***************

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dark Skies, Bright Heavens

Book One of Horizon

By Immora

June 1998 - February 2000

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

***************

I'll be your dream,

I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy,

I'll be your hope, I'll be your love,

Be everything that you need,

I'll love you more with every breath

Truly, madly, deeply do,

I will be strong, I will be faithful

'cause I'm counting on

A new beginning,

A reason for living,

A deeper meaning, yeah,

I want to stand with you on a mountain,

I want to bathe with you in the sea,

I want to lay like this forever,

Until the sky falls down on me...

--From the song "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden

Author's notes:

This is a story I've had up in my head for awhile, and I

finally got around to typing it up. I'm a huge fan of

Haruka and Michiru, and always wanted to write the "ultimate

story" about them. This huge piece of work you see here is

only the first part of what will be a much larger story.

I intend to write about them from birth to death. That's a lot

of writing. It will go through everything in the anime, without

changing the events, merely expanding upon them and adding more

backstory, and then going beyond the end of the series. The

chunk you're viewing right now is from birth to SMS. That's

pretty small compared to how big this will end up being!

This story has some content in it that not everyone can handle;

scenes involving language, violence, child abuse, suggestive

commentary, and a _lot_ of homosexuality. I'd rate it PG-13,

perhaps R in some parts, but it really depends on your maturity

level :P If this kind of material offends you, you shouldn't be

reading this.

[the usual legal babble here, just in case...]

Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon and all related characters were

created by Naoko Takeuchi and are property of Toei Animation

as well as Kodansha Comics, and possibility other groups I

don't know about. All characters in this story are fictitious;

any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely

coincidental. This story was written without prior approval

from the creator or the owners of the anime and manga. The

song quotes are also used without permission. "#1 Crush" is a

song by Garbage, and "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden; while

I am not certain who would be considered the owners [the publisher

or the artists], I certainly am not the owner. The actual story

contained in this document was created by myself, and should

not be copied in any way or form. The story represents my own

views and does not necessarily reflect those of the creator and

owners of Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon. All characters introduced

in this story that were not mentioned in the anime or manga of

BSSM were created by myself and should not be used by anyone

else. Sick of reading this legal babble yet? I know I'm tired

of writing it.

I'm not positive, but I think that you should be able to follow

the story even if you haven't seen the show or really don't know much

about these characters. Please note that the odd hair colors are still

considered "natural" since this _is_ based on an animated series. It

may seem silly to point this out, but I consider indigo to be the

deepest shade of blue; some people think it's purplish, but I don't.

The Japanese terms might confuse people, even those who watch BSSM, so

I've included some here. In case you are wondering, I just prefer to

use some of the Japanese terms to English ones, and in some cases, the

translation just doesn't seem as interesting, y'know?

bento = basically it's a nice lunch box with assorted foods, kids commonly

bring them to school. The presentation is very important and a lot of

work goes into them. It's considered very nice to share it.

fuku = literally "clothing," used here to refer to the Senshi's outfits.

ginzuishou = "silver crystal;" a magical item, explained later.

henshin = transform(ation).

Goban Yobi-ko = "Fifth Street Preparatory School," a school I made up.

Mugen Gakuen = "Infinity Academy;" it's the name of a school that will

appear in the story; where Michiru and Haruka go in SMS.

Hikawa Jinja = the Shinto shrine Rei lives at; it's mentioned at the end.

senshi = soldier/warrior.

tyourei = morning meeting at school, where everyone has to line up in

attention and listen to speeches and whatnot.

There are different words for "I" depending on whether you are male or

female, and some words are used exclusively by males/females. I won't

use them here, but be aware of that.

no suffix on a name = depending on the person, it can either show great

intimacy or contempt. Used between family members and lovers.

sensei or -sensei = teacher; mentor.

-chan = usually used with children only, or girls; usually a familiar

term [not with people you barely know].

-san = a term of respect for someone older than you, or that you've

just met. Can be used with the first or last name.

-kun = usually used with boys older than you or close guy friends. It

can also be used to refer to someone in a lower position.

sempai or -sempai = used by students [I think only them] to refer to

an older student; respectful.

onii-chan/onii-san = older brother

onee-chan/onee-san = older sister

okaa-san = mother

otou-san = father

oba-san = aunt

obaa-san = grandmother

ojii-san = grandfather

Note on names: In Japan, last names are put before first names, so

I will write them in this format, _however_, there are two characters

in this story with English names, and I will write theirs in the

first name first format we use.

Again, please note that I have not seen all the episodes, the

great majority of them I only know about through screenshots and

summaries, so if there are any inaccuracies, sorry! I am not entirely

certain how the Japanese school system is structured [I'm doing the

best I can based on a write up on Japanese schools I found on a web page;

forget which]. If I understand it correctly, junior high begins 7th grade

and high school begins 10th. It's a little tricky for me to figure out

what age people are at certain times though; the school system starts

in April and ends in March, but I'm not sure what days... I will be taking

some liberties with Mugen Gakuen since I'm assuming it wouldn't be quite

like a normal Japanese school. Any other inaccuracies relating to the

Japanese culture I greatly apologize for; I'm not an expert on Japan.

I'm pretty certain they don't have vans... but I'm including them anyway.

I put in honorifics at the end of names in the dialogue, but I may be

a bit off with which ones should be used for what situations. Also, note

that the house Michiru's parents own is _incredibly_ Westernized.

About the separation within chapters: I use the * to indicate scene/setting

shifts, three blank lines for... well, I just feel like it. I switch

perspectives somewhat during the story... and I may accidentally switch

tense (of course, if it's a flashback or vision, that's intended)... so

sorry if that bothers you. I will usually tab over flashback/vision

segments. I will also tab over the first paragraph for scenes that switch

between short focuses on Haruka and Michiru. Some dream sequences are all

over the place--you'll understand later. It's just for effect ^^; Please

excuse some of the obviously random line breaks; for some reason, this

program (Cetus CWordPad) likes to throw them in after I spend all the

time trying to get rid of them.

Please take the time to visit my web page, "The World of Immora," if you

haven't already. The address is http://come.to/immora. There is also a

page for this story within "The Spiffy Sailormoon Page!" but the address

isn't listed here; I'm changing webhosts so much!

If you want to e-mail me, my address is [email protected]. If you have

a website of your own and like this story or my others, feel free to post

them on your page, as long as you credit me.

Tons of thanks to:

Sailoreagle, Haruka Tenoh, Ana G., Bronwyn, Lorraine, Sheryl D'Silva,

Voodo Monky, Tenshi Keonia, Willy Tang, Melissa Rodríguez, Haruka Mulder,

Hotaru Tomoe, Tiger, and Vasiliki Papaioannou for being prereaders.

Soraya Jaojaroenkul for her comments and absolutely _wonderful_ artwork.

She's gonna be famous, I tell ya!

Jessica Donald for comments and catching lots of spelling problems as

well as some flaws in character portrayal (namely Michiru)

Mura-chan for all of her support, kindness, and love. Aishiteru :)

Jackie Chiang and Tim Nolan for convincing me not to release this in

chapters, because they said it is "hell." Really. Oh, and Jackie's a total

sweetie and Tim supposedly makes good food :D

Jon Carp for being a nut, telling me I'm a good writer, and trying to push

me to release it as chapters. Sorry Jon, but I can't do that :D

The great Greenbeans for at least joining my list, even though she never

read this :P Ah well, she's been really nice to me anyways!

Sean Gaffney for lots and lots of C&C and suggestions to get me out of

writer's blocks, being an amusing pervert, and a good friend.

Trinity Ice for being a very kind wacko ^____^ I mean that in a good way!

She's given lots of support and comments and been a good friend.

My friends in the No-Brand Anime Club, who probably won't read this unless

I force them to, but oh well.

Blitz Amanda, the most kawaii beaver plushie in the world, who didn't

contribute but oh well, his influence is felt.

Well... enough with that babble for now. Enjoy the story!

~~~~~~~~~~

PROLOGUE

~~~~~~~~~~

A tall, thin woman with short, dark blond hair stood on the roof of a

gorgeous two-story house, silently letting the night-time breeze blow

around her. Her dark teal eyes lifted to the sky, where the stars

twinkled brightly. She spent many nights up here in contemplation,

enjoying the simple caress of the wind blowing against her. Today was

not an average day, however. She had just returned from watching three

friends leave forever following her own and other friends' death and

revival.

She sensed more than saw or heard someone join her on the roof. A slender

woman of average height with long, wavy, sea green hair came over to stand

next to her, her own eyes, blue in color, lifting to the sky as well. "I

love watching the stars," she mused in her smooth, mezzo voice.

"It's very relaxing," the first replied in her warm, deep voice. "It's

good to know that they are back home in them now."

Their hands unconsciously clasped each other's, and they sat down on the

roof, wrapping an arm around the other while leaning their heads against

each other's.

"What have you been doing up here?" the seagreen-haired woman asked.

"Thinking, mainly... remembering... everything really."

A soft hand reached up to caress the other's cheek. "Everything? Are you

sure you _want_ to remember all that has happened to you, especially after

what just happened?"

"I can never forget what's happened, whether I want to or not," was the

immediate reply. "Besides, despite all the bad times, I've had some

rather good ones as well... mostly because of you, actually."

"Hmmm... I can easily relate to that, Haruka. I don't think either of us

really had much before we had each other."

"No, we didn't, Michiru. We certainly didn't."

Haruka gathered Michiru closer, Michiru resting her head against

Haruka's chest. "Do you think things were made worse when we became

Sailor Senshi?" Michiru asked softly. "All the sacrifices, the blood

staining our hands, was it really worth it?"

Haruka tilted Michiru's head up towards hers. "If we hadn't become

Senshi, we might not be together," she whispered softly, her voice

shifting into a purr as she said, "Anything I've endured in the past is

worth being with _you_, my love..."

Their lips met in a warm, tender kiss, opening their mouths to each

other as they gently probed inside with their tongues. Michiru wrapped

her arms around Haruka's neck, drawing the two of them deeper into their

embrace. The sweet taste of Haruka's lips intoxicated Michiru, causing

her to almost roughly tighten her arms around her lover's neck and pull

her down to lie on top of her on the roof. Haruka buried her mouth

deeper against Michiru's, overwhelmed with passion, her tongue dancing

along Michiru's as they struggled to keep in control of the raging

warmth spreading through their bodies. They slowly, almost regretfully

pulled away, closing their mouths against the other's until just their

lips touched before drawing back.

Haruka gazed into Michiru's eyes, sparkling brightly as she looked up at

Haruka in a semi-daze. Michiru smiled gently up at her, a faint blush

forming on her cheeks. "You're wonderful, you know that?" she breathed,

lightly brushing her fingers across Haruka's wet lips.

Haruka reached her hand up to gently hold Michiru's. She kissed her palm

gently and smiled faintly. "Not really, but you are."

Michiru chuckled faintly, and Haruka hugged her tightly. Michiru rested

her head on Haruka's shoulder, her cheek pressed against Haruka's hair.

She closed her eyes and sighed. "We didn't get a last kiss, you know...

that more than makes up for it."

"Mmmm, that was nice, wasn't it?" Haruka nuzzled her neck a bit.

"Haruka... Do you have any idea how scared I was today?"

"Hmmm?"

Michiru looked down at her wrists, imagining the large gold bracelets still

there. "Trying to fool Galaxia like that... God, the most powerful Senshi

ever!... I was so terrified of what might happen... and..." she closed her

eyes again, "when we lay there, dying..."

"Hush, love. Don't think about it. Everything's all right now. Galaxia's good

now, like she was before Chaos possessed her. We're all alive again. The

Starlights have gone back to their home galaxy."

"Still... It was only a few hours ago. It's still fresh in my mind."

Haruka pressed her finger to her lips, whispering, "We've both had a lot

of pain in our lives... but we won't anymore. Everything will be fine

from now on."

Haruka gently kissed her cheek, and Michiru smiled, sighing as she rested

her head on Haruka again. She opened her eyes wide in surprise as she

saw that they weren't alone on the roof after all.

"You finally noticed we were here, I see," a rich, calm voice scolded

them. A breath-taking woman stood there with her arms crossed. She almost as

tall as Haruka, with a deep tan, long, dark green hair pulled into a small

bun with her loose hair falling to the backs of her knees, and dark red eyes.

A short, pale-skinned girl with shoulder-length black hair and wide, purple

eyes was standing next to her. "You really don't pay attention to anything

when you're busy with other things, do you?"

"Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, is it all right if we stay up here too?" the

soft, gentle voice of the girl asked.

Michiru stared nervously at her best friend standing beside her and

Haruka's foster daughter and blushed faintly, realizing the two standing

here had seen everything. "Oh... all right, Hotaru-chan. So, Setsuna-san,

what brings you two here?"

Hotaru smiled and sat down, Setsuna taking a spot next to her. Setsuna

answered Michiru, "Just checking up on you two. What are you two up to?"

Setsuna's eyes crinkled with amusement.

The two in question both coughed into their fists. Haruka said, "Well,

I came up here just to sit and reminisce about things."

"And I came to check on Haruka."

"It seems you two found something else to do instead," Setsuna remarked,

drawing another faint blush from Michiru.

"C'mon, Setsuna-san, stop teasing us," Haruka scolded, lying back again

and drawing Michiru down with her. "We're grown women and we can do

whatever we want to do. Besides, it was just a kiss, it's not like we

were having s-"

Michiru pinched her arm lightly. "Haruka..." she growled softly, "watch

what you say when Hotaru's around. She doesn't need to know about that,

or that we have it together."

Setsuna chuckled and Haruka blushed brightly. "Tsk tsk," Setsuna said in

a mock scolding voice, "you wouldn't want to discuss such things at Hotaru's

age, would you, Haruka-san, so why bring them up?"

"Oh hush, both of you," Haruka mumbled, trying to hide her blush.

"_Setsuna-mama_," Hotaru groaned, "I'm not a _child_..."

"Oh really?" Setsuna smiled slightly.

Hotaru raised her knees under her chin. "I can remember things clearly

from before I di-... um, was reborn. I may have a young body but my

memories are older. After we... After the recent events with Galaxia, my

memory of my life a few years ago was completely restored."

Setsuna shifted uncomfortably. Everyone tried not to discuss with Hotaru

her unusual age situation, since they might unknowingly reopen old wounds...

and poor Hotaru never had a chance at a normal childhood. When she had lived

with her birth father, she had died and been restored to life, but was

possessed by an evil entity. She gave her life to save the world, and was

reborn as a baby. This time, Galaxia had sped up her aging so fast that she

didn't get to experience childhood more than a few days, going straight to

adolescence.

"Um, Haruka-papa, do you remember what things were like when you were my

age? That is, my physical age?" Hotaru, appearing to be twelve or so, looked

at the tall blond quizzically.

Haruka winced slightly, and Michiru looked at her with a concerned face.

"Yes, I do," she replied slowly.

"Were you happy, like I am?"

"Well, I... um, well, things could have been a lot better. Why don't we

all go inside, it's getting cold out here, and it's been a long day." Haruka

carefully changed the subject as everyone stood up, climbed down onto the

porch outside Haruka and Michiru's window, and went back inside.

"Setsuna-san, why don't you tuck Hotaru-chan in? I need to talk with Haruka."

"All right. You two try to get some sleep for once. We're all exhausted, after

all. And don't forget, Hotaru still has school tomorrow, and I don't want her

to be kept awake for the next few hours because a certain couple decided to

get intimate with each other."

"Setsuna!" Michiru gasped in a shocked voice. "A little _blunt_!"

Setsuna smiled faintly. "Sorry, good night," she said in a neutral voice,

leading Hotaru from the room as she shut the door behind her.

Michiru turned at once to Haruka, hugging the silently crying woman

tightly. "Haruka, calm down. Hotaru-chan didn't mean anything by the

question. She couldn't have known."

"I know," Haruka choked out. "But it still... it hurts all the same. I

always think I've gotten over it... but..."

Michiru led her to their bed, then gathered Haruka in her arms again with

a sad sigh. "Maybe it _isn't_ good for us to remember all these things

that have happened," she murmured, her mind wandering to her own

childhood.

Haruka sniffled slightly, then looked up at Michiru. "I never did like

thinking about it," Haruka admits. "I don't know why I think about it

when I know it'll just upset me, but I'd rather confront what happened

than run from it."

Michiru kissed her forehead gently. "Always willing for a fight, aren't

you?" She gently cupped Haruka's chin, tilting her face up to give her

a short, soft kiss. Haruka noticeably calmed, sighing gently as she

buried herself in Michiru's arms. "We just had the fight of our lives;

why don't we try to get some well-deserved sleep?" Michiru murmured.

"A little rest wouldn't hurt."

Haruka's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Are you sure you want to go to

sleep? There are plenty of other things to occupy ourselves with. Death

gave me a new hunger for life and... other things."

Michiru laughed as Haruka leaned her face towards her neck, trailing warm

kisses across her throat. "I thought you were upset," she commented

lightly, savoring the touch.

"Not anymore," Haruka chuckled. "Why be upset when I can be with you

instead?"

"Haruka, _really_. I'm just so tired from the battle. I want to get some

sleep tonight, and like Setsuna-san said, Hotaru-chan has school tomorrow

... what a way to bounce back from death. Another time."

Haruka sighed with disappointment. "Oh, _all right_."

"Haruka..." Michiru teasingly pinched her. "You know I want you," she

purred, "but we have a responsibility as Hotaru's parents to look out for

her best interests... and one of those is getting a good night's rest so

she can, too."

"Well, if you put it that way, it's ok." Haruka kissed her cheek lightly.

"Sometimes I wish we didn't have the responsibility though," she said

jokingly.

"When you're thinking with your hormones and not your head," Michiru said,

lightly bopping the top of her head.

"Michiru!"

"Silly."

They changed into their pajamas and climbed under the sheets in their

bed, loosely holding each other.

"Good night," Haruka whispered, kissing her lover's lips gently. "I love

you."

"I love you too... sleep well."

They both closed their eyes as their breathing slowed, but neither of

them really went to sleep. Their minds were still whirling as they

replayed the events of the years gone by, keeping them awake as they

fought back tears.

~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 1

~~~~~~~~~~

The Kaze and Ten'ou families had been close friends longer than they

could trace. Before Utano Kotori and Kaze Fushigi married, they had

attended school with Ten'ou Tsuyoi and Yorokobino Kobun, who also got

married. Kotori and Kobun were firmly set on the idea of their families

staying closely tied, and agreed that if they had children, they would

marry them off to each other. Fushigi and Tsuyoi were a bit reluctant

to agree with their wives at first, but eventually gave in.

Fushigi had brown hair and green eyes, Kotori having wavy blond hair and

blue eyes, passing on to their daughter, Sunao, brown hair and teal eyes.

Tsuyoi had black hair and eyes, while Kobun had dark blond hair and purple

eyes, and their son, Katai, received dark blond hair and black eyes. They

also had a daughter a couple years later named Teinei, with strawberry

blond hair and purple eyes.

Katai and Sunao had their marriage arranged for them long before they

were old enough to be married. Their parents decided to hold off on

telling them to see if they would fall in love on their own. Sunao and

Teinei were very close friends, spending a lot of time together, so Sunao

was often put in the position of being around Katai. Eventually, Katai

and Sunao started dating, despite Teinei's insistence that her brother

was a wacko. They found that they didn't really get along as well as they

had hoped they would, but their parents insisted that the marriage had to

go through.

Katai and Sunao married, and after being married, fell in love. Sunao

became pregnant with twins, expecting them towards the end of January.

The Kaiou and Inochino families were also tied together after being

friends for a long time. Kaiou Tensai was good friends with Inochino

Miyage, both boys coming from rich, uptight families. They were both told

to marry young, and neither really liked the idea. Two of their friends,

Neko Ureshii and Hoshiou Rippa, had been told to do similar things, and

before they finished college, Tensai and Ureshii were engaged, and Miyage and

Rippa as well.

Tensai had wavy brown hair and eyes, and Ureshii had long green hair and

eyes. Their son, Tadashii, had wavy green hair and brown eyes. Miyage had

blond hair and green eyes, and Rippa had wavy deep blue hair and eyes.

Their daughter, Ki, had wavy blue hair and deep blue eyes. Tadashii and Ki

fell in love when they were young and married when they finished school.

Their first child was a son, Kanzen, had green hair and deep blue eyes. Two

years later, they had a daughter, Suteki, with blue green hair and green

eyes, two years later, another daughter, Kirei, with brown hair and blue

eyes. Ki became pregnant yet again, two years later, expecting triplets

in March, the same year that the Ten'ous expected their twins.

Neither family could have predicted how close some of their newest arrivals

would become.

**********

Sunao lay in the hospital bed with Katai at her side, waiting to find out

the results from her doctor. The doctor came in with a bright smile on

her face. "Congratulations!" she told them. "The tests show that you will

be having _two_ children, twins, a boy and a girl."

Sunao and Katai cheered and hugged each other happily, before Sunao let

out a tiny "ow" as Katai pushed against her belly accidentally. "Whoops,

I'm sorry about that, Sunao," he quickly apologized. He grinned and

kissed her belly. "Two bundles of joy on the way! We're truly lucky!"

Sunao smiled and patted her extended waistline. "And it'll be both a boy

and a girl; you'll get the son you've wanted and I'll have my daughter."

Katai smiled back broadly. "Oh, thank you very much, doctor."

The doctor nodded and gave them the folder of information, then the

couple left the office.

**********

They spent the next few months preparing their home for the arrivals.

A room was prepared with boys' and girls' decor in it, two cribs,

stuffed animals, and various other toys and things to occupy their

children when they arrived. Katai was eagerly awaiting the day of their

birth, to have the son he'd wanted for so long. He wanted to raise his

son to be someone special, someone his father would be proud of. It was

Katai's dream and he was anxious for it to come true. He put in some

extra hours at the office to earn more money, saving it up to spend on

his son when he arrived. He'd cut back on a lot of things he enjoyed,

including all the different sports and car magazines he read, some things

he collected, and drinking, which he said he "only find mildly amusing,

anyways."

Sunao was just as excited at the idea of having a daughter to raise.

Katai had already agreed with her that he should be the one to focus on

raising their son, and her their daughter. Sunao had wanted children for

a long time, not caring whether it was a girl or boy, but she was very

happy to be having both. While Katai was at work, she sewed, went to the

store, and was visited by her parents, Katai's parents, and Teinei.

At the store one day, she was looking for cereals when she bumped into

someone next to her. "Oh, I'm sorry," she quickly apologized. "I'm a bit

clumsy right now."

A woman's laughter soon followed. "That's all right, I'm in the same

condition myself."

Sunao smiled as the blue haired woman patted her own belly. "When is

yours due?" she asked the woman.

"Early March. I'm expecting triplets! Two girls and a boy, according to the

doctor. We're not sure yet if the girls are identical. You?"

Sunao smiled. "Late January, a girl and a boy."

"Both of us having multiple births," the woman smiled widely. "I know it's

very exciting for me. I have two daughters already who are two and four,

and a son, six years old. You?"

"These are my first," Sunao replied. "I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"Kaiou Ki, you?"

"Ten'ou Sunao." They bowed to each other, then Sunao looked at her

quizzically. "Your name sounds familiar... you're married to Kaiou

Tadashii?"

"Why yes, I am. My father, Inochino Miyage, is a violinist."

"Ah yes, I've heard his music before; he's quite good. Do you play as

well?"

Ki chuckled slightly. "Not nearly as well. He's going to teach little

Michiru when she's a bit older." She patted her belly again. "I'm going

to make sure she's a fine lady when she's older. Tadashii's mother,

Ureshii, wants to teach her about art since my other children don't seem

to be too interested in that. Kanzen has already shown that he's more

interested in studying, Suteki's more into dolls, and Kirei, well, we aren't

sure about her yet... she's just enjoying playing games, right now. I think

Genki will be smart like his brother, and Tadashii would love for him to

take up sports. I'd like to make sure Kanpeki does art too, maybe writing.

What do you want your children to do?"

Sunao shrugged slightly. "Katai and I just want them to be happy. Katai

and I have agreed that I will raise our daughter and he'll take care of

our son. Not that we won't be involved with both kids, but we want to

focus on them separately."

"No names yet?"

Sunao smiled a bit and replied, "We are trying to decide still. Katai is

considering Akarui for our son, I think it would be nice too. We aren't

sure about our daughter yet."

"Hmmm... well, good luck with them," Ki said.

"You too," Sunao said as they walked off in separate directions.

**********

When Ki got home, her kids all rushed to her. "Mama Mama Mama Mama!"

Kirei shouted. "Guess what?!"

"What is it, Kirei-chan?"

"Our babysitter left already-- Papa's home early!"

Ki smiled as Tadashii came over. "You find everything all right at the store?"

"Yes, and they've been kicking quite a lot," Ki said, patting her belly.

"Whoops, there they go again!"

Tadashii placed his head against her with a smile. "Full of energy, aren't

they?"

"Oof, they sure are!"

The other children came over and felt her belly too. "Oooo, feels weird,"

Suteki said.

"It's very weird," Kanzen agreed.

"C'mon, kids," Tadashii said. "Let's go unload the groceries and let mama

rest."

They went out to the car to get the bags and Ki practically flopped onto

the couch. "I can't wait till these babies arrives!" she sighed.

**********

Sunao wiped her hand across her sweaty forehead, a broad smile on both

her and Katai's faces. The doctor and nurses were also smiling as they

handed the two wrapped bundles to the proud new parents. "Congratula-

tions," they told Sunao and Katai as the two carefully cradled the

babies. "If you need anything, we'll be out in the hall." Just as he was

about to shut the door, he added, "I'd be very careful with the boy

though, he seems to be a bit delicate. We'll want him to stay here at

the hospital a few days longer than his sister to make sure everything's

all right."

"That'll be fine, doctor, and thank you," Sunao said weakly.

Sunao and Katai looked down into the faces of their new children. The

girl had dark blond hair, and her eyes, already opened wide, were a dark

teal. The boy had brown hair and his eyes, sleepily opening and shutting,

were black. Sunao and Katai's parents, along with Teinei, crowded around

and admired the two newborns.

"Oh, they are so cute," Teinei cooed.

"She's got your eyes, Sunao," Kotori remarked happily.

"He looks just like you, except his hair's darker," Tsuyoi told his son.

"What are you naming them?" Kobun asked her son.

"Well," Katai started, "we decided on Akarui for the boy and--"

Akarui started coughing and Katai frowned, adjusting his hold on the

baby. "Otou-san, get the doctor please."

Tsuyoi went outside immediately to get the doctor while Akarui continued

coughing. The doctor came back in with the nurses and was followed by

someone with a rolling cart. "We better get him checked right now," he

said.

"What's wrong?" Fushigi asked.

"I'm not sure yet; we won't know until we check things out. I'll keep you

informed."

"Doctor, he's not breathing," one of the nurses said.

"Let's get down there, quick!"

The doctor and nurses rushed out of the room with the baby on the medical

cart. Sunao watched with wide eyes and clutched her daughter tighter to

her fearfully. Katai looked equally terrified and sat down by her side.

"Maybe it's because the labor was so long," Kobun said, trying to

reassure them. "Many babies have breathing problems when they are first

born, but make it through just fine."

"Yeah, don't worry, onii-san," Teinei told her brother. "They'll check

him out and it'll be all right."

Sunao carefully shifted the girl in her arms, trying not to panic. What

was happening with her son? It had been several minutes already.

"What's the girl's name?" Kotori asked, trying to keep their minds off

of it.

"We were thinking--" Sunao started, when a nurse came in.

"Excuse me, Ten'ou-san? Please come with me."

Katai paled and followed her immediately. The hospital room fell very

quiet when Katai left and stayed that way the next several minutes.

When Katai walked in, he was nearly white in the face, his eyes shimmer-

ing with unshed tears. The nurse and the doctor followed him.

"Katai?" Sunao whispered. "What's wrong? Katai?"

The doctor cleared his throat, lowering his head, and said, "I'm afraid

that... your son didn't make it."

Gasps came from around the room, and Teinei quickly took the baby girl as

Sunao sat up, trying to get to Katai. "No, this can't be!" she cried, tears

quickly pouring down her face. "Are you sure?! Are you sure he... he..."

The doctor handed his folder to Fushigi as he spoke, "He had stopped

breathing and never started again. His heart stopped a few minutes later.

We tried everything we could, but in his condition... His lungs were too

weak to sustain him. I'm sorry."

"Please leave us," Kobun quietly whispered, and both the doctor and the

nurse nodded and left.

Katai hugged Sunao tightly, both crying against each other. Teinei sadly

continued to cradle the baby girl in her arms, looking down at her, also

crying softly. Kobun and Tsuyoi went to try and console their son, Kotori

and Fushigi also moving to hug their daughter. While Sunao gratefully

accepted her parents' embrace, Katai shoved his back and fled from the

room. Teinei came forward slowly, and handed the girl to Sunao, who

tenderly took the baby in her arms. "I can't believe this happened," she

murmured as she looked down at her daughter. "It all happened so quickly

..." She trembled and lowered her head. "My poor Haruka won't have a

brother now... Katai won't have the son he's wanted..."

Fushigi and Kotori stayed with her as the Ten'ous quietly left the room to

find Katai.

Sunao lay sleeping in her hospital bed, Katai still wide-awake in a chair

next to her. Haruka had been taken away by the doctors to be checked up

and they would see her again tomorrow.

The hospital had a special wing where they kept newborns that still

needed medical attention. All the babies were in small cribs with heating

systems. That night, there were only a few other babies in there besides

the Ten'ous' child, and all the doctors and nurses were currently on

another floor discussing their tiny patients. The room where the babies

were was dark and the faint sound of tiny bodies breathing could be

heard. It was set far apart from any other rooms in the hospital, its

hallways long, leading to stairways going up to higher floors, thus it

was kept quiet so the babies could rest.

The door creaked slightly as a tall woman slowly walked into the room and

made her way over to the crib where Ten'ou Haruka was kept. She carefully

lifted the baby, who stirred and reached to grab a strand of her long,

dark green hair. The baby cooed a bit at first, and whimpered when the

woman carefully pried her hair from the baby's pale hands with her own

tanned ones. Her dark red eyes softened as she smiled down at Haruka and

gently soothed her as she started to cry.

"Ssshhh... hush, little one. The time for crying will come later," she

murmured.

The baby stopped crying after several moments, then looked up at the

lithe woman.

"I know you can't understand what I say to you yet, but one day you'll be

able to, and then you will remember this meeting. You have an important

future ahead of you, a very important mission to complete. But before

that can happen, you will know a lot of pain and sadness, but then you'll

know a joy much greater than many others can ever experience." She

smiled sadly and sighed. "Oh, Haruka-chan, I've missed you and the

others. It isn't easy to guard alone. You are the first one to return,

and Michiru-chan will be next. I wish there was a way I could speak to

you when you were older and could understand and remember this, but I'm

not permitted. But you will be able to remember this when the time comes,

so that there will be less confusion when I join you in your mission."

She carefully set Haruka back in the crib and smiled down at her. "I know

you're the one, I know it. Let's see that symbol, shall we, to make

sure?"

The woman held her hand out, and the symbol of Pluto glowed purple on her

forehead. The baby looked up and the symbol of Uranus glowed indigo on her

forehead. The woman smiled widely and said proudly, "Yes, you will be a

fine Senshi when the time comes. Farewell, my friend."

Just as she turned to leave, a nurse came in and turned on a light. "Um,

excuse me, miss? What are you doing in here?"

The woman hid her smile and replied, "Just visiting little Ten'ou Haruka.

I'm a friend of the family; Meiou Setsuna."

"Oh, well... in the future, make sure you check with a doctor before

coming in."

"I will, thank you."

Setsuna pulled the handle of the door shut. The nurse remembered the

instant it shut that the family of the baby had specifically said no one

besides their family members, the Kazes and the Ten'ous, would be

visiting. She quickly rushed to the door to find Meiou Setsuna and to

call security in case she had somehow tampered with the child. "Hey, miss!

You're going to have to--"

She stopped in shock as she looked both ways down the hall. No one was

there. "Impossible!" she whispered in astonishment. Even if someone ran

at their top speed down these halls, they wouldn't be to the stairways

in the time that spanned between Setsuna leaving and the nurse opening

the door. The nurse blinked rapidly and listened carefully, but couldn't

hear any sounds, such as the sounds of someone walking or running,

breathing, talking. "What could have happened to her?" the nurse wondered

as she went back into the room, reaching for a folder to file a report.

**********

"Okay, kids, it's all right to come in now," Tadashii told his three older

children, a proud smile on his face. He led them into the hospital room

where Ki was, her parents and Tadashii's also there. Ki held the tiny

babies in her arms, looking weary but very happy.

"Wow," Kirei said. "Babies..."

"They're much cuter than Kirei and Suteki," Kanzen commented. Suteki

stuck her tongue out at him as soon as he said that.

They looked down at their new siblings in awe. The first born was Genki. He

was unremarkable in their eyes; blond hair and brown eyes, a bit smallish,

and was very hungry. The next born was Michiru. She had hair that was a

shade of aquamarine paler than that of Suteki's, and her sleepily opening

eyes were a rich blue. The last born was Kanpeki, and it turned out that she

wasn't Michiru's twin. She had blond hair and deep blue eyes, was much tinier

than her two triplets, and was wide awake, looking around as if checking out

the place.

Tensai patted his grinning son on the back while Ureshii kissed his cheek.

"How does it feel to be father to three children all at once?" she asked

her son.

"Good," he said warmly. "Very good."

Rippa and Miyage peered over their daughter's shoulder, and Rippa asked

gently if she could hold one of the babies. Ki carefully handed Michiru to

her, then Miyage took Genki in his arms, and Ureshii held Kanpeki. "They'll

grow up to be wonderful children," Rippa said.

Ki lay back on the pillows and smiled back at her mother. "I know, they'll

grow up to be two great ladies and a gentleman, people that Tadashii and I

will be proud to acknowledge as our children."

"To follow in their mother and father's footsteps then?"

Ki laughed weakly and returned her mother's and father's smile. "Yes,

that is right..." She yawned and sighed. "I'm so tired, I want to sleep

but I know I shouldn't yet."

"You have every right to be tired!" Ureshii scolded. "Go on, you've worked

hard to bring these babies into the world, you deserve some rest!"

"Besides," Miyage added, "I think Michiru wants to sleep, too; look."

Everyone but Ki walked over to see Michiru closing her eyes. "Goodbye, dear,"

Miyage said softly as they were leaving. "We'll visit tomorrow."

"Mmmm hmmm..." Ki's eyes were closed and she was breathing slower, falling

asleep.

The grandparents led the children out of the room, Tadashii staying behind

with Ki, the triplets in his arms, waiting for the doctor or a nurse to

come in.

"Excuse me, Kaiou-san?"

Tadashii turned to see a tall woman with a dark tan standing there,

dressed in the nurses' uniform. Her name tag read "Meiou Setsuna."

"I'm here to check on your babies. May I see Michiru please?"

"Of course," he said, gently handing her into the woman's arms.

"I'll bring her back in a moment, I'm just checking her temperature and

making sure she's breathing normally."

"Thank you," he said, then he gave a slight smile. "It's nice to know

what you people do when they take her away."

Her dark red eyes sparkled slightly. "Yes, it is reassuring, isn't it?"

She walked out with Michiru in her arms.

"Funny, I have the strangest feeling..." Tadashii murmured as he shifted

Kanpeki and Genki in his arms. "Nahhh..."

Setsuna went into an empty room, and carefully set Michiru down on the

bed. She got out the folder of medical records, checked her temperature

and breathing like she said she would, and recorded them. She smiled with

amusement as she looked down at the baby. "I'm surprised I was allowed to

alter all the doctors' and nurses' perceptions to make them believe I

really am on the staff, even more so that I was allowed to borrow the

information and skills I needed from one of their minds so I could check

you out."

She carefully took Michiru in her arms and smiled again. "You're perfect-

ly healthy, I can tell you that," she murmured, then sighed. "I don't

know really what to tell you. I have to make these visits to all the

Senshi when they are newborn, you know. I've had to do this since the

first Senshi arrived in the Silver Millennium..." She then laughed. "Par-

don me, I'm supposed to be leaving you a bit of information about your

_future_," her eyes shimmered with amusement as she added, "I'm supposed

to be 'cryptic' about it. Ah well..." She sighed again. "I can't say

things will be easy. You're going to be special, I can tell you that. So

many talents and skills, but you won't be satisfied with it. 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... Well, I think that's about as much as I will be allowed

to say..."

She brushed her dark green bangs up as her forehead symbol glowed, and

the symbol of Neptune glowed in sea green on Michiru's forehead. "Ah, good,"

she murmured. "Well, I'll return you to your father now, my friend."

Tadashii, sitting in a chair, was startled out of his doze when Setsuna

walked into the room with Michiru in her arms. "She's just fine, Kaiou-

san, and someone should be in to check the others later," she told him,

setting the baby in a crib next to Ki's bed, where Tadashii had placed the

other babies. "Farewell, Michiru," she added as she was leaving.

Tadashii didn't notice the last comment as he started to doze again. He

did jump in surprise when a purple light penetrated his closed lids, but

when he opened them, he saw no one was there. Shrugging, he grinned at

his new children and fell asleep again.

**********

"Sunao-chan? Sunao-chan?" Teinei gently shook her sister-in-law, who had

fallen asleep on the couch. "Wake up, c'mon, wake up." Teinei brushed her

long strands of strawberry blond hair behind her ear, rolling her purple

eyes in irritation. She shifted Haruka in her arm and sat down on a chair,

giving up on Sunao for the moment.

Haruka looked up at her with a tiny gurgle. Teinei couldn't help but grin

at her niece. She was an adorable baby, and didn't give her parents much

trouble; she was actually rather mild-mannered and rarely cried. Teinei

sighed and frowned. Katai and Sunao were lucky for that. It had been four

months now since the twins were born, and the couple still hadn't quite

recovered from the sudden death of Akarui. Katai was visibly crying as he

removed all the boy's things from the room Haruka would now have alone,

storing them in the attic in case they were able to have a son later. It

was obvious that he was crushed though. He sought solace in work, working

later hours than ever, and working harder, taking business trips and going

to many dinner meetings. He wasn't seen much anymore since he was gone so

much. Whenever he was around, he always seemed to be clutching a beer bottle.

Sunao had a shadow over her, and she probably wouldn't ever be the carefree,

light-hearted woman she used to be, but she was recovering, if a bit slowly.

She wasn't very focused, so Teinei, Kotori, and Kobun rotated between staying

at the house with her to help take care of Haruka since she couldn't do it

alone, and even when Katai was there, he wasn't much help.

Finally, Sunao stirred, brushing her brown bangs out of her teal eyes.

"Mmmm... Teinei-chan? Is that you? I must've fallen asleep..."

"Yeah, okaa-san told me when I arrived that you were taking a nap on the

couch. Turned into a very long nap too!" Teinei chuckled and handed Haruka

over to Sunao's open arms.

Sunao smiled weakly as she looked down at her daughter. "I've just been

so tired lately, I couldn't help it." Haruka whimpered a bit and Sunao

sighed. "Time for feeding already, Haruka-chan?" She nursed Haruka with

a wistful smile on her face. "She's such a darling, isn't she?"

"She is," Teinei agreed. "She's very easy to watch. I almost wish she

wasn't so I'd have more to do! All I really do is hold her and talk to

her and she seems to be happy with it."

Sunao laughed a bit. "Well, I'm glad for it. I don't think I could handle

it if she wasn't." She looked down sadly at Haruka when she was finished

nursing. "I never realized..." she sighed. "Sorry, I shouldn't talk about

it, it would be too depressing..."

"Sunao-chan," Teinei growled. "You've been my friend since we were kids.

You can talk to me about it. And besides, bottling things up will only

make it worse."

"All right, you win, as usual," Sunao chuckled. "I just wish that things

could have been different, you know? That Akarui could be here too. He

had his life taken away before he had a chance to live it, and he took a

piece of us with him."

"I can't say I know the feeling," Teinei told her, "but I know that it

must have really affected you and Katai both, and it shows... particular-

ly in Katai."

Sunao frowned and sadly murmured, "He told me... He said that if one of

them had to die, why couldn't it have been the girl instead? He actually

told me that... he wanted a son so b-badly, a-and..."

Teinei came over to hug her as she started crying. "It's not your fault,

you know," she said softly. "You both need to move on with your lives. If

you can't, what hope does your daughter have, hmmm? She needs her parents,

especially in these early years, and you have to give her as much love and

care as you would have even if Akarui had lived."

Sunao wiped her streaming eyes and nodded weakly. "I... I will... At

least, I hope I will, I don't know, I'll try..."

Teinei chuckled and told her, "You'll do fine, Sunao-chan."

Sunao sat quietly for awhile. "How's the rest of your family?... Katai

never mentions..."

"Well, Haruka-chan has a third cousin that's seven days older than her."

"I never heard about this!"

"Yeah, my cousin had a kid. We never spoke much... Her father and ours

didn't get along well. Cute kid though. Name's Murasaki... You aren't

really listening, are you?"

Sunao shook her head. "Sorry."

"It's ok. C'mon, let's go get out of the house, get some coffee or something.

You've been cooped up in here for awhile. I know you aren't going to just

bounce back right away, but let's get started, all right?"

"Let me get some things for Haruka first." Sunao pulled out the stroller

and got together a bag of diapers, wipes, a pacifier, a small toy, and

other baby items. They packed everything in the trunk of Teinei's car,

Teinei sitting in the front seat with Sunao next to Haruka's car seat.

They ended up going to a coffee shop to talk for quite a bit, then to get

Sunao's chin-length hair trimmed, and before going back home, they picked up

some things at the grocery store.

When they got back, it was already dark, and Katai was home from work early,

not a common occurence. Teinei left after dropping off Sunao and helping her

bring everything inside, stopping briefly to say 'hi' to her brother.

"How was your day?" Sunao asked her husband as she lay Haruka in her crib.

"The usual," he murmured, taking a sip of his beer. "Hectic."

Sunao brushed a few strands of hair from Haruka's face as the baby slowly

fell asleep. "I had a long talk with your sister today. I'm feeling a lot

better now actually."

"You feel better about what?" Katai sat down on the couch, patting the

cushion to indicate for Sunao to sit next to him. "And what did you talk

about?"

Sunao sat down, brushing her hair behind her ears, and replied, "We

talked... about many things really. But I think," she paused and sighed,

"I think I can move on now with my life. We've been held back these past

few months by Akarui's death, and while we most certainly should mourn,

we do have to move on. Haruka will depend on us for a long time, and we

have to take care of ourselves instead of wallowing in grief."

Katai's dark scowl made Sunao flinch slightly. "Sunao, our son _died_

when he was barely minutes old. We didn't have a chance to raise him. We

should not forget about it and just 'move on'--"

"Katai! I am not saying we should forget! I'm just saying... look, we

can't change what happened. Maybe we can make up for it somehow, have

another child, but we shouldn't be so caught up in sadness that we don't

even try to live our lives anymore."

Katai stood up and left the room.

Sunao looked down at her hands and sighed bitterly. "This was a mistake,"

she whispered as her hands trembled. "This whole thing was a mistake."

The phone rang, and Sunao picked it up with trembling hands. "Hello?"

"Is Katai there?" The voice was a bit garbled.

"He... can't come to the phone right now..."

"Oh... Please inform him that... his cousin and her husband were just in

a car wreck."

Oh no. "Are they..."

"They didn't make it... Their baby daughter somehow got out alive though."

"I'll... I'll tell him. Goodbye."

She curled up into a ball and cried herself to sleep on the couch while

Katai lay awake in bed all night.

~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 2

