, "I have no idea
what you were saying, Haruka-chan, and frankly, I don't see why you are
so upset. I just want to talk to you, what's wrong with that?"
"I don't want to--"
Sai interrupted, "Just hear me out, please!"
Haruka bit her lower lip and turned away abruptly. "I don't want to talk
to you."
"You don't have to say a thing, just listen what I have to say."
Haruka sighed deeply and turned back around to face him. Let's get this crap
out of the way, then I can get safely locked in my room before otou-san gets
home, she thought to herself.
"Haruka-chan..." he blushed slightly and looked up at the ceiling a
moment then back to her. "I'm going to be blunt with you... I like you,
a _lot_. I've been wondering ever since school started again if you
would go out with me, so I am wondering, will you?"
Haruka clamped her hand over her mouth and coughed hard, overwhelmed
with horror and disgust. "No," she choked out. "I can't."
"Why not? Your parents?"
Haruka looked down at her shoes mutely, then shook her head. "I don't
think they care."
"But you obviously do. You like someone else, don't you?"
Haruka didn't answer him.
"Let's see, who could it be?" He pressed his finger against the side of
his chin. "Tero?" She shook her head. "Yaiba?" Another shake of her head.
He racked off more names, each met with the 'no' reply. "Rikutsu? Jitto?
Fusawashii?! Zongai?!!" He let out an exasperated sigh. "Damnit, Haruka-
chan! What's wrong with you? Don't you like _any_ guys?! Are you a lesbian
or something?!"
His frustrated question was met by a horrified, stunned look on her face
that clearly read "you found me out!" Haruka quickly changed her expression
and attempted to cover it up, but Sai was already backing towards the door.
"I hate you!" he hissed. "I can't believe it, you turning out this way!
You... you goddamn fucking dyke! How could you do this?! Never talk to me
again, Haruka-- not that you ever do!"
Haruka flinched as the door slammed and at the derogatory way he left
a suffix off of her name when he usually used -chan. She then tensed up
with shock and fear as she heard her father's voice from behind her, "So,
Haruka, you disappoint me yet again," also leaving off a suffix from her
name in contempt for her.
"No..." she whispered, turning to face him. "How... why are you..."
"I got off work early," he hissed. "Look what I come home to find!" He
raised his hand and slapped her hard across the cheek. Haruka was thrown
back by his blow, and quickly picked herself back up off the floor. "So,
you're a fucking lesbian aren't you? You're just one big _joke_, aren't
you?!" He grabbed her collar and pushed her up against the wall and
hissed, "_You_ should have been the one to die. _You_ shouldn't be here!
I wanted a child I could be proud of, and look at what I got!" He slapped
her hard again. Haruka dully lowered her eyes. She didn't even feel the
tears in her eyes, strange... He was hitting her again and again, but
she barely felt them.
Was this what it was like to approach death? Maybe she was coming close
now? She hoped so. She couldn't bear this anymore.
Katai suddenly stopped and dropped her limp form to the floor. "I heard
Sunao pull up in the driveway... get in your room, NOW, and don't come
out until I say so!"
Haruka hobbled up to her room as fast as she could, clutching her bleeding
arm in her hand. She quickly shut and locked her door, then dropped to the
floor. She dimly noted liquid running down her face, a mixture of blood
and tears. She tore her bloodied uniform off and wiped her wounds clean
the best she could with cotton balls and some hydrogen peroxide she kept
in her room for this purpose. She carefully wrapped her wounds and put on
her pajamas, then lay down on her bed, aching all over. She heard her
mother calling but didn't answer; it would probably just make Katai mad
enough to hit her again. She closed her eyes and tried to go asleep so
she wouldn't have to face the pain, drifting off into a restless slumber
filled with nightmares and memories.
 
 
Michiru had demanded that Miyage let her play this piece her _own_ way
and not to interrupt with his comments and criticism. She made it clear
that she wanted him to just listen and respond to what he heard when
she was _finished_, not before. She stood out in the lawn while her
grandparents sat on the porch. She could feel the tiniest bit of a breeze,
stirring the water in the lake slightly. Perfect.
She felt a great amount of relief when she lifted the violin to play.
Maybe now he would truly appreciate her skill. He always had a tape player
to record her pieces, and usually ended up pointing out her mistakes later.