~~~~~~~~~~

"Michiru! Stop that!" Ki scolded.

Michiru, now three years old, looked up sheepishly at her mother. "Stop

what, mama?"

Ki took the crayon from her hand. "I told you, we're going to the store.

You can color when we get home."

"But I wanna color now, mama." Michiru's blue eyes were wide and pleading.

"Pleeeeease?"

Ki continued to frown as she took the crayon and put it back in the box.

She then took the coloring book and put it up high on a counter where

Michiru couldn't reach it. "We're leaving _now_."

"What about Kirei and Suteki and Kanzen and Genki and Kanpeki?"

Michiru asked, gasping a bit for breath when she finished.

"They're already in the van, now come on. Your little sister put her crayons

away when I asked, you can too."

Michiru pouted and followed her mother into the car. She sat next to

Kanpeki and Genki in the middle row, the five year-old Kirei and seven

year-old Suteki in the back row, the nine year-old Kanzen in the passenger

seat.

Kirei reached over the seat and tweaked one of Michiru's pigtails and

giggled. Michiru grabbed onto Kirei's ponytail and frowned at her. Kirei

stuck her tongue out, then Suteki hit the back of her head. Kirei dove at

her older sister, pulling her long hair tight. "Owww! Mama mama mama! Kirei

is pulling my hair!"

"Am not, onee-san!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Please can I color when we get home, okaa-san?" Michiru called above her

older sisters' arguing.

"I'm scared... and I'm tired..." Kanpeki whimpered. "I want to go home..."

"Both of you, hush!" Kanzen shouted at his arguing sisters.

"Onii-san's bossing us around again!"

"Why is everyone being mean?" Genki murmured, covering his ears.

Kanpeki started wailing loudly, as she was prone to do.

Ki gripped the steering wheel tightly in her hands, her lips compressed

in a thin white line. One more word...

"SUTEKI IS..."

"Everybody hush, now!" she barked.

The car fell quiet except for Kanpeki's whimpering.

Ki exhaled loudly as they pulled up to a red light, and turned around so

she could face all her children at once. "I am trying to get us safely to

the store. I cannot do that with everyone making noise all at once. I need

it quiet in here to get us there safely. Understood?"

"Yes, mama," the oldest five said in unison.

"But I'm sleepy," Kanpeki whined.

Ki continued to drive, her children finally falling silent... wellll...

Briefly, tiny, quiet whispers could be heard of, "You did too!"

"Did not!"

"Oh, hush, both of you!"

"You shouldn't fight..."

"... can we go home?"

"I just wanna color..."

**********

"Paaapaaaaa!" the little five year-old wailed as she ran inside.

Katai looked up from his newspaper irritably. "What is it, Haruka-chan?"

Haruka sniffled and pointed downwards to her knees, her sandy-blond bangs

falling into her eyes. "I fell down on the sidewalk and hurt my knees."

"Sunao, Haruka fell down again! Could you get her a bandage?"

"Coming!"

Katai set the paper down and walked over to his daughter. "Haruka-chan,

this is getting to be quite a habit of yours. How'd you do it this time?"

"I was just walking and fell down." Haruka looked up at him, her teal eyes

full of innocence. "Honest."

"Haruka..." Katai growled.

Haruka sighed and looked down at the floor and mumbled, "I pushed Sai and

he shoved me down on the ground."

Katai looked at her bloodied knees. "This wouldn't keep happening if you

wouldn't be mean to the other kids."

"I'm not being mean!" Haruka protested. "I was just trying to play with

'em and they wouldn't let me!"

Sunao came in as Haruka was finishing. She carefully bandaged Haruka's

knees and smiled when Haruka threw her small arms around her neck and

gave her a hug. "Thank you, mama!"

"Your welcome."

"Let those be a reminder of what I told you," Katai said. "If you don't

want it to happen again, try to get along with the other kids. You can

go back out to the park now."

Haruka nodded and ran out to the park across the street from their house.

"She's just full of energy," Sunao commented. "Hopefully she'll calm down

when school starts."

Katai rubbed his temples and muttered, "We're going to have to find a

bigger home if we want to contain all that energy."

Sunao laughed, "Katai, this home here is nice, and our neighbors above us

are quite friendly."

"I was just kidding. This house is great already, nice and big. Still,

she is a handful, isn't she?"

"Mmmm hmmm... I'm going to fix some lunch now. I should be done in twenty

minutes."

Katai picked up his newspaper again and muttered to himself. "Haruka is

never going to learn how to make it in the world if we aren't rougher on

her! We can't just sit back and hold her hand all the time!"

"Sai-chan!" Haruka yelled. "Sai-chan!"

Sai, a brown-haired five year-old who was tall for his age, turned to look

back from the swings he was on. "Haruka-chan, what are you doing back

here?"

Haruka stopped running and smiled slightly. "I'm all better, my mama put

bandages on my knees." She then bowed her head slightly to him and said,

"I am sorry for pushing you, that wasn't nice."

Sai laughed and said, "Sorry I pushed you, too."

Haruka smiled and ran to another swing next to a short girl with red hair

named Cindy, who was six years old. Cindy was born in Japan and was brought

up like a Japanese child, but her parents had been born in America. "Hi, Haruka-

chan!" she said with a grin.

"Hi, Cindy-chan, how's it going?"

"It's good. My sister's still sick though... she's always got a bit of

somethin', but my mama says she'll get over it. She runs good and fast."

"Maybe we can play with her later... Hey, can we meet both your parents today?"

Haruka asked. Cindy's mother was always the one that came to get her from the park,

and none of the kids knew her father.

Cindy-chan frowned and looked up at the sky. "I'm not sure... mama said

she and papa don't want people to know about them, but I don't know what

that means."

Haruka frowned as well and pushed her bangs back out of her face. "Why

can't we meet your papa?"

"Yeah, Cindy-chan," Sai broke in. "Why doesn't your papa ever come to get

you, just your mama? No one's ever seen your papa."

"She says that lots of people don't like that kinda thing, but I don't

understand _that_ either. Grown-ups are weird."

"_You're_ being weird!" Sai said.

"What do you mean?"

"I asked you about your papa and you're talking about a girl."

Cindy tilted her head to the side. "But my papa _is_ a girl."

"Your papa's a girl? I thought papas were boys," Haruka said.

"Papa and mama say it doesn't matter. Mama says papa isn't my real papa

though, but she said she can't explain it to me now because I'm too

little."

"I hate when big people do that," Sai-chan commented. "They always say

'wait till you're older,' or 'it's a big kid thing; you wouldn't

understand.' "

Haruka kicked her feet in the sand as she swung and said softly, "Hey,

Cindy-chan, Sai-chan? Can we stop for a bit?"

"What's wrong?" Cindy asked immediately. They all stopped swinging, Sai

and Cindy looking over to Haruka's worried face.

"I heard mama and papa talking once, 'bout someone named A-... Akara...

Akarui, yeah... They were saying stuff about missing him and wishing he

could have lived. What do you think they were talking about?"

Cindy and Sai glanced at each other knowingly, then looked down at their

feet. "Well, umm..." Sai scratched his head guiltily.

Cindy blurted, "My mama said that when you were born, you had a brother, but

he's dead!"

Haruka looked at them in shock. "Huh???"

She didn't get another chance to talk when Cindy heard her mother calling.

Sai and Haruka turned when Cindy ran to her mother, whom they recognized

from her red hair and hazel eyes, but didn't recognize the tall, pretty

black-haired lady next to her. Cindy and her mother waved, the other lady

just looking over quizzically, Cindy shouted bye loudly, and they left.

Sai told Haruka, "Maybe you should ask your parents... I dunno about that

stuff."

Haruka ran home, breathing hard when she opened the door. "Mama? Papa?"

She walked around and found them in the living room, watching t.v.

Sunao patted her lap, and Haruka crawled up and sat in it. Sunao smiled

and hugged her daughter. "What is it, Haruka-chan?"

"C-Cindy-chan told me she heard that I had a brother and he's dead. Is

that true?"

Sunao and Katai's faces paled and they flinched in shock. "Haruka..."

Katai came over and sat by her. "Haruka-chan, this'll probably be hard

for you to listen to, but she's right. When your mama had you, she also

had a boy named Akarui. Akarui got sick and died several minutes after he

was born. We didn't tell you because we didn't think you would want to

hear things like that when you're so little--"

"Papa, what did he look like?" Haruka blurted.

Katai looked puzzled by her question. "He was small, with brown hair and

black eyes... why?"

"Well... I was just wondering. I'm not really sad, but I'm not happy or

anything, y'know. I don't know him so I don't really know what I think...

But you seem sad, papa, so I wanna know what he looks like because maybe

you'll feel better if I learn about him and if I miss him too."

Katai and Sunao both blinked in surprise. "Haruka-chan... umm, it's your

nap time," Sunao murmured. "Go up to bed. We'll talk more later."

"Okay, mama, love you, and love you too, papa." Haruka bounded up the

stairs to her room.

"She says such strangely insightful things sometimes," Sunao commented.

"It's as if she has a perception of things beyond her years."

"Hmmm..." Katai rested his head on his palms and sighed sadly.

"What is it?" Sunao murmured, rubbing his shoulders soothingly.

"I just wish he... you know."

"I know, I do too."

"Why did it have to be him that died? It's not that I don't love our

daughter, but I would have wanted a son if I had a choice in the matter."

"I know, you've told me before. But things will work out one day. You'll

see. Maybe we can't have Akarui back, but we can still have a baby, maybe

we can have a son."

They hugged each other tightly and comforted each other. Haruka, who had

snuck out of her room, sat at the top of the stairs, watching, trying to

understand just what it was her parents meant.

**********

Goban Yobi-ko was a very large, exclusive school, where only the best could

attend. Kanzen, Suteki, and Kirei attended various levels of it. Recently,

a kindergarten section had been added, so the Kaiou family eagerly enrolled

the triplets into it. Ki and Tadashii could tell their children were bright

and wanted them to get ahead quickly. The three were placed in separate

classes.

Michiru walked carefully into her new kindergarten classroom, looking

from her new teacher to her classmates with wide eyes. She clutched the

tiny straps of her backpack as she walked to a seat. It wasn't time yet

for school to start, but she was the last one nevertheless. She took a

seat near the back of the room, with an empty seat on either side of it.

She carefully set her backpack down and unzipped it, putting things

inside her desk before she zipped it again. She pushed a loose strand of

her wavy hair back behind her ear and smoothed her pigtails, then

adjusted herself in her seat. She carefully clasped her hands in front of

her on her desk as she looked forward with a calm look on her face.

The teacher tapped her finger thoughtfully against her chin. "Well,

class, as I was saying, I want everyone to tell me your names and your

interests when class starts, which is after the bell rings."

"Mushi-sensei!" a little boy wailed. "I need to go to the bathroooommmm!"

The teacher blinked rapidly. "Er, all right, make it quick."

The boy dashed from the room while most of the kids giggled.

Someone turned around in their seat to look at her. "Hi," she whispered

to Michiru. "I'm Niwa. Who're you?"

"Hi, I'm Michiru." Michiru glanced over the girl quickly, noting her

bright orange hair and wide green eyes. Her uniform was a bit wrinkled

already. Michiru noted that with a bit of disdain. The girls' sailor

uniforms had a blue skirt and collar, and a red bow, which didn't match

this girl's hair well to begin with, and when it was messy like that, it

looked worse. Ureshii was teaching Michiru the basics of art, and she had

learned about color quickly since she loved coloring, and knew that since

blue and orange were compliments, they looked unusually bright, even

garish together. Niwa proved this theory.

"Boy, you're quiet," Niwa commented. Michiru had been silent after her

greeting. "Are you--"

The bell rang, interrupting Niwa, and the little boy ran back into the

room.

"Okay, I want everybody to go in order and say your name and interests,

and something else about you too. Why don't you go first?" Mushi-sensei

pointed at someone in the front row.

Michiru was in the back, so she had a good wait until it was her turn.

She took out a coloring book and crayons from her backpack and started

coloring a picture.

When it got to be her turn, she stood up quietly and said, "My name is

Kaiou Michiru. I like coloring and drawing, and my mom wants me to learn

violin. I have two older sisters, an older brother, and I'm the middle of

triplets, another sister and a brother." She sat down, and started coloring

again.

"Can we see the picture you're coloring?" someone asked.

Michiru shyly held it up, and several kids "ooo"ed and "ahhh"ed.

"Wow, she can color in the lines!"

"That's pretty!"

Michiru smiled and put her coloring book and crayons away since class

would most likely be starting now.

"Well, I know this is everyone's first day here, but we should get

cracking on our schoolwork now so we'll have time for fun later! We're

going to start to learn about hiragana everyone. Does anyone know what

'hiragana' is?"

Michiru raised her hand and answered, "It's our basic written language."

"That's right, Michiru-chan. I'm going to teach all of you how to write

your names in hiragana, ok? Let's start with you, Michiru-chan, since

you got that last question right."

Mushi-sensei wrote her name on the board, then turned. "See, everyone,

this first character stands for 'mi', and the last for 'ru'. Does anyone

know what the middle is though?"

"Chi?" someone called out.

"Actually," Michiru started, then stopped because she hadn't raised her

hand.

"It's all right, Michiru-chan, go ahead."

"Well, that character is actually 'ti', but it does stand for 'chi'."

Mushi-sensei looked completely blown away. "How'd you know that?"

"My parents taught me how to write hiragana."

Mushi-sensei's eyebrow twitched. "Er... well... okay, let's go on to

someone else now, shall we?"

Michiru sat, bored, while the teacher went through everyone's names.

Mushi-sensei never did call on her again, Michiru noted. Maybe it was

because she thought that all the other kids would learn better if they

figured things out on their own.

Oh well.

At the break between classes, Michiru sat by herself. All the other kids

seemed afraid to go near her. She could hear some of them talking as she

was sitting there.

"--knows much more that us! She can color really good!"

"She's spooky, she knows hiragana already. I can't even write my name

yet!"

"She said she's going to learn violin, and my mama says violin is really

hard. She's really weird."

"She doesn't belong in kindergarten! She's too smart for us."

"She's a... a tri-- a truh-- a--"

"Triplet, stupid. Kanpeki-chan's in my class, and she's really weird, just

like Michiru-chan."

"Genki's weird too. They're a wacko family."

Michiru sighed and tucked her knees under her chin. Everyone thought she

and her fellow triplets were weird. Oh well. She freed her wavy hair from

the pigtails, for the moment, and looked out at the clouds, trying to see

pictures in them.

She didn't really need to talk to those other kids anyways.

**********

Haruka yawned loudly, causing several kids to turn around to look at her.

It had been a few months now since she had started kindergarten, and she

found it really boring. For starters, she had to wear a funny sailor

uniform with a gray collar and skirt and black bow. Then there were her

classmates, all very boring. They never talked with her much and made no

attempt to become friends. Sai was going to a different school, and Cindy

had moved to a new neighborhood, so Haruka didn't have anyone to talk to anymore.

They didn't learn anything interesting in school either. The only part

Haruka was enjoying was the fact that they took physical education. Haruka

loved to play and run, and this gave her the chance to do it. Forget

learning hiragana, adding and subtracting, and how to be a good little

kid; having fun was what she loved to do the most. She did hate, however,

how her skirt made it hard to run sometimes, and how her bangs fell in

her eyes despite her efforts to tame them. At least she didn't have long

hair to whip into her face like most of the other girls; her parents let

her wear it short. She couldn't imagine how she'd look with braids or

pigtails.

Haruka leapt out of her seat as soon as the bell rang for dismissal.

Kotori was picking her up today, and she was going to start teaching her

how to play something called a "piano."

"Hi obaa-san!" she told her as she got into her car. "How're you?"

Kotori smiled. "I'm fine, Haruka-chan, you?" Kotori pushed a strand of

wavy white-blond hair behind her ear; her hair was once a darker shade,

but age was starting to lighten it, and her blue eyes had faint wrinkles

around them. Kotori started the car and they pulled out of the parking

lot to go home.

"I'm all right. School was boring, as usual. So you're gonna teach me to

play a piano?"

"Well, not all at once, but today we'll start."

"Is that the big shiny black thing with white and black bars?"

"Keys, they're called keys, but yes, that's it."

"I like how it sounds. Do you think I can make it sound nice?"

"I'm sure you can."

Haruka grinned and got up on her knees so she could see out the window.

She was tall for her age, but she was still small enough for it to be too

hard to see out a window in a car without sitting up some. She watched

everything pass by quickly, as usual, fascinated by the speed at which

things went by.

"You like going fast, don't you?" Kotori asked.

Haruka nodded quickly. "It's really neat to watch everything, and it's

fun when you're running too, cuz you can feel the wind hitting your face.

I like the wind."

Kotori laughed. "I should hope so. It's part of your namesake after all."

Haruka cocked her head and thought about that. "Oh yeah, your last name

..."

Kotori smiled. "I'm glad you actually remembered it. When you were

younger, you thought it was..." Kotori winced slightly, "Kare."

Haruka giggled. "I know, I'm sorry!"

"It's all right, you're entitled to make mistakes."

Haruka smiled a bit, then went back to watching the world go past.

Kotori pulled up in the driveway and opened Haruka's door. "There you go,"

she said. She always kept the childlock on so kids wouldn't accidentally

open the door while the car was in motion.

As soon as they entered the house, Sunao came and hugged Haruka and her

mother. "Thank you so much," she said. "I'm glad that you agreed to teach

her piano. She needs _something_ to do, after all."

Kotori just laughed and told her, "Don't worry, I don't mind at all! It

will be lots of fun to teach her, and I'm sure she'll enjoy it, right

Haruka-chan?"

Haruka looked up and nodded slowly.

"C'mon, let's get started!"

Haruka followed her grandmother silently into the room with the piano,

and sighed to herself as she sat down to start learning how to play.

**********

"No! No, pay attention! Play it again!"

Michiru quivered and lifted her violin again. The young girl was only

seven, but Ki had insisted that her father, Miyage, start teaching her at

this young age how to play the violin. While she enjoyed to play it, she

did _not_ enjoy the fact that every mistake she made was harshly

criticized. She bit her lip and started to play again, this time

correcting her previous error.

"Michiru-chan! You corrected your mistake only to make another one!"

Michiru gritted her teeth. She wished she could just throw that music in

his face and do things the way she wanted to. She sighed bitterly and

resigned herself to the fact that she was going to have to do it _his_

way or not at all. She played the selection again, this time playing it

perfectly.

"Good, Michiru-chan. Play it once more like that or better and then

we'll be done for the day."

She played it again and got it right. She carefully put her violin away

while Miyage was going on and on about music and things, but she really

wasn't listening to him, she was remembering voices from earlier in the

day. She'd been made fun of again by the kids in her class. She usually

ignored them, after all, they were just jealous of her and were saying

these things as a ridiculous attempt to try and bring her down to their

level, but today they struck a nerve that still ached from their words.

"Are you listening? I'm trying to help you."

Michiru blinked rapidly and looked up at him. "I'm sorry, I was thinking.

What did you say?"

"I was suggesting that you try holding it more like this--" Miyage demon-

strated with his own violin, "--and you might get a better tone."

"Mmmm. Ok." Michiru picked up the instrument case and started to leave the

room. She stumbled and fell to her knees, jarring her mind with deja vu.

Earlier that day, she'd tripped in front of her classmates, and they'd

all laughed at her. "Little Miss Perfect finally screws up!" "Did the

rich girl skin her knees? Too bad." "Can't even walk right can you? All

you do is sit there, drawing and reading and doing schoolwork. Serves ya

right." "You should have just been Siamese triplets; three heads are

better than one of yours!"

Michiru quickly picked up the case and dashed out to her room, shutting

and locking the door behind her. She set the case down and flopped down

on her bed, trying not to cry. She hated all those kids. She was smarter

than them, she knew that much, and she was definitely more mature and

skilled. Why did they all hate her then? No one ever tried to be her

friend, ever since kindergarten. Why did they have to shun her for such

silly reasons?

She rolled onto her side, her aqua hair getting ruffled and causing her

headband to slide from its usual position. She hugged herself and tried

to ignore everything. Just bottle it up, she told herself. Don't let it

get to you. You don't need those jerks. You don't need anyone.

She trembled all over and buried her face in her hands as she sobbed.

**********

"Everyone have everything packed?"

"Yes, papa!"

Tadashii smiled as he rounded up his six children into their van.

Michiru struggled some with her suitcase, and he tenderly took it from

her and put it away himself. "Thank you, papa," she said softly as she

climbed into her seat and buckled her seatbelt.

It was the summer Michiru was in second grade, and Ki had convinced

Tadashii that a trip to the beach was in order. Kanzen had bragged to

Michiru that he'd gone with his friends before, but Michiru knew he was

lying. The sparkle of anticipation in his eyes betrayed him; he always got

it when he was going to experience something new.

She pressed her forehead against her window and watched everything rush

by while her older sisters argued, as usual, over a pillow. Kanzen was

studying and muttering to himself between notes. Genki was trying to nap

and wasn't succeeding. Kanpeki seemed lost in her own world, as usual,

staring blankly into space. Ki was reading a book between checking the

map and commenting to Tadashii, "Are you _sure_ you know how to get

there?" to which he would grumble in retort, "Yes, dear, I'm sure."

Michiru yawned softly, puzzling over things in her mind. She didn't know

much about the beach. It was a sandy area by the ocean, and it was

supposed to be lots of fun. The other things she knew all had to do with

school related things, like about the animals in it and whatnot.

"Yiiiii! You're grabbing my hair!"

"If you'd just give me the pillow I wouldn't!"

"Grrr... LET GO!!!"

Kanzen sighed while Ki tried to calm her older daughters. He leaned over

to Michiru and commented lightly, "Such babies, aren't they? You seem to

set a better example for them than they for you."

Michiru giggled and blushed slightly at the compliment. "Thank you,

Kanzen. I can't believe you've put up with them for so long."

Kanzen laughed with her, then went back to his reading while Michiru

looked out the window some more, then fell asleep.

"We're HEEE-ere!" Tadashii announced, stirring Michiru from her rest.

"Everyone head to the bathrooms to change, then meet back at the car."

As they piled out of the car, Michiru got her first glimpse of the ocean.

She gasped in delight when she saw it. "Oh wow, it's so pretty!" she

squealed, eager to race over to it. She grabbed her swimsuit, ran to the

bathroom, changed in record time, then impatiently waited for her family.

Tadashii was the first out. When he saw Michiru pouting, he studied her

sad face a moment, then went over and bent down to her level. "How would

you like it if we went ahead of the others?"

Michiru looked up at him with an excited expression. "Really?! Yay!!"

She started running for the beach, Tadashii laughing as he followed along

behind her. She didn't even pause when she reached the water, immediately

plunging into the waves. She splashed around happily, ducking under several

times, until Tadashii pulled her up out of the water.

"Michiru-chan! Be careful! You haven't had swimming lessons yet!"

Michiru looked up at him. "So? It's just water, it won't hurt me."

"You could drown if you aren't careful. Stay by me, all right, and don't go

under!"

Michiru pouted again. "I was doing fine!"

"Just to be on the safe side--"

"Paaapaaa... can't I go under if you're watching me? I'll be careful, I

promise!"

Tadashii rubbed his temples, exasperated. "I'm trying to convince a child

... *sigh* fine..."

"Yay!" Michiru held her breath and ducked under the waves again, kicking

her legs. When she surfaced, Tadashii seemed very astonished.

"Did you take lessons and I'm somehow forgetting?"

"No, papa, never."

He shook his head. "Figured out on her own how to swim..."

Michiru didn't know what he was getting at, so she turned away and started

swimming some more.

"That girl is too smart for her own good..."

Ki came out soon and led the other children out. Kanzen seemed mildly

amused, Kirei and Suteki both confused and a bit scared, Genki just looked

tired and didn't care, but Kanpeki was overjoyed. She raced for the water,

and splashed around up to her ankles. "Wheeeeeee!"

"Silly," Michiru said, sticking her tongue out. "You have to _swim_, you

can't just splash."

Kanpeki frowned and walked in up to her shoulders, then stopped.

"Baby."

"I'm the same age as you," Kanpeki retorted, sticking her tongue out.

"No, I'm a few minutes older."

"That doesn't make me a baby!"

"Girls," Tadashii warned, "there's no need to fight."

"She's teasing me cuz I won't swim!"

"Well, if you can't swim, don't try it."

Kanpeki frowned while Michiru grinned triumphantly.

"I won," Michiru said. "I won I won I won--"

"Shut up!" Kanpeki shouted.

"KANPEKI-CHAN!!" Ki hollered. "Don't say such things to your sister!"

"She won't stop teasing me!"

"Just ignore her!"

"But I can't," she whined, glaring at her triplet.

"You'll have to learn to. She's smart and she'll try to play mind games

with you."

Kanpeki mumbled to herself, "How come no one notices I'm as smart as her?!"

"What was that?"

"... Nothing..."

Michiru just sniffed and went back to swimming.

~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 3

~~~~~~~~~~

Haruka yawned as she sat down at the piano bench. She stretched her

fingers, carefully rested them on the keys, and started playing a

complex melody most would never attempt at her age. Kotori and Sunao

listened with looks of approval clear on their faces. When Haruka

finished, she simply stood up, at took a seat in an easy chair. Kotori

and Sunao applauded and grinned at her. "Very good!" Sunao complimented

her daughter. "I'm quite surprised! It didn't take long at all for you

to excel at this!"

Haruka just shrugged and looked up at the ceiling. She was about ten

years old now, coming near the end of elementary school. She was still

quite tall and thin, with her hair still worn short. She still hated

school, the same old waste of time it always was. And just like when she

was younger, she didn't have much to speak of in the way of friends. The

girls avoided her because she was so much taller and tougher than they

were. The boys sometimes let her play with them, but often wouldn't since

she was a girl. Haruka didn't care at all whether they accepted her or

not. When everyone else played and didn't let her in, she'd go off on her

own, running, exploring, swinging, nothing that you really needed someone

else there to do. The piano lessons her grandmother gave her had finally

wound down to a close, and Kotori had no more to teach her. Haruka still

promised to practice though, so she wouldn't lose the skills she'd acquired.

Haruka fingered the cross around her neck lightly and sighed. Her family

made sure they attended church regularly, and she was strong in her faith,

but she thought church itself was boring and pointless. She entertained

herself by watching a cute girl whose family sat a few rows in front of

them, ignoring most of the priest's talk.

Katai was making it a point to come home early tonight. Any other day,

however, he didn't seem to care if he came home at 8 PM or 2 AM. Haruka

didn't see her father much. A few months ago, when it wasn't too late at

night, she'd have long talks with him, and it always made her feel better.

Sunao wouldn't usually join in; she went to bed early, exhausted from

housework. Lately though, he'd been getting more and more wrapped up in his

work, and he never talked to her except to criticize her. Haruka hated it.

He was supposed to encourage her, not _discourage_ her. "Why can't you be

more ladylike?" "You're going to be a failure if you keep acting like _that_."

"Stop complaining, Haruka-chan, and just do it. We should have just gotten a

dog, at least they listen when you tell them what to do."

It hurt to hear those things from the father she'd once loved and

trusted. She wasn't sure now if she hated him or not, but she sure

wouldn't have a heart-to-heart with him anytime soon. Her mother wasn't

exactly close to her or distanced from her. Sunao had just recently

gotten a job and worked while Haruka was at school. On rare occasions,

she would pull a late shift, but that was only every few weeks. Haruka

spent a lot time with her, talking with her or helping her around the

house, but part of her was a bit ruffled by the "weakness" her mother

showed. Sunao wasn't exactly a joyful person. While she would smile and

laugh, her life wasn't nearly as full as it could have been. She and

Katai had drifted from each other, and even though they were still

married in legal terms, they didn't get along well anymore, not that

Katai was home enough for it to matter. She tried hard to raise Haruka,

but to Haruka, it was obvious that her mother wasn't making the usual

attempts a mother would make; the death of her newly born son had

shattered the outlook she had on the whole child-rearing process. Most

mothers would try to mold their children into the ideal, perfect kids,

to teach them as many values as they could and to prepare them for the

real world, even if it meant being harsh on them. Sunao let Haruka do

as she pleased, didn't punish her for anything, and let her form her

own opinions on issues rather than try to teach her how to see things

like life, religion, and responsibility. Haruka was given a great deal

of freedom by her mother, and Sunao's spoilings--a fairly large

allowance, letting her have her way, taking her wherever she wanted to

go--were far preferable to the strict attitude her father showed.

Sunao was very reserved, rarely leaving the house one she was home from

work, and didn't speak to many people outside of the family unless

necessary.

Haruka shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she stood up and walked

away from the piano bench. Sunao and Kotori were talking with each other

now, and Haruka was tired, so she headed upstairs for her room. She sat

down on the bed and started flipping through some manga with a bored

look on her face. She heard her mother call up to her a little while

later, "Haruka-chan, I'm staying with my parents tonight, be back

tomorrow! Tell your father where we went when he gets home, okay? Oh,

there's a tiny bit of food left, so throw together something for dinner

and I'll go to the store tomorrow."

"Yes, okaa-san! Oh, may I go down to the park later?"

"Sure! Be good, okay, and don't get into trouble!"

"I won't! Bye!"

Haruka heard the door shut and the car pull away shortly after that.

Running down the stairs, she grabbed a key for the front door to lock it

behind her as she left for the park, then took off running. She loved to

run, to feel the wind against her face as she tried to outrace it. It

didn't take long to get to the park since it was right across the street.

She slowed down a bit, heading over to the playground. She went to the

back section where the monkey bars were, on top of a tall hill that

overlooked a lake. She looked around to make sure no one else was there,

then climbing up on top of them. She crawled across to the middle, then

carefully stood, balancing on the rungs. At first, her heart pounded

quickly, her arms held out at her sides to keep from losing her footing.

Then she relaxed, closed her eyes, and stood listening to all the sounds

around her, enjoying the breeze blowing by.

She didn't know how long she stood there. Eventually, she got tired of

keeping balance, took a deep breath, and leapt off the monkey bars. For a

few fractions of a second, she was in flight, soaring with the wind. Then

of course, gravity had to spoil everything, and she landed perfectly on

her feet. She cast a quick glance down the hill at the lake, then turned

to walk back home and go up to her room again.

She went back to reading the manga until her stomach growled with hunger

about four hours later. She trudged down the stairs to the refrigerator,

barely noticing what she pulled out and stuck in the microwave. She took

it out, sat down, and ate in a hurry, then placed her dishes in the sink

and went back upstairs to read some more. After awhile, she got too

sleepy to stay awake. It was getting late, and she had school the next

day. Haruka went downstairs and wrote a note to Katai, then went back

upstairs, slipped into her pajamas, and climbed into her bed, falling

asleep quickly.

Katai did _not_ have a good day at work that day. He'd been in meetings

for a long amount of time, arguing back and forth with all the other

employees as he tried to make his view known, but everyone seemed to be

against him. He missed lunch break while he was busy typing a report,

but the report ended up being lost when the power somehow went out and

he hadn't saved it yet. He started over, but missed the deadline. Then

he had to go to another meeting, and give a presentation which didn't

go over well. He left work early as planned, but got caught in a horrible

traffic jam, running out of gas while stuck in it and also getting a flat

tire driving over a nail, and had to be towed and sit for over an hour

waiting to get his car back. He got home later than he would have if he'd

left at the normal time. Since he'd also missed dinner because of the traffic

jam, he was ravenous by the time he got home. When he got home, he went

immediately to the refrigerator, wondering to himself, "Where is Sunao?"

Right now, he'd feel a lot better with her here, even if they weren't very

close anymore. He noticed a note on the fridge reading "Need to go to

grocery store ASAP." Next to that was a letter written almost entirely in

kana, indicating it written by Haruka. "Okaa-san went to her mother's house.

Will be back tomorrow."

Katai rested his head against the door and grimaced. "Can't anything go

right today?"

He looked over at the sink and saw a number of dirty dished in it. From

that, he guessed that whatever food they had before was already eaten,

leaving him with very little. He opened the refrigerator again and looked

for something, _anything_ to eat. There was a bit of turkey, some old

grapes, and several bottles of beer. Grumbling, Katai took out the turkey

and beer, throwing out the grapes. He chewed on the turkey for a bit,

guzzling a beer quickly; he was in a very foul mood, maybe it would calm

him, it usually mellowed him somewhat. He turned on the t.v. and flipped

the channel to a random show. Finishing the turkey, he grabbed another beer,

then another, losing track of how many he'd had.

Haruka stirred and awoke to see it was still dark outside, probably

around midnight. She wondered why she had woken up, and then noticed the

sounds of the television and loud laughter. What the... Oh, her father.

He was being a lot louder than he should be this late at night. Haruka

wearily rubbed her eyes and started down the stairs, wondering why her

father was being so rude.

She was quite surprised when she entered the living room and saw him

sitting there with several empty beer bottles around him, another one

less than half full in his hand. His eyes were bloodshot and he was

clearly drunk, barely awake. Haruka walked in cautiously, and moved to

turn the volume down on the t.v. without disturbing his near-slumber.

"Whaddaya think you're doing?!" Katai slurred, swaying to his feet. "Get

back upstairs, now!"

"Otou-san, I couldn't get to sleep, I just--"

"You also have to presume, don'cha? I'm getting real sick o' this, kid,

y'know that?" He stumbled towards her with a very angry look on his

face. "Your mama is too easy on you. Y'never get in trouble with her,

you get to do whatcha want, and I'm tired of sitting here while you live

the easy life! I gotta work to earn this family good stuff, and you just

get spoiled wit' it."

Haruka was very concerned by now, and she started backing towards the

stairs frightfully. Why did her father have to drink so much? He'd never

done this before when he'd been drinking, at least that she knew of. "I'm

going back to bed, otou-san," she mumbled, dashing for the stairs.

She let out a shriek when she didn't even make it to the first step.

Katai had grabbed onto her arm tightly, and he swung her around, throwing

her to the ground. "Otou-san, what's wrong?!" she cried at him. She knew he

was drunk, but this...

She let out a loud, pain-filled scream as his foot connected with her

ribs. Terrified, she scrambled away, half-crawling across the floor. He

pursued her, driving her into a corner. Haruka huddled, her arms thrown

over her head, shaking hard with tears pouring down her face. "Otou-san,

please! Don't hurt me!"

"Shut-up, bitch! You're a pathetic excuse for a daughter, and I'm sick

and tired of putting up with you! You're gettin' what you deserve!"

He hit her arms hard, making her scream again, and rained blows on them,

the house echoing with her almost nonstop screaming. He kicked her un-

protected shins; she'd pulled her knees up against her chin to try to

keep away from him. She sobbed uncontrollably as her arms and legs

throbbed with pain as her father continued to relentlessly beat her.

Finally, he backed away, and Haruka rolled onto her side, groaning and

coughing hard. He kicked her in the back a few times, causing her to

fly back against the wall from the strength of one of the blows and her

head to snap back and hit the wall, knocking her unconscious. He stood

there for a bit, looking down at her crumpled, bloodied form, then

stumbled away to his room, where he collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.

Haruka regained consciousness early the next morning. One of her eyes

was gummed shut with blood, and she could barely lift her head enough to

see the room was faintly lit, the sun just starting to rise. She moaned

and tried to get up, the pain of trying to move making her stomach churn.

She trembled and closed her eye tight, her body racked with trembles. She

started to sit up, but the wave of dizziness that went through her kept

her from getting far. It hurt to move, her arms and legs were badly

bruised and bloodied, and her back felt sore as well, probably bruised

too. She gingerly raised a hand to her face and brushed it across the eye

she couldn't open, wincing with pain as she realized it wasn't just blood

sealing it shut, but also the fact it was swollen.

She nearly had a heart attack when her father walked in, and despite

the pain of doing so, she scrambled away again. "Cut that out and get

up," he spat. The drunkenness appeared to be gone, but he was still

bitter and his head throbbed. "Hurry up, willya?!"

Haruka carefully stood, leaning heavily against the wall. Her head spun

and she fought back tears, avoiding meeting the gaze of the father who had

betrayed her trust.

"Go take a shower and wash all that blood off. You're still going to

school, so get a clean uniform out. I'll bandage you up before you leave.

If anyone asks, you got in a fight after school; that's truth enough.

If you say one word about this to anyone, and I mean _anyone_, I'll beat

you even more, got it?"

Haruka barely managed to nod as she trudged up the stairs, wincing with

each step. She got out her uniform, took off her pajamas, and stepped into

the shower, gratefully slipping into the hot water. She flinched at the

stinging sensation of water meeting the cuts, but tried to ignore it.

Taking a washcloth, she carefully washed the blood from her limbs, face,

and back, then she lathered up her hair and washed it as well. She could

feel liquid spilling down her cheeks; shower water mixed with tears. She

was careful when she slipped on her clothes, trying to avoid brushing

against her wounds. When she opened the door, she saw her father there.

He had a first-aid kit in his hand and was frowning darkly. He was

something far less than gentle when he wrapped her arms and legs tightly

where there was evidence of what had happened. He put gauze over her black

eye, taping it in place with medical tape. He then handed her a back

brace, and left to let her put it on herself. She combed her hair

carefully to avoid contact with the bump on her head. Staring down at

all the bandages made her start to cry harder, and she felt the wave of

nausea go through her again and she knelt in front of the toilet and

immediately threw up. She trembled as she wiped her mouth, and

grabbed a cup to fill with water, desperately trying to get the taste out

of her mouth. She looked up into the mirror and her pitiful reflection.

The skin around her eyes was blotchy with red from her crying, some

blood-vessels broken from her vomiting. She took several deep breaths,

trying to regain some form of composure, and went downstairs where Katai

was waiting.

"There's nothing to eat in the house, so you're going to school without

breakfast or lunch. Remember what I told you," he warned. "You're walking

today, so get going before I decide to drive you, and believe me, you

won't like it if I take you."

Haruka grabbed her bookbag left the house in a daze. She barely noticed

the pavement under her feet as she walked. A large breeze was blowing,

ruffling her hair and skirt, and she gratefully paused and closed her

eyes. The wind... it had many forms, she mused to herself, strong or

gentle, but always powerful no matter what form. It was almost comforting

in some small way. She was compelled to stay standing in the breeze, but

she had to get going if she was going to get to school on time. She

put on an emotionless face to mask her feelings as she walked along the

sidewalk. She'd been betrayed, beaten, and ignored. She had trusted her

father, opened up to him, and he still frowned upon her and hurt her,

physically and emotionally. She had no one to turn to, and even if she

did... Haruka was too terrified to consider ever letting anyone close

to her again; what if she got hurt again by someone else?

Haruka entered the school building and took her seat. Only a few other

kids were there; it was still a bit early. She ignored their shocked

gazes and whispered comments. She didn't want to talk to them, never had,

never would.

A girl with long brown hair and soft green eyes came over to her. Haruka

couldn't help but notice how pretty the girl was, and was surprised when

the girl laid her hand on hers and asked, "Are you okay? You look like

you've been hurt pretty badly. Do you want to talk about it?"

"N-no... I'll be okay." Haruka pulled her hand away and turned her head

to look out the window and hide her blush. The girl walked away.

Haruka couldn't help but reel with shock afterwards. Why had she noticed

that girl's looks? She never really paid attention to appearances, well,

not including that girl at church, but still... her hand felt warm from where

the girl had laid her hand on hers. Haruka was irritated with herself for

blushing. She was just some girl that was concerned, that's all! Why should

she get so worked up over a girl?!

More students were filing in, and the teacher had come in as well. Several

kids came over to her and asked how she was, but she didn't respond to

their questions. The guys she sometimes played with during P.E. teased her

a bit and she ignored them. Sure, they were fun to play with in basket-

ball, but they were otherwise jerks.

When the bell rang, the teacher rather loudly asked (drawing lots of

attention as well), "Haruka-chan, what happened to you?! Are you all right;

do you want to see the nurse?!"

Haruka sighed inwardly; she _had_ to answer now, this was the teacher,

and if she didn't say anything, the teacher would probably call the house,

and her mom would be there... Haruka felt chilled. If the teacher

suspected anything and called, and Katai found out... Haruka mumbled

quickly, "I got in a fight yesterday."

"Looks like it was a pretty bad fight! What were you doing fighting with

someone?"

"It was... a misunderstanding."

The teacher made a "tsk" sound, and turned to the chalkboard and started

writing. Haruka hid her face from view and choked back tears again. God,

why did this have to happen? Her hand fumbled for the cross around her

neck, silently saying a prayer.

The boy next to her leaned over and whispered, "Hey, who won, you or

the other person?"

Haruka ignored him.

"Stupid... you probably lost."

Haruka opened the textbook needed for the assignment the teacher was

writing on the board. Her arms throbbed slightly whenever she moved

them, but she fought to ignore the pain and focused on the lesson.

She barely made it through the day. Having gone without two meals and

with a constant aching sensation coursing through her, the day was

sheer agony. She was surprised when, while leaving the school grounds,

she saw Teinei driving in her car. Teinei immediately stopped, pulled

over, and ran over to Haruka. "Haruka-chan! What happened?"

"I-I got in a fight, oba-san."

"You want to talk about it?"

"No... I-I can't..."

"... Um, hop in; I'll give you a ride."

Haruka gratefully climbed into the car, but winced slightly while putting

the seatbelt on. Her stomach growled loudly and Teinei looked at her

with a bit of amusement. "Hungry? I'll take you some place to eat, okay?

Sunao-chan shouldn't mind too much."

"Thanks! I haven't eaten all day!"

Teinei looked very surprised at first, then she said, "Well, all the more

reason to take you somewhere, right?"

Teinei started talking more; Haruka barely listened, however. Teinei was

babbling something about Haruka's third cousin moving in with her, but

Haruka didn't follow it; she'd never met Murasaki. Teinei was talking

about work and stuff after that, but Haruka didn't notice. They pulled

up at a restaurant after several minutes. They ate in relative silence.

Afterwards, Teinei took Haruka home, then went on to her house.

Haruka was nervous when she went inside. Sunao was home, unloading

groceries. She looked up at Haruka and smiled, then came over and very

carefully hugged her. "Hello, Haruka-chan, how was your day?"

"Uh... I don't know... bad, I guess..."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Your father told me you got into a fight at the

playground yesterday after I left. I thought I told you to stay out of

trouble, Haruka, why weren't you more careful?"

Haruka didn't answer; her mind was whirling too fast. Katai had talked

with her and _lied_ to her... She wished she could curl up in her

mother's arms and cry her eyes out and confess everything, but she was

so scared of what might happen to her if she told her mother... and what

if Katai hurt Sunao as well? If Sunao _did_ find out and went to the

authorities with it, Katai might hurt them both...

"Haruka-chan? Are you all right? Here, let's get some clean bandages on

those and see how your eye is doing."

Haruka followed Sunao into her bathroom, and bit her lip when Sunao

tenderly unwrapped her arms and legs. Sunao let out a short exclamation

of surprise. "My goodness! Haruka-chan, I am not letting you out of the

house except for school for the next few weeks. These look terrible! How

many people did you fight anyways?"

"I... don't remember..."

Sunao carefully wrapped new bandages around her arms, and carefully peeled

the gauze from her eye, putting a fresh piece on. "Haruka-chan, you are

lucky that you got out of that fight..." she hugged Haruka gently, "From

the looks of things, it must have been pretty rough. Please, don't ever

do that again. You're hurt badly, I can tell, and I don't want you to go

through this again, okay?"

"... yeah..."

How could she have bought that lie Katai told her?! And how could he have

done this to her... what if he did it again?...

Haruka shoved aside Sunao and ran to her bedroom. She slammed the door

shut, locking it and propping a chair against the handle, then made sure

her windows were shut tight and locked well, then she dove into her closet

and shut the door as well, shivering all over as she lay there in the

darkness trying not to cry again.

~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 4

~~~~~~~~~~

A few weeks into the start of the school year, the Kaiou family moved

into a larger house in a different neighborhood. While the houses were

closer together in this neighborhood, they had found one backing up to a

large lake, which more than made up for the tighter quarters they would

be in. The lake was far enough back from the house that flooding wouldn't

be a problem, and thanks to the fact that the yards were raised up and

had docks since the lake was set a few feet down, even if it did start

to fill up more than usual, it wouldn't matter. A hill on the opposite

side led up to a park with a playground, and would undoubtedly provide

much entertainment. The move didn't effect which schools they attended; in

fact, they now lived closer to their school than before. It was a couple

months into the triplets' last year of junior high, and their parents

hadn't wanted to mess up where they went.

Their new house was upscale from their previous; columns, tile floor in

the entryway and on all floors except the bedrooms, bay windows, lots of

skylights, and an indoor pool. Even after moving in, they didn't really

get to meet most of their neighbors; Tadashii and Ki were busy with work,

Kanzen with studying, Kirei and Suteki with their friends, Genki with

whatever it was he did, Kanpeki with her own thoughts (plus she hated being

around other people), and Michiru just didn't feel like it. The kids did

plan to make an effort after the school year started to meet more people.

Ki's parents lived in the neighborhood, so they were always telling the

other neighbors about "how cute their grandkids are" and "how talented they

all are" and many people had already come over to meet them.

Michiru looked over her school uniform with her usual look of approval and

gladly put it on. The uniform was sky blue with loose, light bows, and was

very cute. Michiru smiled at her reflection and carefully brushed her wavy

hair, putting on a headband to hold her hair back.

Kirei and Kanpeki came into her room wearing the same type of uniform.

"Michiru-chan, you almost ready?"

"Yes, just let me grab my things."

Kirei walked with them even though she was in high school like Suteki and

Kanzen. She thought it was her "duty as a big sister". Genki attended their

school, but walked with some friends of his instead.

Suteki showed obvious disinterest in school, despite the fact that she

was a very bright pupil, while Kanzen eagerly devoured the work. Michiru

had been doing great in school and breezed through everything, but Kirei

struggled to maintain her grades. Kanpeki followed Michiru's example. Genki

just did the work and did all right.

Michiru shrugged it off and went downstairs with her sisters, all grabbing

their bookbags, and said bye to Ki. Ki had her blue hair pulled back in a

tight bun with loose tendrils framing her face, her usual style. She kissed

their foreheads and waved them off. Michiru was a bit upset at how her mother

was so cold at times. Ki had raised her girls to be ladies, instilling in them

grace, good manners, skill, and other things to make them fit her ideals. She

never seemed to care whether or not they _wanted_ to do it. Tadashii was busy

with work most of the day, and once he came home, he worked on reports and

things, so Michiru rarely talked to him. Michiru had learned early that her

parents weren't going to give her a lot of attention and care, only try to

mold her into a "perfect woman," and expect highly of her. Michiru spent her

time alone, painting and drawing pictures, and playing her violin. It hadn't

taken long for her to master it; she was quite the prodigy and had a natural

talent for it. She played so well that her parents already talked about wanting

her to perform and to send her on tour. Michiru stubbornly refused; she wasn't

interested in having an audience, she played to release emotions, not to share

them with others.

"Michiru-chan, are you listening?! Hel-LO?!"

Michiru blinked and saw Kirei was standing there yelling at her. "What?"

"Leave her alone, Kirei-chan," Kanpeki mumbled.

"Hush, Kanpeki-chan. You almost ran into that pole, Michiru-chan. You all right?"

Michiru looked away from her sister. "Sorry, I was just thinking..."

Kirei snorted and turned away as they continued walking. Kanpeki slumped

a bit as she walked, her shoulder-length blond hair hiding her deep blue eyes.

Michiru thought her triplet sister was odd; sometimes she was very cheerful

and excited, but other times she was so sad and quiet. It was strange that

they could be so different from each other despite the fact that they were

triplets. Kirei brushed her brown bangs out of her face as she looked

around at other students walking around. Some students from another middle

school were walking to their school as well. Michiru admired the cute

uniforms some of them had--one school's girls' uniform in particular, the

trim being dark blue-gray, with a long sleeved shirt, and instead of a ribbon

in the front, the shirt laced up with string and was tied on top. She heard

Kirei squeal and point frantically, "Oooo... look at him! Isn't he just

the cutest?!"

Michiru looked over at the boy, wearing the boys' version of the uniform

she'd been admiring, this one having dark blue-gray pants with a white dress

shirt and dark blue-gray vest and blazer. The boy had short brown hair combed

back from his face and sparkling brown eyes, and was talking excitedly

with a girl next to him. Michiru's eyes widened a bit when she saw the

girl. She was tall, very slender with an athletic build, short blond hair

and haunted teal eyes. She seemed nervous and though she was obviously

physically powerful, she looked fragile emotionally from the way she

carefully avoided any physical contact with anyone. She was very beautiful

though... Michiru felt a strange feeling go through her, a rush of warmth

and excitement, and she had the strangest sensation that somehow this girl

was meant to be with her... The boy seemed to know her well and was making

various hand gestures as he talked with her and was growing increasingly

irritated with her silence.

"Too bad, he's _your_ age," Kirei sighed. "Younger boys are so immature. But

hey, maybe you would look cute with him?... Or Kanpeki... No, I think that

might be his girlfriend walking with him."

"I don't think so," Michiru murmured, her eyes still locked on the tall

girl. "She looks like she doesn't want anyone near her."

"Oh, I recognize her... what's her name... Ten'ou Haruka. She lives in

my friend's neighborhood; her house is across the street from the park on

the other side of the lake. Her aunt lives a few doors down from us, too.

Ten'ou-san never, _ever_ comes out of her house, only reason I know who she

is was that my friend's mom knows her mom, and her mom was showing pictures.

Some people say they hear her screaming at night sometimes and then the next

day she's all bandaged up. They think maybe her dad beats her but no one can

be sure. She had a twin brother when she was born but he died and it made her

dad go a bit wacko. She's really... different. Oh well."

"What's wrong with being different?" Kanpeki murmured, her eyes focusing

on someone else walking to school. Michiru didn't notice who.

"Haruka..." Michiru murmured. That name seemed familiar somehow... after

a few minutes, they turned a corner and lost sight of Haruka. "What else do

you know about her?"

Kirei chuckled and looked at her slyly. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm curious, that's all," Michiru said irritably, turning her face away

to hide her blush. "She looks like... a good subject for a painting."

"I'll ask around for you, if you want, and you could talk to her aunt,"

Kirei offered.

"Thanks, onee-san."

Kirei grinned. "I'm just hoping that I'll find out more about that cute

guy she was walking with! On second thought, who cares if he's younger good

looking as he is! I wonder what his name is..."

"Haruka-chan! Are you listening?" Sai prodded. "We ran into each other

a few months ago and you still won't talk to me. C'mon, it's been several

years since we really talked. Don't you have anything to say to me?"

"Leave me alone," Haruka mumbled, her eyes focused on where she was

walking, refusing to even look at him. "I don't want to talk. You know

that."

"Haruka-chan! Geez, you've changed. Oh well. At least tell me how you've

been. You never tell me that, either."

"Go away," she muttered, picking up her pace. Sai continued to follow

her. Haruka was very irritated with him. Why wouldn't he leave her alone?

She thought it was obvious that she didn't want to see him. She quivered

as she starting jogging to try to get away from him. He might have been

her friend once, but she couldn't let him near her again. He could hurt

her, just like Katai... Katai still beat her every several days when he

got mad; not as badly as he had that first time, he hit her back mostly

because no one would notice the marks there, while if he hit her face

and limbs people would start to wonder. That isn't to say he never did,

he only did once in awhile to keep suspicions down. Sunao tried talking

with Haruka to ask her what was wrong; she'd become so withdrawn she

rarely said anything unless it was necessary. Teinei was obviously

worried as well. She would come visit sometimes and try to get Haruka to

talk to her, but Haruka clammed up and wouldn't say a thing. Haruka's

grandparents on both sides would occasionally visit, but Haruka stayed

in her room; she couldn't remember the last time she'd said anything

besides "Hello" to them.

Her old friend had been trying for months to be her friend again, but she

couldn't let him be friends with her or she'd risk getting hurt even more.

Haruka was a bit nervous with the way he kept looking at her. Did he have

an interest in her of some sort?

Haruka hated it when people looked at her, especially boys. At first she

thought she was just being immature; she was fourteen now so why should

she care? After awhile it dawned on her what was going on. She noticed all

the other girls paid attention to the boys, talking about how cute they

were and how they wanted to go out with them. Haruka never cast a second

glance at boys, never had and probably never would. She _did_ notice the

girls though. Haruka was nervous as hell when she realized that her

interest in them was more than just friendly. God, what was she?! She had

to stay in her home and get beaten by Katai, she was interested in girls,

what else could go wrong for her?!

Haruka stumbled a bit on the pavement but picked up her pace until she

reached her school. Sai was in her class and sat near her, and she

wanted to get there first so she wouldn't have to deal with him trying

to grab her arm while going to her seat. Why did he do that? On the first

day, he'd shown up in her class and was clearly excited to see her, and

had made sure to get a seat by her. Every time she walked by, he reached

to touch her and she swatted him away. Haruka was very irritated with him

and ignored him frequently, but he kept prodding her and bugging her no

matter what she did.

She took her seat and then Sai came in to take his. The bell rang for

homeroom to begin. Once roll was taken, the teacher gave everyone

permission to talk. "Hey Haruka-chan," Sai said, "my parents and your

mom agreed to let me come over to see you today after school, so I'm

going to go home with you, okay?"

Haruka gritted her teeth. Great... her mom couldn't get her to talk, was

she trying to set her up with someone now? "I don't want you to come

over," she growled.