She decided to improvise and just play from the heart, not trying to perform
some one else's music, but let her own thoughts and feelings sing out from
the strings. What to let out first?
She closed her eyes and started to play a quiet, sad melody; her family
was so suffocating, so demanding of her. She wanted to be her own person;
they were holding her back and making her miserable because of it.
She started playing a bit quicker now, a more intricate melody that had
a note of joy the previous section lacked. She did have something that
they couldn't take away from her. She had her music and her art. She
could express herself through these without their interference. Though
they could try to mold her into their image of how she should be, they
could never really force her to be something else other than what she was.
Her thoughts drifted to the beautiful girl she had just seen today, her
music spiraling into a melody filled with happiness sprinkled with
longing and a bit of confusion. She took off on little bits of the themes
she'd already played; changing their mood, rhythm, and tempo as she
played them; throwing in unexpected bits of fast, but controlled melody.
She couldn't help but think of Haruka; her teal eyes that reflected a
deeper emotional and physical pain, a mask of nonchalance over them that
tried to hide the other emotions within her of hope and despair mixed
together; her soft, shiny hair, a rich dark blond, with that cute flip of
hair next to the bangs brushed across the right side of her face; her
delicately curved lips that looked so inviting and a strong chin framed by
deep cheekbones; her hands, graceful and smooth, with long fingers that
were perfect for her to play the piano with; her unusually slender, tall
frame, hilighted by her toned muscles that clearly showed just how strong
she really was physically, and her softly curving waist and well-developed
breasts, all combining to give her a distinctly beautiful yet sexy
appearance; the strange way she carried herself, as if she were moving with
the wind, her feet seeming to not notice that they were in fact touching
the ground, perfect posture but seeming to not care where she was going
as long as she escaped... from what?
Michiru sucked in a breath of air; Haruka seemed to not even notice the
fact that she was stared at quite hard by other students for her beauty,
and if she did, she didn't care for their attention. Other students had
described her as being unfriendly, silent, distant, and Michiru sensed
that it wasn't out of genuine disdain and contempt for everyone else, but
that she was afraid to let anyone near her. She knew Haruka loved to play
the piano, and about her family, but she still felt like she had so much
more to learn about this lonely girl.
Michiru drew her playing to a close with a sweet, soft melody that slowly
trailed away into silence. A gentle click alerted her that the tape player
had stopped. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see the looks of
astonishment and awe on her grandparents' faces.
"That was beautiful," Rippa said after a moment or two. "I think you
play even better like this, playing your own music, than being confined
in another's composition. You did an excellent job. I don't think I've
ever heard better playing."
"I have to agree," Miyage said, standing up to hug her. "I think that by
making you stick to all those pieces I gave you, I was just holding you
back and not letting your talent fully shine through. What you just
played for us showed that you are obviously far beyond most other
musicians in ability, skill, creativity, etc. I'm afraid that I've been
wrong to try to teach you; you could certainly teach _me_ a few things!"
Michiru grinned as she returned the embrace. "Thank you, both of you...
how long was I playing anyways? I got so caught up in it..." She looked
up at the sky and saw the sun had noticeably moved from where it was when
she had started playing.
"I don't know," Rippa said, "I lost track of time as well. It was very
long though, definitely over forty-five minutes."
"I almost ran out of tape!" Miyage said.
Michiru was very surprised to hear that. When she played, she usually
would play a bit, then pause to contemplate, then play again, never
playing for _that_ long non-stop. She wondered about that. Perhaps it
was the inclusion of these new emotions towards Haruka that made her
play so long... she wasn't even sure _what_ she felt yet, but was sure
that adding her into her playing was why it had been so long.
"Well, Michiru-chan," Miyage was saying, "why don't we let you play on your
own for a bit? Come inside whenever you're ready. Tape is still in the
deck, just put it on the other side if you want."
Michiru nodded as they left and slipped the tape into her violin case, and
after a few moments, started to play again. She didn't close her eyes this
time, letting her eyes wander as her mind drifted and her fingers created
music with the violin. She was surprised when a strange thought came to her
mind: "...You'll find someone though, someone to be happy with, and then
you'll realize you never really needed anything else... you'll know it when
you first lay eyes upon them..." Michiru's eyes widened in surprise. Where
had _that_ come from? The voice was strangely familiar, but no matter how hard
she struggled, she couldn't figure out whose it was. But those words... was
Haruka the one they were speaking of?! She knew the words were true somehow...
she _had_ felt like they were destined to be together when she first saw her...
but was Haruka really the person fulfilling this prediction? She sighed to
herself, hoping she was right, and slowly drew her playing to a close, putting
away her violin, then went back inside. It was time to talk with Teinei.