"Too bad!" Sai said gleefully. "Besides, I need to have a talk with you,"

he added quietly. "In private."

Haruka felt a wave of disgust and nausea go through her. No... no way...

Maybe he didn't feel that way... she hoped she was wrong about this.

Homeroom ended, and she headed to the locker room for P.E. Going to her

locker, she grabbed her clothes, then promptly went to the bathrooms to

change. She couldn't risk anyone seeing the marks on her back and reporting

it. She desperately wanted to seek help, to find someone to tell to get her

father sent away, but she was too afraid that if she told someone, the

authorities wouldn't come quick enough and Katai would just beat her

senseless, maybe kill her. She shivered as she changed her clothes into her

P.E. uniform and went back to her locker to put her clothes away. She could

hear the other girls whispering about her; "Isn't Ten'ou-san odd? Why does

she always go change alone? Is she afraid to be seen?" "That's stupid, what

does it matter?! We're all girls." "I see her looking at you sometimes, I

think she's a le--" "Shut up! That's sick!" "Yuck! No way!"

Haruka curled up her legs and rested her face against her knees. When

would this torture be over? She hated coming in here, with all these

girls standing around her changing. It made her _very_ uncomfortable.

It seemed like _everything_ nowadays made her insecure.

When would her life finally be over?

Michiru practically ran home from school that day. She'd found out a lot

of things about Haruka today, and she couldn't wait to get home. It was

a Friday; maybe she could convince Ki to let her go meet Haruka's aunt,

Teinei, then she could talk with Teinei and find out more about Haruka!

As she flung open the door to the house, Kirei screaming from behind her

to slow down, she couldn't help but wonder just why she was having these

thoughts towards another girl, but shrugged it off. Gender didn't matter

to her, now that she thought about it. From what she'd learned about

Haruka, Haruka was an incredibly interesting person.

"Okaa-san! Okaa-san! Where are you?!" Michiru had already shut the door behind

her and entered the living room. Kirei grumbling afterwards on having the door

shut in her face while Kanpeki had a strange grin on her face.

"I'm right here," Ki said from somewhere behind her. "There's no need to

shout."

"Can I go over to our neighbor's house, please?"

"Sure, but shouldn't you practice your violin first?"

"... all right..."

"I'll go over to their house and ask them to come over. I have to return

a cookbook anyways."

Michiru breathed a sigh of relief as Ki left the house, her heart

pounding fast. All she had to do was get her playing over with, then she

could go speak to Teinei. But then again, would Teinei want to talk to

her? Sure, she was new to the neighborhood and it could be seen as her

wanting to get to know her neighbors better, but what if Teinei just got

mad?

She figured she had better worry about that later and go get her violin

before Ki and her parents got back. She headed up the stairs, taking her

time as she went. As she passed Suteki's room, she heard Kirei talking

with her and paused briefly to listen. The door was shut, so they wouldn't

know she was there, but she could still hear them well.

"--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

the living room, then you can ask away." They went into the living room

and sat down on the couch. "Just out of curiosity, why _are_ you so

interested in learning about her when you just saw her today? Does she

even know who you are?"

Michiru blushed slightly. "She doesn't know me, at least as far as I know.

I... I saw her and thought she was very beautiful, I mean, physically

attractive and something about her struck me as being beautiful on the

inside as well, and was interested in learning more about her to confirm

that."

"This isn't an idol thing, is it?" Teinei gently asked. "Or just a friendly

thing?"

"...no..." Michiru turned away with embarrassment. Teinei sure was

observant. Then again, she had been pretty obvious with what she was

saying...

"It's perfectly all right," Teinei replied, and her voice indicated that

she really thought it was. She then grinned, "Quite frankly, I think

that Haruka-chan has 'other interests' as well. I sometimes drive over

near her school to pick her up and she's always looking at the girls

and ignoring the boys. I have no problem with that type of thing; I had

many close friends in school that were... y'know, and they had to hide

it; I accidentally found out. I feel sorry for them; because of their

parents, they had to end up marrying people they would never have choose

to marry, just because their parents were too prejudiced to accept that

they could be happy just as much with their own gender as with other

people, in fact they would be _happier_. I don't want to see that happen

to anyone else."

Michiru looked over to her with surprise, pushing back the hair that

had fallen across her face despite the headband she wore. "You really

think Haruka might be..." She blushed and coughed. "I can't believe I

just referred to her simply as Haruka!"

Teinei laughed, "It's all right, I won't tell a soul anything we discuss...

Well, if for some reason things work out with you two--" Teinei winked,

"--then I'll want to make it known to Haruka that _I_ helped with things.

Teinei the matchmaker, eh?"

Michiru blushed deeply and let her eyes wander around the room to the

pictures Teinei had up of her family and some friends of hers. "You're

very... blunt."

"Yeah, I know. It's my opinion that people will never know what you mean

unless you put it in plain terms."

"Well, some people can't seem to understand the simplest terms, so I

suppose it can be a wasted effort to try to talk at all to them," Michiru

chuckled. She fell silent for a few moments, then asked, "Haruka... she

seemed so lonely and everyone I talked to seems to think she's some

rude, unfriendly _wacko_. She isn't really like that though, is she?"

Teinei sighed and rested her chin on her hand. "That's a tough question

... When she was younger, she was so carefree, a bit too sure of herself

sometimes, not really unfriendly so much as everyone else just seemed

to want to avoid her for some reason. Around the end of elementary

school... she just changed overnight. I don't know what happened or how;

one day, she was talking to everyone, playing the piano, quite calm;

then the next... That night, her mother had spent time with her family,

leaving Haruka alone from the afternoon until evening, when my brother,

Katai, gets home, and she didn't see Sunao-chan until the next afternoon.

She was bruised, cut up, bandaged heavily, with a black eye... Said she'd

gotten into a fight the previous day, and Katai says so too. Ever since

then, she's been cold, withdrawn, barely said a word to anyone, even her

own family. It seems like every week now, she somehow gets beaten up.

I don't know what to think of it, but it scares me to think that maybe...

Well, all I can really confirm is the fact that she has changed since

then, probably not for the better."

"I think," Michiru started in a careful, soft voice, "that maybe she's

been hiding something ever since she first started getting beat up, and

it's scared her so badly that she keeps everyone away from her and acts

cold and silent because she's afraid to admit anything. It's wrong for

all those other students to be so cruel and think she's a bad person

just because of it. I..." She paused, and considered her words carefully,

before she said, "I think that somewhere in her is a hidden side of her,

a warmer side that she can't let out because of whatever this is she's

not telling anyone. I don't know how I can tell from looking at her, but

I think that deep inside, she's an incredible, gorgeous person that no

one knows about. She's pretty on the outside as well, but she's also

facing fight situations very frequently, and someone needs to put a stop

to that. Some people are physically beautiful but otherwise repulsive,

but not her."

"Haruka _is_ pretty; you should have seen her when she was a baby, she

was soooo adorable!" Teinei grabbed a picture from the lamp stand and

showed it to Michiru.

"Oh, she was so cute even then!..." Michiru breathed, then blushed at her

words.

Teinei chuckled. "Yep." She then set it down and her face turned serious

again. "But about what you said... I think what you are saying makes a

lot of sense, and I do wish I could help her, as her aunt and as a friend,

get through whatever situation it is she's facing. Someone is keeping

her from telling anyone, I think, whoever it is that is doing this to

her. I have suspicions as to who it could be... but..." She bit her lip

and broke off.

"Teinei-san? Please, tell me. I want to know... if I know of any suspects,

maybe I can keep an eye out for anything that would suggest that it

really is this person. I--" She could feel herself color again, "I want

to learn about her, not just from what other people tell me, but I want

to observe her, follow her around and see what she does, and if I am

going to do this, I want to help her anyway I can by trying to figure

out what's wrong and get help for her without placing her in danger."

Teinei looked at her with genuine awe. "My God..." she whispered. "You're

serious, aren't you? I mean, it's just the first day you've become aware

of her, but..."

"Teinei-san," Michiru said in a voice quieted by embarrassment, "I really

don't know how I feel about her yet. I know I have a rather deep interest

in her, but I can't put a name to the feeling yet. I haven't been around

her long enough yet."

"Well, I can see that you are definitely going to fall in love with

her," Teinei mused. She cut off Michiru before she could try to argue,

"Michiru-chan, I'm going to tell you about this because I think that,

as someone who is going to be around her a lot and who either does or

will come to care for her, you deserve to know. You better promise me

that you won't take action if you find proof, though, without consulting

me first. If the person I suspect is the culprit, they could become

even _more_ dangerous if we move against them too quickly, maybe even

kill her. Promise me you'll be careful."

Michiru's eyes widened with horror. "I promise!" she immediately answered.

"I don't want her hurt... especially not because of me."

Teinei gave a tiny half-smile, then sighed sadly. "I think... I think

that it's Katai beating her up."

Michiru sat perfectly still, her face pale and eyes wide open in shock.

"Her... own... father..." she whispered shakily. "Why do you think he

would do that?"

"H-He always wanted a son, and when Akarui unexpectedly died... he went

nuts. At first, he just fell into deep depression, and when he came

out of it, he became obsessive with work; working long hours, rarely

spending time at home, growing increasingly irritable, and he'd started

drinking after he got home. He hid the fact he was drinking, and acted

semi-fatherly towards Haruka-chan, despite his incredible strictness,

cold attitude, and lack of sympathy towards her. She did trust him

though, because he was her father, and talked to him whenever she had

the chance, and he knew her quite well while she didn't really know him.

Katai blamed Haruka for Akarui's death, and he's always said that if

one of them had to die, it should have been her instead. He has a

complete lack of anything close to respect or care for her.

"The day Haruka-chan was left alone and ended up injured, Katai had a

rough day at work. I pulled up his evaluation for the day; he hadn't

eaten a thing, had several long, exhausting meetings, tons of paperwork,

etc., got home really late because of traffic and a flat tire...

Unfortunately for Haruka-chan, it seems that life went out of the way

to become miserable for Katai that day, and it's my belief that he got

drunk when he got home and beat her as soon as he saw her. Katai's always

been violent when he's irritated and doesn't think right... he attacked

his best friend once when he was about seventeen during a misunderstanding

after failing a test. Considering what kind of day he had, it's obvious

that he took it out on Haruka-chan, and has been beating her since then.

Not to mention... he's an alcoholic. He's the only one really that could

have done it the first time and be around her enough to beat her all these

other times." After being silent several moments, Teinei wiped her quickly

moistening eyes, then buried her face in her hands and starting crying.

"Why... why did he have to change like this? Haruka is a wonderful girl,

and now, because of him..."

Michiru had started crying as well, and grabbed the box of tissue sitting

on the coffee table, grabbed one for herself, and handed the box to

Teinei. Teinei took it with a trembling hand, sniffling, and then emitted

a sad, choked laugh. "Thank goodness... I finally could tell someone...

strange, isn't it? To be sitting here, sharing tears with someone you

just met over someone the both of us are concerned about?"

Michiru wiped her eyes and blew her nose. "I s-suppose..." She clamped her

hand over her mouth to muffle a sob. "I-I'm sorry... I just..."

"It's all right," Teinei murmured, reaching for the tissues again. "I've

done it many times."

Michiru drew in a shuddered breath, then slowly started taking in deep

breaths to calm herself down. It was hard to relax when she was feeling

so terrible, but somehow, she managed to. "Teinei-san... I p-promise...

I promise that I will do everything I can to..." She sniffled again,

biting her lip as she held back more tears. "I-I'm going to follow her

everyday. I d-don't care if I have to follow her home a-and hide in her

yard, I'm going t-to watch her and make s-sure that she is okay. I...

I don't th-think we can do anything yet to stop her from getting beaten

... b-but if she gets hurt badly and is left alone to tend to her own

wounds... I'll do what I can to help her... bandage her, call for an

ambulance if it gets too bad... just do what I can to keep her from...

from..."

Teinei shakily stood up. "I'm going to make some tea... maybe that will

help calm us down..." She then held out her hand to Michiru. "As for

your promise... I can't thank you enough; it gives me hope to know that

Haruka-chan will have someone there to help her. Thank you."

Michiru shook her hand lightly, and stood up as well. "I must look

awful..." she muttered as she dashed her hand across her eyes again.

Teinei couldn't help but start to laugh, and Michiru eventually started

laughing as well. "Here I am, worried about my looks at a time like this,"

she commented sadly.

"It's all right," Teinei chuckled, "it's only natural to comment on ordinary

things after crying, to try to change the mood." She walked off into her

kitchen and left Michiru sitting alone in the living room. She came back

after she had set the pot on the stove. "Here, I want you to have this,"

Teinei said, pulling a key out of her pocket. "It's the key to their

house; I have two just in case. I hope you won't ever need to use it, but

if you do..."

"Thank you," Michiru said, slipping it into her pocket. "I'll keep it

with me all the time."

"Let's talk about something a bit less grim, all right?"

"That would be a very good idea," Michiru murmured, sighing softly.

"So, um, what type of things is she interested in?"

Teinei thought a bit and started talking, pausing to get the tea and

bring it in, then talking between sips. Michiru occasionally broke in

with a question, but pretty much just sat and listened.

"Well, it's getting late," Teinei said after they'd chatted a few hours.

"Your parents probably will want you back."

"Can I come back tomorrow?"

"Sure! I'm free weekday evenings and on weekends, unless I take time off.

I have to job to juggle, after all," Teinei grinned. "I can always send

Murasaki to your house... oh, tell her to come home when she feels like it

... Well, bye."

"Bye."

Michiru was just walking out the door when Teinei called, "Hey, are you

the one I heard playing the violin earlier? I know your grandfather plays

some, but the playing I heard was the best!"

Michiru colored faintly from the compliment and smiled. "Yes, that was

me."

"Bring your violin tomorrow, all right?"

"All right."

Michiru waved and walked out the door, carefully shutting it behind her.

She walked back to her home a bit reluctantly. She would have loved to

stay and learn more about Haruka, but she _did_ have to go home at some

point. When she got home, she found Murasaki in Kanpeki's room and quickly

told her to go home whenever she wanted, then went straight up to her room

and flopped on the bed. If only she could talk to Haruka face to face...

but no, Haruka obviously didn't want to talk to anyone right now, better

to wait than spoil her chances too quickly. Michiru just hoped that one day

Haruka would be free from all this pain and be given the chance at a

better future than the one she seemed to have in store for her now.

Haruka awoke, screaming loudly and drenched with sweat. As soon as she

realized she was awake and not asleep still, she fell dead silent. Oh

God, what if he heard and...

She wiped the back of her hand across her forehead, taking in deep

breaths as she tried to calm down. The bandages she'd applied earlier

had come loose in some places, others had become soaked with blood and

would need to be changed. She looked over to her window and was

surprised to see that it was night already. She climbed out of her bed,

grimacing slightly at the stinging and soreness that went through her.

She was surprised to see a note had been slipped under her door. She

picked it up and read it carefully.

'Haruka-- Sunao and I have gone out for the night. Will be back around

2 AM. You may leave your room, but you better be back in there when we get

home. --Katai.'

Haruka couldn't help but tremble a bit. He didn't even seem to think of

her as part of the family anymore... Not that she wanted anything to do

with _him_.

After removing the bandages she'd applied earlier, she took a quick

shower to clean off, then put on fresh bandages and clean pajamas. Her

stomach growled loudly, and she quite excitedly ran down to the kitchen.

She looked down at herself when she got there; her body was slender,

almost to the point of being skinny, from lack of food. She would often

sit locked in her room for hours, sometimes days, because of her father,

and during that time she didn't get the chance to eat. She hated being

starved so much, but it was better than facing a beating at Katai's hands.

But now, now she was alone, and she didn't have to hide; she could come

out of her room and eat whenever she got hungry, do what she chose, until

he came home.

She grabbed any food in sight that looked appealing, and then grabbed

a can of tea from the fridge. She went up to her room to eat; if they

came home early for some reason, she wanted to be safely hidden in her

room and still have something to eat. She eagerly wolfed down the food

and tea, making her stomach hurt from all the food, and when she put

away her dishes and threw away the garbage, she was quite content. Most

people don't appreciate how lucky they are, she thought bitterly to

herself. They don't have to face what I face.

She felt a strange urge inside her and sat down at the piano, then

wondered why she'd done so. She never played unless she was forced to,

but for some reason, she felt like playing it. She rested her fingers

on the keys, then laughed slightly. She didn't even have any music out!

Silly... Oh well, she didn't care right now. She started playing the

notes at random, not caring how it sounded. She just let her fingers

dance across the keys, her mind wandering. She noted that she was

actually playing quite well, and continued to play for about ten minutes.

She was just about to wind to a close when she heard a strange voice in

her mind. "...you will know a lot of pain and sadness, but then you'll

know a joy much greater than many others can ever experience."

What was _that_?! She didn't stop playing, but her thoughts were whirling

around, and she was very confused. That voice... what was it supposed to

mean? Some sort of premonition? Pain and sadness... she certainly had a

lot of that... joy? None... Was the voice trying to tell her she'd get

away from here somehow? Whose voice was it anyways? She sighed softly as

the notes trailed off, and she stood up and walked away from the piano.

She wondered what she should do now. It was strange, actually being alone

in the house, given permission to do as she pleased. She was so used to

hiding...

The phone rang, startling Haruka. She let it ring; who knew who was

trying to call. The answering machine picked up. Haruka listened for

a little bit, then walked away. It was Katai's parents. She could care

less.

Michiru swam lazily in the pool, floating on her back a lot of the time.

She was so tired... all that crying must've worn her out, she figured.

Kirei and Suteki were playing volleyball in the shallow end of the pool,

using a net held up by poles on either side. Kanzen sat in a chair on the

deck, studying for his college courses and barely noticing them. Ki had

insisted that someone be "lifeguard" but didn't feel like doing so herself.

Genki was off watching television somewhere. Kanpeki was in the large room

they used for art purposes, and Murasaki, who still hadn't gone home, was

watching her paint something.

Michiru dove under, swimming down along the bottom. She felt nervous; how

was she to go about following Haruka without getting caught? Couldn't

she get in trouble for "stalking" her? Wouldn't her family wonder why she

was gone so much?

She surfaced for a breath of air, and instead ended up gasping for it

after her sisters' volleyball landed in front of her and splashed water

in her face while she inhaled. Kanzen looked up, assumed she could get it

under control, and went back to reading. After clearing her lungs of

water, Michiru irritably threw the ball back to the other end of the pool,

her sister never offering an apology.

Flash.

A bright burst of red.

Utter silence. A chill wind whipping through the air.

Statues, several of them, shattering from some unseen force.

A girl holding a weapon high over her head.

The Earth engulfed in a beam of dark energy...

Michiru shuddered and stumbled. What the hell... What was that she just saw?!

Her sisters looked at her nervously.

Ki came in with a thrilled look on her face. "Michiru! You'll never believe

this!"

Michiru was shaken out of her thoughts. "What, okaa-san?"

"We've been able to arrange it so you can perform for an hour at the

symphony hall next weekend! Several other noted violinists will be there...

isn't this great? You better practice a lot; you want your debut to be

a good one. Maybe you can secure a record deal."

Michiru's fists clenched tightly, almost drawing blood. "I thought we'd

discussed this... I don't want to perform."

"Nonsense! We'll be paid, and you'll get to show how good you are to all

the people there. It'll be perfect. Don't swim too long; you'll get

wrinkled and you need to prepare some pieces anyways."

Then again, she really wouldn't mind getting away from here to follow

Haruka. They only reason they'd notice her absence was because they

missed making her do what they wanted.

... And what was that strange vision?

~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 5

~~~~~~~~~~

Michiru sat in the dressing room, shoulders shaking from her nervousness.

She really didn't want to go out and play for all those people. She'd never

shared her music with so many people at once. She stared into her reflection,

carefully made-up, her hair in an intricate style, wearing the most elegant

dress her mother could find. Outwardly, she looked beautiful, poised, mature,

skilled...

She wanted to throw up.

She took a sip of water from a glass sitting on the vanity, and tried to

calm down. Fifteen minutes till she had to go play. Her siblings had chipped

in to buy her a bouquet after some prodding from her parents, and it sat next

to her glass. She carefully touched one of the roses, sliding it from the vase,

and turned it around in her hands.

It was strange how even little things like this made her think of Haruka.

Something about the scent of the flower, the way the petals were arranged...

She sighed and slipped it back in with the others.

She suddenly reeled backwards. "not again..." she whispered.

Red, red like blood... the sky was so dark...

The sharp sting of the gales blowing, bits of debris...

Shattering figurines, frozen with looks of horror...

Her own body clad in a strange suit...

Screaming, unheard, and a bright light appearing...

There was a knock on the door, and Kanpeki walked in. "Um, hi, Michiru-chan,"

she said as she shut the door.

Michiru stirred, looking up dazedly. "K-Kanpeki, what are you doing here?"

"I... I was kinda disagreeing with okaa-san and otou-san... So I thought I'd

check up on you."

"Oh? What happened?"

"They... it's nothing. Really... You look really nice."

"Thanks, so do you."

"Yeah, right," Kanpeki muttered, sighing as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Kanpeki, stop being so negative."

"I can't help it."

They'd argued over this before. Michiru tried to ignore her sister's moods

sometimes, but other times...

"Kanpeki... I don't mean to offend you, but... you really need to get some

help."

"I'm fine!" she snapped, quickly turning her head away.

"You're crying."

"I-I am not..."

Michiru walked over to her and lay a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok, it's

going to be ok."

She felt a wrench in her gut. Here she was, all dressed up for a public

showing, thanks to her parents wanting to show her off, and her little

sister was being completely ignored by them. They showered Michiru with

attention but ignored her. They said they "wanted the best for all their

children." _All_ their children?... Hypocrites.

"Look, I have to go out but... you want to stay in here?"

Kanpeki nodded.

"Anything I can do?"

"Um, Murasaki came with me... if you see her, could you tell her to come

here?"

"Sure." Michiru gave her a hug, grabbed her violin, and turned to leave.

She paused a moment in thought. Kanpeki and Murasaki had really hit it off

when they met and had quickly become best friends. Aside from this recent

display, Kanpeki had been in a good mood all week, which was quite unusual

for her. Ah well.

She opened the door and was surprised to see Murasaki leaning against the

wall outside. She stood up straight, a bit startled. "Oh, hi, Michiru-chan.

Kanpeki's in there, right?"

"Yes, she wanted to see you..." Just 'Kanpeki'?... Hadn't Kanpeki called her

just 'Murasaki' earlier?

"Break a leg," Murasaki said with a wink, shutting the door behind her.

Michiru nervously walked backstage. Some people nodded to her. The curtain

was shut still. The crew made some movements and opened the curtains, and

some lights turned on. Someone gave her a gentle shove. "You're on," he

whispered.

Michiru took a deep breath and gathered herself up, and slowly walked

onstage. She could feel a spotlight trained on her as she approached

the center of the stage. She stood there a moment, then curtsied. She

couldn't quite see the audience due to the lights, but she knew they

were there, and in great numbers. She lifted her violin under her chin

and took another deep breath. Here goes nothing...

She closed her eyes and started playing, losing herself in the music.

She ignored everything else except for her hands, the bow, the violin,

the notes. She didn't care anymore about anything else. She just played.

The first piece finished, and she lowered her instrument, opening her

eyes. Her senses returned, and she was stunned when she was met with

a thunderous applause. She felt a pleasant warmth in her cheeks. They

really liked it? That silly thing that her mom had made her play?

Eventually, she raised the violin for her second piece. A sudden hush

descended upon the crowd. She was excited now, forgetting how nervous

she'd been earlier. She played with great enthusiasm, quicker than

she thought she could. She lost track of how many songs she played,

how many times the audience stood to cheer for her. It was wonderful.

When it was over, she curtsied deeply, met with loud cheers, and several

flowers thrown on stage. She smiled and waved, and turned to leave the

stage. She felt like she was walking on air.

"Wonderful, simply wonderful!" Ki said as she walked over to kiss her cheek.

"You were fantastic."

"Excellent playing, Michiru," Tadashii told her.

"Thank you, okaa-san, otou-san," she said simply. Ha! She showed them!

Their little show-and-tell daughter was a lot better than they thought. She

didn't need them.

"Kaiou-san, Kaiou-san!" someone shouted, pushing through the throng of

people that had gathered around. A business card was thrust in her face.

"I'm a producer at--" he racked off a bunch of things she didn't care

about, then finally got to the point. "You were amazing out there, and

my company would like to offer you a record deal--"

"She'll take it!" Ki exclaimed immediately.

"You are her mother?"

"Yes!"

He handed her the card. "Call me and we'll work out the details."

"Of course!"

Michiru waved away her parents and walked off towards her dressing room.

Forget them. This wasn't about them anymore. She had performed and loved

it. She was doing this for herself.

She opened the door and jumped a bit in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

Kanpeki and Murasaki quickly pulled apart from their hug. "I-it's ok,"

Kanpeki stammered. "It's your dressing room, after all."

"How'd it go?" Murasaki asked.

"Great! It was really fun!"

"Oh, um, glad to hear it."

"Sorry I missed it," Kanpeki said, "but I really wasn't up to it after

fighting with our parents."

"That's fine. Well, I need to change..."

"See you in a bit," Kanpeki said, quickly leaving with Murasaki.

Michiru put her violin in her case and laughed for a long time.

**********

Michiru followed Haruka every chance she got. She passed by her on the

walk to school, and went out of the way at the end of the day to follow

her home. She felt silly for doing it, but she'd sometimes climb up into

a tree near her window, hiding in the leaves, and look into her room,

watching her for hours. She never had a great deal of homework and it was

always easy for her, so she didn't feel any real need to go home. Her

excuse to her parents was that she was going to a park to study with some

friends. Eventually, she would have to go home, eat dinner, then would

quickly do her homework before rushing to talk to Teinei. If she had

any free time afterwards, she'd swim in the pool and daydream. When she

wasn't doing that, she performed on her violin for her fans or was at the

recording studio. Recently, she'd submitted some paintings to museums, and

those were on display, but she only rarely went for signings.

On weekends, Haruka was in her room almost all the time, sometimes in plain

sight but other times hiding in her closet, so there was no set pattern as

to whether Michiru would get the chance to observe her or not.

When Haruka's parents weren't home, she could occasionally go downstairs, so

Michiru would go hide in the bushes and watch her through the sliding glass door.

Either she wasn't there when it happened or the frequency had gone down, but

Michiru rarely saw Katai hit Haruka, and whenever she stumbled across it,

she'd quickly avert her eyes. Usually, she'd get there after the fact, and

it broke her heart to see Haruka curled up in a ball in her room, trembling

with pain.

She learned a lot about Haruka just from watching her movements, the play

of emotions across her face, and especially her glorious eyes. Michiru

loved her eyes most out of all her physical features; they said so much

about her through the tiniest movements and color shifts. Michiru wished she

could talk to her, let Haruka see her, but she knew that it would be

disastrous to show herself to her too soon.

The strange visions had continued, while she slept and while awake. She

had no idea what they meant, but they terrified her.

After a few months, Michiru got more daring, and started sneaking out at

night to watch Haruka sleep. Her family had a row boat they kept down at

their dock, so she'd go across the lake, pull the boat up at the park,

walk over to the house, and row back when she was too tired to enjoy it

any more. She couldn't explain it, but she could somehow sense what it was

that Haruka dreamt about, even what she thought. It was calming in a way

to watch her lie under her covers and rest from the hell her life had

become. Michiru wished this peaceful bliss could last.

"Teinei-san! I'm here!"

Michiru shut the door behind her and locked it. Teinei had started leaving

it unlocked so Michiru could just come on in whenever she arrived. Murasaki

was rarely over, she was usually over at the Kaiou's with Kanpeki, and when

she was at home, Kanpeki was usually over.

"I'm in the kitchen; could you come help me?"

Teinei was busily preparing a meal, and was rushing around like she had

very little time to finish. She handed Michiru a bowl before rushing to

the oven. "Mix that up if you would... I have to get this finished."

Michiru looked down at the bowl, partially filled with the beginnings of

a salad. She sat down at the table with it after washing her hands,

grabbing some spoons to toss it with. "What's the rush?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you..." She closed the oven door and set

the timer, then grabbed a bowl of a dough mixture and started stirring

quickly. "Sunao-chan called a few minutes ago and said she had to go to a

dinner meeting and was sending Haruka over to have dinner and spend some

time with me... she'll be here in half an hour."

"Really?!"

"Yes... hurry up with the salad if you could... it's her favorite... I

have to get everything cleaned up and Murasaki isn't here cuz she's

spending the night at your house with Kanpeki--"

Michiru set the bowl down and grabbed Teinei's arms and tried to get her

to settle down. "Teinei-san! You're just going to wear yourself out if you

keep moving at this pace."

Teinei sighed. "I know, I know, but I want everything to be just right--"

"She'll appreciate it if you do, but you have to realize that everything's

fine as it is. She'll probably be too busy enjoying the fact that she's

not at home to notice whether or not everything's tidy."

Teinei started stirring the dough mix again. "You're probably right... Boy,

you sure do have her figured out, don't you?"

Michiru colored a bit and went back to work on the salad. "Well..."

"I know you do; can't have watched her this long without learning a thing

or two about how she thinks."

Michiru nodded a bit.

"Hey, why don't you stay over, too? See the 'vent' covers up on the walls

near the ceiling? They're really just up in the attic. The ceiling panel

in the guest room opens up and a ladder drops down so you can climb up

into it. You could see and hear everything from up there without anyone

noticing you. I know you don't watch to approach her yet, so why not do

what you always do while she's here?"

"Sure! Thank you, Teinei-san!"

Teinei laughed a bit. "You're welcome... now c'mon, I have to at least

feed her! If we have time after cooking, you can help me straighten up."

Michiru worked hard to help Teinei finish the meal, preparing everything

the best she could. Teinei teased her a bit about her eagerness to make

it perfect, and Michiru just ignored the comments.

While they cooked, Michiru asked, "Teinei-san? I have an... odd question

to ask you."

"Eh? Um, okay."

"You've... you've noticed how Kanpeki-chan and Murasaki-san spend a _lot_

of time together, right?"

"... Right... -san? Oh yes, she's older than you three by a bit more than

a month..."

"I... Well, I have my suspicions... Do you think that... They might be...

you know...?"

"Ask them yourself," Teinei replied immediately, turning away from Michiru.

Michiru was a bit surprised at the answer, but shrugged and went back to

work.

With only a few minutes left till Haruka was due to arrive, they quickly

rearranged the chairs, tossed things that were lying around into the hall

closet, then sat by the window to wait.

"Here comes Sunao-chan's car, you better go ahead and get up there,"

Teinei said.

Michiru nodded, casting one more glance out the window before leaving the

room. She had to struggle with the ceiling panel a bit to get it open,

and stepped back to let the ladder slide out. She climbed up, pulled the

ladder up, and pulled on the string that connected to the panel so she

could close it again. It was so dark up in there... she felt around as

she crawled towards the dim light coming from the covering in the kitchen,

making sure she didn't accidentally break through the ceiling. She then

sat there and waited.

Not long afterwards, the doorbell rang, and she heard what she assumed was

Sunao's voice along with Teinei's. Haruka wasn't saying anything. The door

shut soon after, and then she could hear their footsteps as they walked

into the kitchen. Teinei was talking excitedly, telling Haruka how happy

she was to have her over and how she couldn't wait to talk, and that she

was sorry Murasaki wasn't over to meet her. Haruka mumbled "me too" a few

times but otherwise said very little.

When they entered the kitchen, Michiru pressed her face up against the

vent as much as she comfortably could to get a better look. Since it was

a Saturday, Haruka didn't wear her school uniform; she instead wore loose

pants and a dark colored sweatshirt. Typical of her, Michiru thought sadly

to herself. She never wore anything fitted in public, trying to hide her

figure from everyone, probably to avoid having boys flirt with her. Being

slender and well-developed was a combination that would lead to a lot of

problems with the opposite sex, and Haruka didn't want to be involved with

guys.

Teinei helped Haruka fix a plate before they sat down at her table on

opposite ends, Teinei with her back to Michiru and Haruka facing the vent.

Michiru smirked a bit. Teinei set her up to be sitting there, just so

Michiru could stare at Haruka all she wanted. Thoughtful... Michiru worried

at first that she could be seen, but she remembered Teinei assuring her

she wouldn't.

Haruka still hadn't said anything. She just sat there as if she wasn't

going to eat anything, but Michiru could tell she was very hungry. Teinei

had started eating and looked at Haruka with a puzzled look.

"Excuse me a moment," Haruka said softly, then she bowed her head, her

lips moving in a silent prayer. Ah yes, she attended church after all, she

was supposed to pray before eating. As soon as she finished, she grabbed

her fork and started eating rather quickly. Michiru worried some about

this; Haruka didn't eat much because of her father, so this must seem like

a gift from Heaven to have all this food at once.

"How's school going?" Teinei asked her niece.

"Um, I'm making good grades... don't know how though... That's about all I

can say for it. It's very... well, I hate it."

She had such a wonderful voice! Michiru sighed aloud, then covered her

mouth, hoping she wasn't too audible with it. If she had been, they must

not have noticed. She felt silly... but then again, she thought, it's very

understandable. Haruka's voice was so incredible; very deep but feminine,

somewhat soft but with an almost forceful edge to it, and it made Michiru

shiver with excitement whenever she heard it.

"What about other things... socially and whatnot?"

Wrong question, Michiru groaned inwardly.

Haruka stiffened. "I... I don't have any friends, if that's what you're

asking. Everyone hates me, thinks I'm weird, fears me..."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked--"

"No, you shouldn't." Haruka stared down at her plate, pushing her salad

around with her fork. Michiru saw her eyes soften slightly; she felt bad

about her comment. "This, um... this is really good... You're a good cook."

Teinei was amused by that. Michiru could imagine her winking to her as she

told Haruka, "Thanks, but I had some help. A, uh, a neighbor helped me."

"Oh, well... it's still good."

"I'll tell her that."

Haruka was very uncomfortable... Teinei didn't know what she could talk

about with her and Haruka was always nervous around other people anyways.

"Oba-san?"

"Yes?"

"I... nevermind, it'll sound too weird."

"It's all right, it probably won't faze me."

"... I have the strangest feeling that someone is watching me."

Michiru could have burst out laughing at that. So Haruka _did_ realize she

was--

"A lot of the time when I'm at home, I get the same feeling. Practically

every day. I swear, there's someone spying on me."

Michiru froze up in surprise.

Teinei fumbled for something to say, seeming very unsure. "Ummm... that's

odd..."

Haruka lightly touched the gold cross she always wore around her neck,

looking down at her hands.

Apparently, Teinei took this as some sort of sign, and commented, "Maybe

you have a guardian angel?"

Haruka looked up sharply at her and said, "It sure doesn't seem like it

most of the time." She fell silent and looked away, but she seemed to be

considering what Teinei said. She ate quietly, seeming to not notice

whatever it was she put in her mouth.

Michiru could feel her heart pound and she wiped her forehead with the

back of her hand. Guardian angel, huh? Teinei's fast thinking might have

kept Haruka from investigating too much into her feeling, but it was still

a lie.

"I'm going to put the dishes away... are you done eating?"

Haruka nodded and got out of her chair. "I... I should leave--"

"No, no, stay! We haven't spent any time together in three years! Why are

you in such a rush to leave?"

Haruka had a scared look on her face as she whispered, "I need to get home

before my father does... He, uh, he doesn't like... coming home to an

empty house..."

Both Michiru and Teinei easily saw through the lie, and Teinei played

innocent. "Oh, well, if you need to get home, I'll give you a ride... just

tell me when."

"Please... I'll come over some other time, if I can..."

"Um, just go on out to the car, I'll be out in a minute."

Haruka nodded weakly and went outside. Teinei looked up at the vent. "You

should probably go home as soon as we've pulled away, all right? Wait a few

minutes."

"All right... thanks for letting me stay over..."

"You're welcome. Sorry that it was so short, but it's better to keep

Haruka out of trouble. Tell Murasaki to remember to be home by noon

tomorrow; she has a piano recital."

"Mm hmm... see you later."

"Bye."

Teinei left, and Michiru carefully got out of the attic and went home.

Haruka waved Teinei goodbye, waiting to go inside until she'd left. She

was scared, numb all over from terror. Katai was home, she could feel it.

He was watching her from the window. Damnit, why did her mother have to

make her go see Teinei?! If she hadn't, she wouldn't have to face _him_...

She walked up to the front door, afraid to enter. The door swung open, a

deeply frowning Katai standing there. "Come inside. You have some explaining

to do."

Haruka shakily walked in, trying to keep from crying. "I'm sorry, okaa-san

made me go see Teinei-san while she went to that dinner! I would have come

home sooner but--"

The door shut with a loud slam as he led her to the family room. "You

better not have told her anything."

"No! Of course not!"

Katai scowled at her. "Why are you so jumpy?!"

Haruka trembled and avoided meeting his gaze. "I... I..."

"Stupid coward... you better not have made her suspicious..."

"I didn't--"

"I bet you did! Why don't you listen, you're such a fool!"

"But I--"

"I've had enough."

Haruka whimpered and ducked down to avoid the first swing he threw at her.

He growled with anger. "Don't you dare try to get out of this! You're

going to get punished even more if you try to stop me!"

Haruka started sobbing, instinctively raising her arms in defense whenever

he tried to hit her. Teinei said she had a guardian angel watching her?...

yeah, right...

Michiru went to Haruka's house as soon as she'd checked in at home, and

saw that she wasn't in her room. Climbing out of the tree and into the

bushes, she saw Haruka in the family room, and Katai pummeling her

mercilessly. Michiru could feel all the blood drain from her face and

tears pour down her cheeks. Her fingers twitched spasmodically, wanting to

reach out and stop what was happening, but the risk to Haruka...

Michiru had hidden in the tree again, slipping a few times from the

blurred vision her tears caused. Haruka stumbled into her room after

several minutes, too weak to do anything besides collapse into her bed

and pass out.

Michiru could hear the blood pounding in her ears, her throat go dry. She

had to do something... Haruka could bleed to death if no one helped her...

She heard a car pulling away, and after straining hard to see, saw that

Katai had left the house. Sunao was still at that dinner... that left

Haruka alone, unconscious, unable to stop the bleeding...

Michiru fumbled for the key to the house after slipping down the tree

trunk, sliding open the door before rushing upstairs quickly. She found

Haruka's room with ease, the door being unlocked and therefore not an

obstacle. Michiru stopped when she first entered the room, standing there

for long moments. Haruka looked terribly fragile as she lay there,

hopeless, desperately needing help. Michiru haltingly stepped forward and

lay her hands gently on her shoulders, sliding her up the bed to a better

position that would be more comfortable for her when she regained

consciousness.

She had to look around for a bit to find the bathroom, but once it was

found, she gather up heavy amounts of cotton balls, gauze, hydrogen

peroxide, ointments, a few washcloths, and two large bowls which she

filled with hot water.

She brought them all into Haruka's room, laying some items on the

nightstand and the rest on her bed. She found a large, clean shirt in the

closet, and fought to keep her hands from trembling as she carefully

slipped off Haruka's bloody shirt and jeans. Michiru was horrified by just

how so pale she was from blood loss, her skin seemed almost as white as her

undergarments. She washed all her wounds carefully, dipping in one bowl to

rinse the cloth and the other to wet it with clean water, applying hydrogen

peroxide to all the cuts, then smoothing ointment on them with as much care

as possible, and finally wrapping gauze where it was needed, then slipping

the clean shirt on her.

Michiru pulled the sheets carefully over the tall girl before replacing

all the items she'd taken out, then going back into her room. She gazed

at her wistfully, smoothing her blond hair back from her face, letting

her hand linger on her cheek. She sighed, wiped away her tears, then

whispered, "Please get better... please live, Haruka... I love you..."

She stood there a few more minutes, just looking down at her.

She was very startled when she heard a very weak, choked groan and saw

Haruka's eyelids fluttering open slightly. Michiru quickly backed away as

Haruka, not quite coherent, rested a hand on her forehead and made a

pained, muffled sound. She rushed downstairs and out the door, locking it

behind her, then ran down to the lake, climbing into the row boat,

frantically turning the oars so she could get home.

It didn't take as long as usual for her to climb up to her window. She

was very shocked when she reached to open it and it didn't budge. Why

wouldn't it open... open open open--

She let out a scream when Suteki and Kirei's angry faces appeared in the

window, then it flew open and they grabbed her, dragging her back in.

Suteki slid it shut and pushed her to her bed and Kirei locked the

door. Michiru let out several choked sobs then cried, "What's going on?!

What was that for?!"

"We know what's going on," Suteki hissed. "We have to do something about it."

"W-What do you mean--"

"Michiru," Kirei growled, "we aren't stupid. You've spent more time away

from home in the last few months... ever since that when we were walking to

school and you saw that Ten'ou girl... And now you leave at night, too."

"I don't know what--"

"Oh _shut-up_!" Suteki snarled. "You're a dyke and in love with that psycho,

you can't deny it. You were there several minutes ago, we saw you coming

from her house using Kanzen's telescope. We want to know why the hell

you're doing something like this."

Michiru paled and looked away. "I don't have to tell you anything. You

have no idea--"

"What we know," Kirei interrupted, "is that you have a lot of explaining

to do, and we better get some good answers."

Michiru buried herself under the covers, and they were quickly snatched

away by her oldest sister. "Leave me alone!" she snapped. "You have no right

to butt into my life!"

"Well what have you been doing with it, huh? Look at you, you've got

blood stains on your clothes and skin, where did that come from?!" Suteki

demanded. "We have a right to know, you're our _sister_, or have you

forgotten that you have a family?!"

"Why don't you--"

"Damnit, give us some answers!"

"Leave me ALONE!!!" Michiru shouted at her, grabbing for her alarm clock to

throw at Suteki, when Kirei gripped her wrists and held her back.

"Michiru, stop it! Calm down! Look, we're just mad because you've been

going behind our backs for months... some of us," she glared at her other

sister, "are overreacting. But we deserve to know. Please, let's all

just be rational, okay? Michiru-chan, please just tell us what's going on."

Michiru sat crying for a few minutes while they just stood there. "Fine...

fine... you want to know? You really want to know? I love her; I admit that

much. I love her dearly, completely, and she means everything to me. I

follow her and watch her because there's nothing I'd rather do than be in

her presence. I don't care if you don't approve of that, because quite

frankly, your opinions won't affect me a bit."

She let that sink in a moment, before Kirei quietly whispered, "Do you

want us to let the rest of the family know?"

"Not okaa-san and otou-san... I could care less whether you know..."

"...The blood, Michiru? Where did that come from?" Suteki asked.

"None of your concern."

"Michiru-chan..." Suteki started.

"Leave me alone," Michiru said, getting out of bed. She stood there with

a determined look on her face. "Get out of here, _now_."

They turned and left, and she shut the door quietly behind them and locked

it, before sliding down along it to the floor. She lay there, crying

herself into exhaustion, whispering, "Why... why... why..."

She apparently had fallen asleep for a little while; she woke up hearing

someone lightly knocking on her door. She groaned and opened it slowly,

and saw Kanzen there. He politely asked to come in, and she grumbled a

bit but consented. He closed it, and said quietly, "I just wanted to say...

Suteki told me what happened, her version at least, and... Well, you're my

sister, and I love you. You'll always be my sister, and this doesn't change

anything. I support you in this, so if they give you a hard time, don't

worry, I'll be here for you."

Michiru hugged her oldest brother, crying a bit against his shoulder.

"Thank you, Kanzen... I love you too."

He smiled at her when he pulled away. "Well, I have more studying to do,

as always." He laughed a bit, then said, "I think Genki and Kanpeki want to

talk to you too... you _are_ triplets, after all."

"As if I could forget... Bye..."

Sure enough, Genki came in when Kanzen left, and he shyly shut the door.

"Michiru-chan?"

"Hmmm?"

"I, uh..." He blushed a bit and coughed, then started again. "Well, I

heard about, y'know, and... You're not alone, you know. There's other

people in the family that are... y'know..."

Michiru's eyes widened a bit. "Are you saying..."

He smiled sheepishly. "I only told Kanzen... trust him more than the

others... we've always gotten along."

Michiru smiled at him and hugged him. She winked as she commented, "I

always wondered about all those male movie star posters in your room..."

He blushed again and laughed. "Well, I'm going now... Heh heh, you're

piling up the guests; Kanpeki's here with Murasaki-chan, and I think you'll

find this very... interesting. It's quite a neat phenomenon we triplets

have... Bye."

"Bye."

Michiru had to wait several minutes for her little sister to appear. When

she finally peeked in through the cracked door, Michiru had started

sketching a picture of Haruka. She didn't notice Kanpeki and Murasaki at

first.

"Is that Haruka?"

Michiru jumped and dropped her sketchbook. Kanpeki giggled and picked it

up, flipping through it and showing some of the drawings to Murasaki, who

had asked the question.

"The drawings of Haruka-chan seem pretty accurate... I've only seen photos

of her but they look like those..."

"Um... thank you... I enjoy drawing her very much."

Kanpeki looked up abruptly with a grin. It always surprised Michiru when

she did that; she had gotten used to Kanpeki's happy-to-sad phases and

she'd been pretty steadily happy once she'd met Murasaki. After years of

the other way, it was taking Michiru awhile to adjust. "I draw too, you

know," Kanpeki commented. "I never show them off because... well, everyone

ignores me anyways... and you probably notice I paint, but noooo, do obaa-

san and otou-san ever notice mine, only yours... I'm just the younger of us

three that most forget exists--"

"Kanpeki!" Murasaki interjected. "Stop talking negatively about yourself."

"Well, Murasaki, it's true... isn't it, Michiru-chan?"

Michiru blushed a bit. She never had been close to her siblings... Wait

a sec, they used just first names with each other? Huh?

Murasaki whispered in her ear, and Michiru barely picked up the words, "How

could they forget _you_?... Silly..."

Kanpeki handed her the sketchbook, as well as a well-worn, blue bound

volume. "Want to flip through mine?

Michiru carefully turned the pages, surprised by how well her sister drew

compared to other people she knew. Hmmm, guess the art talent is a family

thing... There were an awful lot of pictures of Murasaki...

Michiru looked up at her with wide eyes. Were her suspicions right?...

"Kanpeki-chan... may I talk to you alone?"

Kanpeki looked over at Murasaki, who smiled and gave her shoulder a

reassuring squeeze before leaving and shutting the door behind her.

"What is it?"

"You just happened to come talk to me when all this talk about me is going

on... Do _you_ have something to say to me, too?"

Kanpeki blushed and looked away quickly. "Well... yeah..." She coughed a

bit and said quietly. "I'm a lesbian, too."

Michiru was quick to hug her sister tightly, crying openly. "Oh my gosh...

first Genki now... I suspected it for awhile... my gosh, all of us! All

three of us!"

They drew away, and after a pause, Michiru asked softly, "Kanpeki-chan,

you... have feelings for Murasaki-san... don't you?"

Kanpeki nodded and whispered, "She doesn't know."

"Are you afraid to admit what you are to her?"

Kanpeki laughed weakly and looked up at the ceiling. "Oh... no, she knows

that I... have other interests, so to speak... and she does as well... she

just doesn't know that she's the one I'm in love with."

"Are you going to tell her, or are you waiting to see if she returns your

feelings?" Michiru asked in a concerned voice.

Kanpeki sat down and sighed. "I want to wait for some sign that she is

interested in me, too... I'd feel stupid if I just told her and she didn't."

"I take it you've given this a lot of thought?"

"A _great_ deal of thought." Kanpeki curled up in a ball. "She's what makes

my life worth living," she whispered. "She's the reason I've gotten over

all those wacky emotional problems I used to have. I'm just so scared I'll

lose her friendship if I tell her..."

Michiru hugged her and said, "It's better to wait then... but somehow...

I don't think you have to worry."

Kanpeki looked up at her with wide eyes. "Y-you think so?"

"Well, I always thought that you _were_ a couple! And she does seem to

like you a lot... I think she's just as nervous as you are! If you two

could just get up the nerve, you would make a great couple!"

Kanpeki laughed and hugged her back. "Thanks, Michiru-chan! ... Funny how

two Kaiou sisters both fall for two girls who are relatives, isn't it?"

Michiru winked. "It is, isn't it?"

"They've just got good selection amongst them, I suppose."

"Very," Michiru said with a grin.

"So gorrrrrgeous..." Kanpeki sighed deeply and clasped her hands tightly

under her chin.

"Mmm hmm!"

They both giggled.

"Well... you should probably go now... don't want to keep her waiting."

Michiru smiled at her sister as she said this.

"Yeah... sleep well, Michiru-chan."

"You too, Kanpeki-chan."

Michiru sat still for several moments after she left. "She forgot her

art," she murmured, setting it aside as she lay down on her bed. She felt

hot tears forming in her eyes. She was glad that her sister had found

someone that made her happy, and that there was a good chance of a

relationship developing, but she was incredibly jealous. Murasaki was

right there, all Kanpeki had to do was work up the nerve to tell her.

Michiru, however, couldn't even speak to the girl she loved or she could

risk losing any chance with her.

Michiru couldn't help it; she cried herself to sleep.

She couldn't move much more than several inches, and that was only her

arm. She was in great pain, confusion, and felt more tired than she ever

had before. She couldn't sit up, couldn't speak, couldn't _anything_, it

seemed. She was bruised and cut, swollen in places, her throat too pained

from being choked to make a sound. Her vision was blurry, and she could

feel a dull throb going through her body.

But Haruka had her thoughts. All those thoughts, churning through her head.

After all, at the moment, they were probably all she was capable of.

She could vaguely remember the beating, thank God that it was only a vague

recollection; Katai screamed at her for awhile before he started hitting

her, then the rest was a blur of pain. What had happened to her? She could

remember stumbling upstairs, then a swirl of colors and black, and a jolt

of pain, but that was about it.

Her eyes moved downward to look at herself. She was wearing a large, clean

shirt. Her wounds had been wrapped with gauze, cleaned, done with obvious

care. But who did it? No one was home--

White. Pure, blinding white. Like a light from heaven, perhaps. A faint

blur of colors, a peachy tone framed by wavy aquamarine, the features hard

to make out in the light, only the sad smile and the warmth of the blue

eyes could clearly be seen. Beauty... she knew the figure to be beautiful,

but she couldn't see... And then the wonderful being was gone. Was that

an angel perhaps? A guardian angel...

She let her head sink further into her pillows. She could have died

tonight, she knew it. But she'd been saved from that by someone, who was

it though? She could faintly recall--

A wonderfully pleasing smell, of vanilla, maybe a bit of rose mixed in,

the warm and tender caress of a hand on her cheek, and a soft voice...

What were the words? She couldn't make out the jumble too well...

plesgtbterplselivhrukailovyu...

Huh? That didn't make sense...

Pleasegetbetterpleaseliveharukailoveyou...

She thought she could make out words in there but--

i love you

Her heart started pounding fast. No... that couldn't have been what she

heard... she couldn't have heard that...

I love you.

A tear started making its way down her cheek. She could remember the voice

though, and she could hear the beautiful voice saying it, in her mind.

"...I love you..."

She let out a tiny cry and let her tears flow freely. She _had_ heard

that... she had heard... oh God... someone... someone had saved her life,

someone had cared, a beautiful angel, and she loved her! _Her_! Ten'ou

Haruka, of all people... She really _did_ have a guardian angel...

"Haruka-chan! Are you up there?"

Haruka froze, her breath catching in her throat. That voice... okaa-san...

Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. Her door was open she couldn't move to shut it

footsteps echoed up the stairs her mother was coming up here she'd see--

"Oh my God..."

Haruka shut her eyes, letting the liquid spill from the corners, as Sunao

ran over to her with a sob. "Haruka! Oh my God, oh my God, what happened

to you, you're--"

Sunao pulled back quickly. "Haruka... you were home alone once you got

back from Teinei's... I know you were here and didn't leave but..." She

froze in place. "Katai was with you for awhile though... oh my God..." Her

hands flew to her mouth as she started trembling. "Oh no... Oh no...

Haruka... if you can talk... please, tell me the truth..."

Haruka's eyes opened, a pleading look in them.

"Did he-- Is he the one-- ?"

Haruka's tears were overflowing from her eyes, and she let them flutter

shut again as she tilted her head the best she could.

But it was enough.

Sunao swayed on her feet, resting her hand against the wall to steady

herself. Katai... her husband... he'd beat his own daughter... he'd

nearly killed their only living child...

"Oh lord, how could he have done this, how could this have happened?"

Sunao cried, coming over to Haruka. She carefully took her daughter's

hand, wiping away both their tears. "I'm so sorry, Haruka-chan, I should

have seen it sooner... Oh God, what are we going to do? If I try to tell

someone, he could find out and hurt you more... What do we do... oh

God..."

She sniffled and turned away, curled up tightly.

"What in the name of heaven can we do?"

~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 6

~~~~~~~~~~

running running running i'm trying to escape

what's going on where am i it's too dark can't see

someone help me something's chasing me i can't run more

what can i do i'm so scared it's too cold silent frightening

i can't stop must keep going where do i go where do i find help

what can i do what can i do they're chasing me they'll kill me HELP!

looking behind i see a demon it's horrible

what can i do? it's chasing me

i'm all alone the sky's turning red

where's that wind going from? can't move, too cold

what's that dark shadow?

a girl standing holding a glaive watching me raising it oh lord

i'm going to die

why is it so quiet?

why isn't anyone else here?

statues... standing there... breaking apart

girls in sailor suits?

someone's here now,

WAIT!

long dark green hair black trimmed uniform red eyes strange staff

what is that in her hand a strange rod with a sphere on top why is she

holding it out to me am i supposed to take it what will happen if i do

wHAt wiLl HaPpeN iF i DoN'T?

"Take the henshin pen transform you must it's your destiny"

Destiny?

_My_ destiny?

Why mine?

What should I do?

Take the pen, or...

reaching grabbing shouting what's happening?

aqua light swirling all around

what is this suit?

what am i?

who am i?

what have i become?

Michiru woke up and groggily looked around. It was early morning, and

from the lack of sounds she heard, no one else was up yet. She moved

to rub her eyes, then stopped and looked down at her bloodstained hands.

She looked away quickly, rising to go into her bathroom and shower. At

least it was a weekend, she had plenty of time to clean up.

She turned on the water and stepped into the stall. The liquid spilling

down her cleansed her, the dried blood running off her and leaving her--

Red.

Red red red.

Like the sky... in her dream... or was it a nightmare?

She clutched her head and leaned against the wall, crying out softly. She

couldn't stand these crazy visions. Her heart was pounding quickly. Her

head... hurting... right in the center of her forehead...

What the--

She could see a reflection in the rippling water on the floor of the stall,

a strange aqua light... a trident of sorts... on her forehead?!

She quickly shut off the water, flinging the curtain aside as she leapt

to her mirror. She leaned against the counter, shaking all over. Gone. It

was gone. What had happened? Was she imagining things? What was going on?

She carefully dried up the water on the floor, then got back in the shower

to wash her hair. After drying off, she walked to her closet and unconsciously

selected her school uniform.

Sailor...

A sailor outfit...

The woman in the dream, she had one...

And when she grabbed that rod, Michiru had one...

She let it drop to the floor and leaned back against the wall, trembling

again. What was going on? It was just some dream... nothing more... why

were all these strange things happening?

She threw on a robe and ran downstairs, calling out to her family. No one

answered. Where was everyone? What was going on?

She went to the kitchen, puzzled, and saw a note lying on the table. She

picked it up and read it over to herself. "Michiru-- Gone to visit your

father's parents. Will be back tomorrow. Kanpeki is over at Murasaki's

if you need anyone. Love, Mama."

Just like that? Just leave, with only some note? Why didn't they wake her

up?

Could they have told her parents what happened?

Michiru stumbled again, leaning heavily on the table. No... no, they

wouldn't do that... besides, Ki wouldn't believe it, she wouldn't believe

anything like that of her children... God, if she knew that every one of

the triplets were homosexual...

Maybe she'd just go for a walk, clear her head a bit.

She stepped out into the fresh air. It was so pleasant... She walked, and

walked, and walked... She was soon in the city, the bustling people and

traffic. It normally excited her, but she could only glance around

nervously. This is the place... the red sky... the wind...

She felt like she was being suffocated... she raced for a park, stumbling

to her knees in front of the lake. No one was around. It was perfect silent.

The Silence...

She gasped for breath, and suddenly heard a horrible yelling behind her.

She whirled around and saw a giant shape loom over her. Her eyes widened

in terror. Some kind of monster?... A long but bloated maroon form, a

mouth lined with spiky teeth, evil eyes glaring at her...

From the dream...

She couldn't find the energy to scream. She turned to run, but it felt

like she was running in syrup. Her limbs wouldn't respond, they had

frozen in fear.

What the hell? A shadow? Someone was standing there...

Michiru looked up with wide eyes and took a step back, her mouth wide in

a silent scream.

"No... no!... you're just a dream... that monster is a dream... you're

figments of my imagination... THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!!"

A woman stood there, her long, dark emerald hair falling to the back of

her knees, at least, the part that hung from the bun she wore in her hair,

with wispy bangs on her forehead, intelligent crimson eyes, her skin darkly

tanned and showing her taut muscles well.

She was clad in a sailor suit of sorts-- a white leotard sewn in three

pieces, a top section with the bottom forming a line tracing the bottom

of her breasts, and a midsection with a thick white piping separating it

from the bottom section, hidden under a short, pleated black skirt with a

black bow in the back of it.

Centered on the top section in the middle of her chest was a round, flat

gem, maroon in color, which held a dark brown bow in place. A black collar,

like that of a sailor's, extended from this.

Around her neck was a black choker with a smaller version of the gem on her

chest dangling from it. She wore maroon earrings shaped similarly to

upside down, elongated chevrons. On her forehead was a gold tiara, in an V

shape, with an oval shaped maroon gem in the center.

She wore tall white gloves that came to her elbows, where three pieces of

thick black piping encircled her arm. Her high-heeled boots were black,

with the top of them cutting off in an upside down V, trimmed in white.

She carried with her a tall, thin, silver staff, reminiscent of a key,

topped with an unusual piece-- a silver heart shape about as large as her

head, a large maroon orb affixed on the bottom center piece, with two much

smaller gold balls on each side, a gold ball slightly larger than these

meeting in the center of the arcs, a smaller silver heart coming up from

this with a matching gold ball in the center.

"This isn't a dream, Michiru; you're very much awake, and you are very

much in danger."

"Get away from m--"

She raised her staff high in the air. The monster was right on top of

them...

And suddenly, the woman whirled around quickly, and it seemed as if mists

were encircling her. She whispered, "Dead Scream," and a large ball of

magenta energy shot out from the orb on her staff. It smashed into the

monster and stunned it, knocking it to the ground.

Michiru stood there trembling, glancing back and forth from the monster

to the woman. "W-what do you want with me?"

"I've come to awaken a part of you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Michiru said in a trembling

voice. Her mind was on her dream. This was definitely the same woman...

Did she have that same rod with her? That "henshin pen"?

"Please, Michiru, ju--"

"Don't be so familiar with me!" Michiru snapped. "I don't know you!"

The woman lowered her eyes. "Not that you remember."

"What... what's going on here?... does this have something to do with my

visions?..."

The woman took out a rod, seemingly out of nowhere, and handed it to

Michiru. She sat staring at it a long time. It fit perfectly in her hand,

as if it was made specifically for her. It was aqua in color, about as

long as an ink pen, a bit thicker than the width of her eye, topped with

a small globe reminiscent of a planet.

"Michiru-chan, please listen to me carefully, all right?"

Michiru looked up from the rod and nodded.

"The daimon will awaken soon. I want you to do something for me."

"Um..."

"Hold it high up in the air... right... that's it. Now, repeat what I say,

but make sure you really mean it, got it?" Michiru nodded. "Don't be

scared when your fuku appears; that's what's supposed to happen. Ready?"

"Yes."

"'Neptune Planet Power, Make-up.'"

Michiru paused a moment. Odd thing to say. She squinted her eyes tightly

shut, her hand shaking a bit, and shouted, "Neptune Planet Power... MAKE

UP!"

She felt like she was thrown into the ocean, water rippling all around her,

and couldn't see anything but a swirl of aqua light and cloth around her.

She gasped out for air, and stood there shaking when it was finished,

looking down at herself.

Her fuku was styled in the same way as that woman's, at least most of it. Her

collar, skirt, choker, and glove piping were aqua, however, the bows on her

skirt and top dark blue. Her gloves only came to her mid-forearm, and for

shoes, she had delicate aqua slippers that laced up like a ballerina's.

Her choker had a round aqua gem set on gold pieces, her earrings dangling

gold hoops, the gem on her tiara aqua as well. She had sleeves, however,

three pieces of white piping like that separating her skirt and leotard.

"Oh my God... Oh my God..."

"Calm down, it's all right--"

She felt herself hit with a wash of memories, a big jumble mainly, she

couldn't clearly tell what they were, but she somehow knew that when she

needed to recall something, she probably could.

"Michiru?! Are you al--"

"What the--"

The "daimon" leapt up again, and dove at Michiru. Michiru screamed, wanting

to dive out of the way...

Something in her snapped. She was filled with rage, but was calm. She leapt

right back at the daimon, leg extended, and kicked it in the center of its

"forehead." Landing on her feet, she whirled around and lifted her arms in

the air. Water was swirling around her, a wave gathering and separating behind

her, and she screamed, "Deep Submerge!" The wave smashed into one ball of

energy and sped at the daimon, hitting it dead center, and it suddenly mutated,

becoming the girl again, lying unconscious on the ground.

Michiru stood shaking, and fell to her knees. The woman came up behind her,

and drew her staff in front of her face. An elaborate gate seemed to appear

in front of her and open up, and they passed through it, into... her room?

"W-What just happened?... W-Who are you?! What is this crazy get-up we're

in?!"

The woman closed her eyes a moment and sighed, then opened them again. "My

name is Meiou Setsuna. In this form you see me in," she gestured to her

fuku with her staff, "I am called Sailorpluto. I am a Sailor Senshi, currently

the only one awakened. I am bound by another obligation, however. I am the

Keeper of Time. I watch over the Gate of Time, and am only allowed to leave

for very important things... such as this. The Senshi are a team gifted with

magical abilities; we use them to fight an evil that threatens the world.

There are nine other Senshi besides me. You are one of them."

"You... you expect me to believe that?"

Sailorpluto narrowed her eyes and sighed. "Please... I'm telling the truth,

even though it sounds very much like some silly story to you at the moment.

You'll understand soon..." She let her staff rest again the wall and sat

down in a chair. "Let me explain some of our past... you should have felt

something when you transformed, seen things... they probably don't make

sense to you right now, but I'll try to explain them to you, all right?"

"O-okay... I can't guarantee I'll believe it..."

"Please, try."

Michiru sighed and rubbed her temples. "Fine..."

Pluto cleared her throat and briefly closed her eyes. "Over a millennia

ago, a kingdom existed known as the Silver Millennium. Back then, all the

planets were livable and were inhabited by large populations. Each of

these planets had a designated representative that would lead their people

as a member of the royal family as well as protect them in time of war.

These women were known as the Sailor Senshi.

"The Sailor Senshi were originally called together to protect the princess

of the Moon Kingdom; this was on the moon of Earth, and was the center of

the Silver Millennium. Their duties expanded later, however.

"Each Senshi was called by her planetary name, such as how I am Sailorpluto,

since I'm from Pluto. We were also broken into two groups-- the Inner

Senshi and the Outer Senshi. The Outer Senshi were comprised entirely of

planets in the outer solar system, however, Jupiter was considered an Inner

Senshi. The Inners' main duty was to protect the princess, while the Outers'

was to protect the galaxy from outside invasions.

"I, of course, am an Outer Senshi. You are as well."

Michiru raised her eyebrow. "Oh _really_? And why is that?"

Pluto sighed and rolled her eyes. "You don't believe me, do you?"

Michiru clenched her fists. "You are the Guardian of Time, you said. Do

you know everything that goes on, anywhere?"

"... After a fashion, yes."

"So you know what I've been putting up with lately, right?"

"... Yes..."

Michiru crossed her arms and lay back further on her pillows. "Well, there

you have it. You're throwing this all at me out of the blue, expecting

me to accept it, on top of everything else I'm already dealing with."

"I'm not done explaining, Michiru."

"Fine then. Continue. The sooner you finish, tell me how to get out of this

crazy outfit, and leave, the better."

Pluto looked skyward as if to say 'Why me?', then continued. "As I was

saying, you are one of the Outer Senshi; Sailorneptune. Don't think you

just got randomly picked to be a Senshi in this time, however."