"I'm going to go see Ten'ou-san now," she called to anyone who would care
to hear.
"Yes dear, but do you know where she lives?" Ki asked from the kitchen.
Michiru felt very embarrassed. "Well... not exactly."
"Could you take her there, okaa-san?" Ki asked Rippa.
"Sure, you just go on and finish your cooking."
Rippa came over to her and they walked out the door. "I know who she is;
don't know her very well but I do know _of_ her, I should say."
Michiru looked around at the houses as they walked. They were very nice,
and large too, a very uncommon sight to most people, but since Michiru's
immediate family was wealthy enough to own their own house too, she wasn't
daunted by it. They came up to a house, a bit smaller than the others, and
with a tiny yard, but Michiru figured that since only two people lived here,
it was more than large enough.
Rippa rung the doorbell and it was answered by a girl of average height
with brown eyes and black hair falling near her chin.
"Is your cousin home?" Rippa asked.
"Second cousin," the girl mumbled, then raising her soft, high voice, she
said, "Do you want me to get Teinei-san for you?"
"Please."
The girl walked away, leaving the door open.
"Who was that?"
"Teinei's second cousin, Ou Murasaki. Her parents died when she was a baby,
and her grandparents took care of her for awhile. She decided she was
getting tired of hanging with the old folks and decided to come live with
Teinei--"
A woman much taller than Michiru with long strawberry blond hair and deep
purple eyes came to the door. This was _definitely_ Haruka's aunt; they had
similar features and shared that towering height.
 
 
"Hello there, Teinei-san," Rippa greeted her politely.
"Hello to you too, Rippa-san," Teinei returned. "Sorry to keep you waiting.
What brings you two here?"
"My granddaughter just moved here a few weeks ago and wanted to speak with
you, about your niece? I really haven't a clue why, not that Haruka isn't
a nice girl... would you mind speaking with her?"
Teinei seemed very, _very_ surprised. "You know Haruka-chan?!" Teinei
cried out to Michiru.
Michiru could feel her cheeks color slightly. "Well... I saw her today
when I was walking to school and wanted to learn more about her."
"Probably sees her as an idol," Rippa offered.
"Waitaminute," Michiru broke in, "do you know her, obaa-san?!"
"I've seen her a few times when she's come to visit Teinei-san. It's been
a long time since I've seen her though."
"Um, I don't mind talking to you," Teinei said, "does it matter when she
gets home?" Teinei turned to Rippa now.
"I'm going back to my house, but I don't think her parents mind when she
gets back to hers," Rippa responded. She hugged Michiru briefly. "Bye,
Michiru-chan. Don't forget to go home; you'll worry your mother sick,"
she teased.
"I won't forget. Bye, obaa-san."
Rippa left and Teinei opened her front door wider to let Michiru in.
Michiru saw her home was quite comfortable and had all sorts of pictures
and things of her relatives and friends.
"Make yourself at home... ah, I didn't catch your name."
"Kaiou Michiru."
Teinei grinned. "Nice to meet you, Michiru-san. Your family should
introduce yourselves to everyone, y'know? I didn't even know there was
anyone but your parents living in your house... Hold on a moment, all right?
Murasaki-chan!"
Murasaki walked over. "Yeah?"
"I need to talk with Michiru-chan... Why don't you go introduce yourself
to her family?"
"Um... well..."
"I'm sure they won't mind," Michiru interjected. "My triplets would
probably like to meet you."
"Oh yeah, I remember hearing about them... Um, the girl's Kanpeki, right?"
Murasaki blushed very faintly.
Michiru looked at her quizzically. "Yeah, you know her?"
"I... saw her on the way to school... with you and, um, one of your other
sisters?... I wanted to meet her."
"Oh... well, go on over, if you'd like."
Murasaki nodded, gave Teinei a quick hug, and left.
"May I offer you some tea or something to eat?" Teinei asked Michiru
when Murasaki had left.No, thank you," Michiru declined. "I'm really not hungry."
"Except for knowledge about Haruka, hmmm?" Teinei teased. "Let's go in