Pluto picked up her staff and stood up. "Watch."

The large maroon orb on her staff started glowing, and an image started

flickering to life in front of Michiru's eyes. She could see a group of

women clad in the same type of fuku as Pluto, with slight differences in

design and many in color. They were fighting a hideous army, and seemed

vastly outnumbered. She could make out Pluto in the crowd, but she was...

standing to the side? Huh? The warriors continued to fight, and one by

one, were struck down. The army was advancing quickly, led by a woman

with bright red hair and a purple dress. She was moving towards a man

with black hair and silver trimmed black armor, who was trying to protect

a fragile looking blond in a long white dress. It was hard to tell what

happened, but the next thing she knew, Michiru was watching them float

through the air, then all the bodies around them lift up and become

encased in glowing balls and disappear.

"W-What was that?! I... That looked like something I saw..."

The orb stopped glowing and Pluto set her staff aside. "That was the fall

of the Silver Millennium. An army from a group called the Dark Kingdom

attacked. We weren't well enough prepared, and lost. The Queen, Serenity,

wanted her daughter and her court to have another chance, and sent them

all into the future, to be reborn with no memory of their previous

existence. There was a catch, however. To send the princess and her court,

the Dark Kingdom had to be sent as well."

"And the Senshi? What happened to them? Are they supposed to fight again?

You say I'm a Senshi, was I just picked out of some people or..."

"Michiru... You were alive back then. You are one of the Senshi sent into

the future."

Michiru's eyes snapped wide open. "... what..."

"It's no joke. I remember you _quite_ well... and you're as stubborn as

ever, quite frankly. You were one of my best friends, you and-- That's of

no matter right now. The point is, you are a Senshi, reborn into this time,

and one day you'll have to fight again."

"Why come to me now?! You say the Dark Kingdom was sent here too, won't

they reawaken like we have?! If I'm supposed to be a Senshi, why didn't you

get me sooner?"

Pluto looked away. "You won't realize the battle with the Dark Kingdom

happened... you see... it already did."

"What?"

"It's a bit difficult to explain. The Inner Senshi were killed battling

them, and were resurrected again. The time you've spent on Earth cycled

around, back to the point of time where they encountered the Dark Kingdom.

New threats are rising up now, however, new enemies. These first ones

will be taken care of by the Inner Senshi... but as you have seen, another

is preparing. You battled one of their prototype minions today. This

battle will be of far more importance, and you must prepare."

Michiru stood up and walked over to her window. "Pluto... this is too much

for me at once. I hear everything you're saying, but I don't know how to

deal with it."

"I'm sorry... I'm operating under instructions."

"Whose?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

Pluto narrowed her eyes. "I have certain duties to follow, regulations,

orders, I can't sidetrack at all, can't bend them the slightest."

"... Yeah..."

Michiru lay her head against the glass. "So... what am I supposed to do

about all this?"

"Like I said, you need to train. You have to be ready for battle. You

will undoubtedly face more enemies before the real battle begins. You will

probably be having flashbacks of your past life, especially when you

transform."

"Why is that?"

"The nature of the magic involved, and... let's just say, you're a unique

Senshi."

Michiru grumbled a bit and muttered something under her breath.

"I heard that."

"Sure you did."

"Well, I did. And don't worry, you aren't the only one. You had a partner

in the Silver Millennium, and she'll be awakened later, don't worry. She

should have been earlier, but... circumstances are not ideal for her to

become a Senshi at this time."

Michiru looked at her quizzically. "'Partner'? In battles, I assume?"

Pluto looked at her slyly. "That's probably the least of what she's your

partner in."

Michiru blushed a bit. "You don't mean that we... we... um..."

"I do."

"... oh..." Crap... I had a lover?!

"Moving on, you need to learn how to detransform, so you aren't stuck

like that. I don't have much more time to stay here. I'm sorry I can't

help more, but... like I said, the rules..."

"Let's just get this over with."

"You're still blushing. You have to be calm for this."

"Oh shut up."

Once Michiru returned to a normal color, Pluto nodded and said softly, "Just

think about the uniform leaving you, of your normal clothes reappearing."

Pluto then turned around to face the other way.

She was startled when her fuku suddenly rippled, then disappeared with a trail

of cherry blossom petals swirling around her, then her normal clothes appeared

again. I better make sure not to do _that_ in public, last thing I need is to

give someone a peep show! No wonder Pluto turned away...

Suddenly a rush of memories hit her again, making her stumble. The past...

The ball is beautifully decorated, as always. The princess and her

prince are off to one side laughing, the other Senshi dancing with

their partners, except for Pluto... poor thing... and that mysterious

woman that we're all told to avoid, but the two of us know better, that

this woman is just as human as the rest of us...

"May I have this dance?"

I laugh and smile sweetly at Her. "Of course you may."

She gives me one of Her patented grins, and whisks me away on the

dance floor. Always the show-off, She twirls me around, dips me,

all those fancy little dance touches that reveal She's a pro.

I giggle a bit as the dance ends and She bends to kiss my cheek.

"Why don't we go off alone?" She whispers huskily to me, Her lips

darting towards my neck, then my own lips.

"That would be wonderful," I murmur, returning Her kisses.

She lifts me up in Her arms, carrying me to the balcony. I smile

up at Her... so romantic and tender, a side She never shows anyone

else.

"Wait," Pluto calls out to us, then calling us by our Senshi names.

"Would you wait a moment?"

I sigh and smile at Her, and She carefully lowers my legs till my

feet touch the ground again. "Yes, Setsuna? No need to be formal

amongst your best friends..."

Pluto comes over to us, and I'm surprised to see her eyes a bit

watery. "I'm afraid... I'll be returning to the Gate shortly..."

"No! You just got back!" I cry.

Then She asks, "Why do you have to leave so soon?"

"Duties," Pluto spits out. "It'll be awhile before I can return."

"I'm so sorry..." I whisper. I hug her tightly, as does She.

"Oh, my friends... I'll miss you..."

"And we'll miss you," we say in unison.

She smiles sadly at us, then looks up as if hearing something. "It's

time to go... farewell."

I wipe my tears away, and we all wave to each other.

The Gate opens, and she enters.

And that's that last time I saw her before the battle...

Michiru looked up at her, crying a bit. "Setsuna! Oh God..." She ran over

and hugged her tightly. Pluto emitted an "ooof!" but hugged her back. "I

forgot my own best friend... how could I have done that... oh lord..."

She suddenly pulled back with a puzzled look. "What the... you were there

after I was born here? I have a memory of... I can hear you talking..."

"Yes, that was me," Pluto smiled a bit as she nodded.

Michiru stood to the side and held her hands to her cheeks. "I... I feel

so strange... I wish I understood what was going on..."

"You'll probably be disoriented a bit, but things will clear up eventually

... I have to leave now, but I want to remind you before I leave, please

train, please be prepared. When it's time to fight, we'll need you in the

best possible shape."

"Wait! Setsuna!"

Pluto looked back over her shoulder. "Yes?"

"Well, the last time you left was really the _last_ time you left... I...

Is there any way I could contact you?"

"If you need me, I'll try to be there."

"Cryptic as always."

Pluto chuckled. "Always. Bye."

"... Bye."

Pluto held her staff high over her head and shouted a something Michiru

couldn't quite understand. A pair of ornate doors appeared out of nowhere

and swung open, and Pluto quickly stepped through, trailing out fog as

they slammed shut and disappeared.

Michiru stood staring at the empty spot for awhile, not even realizing how

much she was trembling. Gone. Just like that. Through doors that appeared

out of nowhere. She started chuckling a bit, not noticing the slightly

hysterical edge it took. She was a Senshi. Or she was again. But did the

past really count when you couldn't remember it?

Great, she thought to herself. What am I supposed to do now? I got some

crazy suit and jumbled memories. My best friend... er, who I remember as

being my best friend... Hell, this is too confusing... just left me alone

to piece things together myself. And I can remember a lover that I had

then, which I certainly don't have now. Who was she?

I guess I might as well try to get the hang of this crazy stuff.

She lifted her henshin pen for only the second time in this life. "Neptune

Planet Power, MAKE-UP!" It felt so strange to transform... but once she

did, she felt strangely comfortable and at ease. She felt more energetic,

stronger, more agile. It was quite unusual.

Neptune walked over to her window and shoved it open. She looked down at

the ground. She'd jumped it before--was bruised for weeks afterwards, but

it wasn't guaranteed death if she leapt. Might as well see if this Senshi

thing made the trip any different.

She stood on the sill. She leapt. She landed. She looked back up at her

window.

That was it? No "oomph!," no falling on her butt after stumbling, no

rubbing new bruises... just the sound of her feet hitting the ground?

This could be interesting.

Just to test, she jumped up in the air, hoping to reach her window.

She did.

Okaayyyy... Can jump up to a two story window and jump off it with little

effort and no pain. Hmmm. Definitely interesting.

Jumping back down, she looked around her house, then ran down to the lake.

The lake was as calm as usual, but--

She stopped and stared. And she felt. What was this she felt? The lake was

stirring somewhat... fed by a river leading out to the sea. The sea...

Was she feeling the sea? It seemed disturbed, worried, but it didn't feel

threatened, at least not yet. What was she supposed to make of that?

She stood there for awhile, pondering. She could leap inhuman amounts,

sense the sea, and now that she thought about it, she had run faster than

ever before. This wasn't too hard...

Waitaminute... I can't go anywhere like this! I'm dressed in some costume

for crying out loud! I have to get inside and get this off!

She rushed back to her window, leapt in, and shut it behind her. She

detransformed with a sigh.

She was overwhelmingly tired then for some reason. She could faintly hear

Pluto's voice chanting to her. Was the Time Guardian putting her to sleep?

She yawned and lay down on her bed again. Well... a little nap couldn't

hurt... yeah...

She's running towards me now

Her short, silky hair flying in the wind

(oh how she wants to be one with the wind)

Not noticing all the stares she receives

(so gorgeous, both her soul and body)

Then she is standing close beside me

Holding me against her perfect form

Bending to tenderly kiss my lips

Hold me forever please my love...

Smoothing back my hair, whispering to me

Her voice smooth as honey, deep as the sea

Her strong arms warming me as I lean against her

Her embrace and words promise eternity together

My partner in all things, my soulmate, my lover

So many titles to give, none capture our closeness

She has always been here for me, as I am for her

Together forever, in all things, yes, all things...

Reddened sky overhead

Screams cutting the air

We're separated in the crowd

Have to transform have to hurry

The troops are closing in quickly now

Must fight... protect the princess...

Where did you go?! I can't do this without you!

Punching kicking throwing thrusting attacking with my own special powers

Where did you go?! I'm so scared for you...

Darkness, blood, bodies lying everywhere

I see our teammates on the ground

I'm alone... where did you go? Are you alive?

Running crying screaming so scared...

Dark queen approaching the princess

Have to find you can't stop can't wait

Can feel you but can't see you, where are you?!

One of the four gray-clothed men, trying to block my path--

You're there, sword held ready, telling me to stay back

Striking at him, seeming to kill him, you look so sad

I hold you, crying against you, we're the only ones left...

Movement over your shoulder, he's standing to fight again

I smile sadly at you, you'll try to protect me...

I can't allow that, I can't let you die for me, I'm not worth it

He leaps, his own sword raised, you whirl around, I shove you

Blade descending, I close my eyes, this is for you...

i can't see i can't feel i'm numbed by my pain

lying on the ground looking up at the sky

did i save you? was my sacrifice worth it?

i'm supposed to live to fight i tried but you have to live...

now i'm lying here dying... sobbing... i hear screaming

someone's lifting me up now... crying....

i see you then i couldn't before

you're holding me in your arms

blood caking your uniform, tears pouring down your face

you weep against my hair, shouting out my name, begging

i can barely speak... my mouth is dry, you're babbling...

"please don't die! you can't! live! live! neptune! please!"

i'm going numb... but warmed when you look deep into my eyes

your kiss is so sad, but so passionate...

i can't see or feel my body

but i can feel your love now....

i hope you feel mine too.....

i'm not afraid of dying if it was to save you

i'm not afraid to die if it's in your arms

it'll be ok... you'll be ok... i hope...

"i love you" "i love you too..."

....goodbye

Michiru gasped loudly as she woke up, immediately sitting up, her hands

flying up to her mouth. She shivered all over and rubbed her arms to try

and relieve the chill sensation she felt. She had the strangest feeling

that Setsuna was standing there, but when she looked around, she couldn't

see anyone.

Michiru shakily stood, stumbling over to her dresser to brush her hair.

She dropped the brush several times, finally giving up. She curled up into

a ball on the floor, rocking herself back and forth, trying to calm her

nerves.

The dream... she knew it was real... but why couldn't she remember what

her lover looked like, her name, any distinguishing trait for that

matter? If Setsuna had really made her have that dream, she better have

had a good reason for causing so much confusion.

Michiru lifted her shaky hand to her forehead and pushed her hair back

from her face. C'mon... concentrate... maybe you can piece together

something...

Michiru let out a loud gasp as the vision quickly replayed in her mind,

but this time... her face... she could see her lover's face...

"Haruka?"

She slowly stood up and walked toward her mirror in a daze.

"Haruka... my lover?... my partner?"

"That's right."

There it was again; Setsuna's mysterious whispering. She could hear it

even though the woman wasn't present.

"Haruka was Sailoruranus, and she will be... once circumstances... are

more favorable for her. She is destined to be your partner again."

"In all respects?"

"Yes."

"... Oh my..."

Michiru leaned against a wall, still dazed. "I... I can't... believe it...

I mean, I want to... It's just... wow..."

"It just hasn't quite hit you yet, that's all."

So there was silence.

And more silence.

"Haruka's gonna be MY lover!!!" Michiru squealed with delight, hugging

herself and crying with joy.

"Er... calm down..."

"Oh hush! You have NO idea what this means to me!" Michiru laughed happily.

"Everything's going to be fine, we'll--"

She trailed off, eyes widening with fear as a chill went down her spine.

The sea... it was restless... "Wha--... I... she's in trouble... oh my gosh

... I have to get to her house!"

"What's going on?!"

"I have to go, she's in danger, I can feel it!"

"... Be careful."

Michiru quickly shouted, "Neptune Planet Power, MAKE-UP!" Upon transform-

ing, she leapt out her window.

Have to get there quickly... who cares if someone sees me... have to get

there fast...

She rowed faster than she ever had before, and she had a feeling that

the water sensed her urgency and propelled her quicker. She didn't bother

to carefully anchor the boat at the dock; she raced straight to Haruka's

backyard from the park.

Leaping into the tree by Haruka's window, Neptune saw that Haruka wasn't

there. She could hear a loud commotion downstairs, and quickly rushed to

the back window and froze at the sight.

"Oh no... no..."

Katai had a stranglehold around Sunao's neck, and Haruka lay on the ground

beside him, unable to move, but she could see everything that was

happening. Haruka was crying out hoarsely, but it seemed none of the

neighbors had heard. Sunao was frantically trying to pry Katai's hands

away, but her strength was leaving her quickly, and Haruka was slipping

closer to death.

Neptune knew she had no choice in this matter; she had to intervene. She

didn't even bother trying to produce the key, she just shouted, "Deep

Submerge!"

The blue energy ball slammed into the glass door, shattering it open

instantly. Katai lost his grip on Sunao's neck in shock, and the woman

fell to the floor, gasping for air before passing out.

"Who the hell are you?!"

Neptune didn't know why she chose her next words. "Invited by a new age,

I'm Sailorneptune! Acting gracefully!"

Katai snorted and rushed at her with his fist clenched for a punch. Neptune

sidestepped him, bringing up her knee to catch his belly. He doubled over

and collapsed on the floor, gasping deeply, and Neptune raced for a phone.

She quickly dialed the emergency number and hurriedly gave the address and

said that someone was dying, then dropped the phone back on the hook as

she saw Katai standing up again.

"Don't move!" he shouted at her. He lifted a gun up shakily, pointing it

down at Haruka. Neptune stood stock still. "Get over here... next to them."

Neptune walked over slowly. She had to buy time somehow for the ambulance

to get here... "Why are you doing this, Ten'ou-san?"

"Why?!" He laughed hysterically. "I hate the little bitch! It's her fault

that I don't have a son! My wife, to stupid to bear a male that could live,

only this dumb girl... I should have done this sooner! Shouldn't have

dragged it out so long! But no, no, Sunao knows now, and I have to kill

them both!"

"There are other solutions... they could just move away, you don't have to

do this."

"Don't have to do this?! And let them get the chance to tell the police?!"

"What if they knew that you would kill them if they did? Do you think

they'd dare tell?"

Just as Katai was distracted with that thought, she kicked the side of his

head, knocking him to the ground and disarming him. She lifted the gun and

quickly rapped the side of his head with it, knocking him unconscious.

She detransformed as she knelt to check Sunao's pulse. It was steady, and

her breathing was back to normal. She was very worried when she knelt down

by Haruka and grabbed the phone, calling for an ambulance. She then called

Teinei on her cellphone and quickly told her to get there right away. Michiru

carefully leaned over Haruka after she'd put the phone down, checking the

girl's breathing by putting her ear close to her nose. Her breathing was very

weak, and after checking her pulse, she found that to be weak as well. Michiru

quickly wiped her tears away, and sat hoping the ambulance would arrive soon.

From what Katai had babbled, it sounded like Sunao had come home and found

Haruka there, and Haruka told Sunao what happened. Sunao or Haruka must

have confronted him and he attacked.

Michiru jumped a bit when Haruka let out a soft groan. She was waking up

a bit. Michiru nervously leaned over her again to see how well she was

doing, and let out a startled gasp as Haruka's eyes snapped open. She

was rooted to the spot as Haruka stared into her eyes, then smiled faintly,

and her eyes fluttered shut. She started mumbling something and had just

quieted down when the ambulance attendants rushed in.

"What happened here?" a man asked Michiru as the others were examining

their patients and preparing to load them onto stretchers.

"I... I came here and I saw... the father choking his wife, the girl on

the ground, dying."

"How'd he end up like this?"

"I... I managed to disarm him... he was too busy with them, didn't hear me

come in."

"What happened to the glass door over there?"

"Uh, it was like that when I got here."

"Are you a friend of the family?"

"No... I... was just walking by and heard the shouts... the girl's aunt

is on the way over."

"All right, thank you." He went to assist the others.

Michiru let out a sob when Teinei ran in and paled at the sight. "Michiru!

What happened?!"

Michiru mumbled the same explanation she'd given the ambulance attendant.

She couldn't tell Teinei she was a Senshi, as much as she trusted her. And

Haruka... a Senshi too...

"Ma'am? You are the sister of this man, correct?"

Teinei nodded.

"Did this girl tell you what happened here?"

"Yes... If you don't mind, would you place my brother in a separate

ambulance from these two?"

"Of course, we'll send for another one."

Haruka and Sunao had been safely placed on board the ambulance, and Teinei

turned to Michiru sadly. "I'll call you and tell you how things go," she

whispered. "I'm sorry that... you can't come--"

"No, it's better this way," Michiru said in a slightly hoarse voice. "She

doesn't need to know that I was involved... and I'd just be too hysterical;

I'd get in the way."

Teinei nodded to her, then said, "Why don't you... just go to my house for

now. Murasaki-chan will be back soon from the recital... tell her I had to

check on my dad, he, uh, he was sick... make up something... don't let

anyone know what happened... bye..."

Michiru waved as the ambulance pulled away, then dropped to her knees in

the grass, sobbing loudly. An attendant asked if she wished to stay; she

refused, and trudged back to her boat and rowed home.

She didn't quite notice when she'd entered Teinei's home and collapsed on

the couch. Haruka could be dying now... If only she'd been a little

quicker...

"Don't blame yourself."

Michiru gasped as she saw that Pluto now stood right in front of her.

"What are y--"

"Michiru-chan," Pluto said quietly. "You saved her life, and that of

her mother. Don't be upset. Everything's going to be fine."

"I... why are you... what..."

"Don't try to talk; you're too upset right now. I came because you are in

need of a companion right now... you're obviously distraught about what

happened. You don't know how to deal with an enemy yet--"

"Damnit, Pluto!!" Michiru shouted, and Pluto almost seemed to flinch. "She

almost DIED, and all you can do is rattle on about being a SENSHI?!"

Pluto narrowed her eyes and turned away. "Michiru-chan..." She clenched

her fist and faced the wall. "Do you have any idea how alone I am? Do you

think I am good at communicating with people, after guarding the Time Gate

for so long? I am the Guardian of Time, and my duty has become me now. That

and being a Senshi is all I really know how to do anymore. I was away from

my friends for countless millennia before you were reborn, and was guarding

the Gate the whole time."

Michiru pulled her knees up under her chin, eyes misting over. "...Look,

I'm sorry I snapped at you... I just..."

"It's all right... I know you must be devastated right now... But it'll be

ok. It has to be, you know that. Haruka is to be your partner, and she has

to live to do that. Don't worry."

"... She saw me."

Pluto whirled around, crimson eyes wide open. "WHAT?!"

"She... was awake when I arrived, passed out... after I detransformed,

she woke up, just for a moment, and stared right at me."

Pluto swore under her breath and brought her hand up to her chin. "It's

so soon for it to happen..."

The doorbell rang, making Michiru jump, while Pluto just looked over to it.

"I'd better go." She stepped through her portal and disappeared.

Michiru quickly smoothed her hair and opened the door to let Murasaki and

Kanpeki in. "How did the recital go?"

Murasaki began, "Well, it--"

"She was incredible!" Kanpeki breathed. "She plays the piano so well!"

Murasaki colored a bit and grinned. "Thanks! ... It, uh, runs in the family,

I guess... Teinei says Haruka-chan's great at it..." She turned to Michiru

with a puzzled expression.

"Michiru-chan, where's Teinei-san? She left in the middle of the recital;

we had to walk back!"

"She, uh, had to check up on her father... slipped on the stairs at home,

nothing major it turns out, but they were worried at first."

"Ah..." Murasaki seemed to believe it. "Well, can I offer you two anything

to eat or drink?"

"Sure," the two sisters said at once.

Murasaki laughed. "All right, let's go to the kitchen then. Help yourselves."

Michiru and Kanpeki found a brownie stash at the same time and argued a

bit over whether they should eat it or not before Murasaki insisted that

it was all right; they weren't saving it for any special reason. Kanpeki

quickly started eating; she loved any kind of chocolate; Michiru consuming

one rapidly as well, hoping the soothing qualities of the chocolate would

alleviate her worry for Haruka somewhat.

"You two really are a lot alike, you know," Murasaki commented.

The two both looked up at her in surprise.

"The same look on your face right now, too!... C'mon, you're triplets, what

do you expect?"

Michiru sniffed indignantly and joked, "Well, I'm older, so I'm better."

"No you aren't!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"So immature," Murasaki teased, then ducking from the wadded up napkins

that flew at her. "Hey, stop that!" she laughed, "you could've used those!"

"What?!" they both said.

"You've both got chocolate in the corner of your mouths. To busy arguing

to clean up after yourselves, tsk tsk."

Michiru grabbed a napkin while Kanpeki tried to figure out where it was

and wipe it away. Michiru watched with a pang of longing for Haruka as

Murasaki stepped over and carefully wiped it away, making Kanpeki blush

brightly.

"Um... thank you..."

"No problem..."

Michiru cleared her throat and calmed down. "I'm going to make a phone

call... I'll be right back."

She left the room and sat down on the couch by the phone. She waited until

she was sure Kanpeki and Murasaki were too deep in conversation to notice

her, then dialed the hospital.

"Hello, Tokyo Hospital, how may I help you?"

"Hi, I need to check on the status of a patient."

"Your name please?"

"Kaiou Michiru."

"And the patient?"

"Ten'ou Haruka."

"One moment please."

There was a click as the secretary put her on hold, then another as she

returned.

"I have a Ten'ou Teinei here to speak to you."

"Hello, Michiru-chan?"

"Teinei-san, thank goodness... how is she?"

"She's going to be fine."

Michiru breathed a sigh of relief.

"Her condition is stable, and so is Sunao-chan's. Sunao is awake, just a

bit tired. She could leave today, Haruka is questionable though... she

could be moved, but the doctors would prefer to keep her here. Katai is...

well, he took quite a blow to the head with that gun barrel... he'll be out

of it awhile... Which should give them time to pack up and get out of that

house as quick as they can."

"Where would they go?"

Teinei sighed. "I don't know... an apartment maybe. I just know it'll be

fine. Katai should be put in jail, I don't know the details yet."

"Is Haruka still unconscious?"

"She's with us sometimes. She keeps babbling, something about an angel?

With seagreen hair? Hmmm... "

Michiru blushed faintly. "Maybe it's because... she... she saw me... she

woke up a moment and..."

"Hmmmm... Well, don't want to embarrass you too much... What excuse did you

give Murasaki-chan?"

"Your father fell down the stairs, so you had to check up on him. Wasn't

serious after all, but you had to make sure."

"Good, that'll work. Otou-san _does_ have a tendency to slip on the stairs,

so if she happens to ask how he is since the incident, he won't know the

difference either."

"... Ah..."

"... Michiru-chan, why don't you go back to Haruka's and I'll pick you up

there and take you to see her?"

"All right... um, see you soon... bye."

Michiru hung up the phone and stood shakily. The conversation in the

kitchen continued. "I'll see you later!" she called in to them, not

waiting for a reply; they were too busy talking, something about seeing a

movie? Michiru didn't know what was going on; she just wanted to get out

of there and see Haruka.

Her mind didn't entirely register how she ended up at Haruka's, sitting

on her bed. She sat there for awhile, just gazing around the room. She

stood slowly and walked over to the dresser, carefully picking up the

delicate gold cross and matching chain. She ran her finger across the

smooth surface and carefully slipped it into her pocket.

There were several notebooks lying on the floor under the bed. She would

have overlooked them but for a tiny blue corner peaking out from the

comforter. She careful pulled it out and opened it. She was quite shocked

at what she saw in them.

Compositions for the piano spanned dozens of pages, sketches framing

carefully penned notes, poetry, song lyrics...

Michiru carefully laid it on the bed. She wasn't about to read it all; these

were Haruka's private thoughts. Besides, it would take much too long even if

she was willing to.

Teinei came not long after that. "Michiru-chan? Could you come downstairs?"

Michiru was shocked to see Sunao standing there when she came down. She'd

never really seen Haruka's mother, and didn't get a good look earlier, so

she was amazed at the resemblance between them. Sunao smiled sadly at her.

"Hello there."

"H-Hello."

Teinei nodded to Sunao and said, "Michiru-chan, this is Sunao. Sunao,

Kaiou Michiru."

Sunao slowly held her hand out to shake Michiru's trembling one.

"Teinei-san... what..."

Sunao bowed her head and closed her eyes, her voice choking up a bit as

she whispered, "I want to thank you for saving my and my daughter's lives.

I am not entirely sure how you went about it... but we owe you everything.

Thank you."

"Y-you're welcome..."

Teinei's eyes bore into her, and she felt guilty under that gaze,

pressured. "I believe you owe it to Sunao to tell her..."

Michiru stiffened. "But... why..."

"Trust me."

Sunao looked up at her. "I know that you weren't just 'passing by' when

you came to our rescue. Please... what's going on here?"

Michiru closed her eyes tightly and tried to ignore the dull pain in her

forehead. There was just too much going on too quickly... saving Haruka's

life twice, her revelation to her siblings, becoming a Senshi, receiving

these fragmented memories of her past...

"I was here because... I... I _love_ Haruka."

Time seemed to take a break that moment as the room fell silent at her

words.

"You... love... my daughter?"

Michiru lowered her head. "Yes." She felt hot tears sting her eyes. Damnit,

why did she listen to Teinei?! She'd probably have to answer all sorts of

questions, defend he--

She gasped in surprise when Sunao hugged her tightly, then drew away. "Oh

God... thank you... thank you... You don't know... how much this means..."

Sunao brushed away tears and said, "If you hadn't come here, we'd be dead.

I suspect you're the one that attended to Haruka last night as well. My

daughter has a future because of you... and hopefully..." Sunao lowered

her voice as she continued, "Haruka has no one. Katai drove her deep within

herself, and since this started, she's been alone. She desperately needs

someone... and... well, according to Teinei-chan, Haruka would probably

be interested in a loving relationship with someone such as yourself."

"Sunao-san... I don't think Haruka is ready," Michiru replied. "I... I

would love it if she was, but I can tell that she needs time to recover,

to rebuild her life. She has to be able to accept herself before I can

try to enter her life. Please don't tell her... I don't want to ruin my

chances before I have the opportunity to talk to her myself."

"I won't." Sunao paused a moment. "How long have you been in love with her?"

"A few months. I've been watching her since the first day of school."

Sunao seemed quite shocked. "So you've been coming to our house all this time?

I never even noticed."

"Well, I didn't intend to be."

Sunao chuckled, then said softly, "Michiru-chan, if you don't mind... it's

too dangerous for Haruka and I to stay here. We need to get out of here,

fast, and find someplace to stay. We borrowed a van from a friend... could

you help Teinei and I pack up as much as we can?"

"So soon?"

"Once Katai wakes up, he'll be dangerous. The authorities have no proof of

what really happened here, so they aren't going to charge him. We have to be

gone before he can track us down."

"All right."

"I'll get my things, could you attend to Haruka's? I have a feeling you

know what she would want to hang onto."

Michiru blushed slightly and nodded, then took some boxes upstairs to pack

stuff in. The first thing was definitely the notebooks. Michiru searched

around and packed some clothes that Haruka favored, some of her manga,

her school materials, and other items, then took them downstairs in shifts.

Sunao and Teinei were waiting.

"Well, let's get going," Teinei said.

Sunao took a last look around the place, then sighed bitterly. She was

almost violent when she locked the door, but was careful when placing

the boxes in the van. "Are you sure you got everything she'd want?"

"Positive."

"All right then."

They got in the van, Teinei driving. "We'll have to the hospital to get

Haruka-chan... I know the doctors won't like it, but she'll be in danger

if she stays there with Katai too long."

"Teinei-san, is it really a good idea for me to go, too?"

"Don't worry. They'll give her something to make sure she's sleepy; make

the move easier. I have an apartment lined up that a friend of mine is

moving out of, so we'll drop this stuff off first to make more room, then

get Haruka, all right?"

It didn't take long to finish that and get to the hospital. They were

escorted to Haruka's room in silence. After giving the doctor an

explanation, he prepared the necessary medication, then gave it to the

still unconscious Haruka.

"She'll sleep for several more hours, maybe wake up a few times, and will

be tired the next few days. Make sure she doesn't move except when

necessary; eating, using the restroom, etc. Anything else?"

"No matter what happens, my husband is not to know of this," Sunao said

sharply.

"Understood."

Haruka was stretched out in the backseat of the van, head cradled in

Michiru's arms. Sunao watched out of the corner of her eye the whole trip

to the apartment. Michiru gazed down at Haruka, and carefully pulled out

the cross necklace that she'd tucked into her pocket. She fastened it

around Haruka's neck and smiled softly at her. She gently stroked her

hair and touched her hand to her cheek.

It's going to be all right, she thought. Haruka will be safe now. I just

need to give her some time to recover. It'll be okay.

Haruka stirred very slightly, but didn't open her eyes, and was soon

fast asleep again. Sunao chuckled a bit when Michiru released the breath

she'd been holding.

"Worried?"

"A bit. She's seen me, but I'm not sure if she will remember me."

"Don't worry, I won't tell her what really happened... If she happens to

mention remembering you, I'll deny everything."

"Thank you."

It didn't take too long to reach the apartment. They had to be very

careful moving Haruka, but got her upstairs and tucked into a bed

without any trouble.

"I should probably go," Michiru whispered sadly. "It wouldn't be a good

idea to have me around."

Sunao handed her a slip of paper. "The number here... in case you want

to talk to me. I'll get yours from Teinei."

Michiru tensed a bit when Sunao hugged her, and nearly cried when she

hugged Teinei.

"It'll be okay, Michiru," Teinei whispered.

"I'm just so scared... I... I'm going to check on her one last time...

then I'll go."

Michiru slowly approached Haruka's bed, bending carefully over her.

"Please get well soon," she said softly, lightly touching her cheek.

Haruka's eyes fluttered slightly and she whispered, "Angel?"

Michiru smiled sadly, standing to adjust the blue notebook set on the

nightstand, and left, waving slightly to Sunao and Teinei, refusing a ride

home ("I need the time to think".)

Life was just too complicated sometimes.

"Oh good, looks like Michiru is the only one home," Kanpeki commented as

she walked to the front door with Murasaki. "No cars, and no lights

except hers."

"That's, um, that's good."

Kanpeki giggled a bit as she unlocked the door and took Murasaki's hand,

leading her into the house. She shut the door quietly behind them. "Whew,

I'm so full..."

"I told you they had the best food there," Murasaki said with a laugh.

"They sure did."

Kanpeki shuffled her feet as there was a bit of an awkward silence. "Well,

uh, what do you want to do now?..."

Murasaki smiled sweetly at her. "I wouldn't mind just spending some time

alone together."

"Oh..." Kanpeki blushed a bit as Murasaki took her hand and led her to

sit on the couch in the living room. "You know, I had the best time of

my life tonight."

"Wish I'd had the nerve to ask you out earlier," Murasaki said with a

laugh.

"Yeah..." Kanpeki smiled at her. "I'm really glad..." She quickly wiped

her eyes and looked away.

"What's wrong?" Murasaki leaned towards her and hugged her gently. "You

can tell me..."

"I just..." Kanpeki bit her lip and blushed, then smiled up at her. "To

tell the truth... I love you."

Murasaki blushed a bit, but smiled back at her. "I love you, too."

Kanpeki hugged her tightly, then started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, we spent all this time trying to hide our feelings... but we feel

the same!"

"It's a bit amusing..."

Kanpeki jumped when the clock struck the hour loudly.

"Ten o'clock already?!" Murasaki frowned. "Damnit... Teinei'll be

expecting me to get home."

"Do you _have_ to go?"

"She'll pitch a fit if I don't get home on time... sorry."

They heard Michiru call down right after that, "Kanpeki-chan, come up

here a moment..."

"I'll be there in a moment!" Kanpeki turned to Murasaki. "Guess I

won't be walking you home."

"Oh well," Murasaki said with a shrug. "... Call me?"

"Sure." Kanpeki shyly looked down. "Well... bye."

"Bye..."

Murasaki paused a moment, then bent forward and tenderly kissed Kanpeki's

lips. Kanpeki wrapped her arms around her neck and returned the kiss, then

they pulled away.

"I love you," Murasaki said softly.

"I love you, too."

Kanpeki waved as Murasaki left, watching her for awhile, then shut and

locked the door. She walked up the stairs to Michiru's room in a daze.

"What is it, Michiru?"

Michiru looked up from her sketchbook. "Sorry, I didn't interrupt you

two, did I?"

"Um, not really, I suppose..."

"So... you went on a date?"

"Yeah..."

"Well? How was it?"

"The best night of my life," Kanpeki sighed. "And..." she blushed a bit.

"Well, I told her... I told her I loved her, and... and she said she

loves me, too... and we kissed before she left."

"That's great!" Michiru said excitedly, but her smile seemed a bit sad.

"What did you need me for?"

"It, um, it wasn't that important actually... I just wanted you to tell

Teinei whenever you go to see Murasaki that I won't be visiting tomorrow...

I need some time by myself to think."

"All right," Kanpeki said. "Well, I'm going to go call her now, so I'll tell

her."

"Thanks."

"Sleep well, onee-chan."

"You, too..."

~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 7

~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Haruka stirred and woke up. She lay there in the bed,

unmoving, thinking of nothing in particular for a few minutes.

The ceiling was different. The walls, the bed, the window... Hmmmm...

where am I anyways?

She tried to sit up, and found herself too weak to do so. She sighed

and settled in again. She glanced down at herself, at the bandages

and gauze she was used to seeing, at the pajamas that someone must've

put on her while she was unconscious.

what happened this time?

Katai... grabbing her around the neck, beating her... her mother...

pulling a gun... It was hard to remember...

Haruka gulped a bit... she couldn't quite remember anything... what

happened earlier, the previous day?... she seemed to remember seeing

someone... no, that was impossible...

She realized she was wearing her cross. She hadn't been when Katai

attacked... where had it come from?

She heard someone in the other room, then sounds in the kitchen of

breakfast being started. Sunao walked in shortly afterwards.

"Haruka..." she breathed a sigh of relief. "It's... it's good to see

you awake. How do you feel?"

"M-mom? I... I'm so weak... so tired... Am I... am I going to be ok?"

Sunao hugged her tight, fighting back tears. "You will be. You lost

a lot of blood, so you'll definitely feel weak for awhile... but that'll

pass."

"Where are we?"

"A friend's apartment, generously given to us now. I... I had to get

you away... I had to make sure Katai couldn't hurt you again. Your

stuff is here, as much as we could bring. I'm going to enroll you in a

different school..."

"Where?"

"It's called Goban Yobi-ko... a very elite preparatory school, quite

pricey, but I think it'll be good for you. I can't be sending you to

public, not with what's going on. I'll... I'll need to find a new job,

so Katai can't track me... you... you better hide as much about yourself

as you can. Money will be tight for awhile... if you feel up to it, you

could get a part-time job to help out..."

"Mom... go ahead and cry. It's ok."

Sunao covered her face in her hands and Haruka awkwardly held her as

she sobbed.

"I should have seen it sooner... put an end to it! Now look what's

happened!"

"It's not your fault. It's all _his_ fault. Don't blame yourself. It's

going to be ok." Haruka felt a bit silly comforting her mom, but she

understood that it needed to be done. "I'll find some sort of job to help

out, ok? Something that I'll earn a lot in... I don't think it'll be easy

to hide myself too much."

Sunao wiped her eyes and drew back. "Don't reveal any details of your

past, obviously. Keep to yourself. Dress different, act different,

whatever it takes. It will be a bit suspicious... I mean, if he does

try to find us, and sees there's a girl who happens to be named Ten'ou

Haruka at that school..."

Haruka suddenly had an idea.

"No... I don't have to be a _girl_."

Sunao looked at her quizzically. "Haruka-chan, what is _that_ supposed

to mean?"

"You said I have to hide myself, right? Well... it'll be a bit awkward

to do, but... I could just get the boys' uniform and act like a boy,

and no one would be the wiser."

Sunao considered it. "It's not that I mind it, but..." She chuckled a bit.

"Haruka, you have a lot to hide, you realize. Things boys don't have."

Haruka blushed and covered her chest with her arms. "Well... the jackets

are thick..."

"And your face is rather--"

"Could hide with makeup maybe... darken my eyebrows and cut my hair even

shorter or something."

Sunao sighed. "It's a good way to hide... a bit unusual, but it'll work,

I believe... Well, better get back to making breakfast." She turned and

left.

Haruka looked over at her nightstand and saw her blue notebook lying

there. She grabbed it, fearful that someone might have looked through

it. She recorded everything in it, and if someone saw it...

It was untouched, thank goodness. What was it doing out? What was

going on here?

Haruka had to struggle to get over to the kitchen when breakfast was

ready, refusing her mother's help; she wanted to do it on her own.

Sunao didn't really say anything. She just sat, ate, and sighed. Haruka

noticed her neck was bruised, and she had difficulty swallowing.

Haruka pushed her food around a bit when she'd finished. A meal this

big would have normally been finished quickly to satisfy her nearly

constant hunger, but she felt too tired and strangely didn't want

to eat. She looked down at herself, how thin she'd become, how obviously

female she was, and grimaced a bit.

It was going to take a _lot_ of work to trick people into thinking she

was a guy.

Sunao told her she'd start at the new school in a week and should

try to be ready by then. Haruka nodded and stumbled back into her

room. She grabbed her notebook and started scribbling down notes, then

searched for some colored pencils. Strange, they'd been placed in the

drawer she'd always kept them in... but this was a different dresser.

How would anyone have know where do put them?

Maybe it had something to do with that weird feeling she got all the

time, as if someone was watching her... maybe someone was. Maybe they'd

arranged her things.

She scrawled several notes, scribbling a bit of a picture, of sorts.

She'd never taken drawing seriously, nor writing; she just figured if

she got it down on paper, it was good enough. When she took her time,

she could write quite well, but had never put effort into art.

Hmmm... She really needed to get out and exercise. She was getting

too weak... plus, having some muscle would help if she was going to

fake being a guy. It took Haruka awhile to get dressed and convince

Sunao she'd be okay if she went out on her own for a jog. She wasn't

even sure herself if she could handle it. She had to do it... she

convinced herself of it.

The streets were relatively calm today, which was a surprise. She

took things slow, keeping a steady but careful pace as she headed for

the park... not the one by her old house, but the large park everyone

seemed to go to. Huge lake, trees everywhere... she'd rarely come

here, and was pleasantly surprised. The wind off the lake was

wonderful, quite nice. She circled around the lake, slowing as she

came towards a street leading off somewhere. She felt a bit curious to

see what exactly was out there-- she hadn't gotten out much in the

past few years, after all. She walked at a brisk pace towards...

hmmm, a large stadium, lots of noise coming from it...

She stopped when she reached the chain-link fence, and watched with

wide, excited eyes at the sight.

It was a race track... cars zooming by everywhere, fans cheering

ecstatically... but best of all was the speed... everything was going

so quickly, and she could feel the breeze stirred up by the cars even

from the distance she was at.

Haruka was _definitely_ interested in this.

There had to be a way in somewhere... ahhh, there it was, a garage on

the far side, gone unnoticed by most. A small section of the fence

was loose... perfect. Haruka had to suck in her breath a bit to slip

through, but it was otherwise easy to get in. They should have tighter

security. She sat down on the concrete, so close to the track now. Her

eyes were aglow as she watched the cars zip by. Oh, to be able to go

that fast! Like the wind...

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!"

Haruka jumped with a start, quickly standing and whirling around to

face the voice. An older man stood there, hair almost entirely gray and

balding, but his blue eyes still sharp. He looked a bit tired, but he was

no doubt quite strong in his day, not to say he was weak now.

"I... I... came to see..." Haruka didn't know what to say. She was in

big trouble now...

"Watch the race, huh?"

Haruka nodded slowly and glanced at the track again. Damnit, she wanted

to be out there!

He seemed amused and leaned against the wall. "Name's Engi, yours?"

"Eh?" Haruka turned, eyebrow lifted quizzically. "Why do you care?"

"Well, you trespassed for one thing... but I might just let you go. I

run this garage here, and you seem pretty interested in the cars. I

could let you help out... but of course, that's up to you, Miss

Anonymous."

Haruka lowered her eyes in embarrassment. "My name's... um, Haruka...

I... sorry, I'm not used to... being around people."

"That's all right. Don't need people skills to work with a machine."

Engi chuckled a bit. "Want to come in and take a peak? Got a couple

cars just waiting to get out on the track... sheesh, look at the

crowd today! It's just a practice, too!... Anyways, a couple guys

gonna be headed out soon, so you could take a look at the cars a

bit before they go."

"Um, sure!"

Engi laughed loudly. "You're a real character, Haruka-chan. I can

see it already. Haven't even been around these babies before, have

you?"

"No... I just was out for a walk and stumbled across the place."

Her eyes gleamed a bit. "I saw how fast they went, and I wanted to

be in one, going that fast, too."

Engi chuckled. "Look out, a girl wanting to race!"

Haruka glared at him. "Something wrong with that?"

Engi winked. "Not at all. I've slipped a couple into the races before.

All it takes is a clever disguise and a few mannerisms, and the

officials never know otherwise."

"Huh?"

He sighed then. "You really don't get out... Women aren't allowed to

race, according to the rules. But I'm not afraid to bend them for

someone who has what it takes to be a good driver. Show me what you

got, prove you can hide what you are, and you just might end up behind

the wheel. Whaddya say?"

Haruka wanted to burst with excitement. "Deal!"

"All right then, let's go show you some of these cars, eh?"

He opened a small door to the garage and lead her in. The air smelled of

gasoline and sweat, the sound of engines roaring and tools at work

deafening. Haruka was overjoyed. Engi lead her around, just letting

her see the cars for now, "Look but don't touch!," pausing to say hi

to the drivers he knew, then took her into his office in the back where

it was quieter.

"Well, what do you think?"

"It's great!"

"I knew you'd say that," he said with a grin. "Today's too busy to

try you out in one, but tomorrow it'll be all clear. Just a few

people out on the track, enough to make it interesting but not

dangerous for a beginner. If we can train you well enough... well,

you might just be in for some races."

Haruka eagerly rubbed her hands together.

"Hey, Engi-san!"

A tall, black haired man was pounding on the doorframe. His fire suit

was slick with grease, and a small trail of blood trickled down the

side of his head. "We could use a hand out here, you know!"

"Be right there, Hayasa-san," Engi replied. "C'mon, Haruka-chan, you

need to see what makes a car run."

Haruka followed, carefully to dodge people running around and tools

tossed from driver to mechanic and back again. She was caught up in

the hectic pace of it all, eager to be a part of it.

Engi stopped in front of a long, shiny red car with sponsor's stickers

plastered all over it. He popped open the hood and looked around

carefully. Hayasa was talking about some stuff she didn't understand,

and she just peered in, wondering what all the parts did.

Something caught her eye, a person moving in the background. She

turned quickly, and was surprised to see a familiar face... she'd only

seen pictures, but...

"Murasaki?!"

The girl whirled around, looking for the source of the voice. Her

eyes landed on Haruka, staring in shock. She made her way over quickly

an excited look on her face.

"Haruka?"

Haruka had never actually met her third cousin. Teinei'd briefly

mentioned her, Sunao spoke of her occasionally, but that was it.

"Strange place for a first meeting, isn't it?" Murasaki chuckled.

"Great to finally run into you!"

"Yeah..." Haruka scratched her head, at loss for words. "Ummmm...

so... what are you doing here?"

"Just stopping by for a moment. A friend of mine works on-- Hayasa-

kun! What's wrong with it now?!"

Hayasa grinned up at her. "Brakes out of alignment, almost had a

crash out there the other day!"

"You idiot! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

Hayasa shrugged. "The life of a racer... full of risks. It's worth

it though." He chuckled and went back to work.

"Your friend, I assume?"

Murasaki chuckled. "Yup. He's a nut, but he's a good guy."

"Is he your bo... ah... y'know..."

Murasaki looked a cross between nauseous and exploding with laughter.

"Oh my god, no way!"

It was then that Haruka finally noticed the girl that had been

silently following Murasaki around. It was when she laughed a bit

at Murasaki's comment that Haruka noticed her. She seemed quite...

small; she was short and slender, and had a sort of detached air to her,

like she didn't belong and knew it.

"Oh, uh, Haruka-chan... I should have said something sooner, this is

Kanpeki, my gi-- uh, my good friend."

Haruka's ears had perked a bit, and she felt a bit disappointed when

Murasaki ended up saying "good friend" instead of what she'd thought

she'd say. Haruka had always wanted to meet someone else "like her"

to talk to about it.

Kanpeki rolled her eyes slightly and giggled. "We can tell _her_,

Mura-chan!" She held out her hand to Haruka, eyes twinkling a bit,

and said, "Let's try this again. I'm Kanpeki, and as of yesterday,

I'm her girlfriend."

Haruka was much more pleased to hear that. "Nice to meet you," she

said, shaking her hand. "... as of yesterday?"

Murasaki blushed faintly. "Well, we, uh, didn't really go out until,

uh, yesterday and all..."

"Yeah, and if _someone_ had only had the courage to bring it up sooner,

*ahem*."

Murasaki winked. "You know you were just as nervous as me."

Haruka had zoned a bit during their teasing banter. In her mind, she

was picturing herself with a girlfriend of her own someday, with...

"So, Haruka--" Haruka had to shake her head clear of visions of aqua

and blue, "--what have you been up to?"

"I... um..." Haruka had to think up an excuse, quick. "Well..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, geez, we only know each other through parents and...

let's see, Teinei is my... second cousin? I think..."

"No, it's okay... I was just... I thought the track looked interesting,

wanted to see--"

Engi popped up with a grin. "She wants to drive, that's what!"

"Ah!" Murasaki gave Haruka a knowing wink. "Good luck!"

"Er..."

"Maybe I should stick around awhile, see you drive, huh? I have plenty

of time on my hands. Could stay hours, if I have to!"

Kanpeki smiled at Haruka. "She's just being silly. I hope it works out

for you... it's hard for girls to get into racing, I'm sure Engi-san's

told you." She turned to Murasaki. "We need to be going now, you know...

Mic-- uh, my sister's waiting for us and all."

"Right... right... well, see you, Haruka-chan."

"Um, bye, Murasaki-chan."

Haruka was amazed at the two; she'd never thought two girls really

could have a relationship. She shook her head and turned back to

watching Engi and Hayasa work on the car.

"Is she done yet?" Michiru asked Kanpeki quietly.

"Yup. See, told you it wouldn't take long. Now we can go to that art

museum!"

Michiru would ordinarily be excited, but today she felt sleepy and had

no interest in anything. The only reason she'd gone with Murasaki and

Kanpeki was because her parents decided they should all spend time

together, not realizing their blond daughter had other reasons for

wanting to spend time with Murasaki. Michiru had no interest in racing,

so she stayed outside while the couple went inside.

"Hey, Michiru-chan, you'll never believe who we saw in there!" Kanpeki

said excitedly.

"... No, I probably won't, who?"

"Haruka!"

Michiru's eyes shot up. "You've got to be kidding."

"Nope, it was definitely her," Murasaki said. "We talked a little bit.

She seems to have taken an interest in racing."

"She's in there?! Now?!"

"Calm down!" Kanpeki said.

"Did she... um, did she seem all right?"

Murasaki and Kanpeki exchanged a confused glance. "I got the impression

that she's a bit... well, out of it. She didn't say that much, kinda

fumbled for words and mumbled a lot. I guess she doesn't get out much

or something."

"...Yeah..."

"She's very pretty," Kanpeki said in a helpful tone.

Murasaki looked shocked. "Kanpeki!"

"Don't worry, I still think you're the most beautiful person in the

world," she said with a wink, "but that doesn't mean there aren't

other pretty people around."

"Do you, um, think she's still there?"

"Onee-chan... there's a lot of people in there, and most of them

are guys. I think they'd notice you watching her, and I don't think

it'd be easy to keep an eye on her while fighting off all their silly

flirting, you know?"

Michiru sighed sadly. "Yeah..."

"C'mon, we'll go to the museum and have fun. You can see her some other

time."

"... Oh ok..."

"And we better hurry... you have to go record some more, don't you?"

"Yeah... I have to make that CD," Michiru grumbled.

"What're parents for, eh? Hey, wouldn't it be interesting if they

actually noticed _me_, too? I mean, they are soooo ignorant--"

"Yeah..."

Haruka left the track a few hours later, after promising Engi and

Hayasa she'd return the following day. Engi was really great, she

decided, almost like... she sighed bitterly, like a _real_ father,

unlike her own. And Hayasa... he was just such a nut, and she could

see he was good to his friends. She'd never really had friends before

... except... Again, a bitter sigh, remembering her childhood friends,

Sai and Cindy.

She was inwardly expecting the reaction she got when she finally got

home.

"Where have you been?!" Sunao shouted, wringing her hands in upset.

"I've been worried sick about you!"

"I'm sorry, okaa-san... I was..." Haruka grinned sheepishly. "I was at the

race track."

"And _what_ were you doing there?!"

"Oh okaa-san, it was so wonderful! Everything moves so fast, and I met this

nice guy named Engi who runs the garage and he says I can try out driving

tomorrow, and maybe I can race, too!"

"Race?" Sunao sat down hard on the couch and grabbed a half-full glass

that was sitting there. "Haruka-chan... you know only men can race."

"I know, I know... but Engi-san said he'll sneak me in... and I'm going

to have to pretend I'm a boy anyways, so it'll be just like... I dunno,

extra practice."

"I don't know... racing isn't very safe..." Sunao took a sip from the

glass and slowly swallowed.

"Well... think of the money, okaa-san!"

Sunao sighed. "If... if you really want to... but you had better be VERY

careful, young lady!"

Haruka laughed and hugged her tightly. "I will, I will!"

They sat for a bit, then Sunao asked, "Anything else interesting happen?"

"Well... I ran into Murasaki-san while I was there. She was visiting her

friend, Hayasa-san."

"Oh really? That's good. How is she?"

"She's... fine. Just great."

Sunao raised an eyebrow. "Ahhhh... Say, was she there with anyone?"

Haruka nervously asked, "Why?"

Sunao chuckled and leaned back. "Teinei says Murasaki's been interested

in this nice girl named Kanpeki for awhile, and she thought they might

have gone out--"

"Oh all right, yes, they were there together and yes, they are seeing each

other now-- just last night, ok? That was their first date."

"That's great," Sunao said with a smile. "Teinei's was always talking

about how she wished Murasaki would meet a nice girl... It's amusing,

actually, how she looks at Murasaki as if she were a daughter even though

she's a second cousin..."

Haruka voice wavered a bit as she asked, "Okaa-san, do you find it...

um, unusual that... Murasaki... uh, likes girls?"

Sunao raised an eyebrow to her. "Well, it's not what most people are,

but there's nothing wrong with it, nothing at all. I've had many friends

that were... er, well, why do you ask?"

Haruka looked away. "... No reason..."

Sunao gazed down into her glass. "A shame you can't just tell me," she

whispered.

Haruka jumped a bit. "Uh, er, what do you mean?"

"I hoped you would just admit it to me on your own, but I guess I'll have

to just bring it up myself." Sunao let her glass down, then sat in a prim

fashion, legs crossed with hands resting on her knees. "You're lesbian."

Haruka coughed a bit and tried to look anywhere but at her mother. "Um...

well... uh..."

Sunao smiled and chuckled. "Haruka, you don't have to hide it from me. I'm

your _mother_. Believe me, I'm fine with it."

Haruka blushed a bit. "Really?"

"Yes." Sunao gave her a hug. "I'm not one of those psycho moms that is

desperate for grandchildren and will stop at nothing to get their daughter

together with any guy willing to have them."

"That's good," Haruka said, laughing weakly.

"You still seem a bit... well, why can't you just be open with me? We never

talked much at all until today."

"I know... I know..." Haruka fought back tears. "But... I just... after my

father--"

"Not otou-san?" Sunao asked with amusement.

"pfttt! He's just some bast-- uhhhh, he's a jerk, and I won't call him by

that."

"Heh heh, go on."

"Well... he... found out... Sai-chan came over to ask me out, and it

slipped... guess it was too obvious on my face... my father saw the

whole thing and... well, you know how he was..."

"Oh, Haruka, I would never hurt you, not my own daughter!"

Haruka sighed and lay back on the couch. "I know... but... I'm just so

afraid to tell anyone _anything_, after what he did..." Haruka clenched

her fist tightly. "He really messed me up..."

"Things will be all right," Sunao said soothingly. "You can work past it."

"Yeah..." Haruka mumbled. "I hope so."

"You'll meet someone, one day, just like Murasaki did."

Haruka raised an eyebrow slightly. "Are you _sure_ you have no

objections?"

"As long as you're happy," Sunao said with a smile.

"Hmmm." Haruka shut her eyes, struggling with her thoughts. God, why

couldn't she remember... she vaguely remembered seeing someone...

But as for what Sunao had said... maybe one day she could meet someone...

she blushed a bit at the thought.

"You all right, Haruka?"

"F-fine."

Haruka ran to her room and quickly slammed the door.

Sunao laughed a bit. Haruka was a bit flustered over the idea... it was

quite cute. That was good, she was starting to feel things again, she

wasn't shut off to her emotions... and the sooner she recovered, the

sooner she could meet that nice girl, Michiru, and... well, Michiru was

quite interested in a relationship, and Haruka should be, too...

Sunao sat back in her chair and smiled.

Haruka sat, leaning against the door. She could feel her heart racing

quickly. God, why did she have to--

What the hell...

She couldn't see... everything had gone black...

Red and black swirling around, so dark... the wind was cold,

terrifying...

A building, crumbling, shattering, destroyed by energy...

A beautiful girl in a sailor suit, hovering in the air, surrounded

in a greenish glow, eyes closed, hands folded together...

"The Silence is approaching. We have to find the Messiah quickly.

Only you and I can do this!"

Haruka shuddered as she opened her eyes. The girl in the vision... she

seemed familiar...

What could something that horrible mean? Why had she seen such a vision?

She rubbed her temples a bit.

"I'm going crazy. I really am going crazy."

**********

It wasn't as hard as Sunao expected to enroll Haruka at Goban Yobi-ko.

True, she had to make up things for some parts of the application and

lie on others, but it would all work out in the end.

Once they'd processed the form and called her back, she went to the

school to pick up Haruka's new uniform.

Sunao was in awe the moment she stepped foot on the campus. It was clearly

a very serious preparatory school, with all the latest facilities.

She went to the main office and waited a suprisingly short amount of time

for the uniform to be delivered to her. She raised a quizzical eyebrow as

she looked over it; pants with a sky blue and navy plaid pattern and sky

blue jacket, white dress shirt, and a navy tie. She sighed inwardly; it was

for the best, though Sunao thought Haruka would look silly in it.

She was turning to leave when she bumped into a woman with wavy blue

hair pulled back in a tight bun. She quickly muttered an apology, then

noticed the woman seemed familiar.

"Pardon me, do we know each other?" the other woman asked.

"I was just about to ask the same thing!" Sunao said with a laugh.

The woman held out her hand. "Kaiou Ki."

"Kaze Sunao-- waitaminute..." Sunao had a sharp memory, and she

remembered vaguely a trip to the grocery store while pregnant...

"Ah, I remember now. We met a long time ago; you were pregnant with

triplets and..." Sunao bit her lip a bit, "I was pregnant with twins."

Ki's forehead crinkled with amusement. "Good memory. I seem to remember

you by another name... ?"

"I, ah, am filing for divorce... my last name had been Ten'ou."

"Say, I know a woman named Ten'ou Teinei, an in-law maybe?"

"My best friend! Yes, she was my sister-in-law... How do you know her?"

"She's my neighbor, actually," Ki said with a laugh. "The girl who lives

with her is great friends with one of my daughters... one of the triplets,

as a matter of fact."

"Oh really? Hmmm, so, tell me about them."

"Well, there's the oldest, Genki, the middle Michiru, and the youngest is

Kanpeki. Genki, he's the sweetie, pretty good in school... Michiru loves art,

the violin, swimming, and she's quite smart..."

A cold shock went through Sunao. Kaiou Michiru... that nice girl that liked

Haruka, that had saved their lives!

"--and Kanpeki's the quiet one of the family, and I don't believe she's ever

had friends over until Murasaki-- that's the girl staying with Teinei."

"Oh yes, I know Murasaki..." She was pretty much tuning out the babble about

the kids. Hmmm, wait, did she mention a girl named--

"Oh I'm sorry! I forgot about you and Teinei... Anyways, Kanpeki's smart and

seems to like art somewhat" Ki's voice beamed with pride. "A good, large family,

all attending this school."

"That's wonderful."

"So, how are the twins?"

Sunao felt a sharp pang in her heart, and would have confessed completely

what happened, but instead just said, "I'm enrolling the survivor here,

one died shortly after birth."

"My God! I'm so sorry!" Ki's eyes grew wide and concerned.

"It's all right... it was... it was a long time ago. And I still have a

child." Sunao smiled slightly, sadly.

"I wish we could talk more, but I have errands to run. Good to see you

again, Sunao-san."

"You too, Ki-san."

They parted their separate ways then.

It was just as Sunao was sitting down in her car that the humor of the

situation hit her.

"Kanpeki and Michiru are sisters? But... Kanpeki's seeing Murasaki...

and Michiru is interested in Haruka..."

Sunao had a good, long laugh about that as she drove home.

"Here it is," Sunao said as she handed Haruka the uniform.

Haruka wrinkled her nose up a bit. "And I only have till tomorrow to be

used to it."

"It's not that bad."

"But... it has _plaid_..."

"The high school uniform has it, too."

Haruka sighed bitterly. "Oh well..."

"You better try it on, you know. Make sure it fits and that your...

that you look like a boy in it."

Haruka nodded and carried it into her room. This was going to take a bit

of work. She slipped on a sports bra before putting on the uniform, then

checked herself in the mirror. It didn't _quite_ hide her... but it wasn't

that noticeable.

"Now, what can I do about my face and hands?"

Haruka quickly concluded that nothing could be done for her hands, and

went to work with makeup. After applications of dark eyebrow pencil, some

pale colored mascara that made the tips of her lashes looked more sun-bleached

(and thereby looking shorter), and some fancy use of concealer and powder to

make her face seem more masculine, plus a tiny bit of cologne, she stepped out

into the living room.

Sunao's hands flew to her mouth and she stood up slowly. "Haruka... you

really pulled it off."

Haruka grinned sheepishly. "Good!"

"Wow... I think this may work. You're... well, you're tall enough and your

voice is deep enough to pass for a guy's--"

"Hey!"

"I'm not trying to be insulting! Anyways, I think you'll do fine... Mmm,

wait, you _are_ wearing a bra?"

Haruka's face turned bright red. "_Yes_, of course!"

"That isn't going to work, doesn't hide it enough. I think..." Sunao sighed.

"Wait here a moment."

"What are you doing?"

"You'll see."

Sunao returned with long strips of cloth. "Now, it's going to be uncomfor--"

"Okaa-san! That'll _hurt_!"

"Well, how else will you hide it? You... uh, fill out the top too much to

hide with just a bra."

Haruka grumbled and took the cloth, slamming the door to her room. She

returned after a few minutes.

"There you go, perfect."

"This is quite irritating."

"Well, it works, doesn't it?"

"_You_ try binding your breasts. It is _not_ enjoyable."

Sunao chuckled a bit. "Let's just go in and get your hair trimmed... it'll

give you the chance to practice, anyways."

The hair salon wasn't that far from the apartment, so the drive was rather

short. Haruka held the door for Sunao, who almost laughed at the sight, the

followed her to the counter.

"How may I help you?" the blond lady behind the counter asked.

"My son would like a haircut," Sunao said calmly.

The blond rather obviously and appreciatively looked Haruka over. "I

just need to take your name down, and it'll be about a fifteen minute

wait."

"Haruka."

"Howsabout a phone number?" she asked with a wink.

"Ahhh... sorry, I don't have time for a girlfriend."

Sunao led Haruka to the chairs, chuckling softly.

"You definitely can fool people," Sunao commented quietly.

"Uh, yeah, I guess I do."

"And you are remembering to use masculine terms instead of feminine; very,

very good job."

"Ummm... thanks."

Haruka kinda liked having that woman flirt with her. No one had ever

flirted with her before, except for (*shudder*) Sai-chan.

"You really wouldn't have minded having her phone number, would you?"

"Oh hush, okaa-san!... She's not my type, anyways."

It drove her nuts waiting for her turn. She had never been patient,

and waiting for fifteen minutes with nothing to do was torture.

"Ten'ou Haruka?"

Finally! Haruka went over and sat in the indicated chair, and a balding,

mustached man starting getting hair tools together.

"So, what are we in for today, sir?"

Haruka laughed silently to herself and said, "I need a major trim... it's

getting too long in the back, need a bit off the sides and bangs, too."

He looked over her hair and chuckled. "You sure've let it go! How long has

it been since you've gotten it cut?"

Haruka shrugged and he got to work.

She was pleased at how quickly things went from there. In no time, she was

out the door with Sunao and heading home.

"Well, do you like your hair?" Sunao asked as they were driving.

"Eh, it's definitely different... but it makes the guise more convincing."

"Well, it _is_ quite convincing."

"Yeah... just got to make sure I talk and act like a guy... and it wouldn't

hurt to gain a little weight; I'm so thin, ugh! I need to fill out the shoulders

a bit more."

"Shouldn't be too hard after awhile."

"Yeah."

They were stuck in traffic awhile before they reached home, and Haruka

promptly went to remove the bindings and put on a loose shirt, then went into

the kitchen for a snack. Now that she could actually eat when she was hungry

rather than let it go away because she didn't acknowledge it, she was eating

quite often. Sunao wasn't mad that she ate a lot; like Haruka said, she needed

to gain weight.

"Well, I need to go to the grocery store and the mall to get some things,

so I'll see you later, all right?"

Haruka nodded and mumbled, "Bye, okaa-san," between bites of food as Sunao

was walking out the door.

Once she was done eating, she flopped onto the bed in her room, grabbed her

notebook, and started writing frantically about the vision she'd had.

**********

Haruka wobbled slightly on her feet as she stepped out of the car, a huge

grin on her face. Engi and Hayasa were clapping enthusiastically, and

several other racers gave her encouraging slaps on the back. It was the

third time she'd taken the car out on the track, and she'd performed

perfectly.

"Waa hoo! I can't believe it!" Engi shouted, laughing as he shook his head.

"It took months, no, years to get some of these boys in shape to race, and

you just went out there like there was nothin' to it! Incredible!"

"Guess it just comes naturally to me," Haruka said with a sheepish smile.

"I'd like to do a practice run with you," Hayasa said, eyes gleaming. "Let's

see how you do with someone else out there."

Haruka laughed and shrugged. "Why not?"

She slid behind the seat of the Formula 1 car, pulling the helmet back on

over her head. Hayasa gave her a thumbs up and they both turned to watch

the signals. Haruka felt the sudden exhilaration as she had before once she

hit the accelerator and shot down the track. She couldn't believe how

wonderful it was, going so incredibly fast, with only your skills and

instincts to keep you from making a fatal mistake.

Hayasa shot out from behind her and pulled ahead. The corner of her mouth

twitched and she pulled in front of him effortlessly. This was a hard sport?

It was _fun_! He tried to nudge her to the side to get around her, but she

kept him back. She floored the accelerator and finished the final lap with

ease. Once she was able to slow to a stop, she practically leapt from the seat,

shouting out loudly in excitement.

"You _have_ to let me enter a race, Engi-san, pleeease!" She clasped her hands

in front of her as she plead with him. "You see how well I do!"

"Not so fast," he said, steadying her with his hand. "You need more than a day's

worth of driving, just to make sure. And you need to make sure you can handle more

than just one other car being out there with you."

"Well, let's get more out there then! I want to race!"

Engi laughed, and Hayasa came over with his hand stretched towards her. "Incredible

performance, Haruka-chan. I can't believe a beginner beat _me_."

"Maybe you're not as good as you think," she said with a wink.

"On the contrary," Engi said quietly, "he's one of the top racers in Japan right

now."

Haruka felt her heart thud hard. "Really? Hayasa-kun?"

"It's true. Believe me, I didn't hold back at all out there. You have some real

natural talent, Haruka-chan, to beat me that easily on your first try!"

"Um, wow!"

Hayasa and Engi both laughed.

"C'mon, girl, you better get out there again. Howsabout we race you next week if

you do good the next few days?"

"Yesssss!!"

~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 8

~~~~~~~~~~

"Class, we have a new student. Everyone, this is Ten'ou Haruka."

Haruka bowed to the class, who had just finished bowing to the teacher,

ignoring the stares of pretty much all the girls in the class. The guys all

had jealous looks on their faces, immediately recognizing a rival for the

girls' attention.

Kemmei-sensei pushed up his glasses and turned to Haruka. "Would you

like to say anything to the class, Ten'ou-san?"

"No, thank you."

"All right, why don't you take one of the empty seats in the back? We'll

be rotating seats soon, anyways."

Haruka nodded and went to the back of the room and took a seat off to

the side by a window where no one else was. She winked as she went by to

a girl who was staring especially hard at her. Might as well fit the part,

she thought with a laugh. Guys seem to flirt at every cute girl in sight.

"Well, class, we better get going or we'll be late for tyourei. Everyone

head for the stairs; no way we can all fit in the elevators, and after

the fiasco last week..."

Haruka heard various groans as everyone lined up and walked downstairs to

the courtyard. Haruka whistled under her breath at the number of students

attending this school. Then again, with a school this enormous, they had

better have a lot of people to occupy the space. She'd heard a rumor that

there were actually some rooms on campus where students lived, those who

had been sent from so far away that returning home except for weekends

and holidays would be torture. She stood with her class, not really paying

attention to the principal's speech, something about cherry blossoms and

studying, somehow trying to connect them. Ah well.

The class went back to their room after that for History. Bleecccch.

While the teacher was talking about some silly historical thing, Haruka

quietly wrote in her notebook. No sense in being bored. She got quite a

number of poems finished.

The teacher called on her to answer a question. Just as she opened her

mouth to speak, it hit her again.

Blood red dripping across the sky, black splatters, waves of color

Sharp pain of the wind, hit with the pieces of a falling building...

Beautiful girl floating in the air, glowing, talking about the Silence,

the Messiah, our duty...

"Ten'ou-san? Is something wrong?"

"No, Kemmei-sensei," she said, then answered the question.

Damn that vision! Why now?... Why at all?! What did it mean? She'd had it

twice between the first and this, at least during the day, and she saw

it when she slept. What did it mean?

Once the lecture was finally over, the class had a long break, fifteen minutes

to be exact, so they could talk a bit and get to their next class. Suddenly,

it seemed all the girls in the class had swarmed around her.

"Nice to meet you, Ten'ou-san!" "Oh wow, he's SO cute!" "Do you have a

girlfriend?" "Back off, he's MINE!" "*sigh* He has such nice eyes!" "Do

you want some of my bento at lunch today?" "No way, he's gonna eat MY

bento!" "_Mine_!" "MINE!"

"Ok ok, calm down, girls," Haruka said, about ready to throttle them.

"Suuuuure," they sighed dreamily.

"Excuse me please, I have to go... I have another class to get to..."

"Ohhhh... fiiiine..."

Haruka rolled her eyes as she got on the elevator and went several floors

up for the next class.

Oh yay, a language class of sorts... I really hate this subject... God, I

can't wait for class to be over; this is so boring! Haruka lay her head down

and almost fell asleep.

It was off to an appointment with the guidance counselor at the start of

the next class. She had refused to take P.E. and had to discuss her 'options'

with the school.

"Now, while I find my things, tell me why you won't take P.E., Ten'ou-san,"

the old woman told her.

Haruka sighed. This would be _fun_. "I don't see the necessity of it. I'm

already great at sports. I'm part of a racing team now--"

"Racing?"

"Motor-sports."

"Ah, really? Well, we require that you have some form of school board

sponsored physical activity. Anything you'd be interested in? Lessee,

basketball, volleyball, fencing, football..."

Haruka yawned.

"Well, what would you enjoy?"

"I dunno."

"Hmmm, there's after-school track... you could do that, and this could be

a free period."

"Is this strictly our school?" Haruka didn't want to reveal her gender any

more than she had to.

"Well, several schools meet a few times a week. There's only... lessee, one

person from our school in there... but it would count in place of physical

education."

"All right, that'll be fine."

"Good! Now, why don't you go to the library or something... do something

educational, ok?"

"... Right..."

At lunch that day, Haruka once again had to fight off crazed girls, and

finally left the cafeteria to find somewhere else to eat. If she'd know she'd

get this much trouble from them, she might have just gone ahead and worn the

girls' uniform.

"Hey, Haruka, how's it going?"

Haruka turned to see Murasaki waving to her. She smiled and waved her over.

"Fine, Murasaki-chan, good to see you."

Murasaki lowered her voice and asked, "What's the guy's uniform for?"

"...I don't want anyone to know anything about me."

"That's odd. Ah well, whatever pleases you. Frankly, I think it'd be more

comfortable than this..." Murasaki gestured to the skirt she wore.

"Er... well, this isn't so great... It's, ah... difficult... to make myself

look flat in it."

"Well, depending on how you... Oh... Ouch!... Hey, didn't see you in P.E., are

you taking it?"

"No, that would be giving it away... I doubt any amount of binding could hide

it in those silly uniforms... I'll have track after school."

"That should be fun."

"What are you doing out of the cafeteria?"

"Just wandering, really, you?"

"Avoiding the annoying girls that seem determined to date me."

"Oh."

Haruka sipped her drink, then raised her eyebrow. "Say, where's Kanpeki? Why

aren't you eating with her?"

"Oh, uh, her sister's been... kinda down in the dumps lately, so she's making

sure she's ok... triplets... really close, y'know?"

"Ah. Must be... um, nice... to have siblings."

Murasaki, realizing it was a touchy subject, took off on another topic. "So,

how's the racing going?"

"Great! First real race is Friday."

"That's wonderful! Hey, I'll come cheer you on, all right?"

"That'd be good."

Murasaki looked down at her watch. "Well, I better be going. Want to finish

some homework early. See ya."

"See ya."

Haruka smiled. It was nice to have some family that cared.

School dragged on, but finally ended. It was time to head to the track.

Running was easy for her, so she expected no challenge what-so-ever.

She opened the door to a building on the track property and walked down the

hallway to a small office. A muscular woman with a long purple ponytail sat

with her feet propped on her desk, talking on the phone, a rather angry look

on her face. She slammed down the phone as Haruka entered.

"What do you want?"

"I'm going to be joining the team as a P.E. credit."

She raised an eyebrow and slipped her feet to the floor before standing up.

She walked over to Haruka, smirking a bit as she stood nearly as tall as the

blond.

"Do you know who I am?"

"I do not."

"I'm the instructor, Bofu, and you better not forget that. What's your name?"

"Ten'ou Haruka."

"And what school do you attend?"

"Goban Yobi-ko."

Bofu took several moments to size her up, then chuckled and flipped her

ponytail. "You have some guts," she said with a grin, "waltzing around in the

male uniform like that."

"... How could you tell?"

The instructor shrugged and smiled. "I have a knack for picking out people."

"Ah."

"If you want to join, you better show your stuff. You'll find some fresh

uniforms in the locker room. I'm want to see just how good you think you are

before I even consider letting you join. I don't care if you need the credit,

you better prove yourself."

"Thank you, Bofu-sensei," Haruka said, and left.

It wasn't hard to find the clothes. It was just a matter of finding a uniform

that could fit her tall, thin frame. She could tell immediately nothing would

hide the fact that she was a girl. She was quite glad when she found one that

fit and she could get out of that horrible stuff she was wearing, then she

went out to the track.

Bofu stood on the side with a clipboard and stopwatch, sunglasses perched on her

head. She nodded to some people that were trailing in to observe. Haruka

remained off to the side, stretching on her own. A few of the regulars cast

questioning glances at her, but she ignored them. It felt good to stretch out

after being confined in that heavy suit all day.

Bofu-sensei nodded over to her and waved her hand, and Haruka came over. "Well,

quite a change from how you were in the uniform."

"I would imagine so."

"Ready to run?"

"Yup."

"Let's see how well you handle a hundred meter dash, all right? I'll wait at the

end."

Haruka nodded and walked down the track, then crouched down slightly. The

regulars milled around to watch. She could hear them whispering, guessing it

to be about her.

Bofu blew the whistle, and Haruka took off running as fast as she could. It

wasn't that much of a challenge; 100 meters was easy. She carefully slowed

when she finished and finally stopped. She turned and saw Bofu with an

unreadable expression on her face.

"Nice."

That one word had the other runners seething within moments. Haruka didn't

see what the big deal was.

"Ok... 500 meters."

Bofu walked to the finish and blew the whistle. Haruka shot off again, and

earned an "impressive" comment from Bofu.

"Care to run the whole track, right back to here?"

Haruka shrugged, then nodded. Bofu smirked a bit, then lowered her sunglasses.

The whistle shrieked, and Haruka started running as quickly as she could

manage. She could feel her breath quicken very slightly. She was happy to note

a breeze as she ran, and started trying to go faster. She could see the finish,

and all the students standing around, but it was all flying by to quick to make

out. She actually felt sweat bead on her. She almost stumbled after crossing

the line, and stopped a little too soon. Breathing a bit hard, she turned back

to Bofu.

The students were all lined up on either side of the instructor, looks of awe

on their faces. Bofu's sunglasses once again rested on her head, as her eyes

slowly shifted from clipboard to stopwatch readout several times. Her eyes

stopped on the clipboard as she penciled in something, then she raised them

with a wicked grin.

"Damnit girl, we'd have to kill you if you didn't join the team. All those runs

were faster than anyone of these kids ever managed!"

Haruka's eyes widened in surprise, and the rest of the runners started clapping

a bit.

"Um... sure, yeah, I'd love to join."

"Good!" Bofu slipped her sunglasses back on with a grin. "Ok, everyone, I want

three laps right now for warm-up! Don't try to push top speed yet; I don't need

everyone worn out. Ten'ou-san, hang back for now."

"Yes, sensei."

The others kids took off running without a glance back. Bofu waited till they

were a bit farther along before turning to Haruka. "You're quite good at this.

Had experience?"

"Not really. I just run for fun."

"Interesting." Bofu stretched her arms and adjusted her sunglasses. "And where

did those scars come from, Ten'ou-san? You don't get those marks just

anywhere."

"What scars?" Haruka asked softly, blood chilling. Damnit, she'd noticed!

"I can see several faint lines on your upper back. Suspicious looking." Bofu

turned away a moment, then said, "You don't have to tell me. I know what those

are. I don't know who did it, but I do recognize a child abuse victim when I

see one. I--" Bofu waited a moment as some more visitors walked by. "I...

well, if you need anyone to talk to, just come to me, okay?"

Haruka nodded slowly, wobbling a bit with dizziness. She sat down hard on the

ground.

"You all right?"

Haruka held her head in her hands and mumbled, "I'll be okay... I'm just a bit

... overwhelmed."

"Hey, relax," Bofu said with a smile. "Yeah, I'm a bit gruff and I'm very tough

on this team sometimes, but I'm not all hard-hearted, you understand? I push

them so they can be the best they can be, but it's not like I don't care for

them. Don't worry, you can trust me."

Haruka nodded and stood up.

"Now, why don't you go run with the others? You'll probably catch up easily."

Haruka grinned in agreement and started running again.

"See, what did I tell you?" Murasaki said with a grin.

Michiru squealed in delight as they entered the stadium. "Thank you, Murasaki-

chan!"

"No problem."

Kanpeki pretended to roll her eyes, then laughed. "Michiru, you're so silly

sometimes."

Michiru shrugged. "I get to see Haruka run, I think I deserve to be happy about

it."

"What's the big deal?"

"Well, would you enjoy watching Murasaki-chan run sometime?"

Kanpeki blushed a bit. "Ok, ok, I see your point." She grabbed Murasaki's arm.

"Let's leave her to watch her little sweetie, ok?"

"Okay, bye Michiru... have fun!"

"I will! ... Wait a sec, where are you two off to?"

"We won't be far. Over in the woods on the far side of the track, if you should

need us."

Michiru raised an eyebrow. "Ohhh?"

"Hush, Michiru!" Kanpeki hissed, then winking at Murasaki. "Well, off we go..."

Michiru smiled as she sat down on the bleachers and leaned forward, elbow on

her knee and chin on her hand. Haruka was much better than the other runners,

and easily passed them. She looked so happy when she was running...

Michiru remembered that Uranus's element was the wind. Haruka should probably

feel a natural affinity for speed and flight due to that, which explained her

love for racing and running. Michiru sighed softly. Wonder if she had the

visions at all...

Hmmm... Michiru had a good friend was a member of the team, but she wasn't at

practice. Elza Grey was the best runner-- correction, now that Haruka was here,

the second best. Then again, Elza did have a private trainer, and usually only

participated in the races rather than the practices. She was fast becoming one

of the top runners in Japan.

Michiru smiled wistfully as she watched Haruka more. If only she could tell

her how she felt...

Her eyes snapped open. It was so simple! It had to work!

Elza would undoubtedly be racing Haruka at some point. She could have Elza

introduce her, after a race or something...

She bit her lip. Elza didn't know about her feelings for Haruka. How in the

world would she deal with that? She could tell the truth... and if Elza

decided not to be friends with her...

Haruka was growing closer to Murasaki, she could always ask her...

Michiru pulled out her sketchbook and a pencil and drew a quick picture of

Haruka as she ran. She wondered if Haruka could 'hear' the wind like she

could sense the sea. Probably did without realizing it...

"Hey, Michiru!"

Michiru looked down and to the left, and saw Kirei waving to her. She was

sitting with Suteki and some friends. Suteki was glaring in her direction,

the girls with her also giving her vicious looks. She wavered a bit, then

cheered up when Kirei got up, apologized to the others, and came over to

where she was.

"Hi, everything going ok?" Kirei asked.

Michiru shrugged. "All right... why are they glaring at me?"

"Jealousy, I'd imagine. Sure nothing is wrong?"

"Onee-chan, why are you coming over here out of nowhere?"

Kirei looked startled. "What do you mean?"

"Well, after what happened the other night... and I overheard you and

Suteki talking bad about me once..."

Kirei looked down at the ground. "Look, Michiru... I'm really sorry...

about everything. You kinda get stuck going along with things, y'know, when

other people are around... damn image to maintain," she grumbled. "Michiru,

you're my sister, nothing will change that. Suteki is acting like some sort

of high-and-mighty queen just because she thinks she has something over you

now... how did she put it, 'guess little Miss Perfect ain't so perfect if

she's going after girls'... but I don't agree with that, I really don't. I...

I have to admit, I always thought it was... well, kinda weird... but knowing

that you, um, are... well, it really changes how I look at things."

"Do you mean that?" Michiru asked softly.

"Yes, I do," Kirei said with a smile. "I'm really sorry... I wish we'd

grown up closer... all of us really kept apart, but if you ask me...

well, okaa-san and otou-san really didn't encourage sibling interaction,

y'know?"

"Oh, I know," Michiru groaned, then mimicking their mother, "'Time for a

violin rehearsal, when will you finish that painting, oh you look so

pretty but don't forget your manners...'... Lessee, then Kanzen is her

little genius, and where does that leave the rest of you? Trailing along...

in her mind... ugh."

"Okaa-san drives us all nuts," Kirei agreed. "We each have our own talents,

but she just encourages the ones she thinks she can profit from... Hell,

not even that, she ignored Kanpeki's art talent, she ignored my singing,

she ignored Genki's computer skills, and she ignored Suteki's natural

beauty..."

"She's a strange one, our mother."

"Yes, indeed..." Kirei dropped her voice a bit as she said, "You aren't

going to let her find out about your interest in Ten'ou-san, are you?"

"And get kicked out of the house? I think not." Michiru sighed bitterly.

"Y'know, everyone I know think it's a choice--"

"Like hell it is!" Michiru spat. "Who would willingly decide to be part

of a minority group that is ridiculed, attacked, and even killed for it?"

"Well, when you put it that way..." Kirei looked out at the track. "So,

which one is Ten'ou-san? I forget what she looks like."

"The tall blond that is _way_ ahead of everyone else."

Kirei whistled. "_Damn,_ she's fast... God, I wish I had her figure! I'm

so _flat_!" she whined.

Michiru couldn't help but laugh. "Some of us are... more endowed than

others... and Haruka's one of them."

"And I'm one of the lesser..." Kirei looked around a bit. "Say, where's

Kanpeki-chan? I thought I saw her a little while ago, with that friend of hers

... Murasaki, right? What are they up to?"

Michiru almost choked. "Um, well... maybe you should have a talk with her...

they're, uh, in the woods... make noise when you approach so they know you're

coming."

Kirei stared at her, looked away to think a moment, then her eyes widened

and she laughed loudly. "Oh my! Oh my! Don't tell me... Both of you?! Oh

wow... Don't tell me Genki is, too?!"

"Fine, I won't tell you."

"That is so freaky! Geez, I can't believe I didn't notice! All three of you!...

Ah well... I'm going to go check up on our lovebirds, then. Hope they aren't too

busy making out," she said with a wink.

"Er..."

"Heh heh, just kidding. Bye, Michiru."

"Bye, Kirei."

Michiru turned to watch Haruka again, sighing softly. She could go for

hours just watching her.

Practice ended before she could watch too long, though, and Haruka left for the

locker room. Michiru decided it was wise to leave before she accidentally bumped

into her. Kirei, Kanpeki, and Murasaki were coming out of the woods at that

moment, so she joined them to walk home.

"So, did you talk?" she asked them.

"Yeah," Kanpeki said, taking Murasaki's hand. She smiled at her sisters. "It's

good that we don't have to hide it from each other."

"Yup," Kirei agreed.

"I call the phone when we get back," Michiru said. "I need to talk to Elza-

chan."

"That's the red-head, right?"

"Yes. I'm surprised you remembered her."

Kirei shrugged. "I remember random people and forget others. Ah well."

They walked in silence awhile.

"Hey, Michiru-chan, when's the CD coming out?" Murasaki asked.

"This week, actually... I'm going to perform a couple nights to help promote it."

"You excited?"

"A bit. I used to hate doing all this silly stuff, but I enjoy it now. I love

playing the violin. I don't do it for okaa-san, oh no... It's for me. I want

to perform, to share my music with everyone."

"That's great," Murasaki said with a smile. "Maybe one day you could play a

duet with Haruka on piano?"

Michiru chuckled a bit. "I hope so!"

She sat down on her bed once they got home, a bit nervous as she picked up the

phone. She dialed Elza's number and waited for her to pick up.

"Hello, this is Elza. Speaking?"

"Hi, Elza-chan, it's Michiru."

"Oh, hello! How're you?"

"Fine, you?"

"I'm great. Just got back from my training. I can't wait till next week's race!"

"Yeah, um... say, Elza? I need to talk to you about something..."

"You want me to come over or do it over the phone?"

"Uh, why don't you come here?"

"Be right over! I'll run, give me some practice!" Elza said with a laugh, then

said bye and hung up.

Michiru was a bit nervous as she waited for Elza to arrive. She wasn't sure

how to explain it, or how Elza would react.

Elza didn't live very far away, and being a fast runner helped her get there

quickly. She waved to Michiru, slowing up as she approached her. Michiru

smiled. Elza was so determined in everything she did. She was quite the star

athlete. She had pale red hair, slightly wavy and cropped to her chin, hazel

eyes, and a rich tan, and was always cheerful. "Hey, Michiru-chan!"

"Hey, Elza-chan."

They went inside and up to her room. They sat on the floor of her room, as

usual.

"So, what's up?"

"I... I need some help, Elza. There's..." Michiru sighed and looked up at the

ceiling. "I really don't know how to explain this..."

"C'mon, you can tell me."

"There's... there's someone I'm... I'm interested in... and I'd like you to

introduce me sometime, after the next race perhaps?"

"Oh? Sure... someone on the team?"

"...Y-yeah..."

"It's Iki-kun, isn't it? He's quite the looker..."

Michiru lowered her eyes. "No, a recent addition, just today... first day

at school."

"Oh? Well, give me a name so I know who to look for."

"... Ten'ou Haruka."

"Hmm, all right... So, what's he look like?"

"I... I'll show you a picture... A painting I did, actually, but... it's

accurate."

She went into her closet and pulled it out, then turned it around for

Elza to see.

Elza sat there a moment, looking at the painting with an unreadable

expression. She then leaned back on her hands and looked up at the ceiling

a moment. "Nice painting."

"Th-thanks."

"For Christ's sake, Michiru-chan, stop acting so nervous!"

Michiru looked at her with surprise. "What?!"

Elza stood up and bent over her, pointing her finger at her. "You're getting

worked up over the fact that she's a girl, aren't you? You're worried about

what I think, aren't you?" Elza chuckled, then said, "Well, you don't have

to worry at all!

"Eh?!"

Elza laughed loudly. "Michiru, Michiru, Michiru, you never met my parents,

did you?"

"No, I don't recall..."

Elza's eyes crinkled with amusement. "I don't even know my father. My mother

has been with my new mom for... well, before I was born. I grew up around it,

so you have nothing to worry about!"

Michiru stared at her in shock. "You're serious?!"

"Yeah, they raised my sister and I together. Never thought much of it, till

some kids gave me a hard time about it... but they're just idiots. I love my

mama and my okaa-san, and I know they're happier together than mama could've

been with my real father. They really took care of us, too. I was really sick

when I was little, but they always watched over me. Okaa-san always stayed

behind with me, only time she didn't was when I was visiting my grandparents.

They spoiled us, actually... We moved just because we didn't have a big enough

backyard to play in!"

Michiru smiled, feeling tears in her eyes. "Th-thank you, Elza-chan..."

"Hey, don't cry... It's all right."

"I'm... I'm just so happy..." Michiru squeezed her hands together. "I mean,

I'm really glad for you and all but... oh God, I'm finally going to meet

her!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I saw her one day and... something just clicked. I was attracted right

away. I've been following her since... I've never talked to her, she doesn't

even know I exist... I've been so scared to approach her, she... she's gone

through some rough times, but..."

Elza smiled. "Well, I'll be here to help you, don't worry." She gave her a

quick hug.

"Thanks, Elza-chan! You're the best!"

"I am, aren't I?" she joked. "Say, I just realized, that name seems vaguely

familiar... old neighbor of mine, perhaps... I dunno, maybe she played with

my sister when they were little."

"What's your sister's name? I've never met your family."

"Cindy."

Michiru thought a moment. "Hmmm... that seems familiar, too... Her aunt

mentioned a Cindy once."

"Well, maybe we'll re-introduce them, hmmm?"

"Yeah, she'd like that..."

Elza smiled at her and turned to leave her room. "C'mon, we have homework to

do. I have a report to write, ugh! I'll see you later, ok?"

"Yeah, bye, Elza-chan."

Elza waved and said bye, then left.

Michiru sighed and sat down on her bed. Thank God for Elza...

The phone rang and she picked it up, wondering who'd be calling her.

"Michiru-chan?"

"Yes... who is this?"

"Oh, this is Sunao. I thought you might be interested to know Haruka

will be entering her first car race in a few days... want the details?"

"Of course!"

Michiru grabbed a paper and pen, frantically writing down the address

and date. "Thank you, Sunao-san!"

"You're very welcome, Michiru-chan."

Michiru clapped her hands with excitement. Everything was working out,

finally! She'd probably wait a few more weeks to meet Haruka, but it

would be worth it!

**********

Dark red sky... shards of glass from the building cutting into my skin...

can't breathe, too weak... pushed to the ground by the wind hitting me...

blood running down my face... I look up... the girl... speaking, sad... "The

Silence is approaching. We have to find the Messiah quickly. Only you and

I can do this!" I try to cry out, what is the Silence, who is the Messiah?

Why me?!

Haruka's eyes snapped open and she sat up tall in bed. She was trembling

hard, sweating, unable to find her voice. The light came on and Sunao

rushed in.

"Haruka, what's wrong?! I heard you scream..."

"S-sorry... I... I had a nightmare, that's all... I'll be fine..."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's all right, okaa-san... sorry I woke you up."

"It's ok... well, if you're sure you're fine... try to get back to

sleep."

She shut off the light and left, gently shutting the door.

Haruka let out the breath she'd been holding and curled up into a ball.

Damnit, why was she seeing these visions?! Same thing, over and over,

only slight variations... She closed her eyes tight, trying to keep from

remembering the images, the voice. It was so horrible, what could it

possibly mean?

She stood shakily and turned on the television in her room, careful to

keep the volume low. Maybe it would wear her out enough to sleep.

"--But I love you! Why did you fall for my twi--" Click. "C'mon down to

Tomu's Cars--" Click. "We return to the late night movie--" Click, what was

all this crap?

"In other news, citizens have reported seeing a mysterious group of girls

calling themselves 'Sailor Senshi' in the area recently, following a wave of

'energy drains' to local residents, which may be linked to the strange meteor

that fell last week. Witnesses to a recent attack say..."

Sailor Senshi... that name... strange, it seemed familiar... But she'd never

heard of them before...

"The five, reportedly called 'Sailormoon', 'Sailormercury', 'Sailorvenus',

'Sailormars', and 'Sailorjupiter', respectively, have rescued a number of

people recently. It is unknown who they are or where they come from, or even

why they're here... but Tokyo thanks these lovely heroines for the lives of

many."

Haruka shut the television off and crawled into bed again. Something familiar

about their clothing...

The girl in the vision had a suit on like theirs. Perhaps... another Senshi?

But what did any of this have to do with Haruka?

Haruka yawned loudly and shut her eyes. Oh well... maybe now she wouldn't

have the vision.

**********

Haruka woke up groggily, vainly reaching for the alarm clock that was out

of her reach. She hadn't gotten used to the time school started, even

though this was the fifth day of it. Goban Yobi-ko started earlier than

her previous school had, and it annoyed her to no end. They seemed

convinced that an early start somehow made them more alert.

She went into the kitchen and found a pot of coffee waiting, and her

breakfast on the table. Sunao had to go to work just before Haruka woke

up, but took time before leaving to make breakfast and coffee for her

daughter.

Haruka sipped her coffee, and smiled to herself. Her first race was today

... oh, it was going to be so much fun! She'd be racing against Hayasa as

well as some other men from the normal group, plus others she hadn't had

the chance to race against. Some big names in racing would be there, and

she couldn't wait. She smirked a bit. If only they knew they were racing a

girl... she could imagine the looks on their faces when she beat them.

She walked to school, as always. She was never in a hurry; she left early

so she'd have plenty of time. She smiled to some kids she recognized from

class and track, and tried to avoid her "screaming fans," as she referred

to them, trying to push gifts and bento on her. She tried to be nice to the

poor, delusional girls, but no matter how many times she told them otherwise,

they remained under the impression that "he" was interested in dating them,

if they could only prove themselves better than the others. Haruka sighed;

she wasn't interested in these crazy girls that only saw her as a handsome

guy, she wanted someone that knew who she really was and wasn't ashamed of

it.

She uttered a loud "ooof!" as someone accidentally bumped into her (she

hoped it was accidental and not one of those girls trying to get her

attention...)

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" the girl said.

"That's fine," Haruka said. "You hurt at all?"

"No, no, I'm ok... tripped over this stupid uneven pavement. I'm quite the

klutz," she added, laughing a bit.

Hmmm, she seems familiar... "No harm done..."

"Do I know you?" the girl asked, looking at her quizzically. "You look vaguely

like someone I knew when I was little... No no, you can't be..." she laughed

loudly. "Oh, I'm so silly..."

"I was just thinking you looked familiar, too. I'm Ten'ou Haruka, you?"

The girl squealed and hugged her tight. Haruka pushed her off immediately,

scared this girl, whoever she was, would notice her... extra assets.

"Haruka-chan! Just what do you think you're doing?" The girl frowned. "You don't

know who I am, do you? It's me, Cindy Grey!"

"CINDY?!" Haruka stared at her, then laughed and hugged her. "My gosh, it really

is you! I knew you looked familiar! You've certainly changed though... grew up

cute," she teased with a wink.

Cindy chuckled. "Well, you certainly... didn't turn out like I expected." She

looked around to make sure they were alone. "No offense or anything, but I swear,

I thought you were a guy."

Haruka gave an embarrassed laugh. "Well, that's the whole point of the

disguise..."

"Why are you... well, why do you want to look like a guy? Geez, I mean, you make

a good-looking guy," she said, winking a bit, "but... why would you want to look

like one?"

"Well... I... I'm trying to hide, actually... from my life, from some people...

I don't want anyone to know who I really am, not yet."

"Well, they certainly won't know with you dressed like that! My opinion of you

just dropped a notch."

Haruka flinched a bit. "Ouch! That was a cheap shot."

"Yeah, I know, I know... but geez, have you really thought this through? I mean,

c'mon... you look like a cute guy, so all the girls are gonna flock to you, all

the guys will think you're one of them... how will you ever get a date? Do you

really want that?"

"Er..." Haruka blushed a bit, unsure of how to break it to her childhood friend...

but then she remembered Cindy's interesting parents. "Cindy, actually I... well,

let's just say, your mothers and I have something in common, hmmm?... You know

what I mean?"

Cindy raised an eyebrow, then giggled. "Well! I guess the disguise _does_ work

to your advantage then!"

Haruka laughed with her and they started walking again. "Well, I suppose...

but not really. Those girls like me because they think I'm a guy. I want a girl

who'll like me as a girl."

"That makes perfect sense... but how are you going to manage that?"

"I have no idea, I didn't really think about that when I made this decision,"

she admitted. "But maybe one day I'll get lucky..."

"I hope you didn't mean 'get lucky' as in--"

"I didn't mean it like THAT!"

Cindy giggled and asked, "So, what have you been up to... besides the cross-

dressing?"

"Oh hush!... Well, I've gotten into motor-sports now, and my first race is

today!"

"Oh cool! I'll be sure to come, if there's still seats left."

"Heh heh, you do that... I joined the track team, but... eh, no real challenge.

I need the P.E. credit though, and it gives me something to do."

"Track, huh? My sister races... She's heading towards the top, y'know... she's

considered one of the best junior racers. Maybe you'll race her sometime."

"If she's part of our little group, I will. No offense or anything," she said,

smiling a bit, "but no one can out-run me, _no one_."

"We'll see," Cindy said with a grin.

They exchanged phone numbers before they had to get off on different floors for

their homerooms.

Ah, it was a beautiful day... Haruka smiled and sat back to wait for the bell

to ring.

Michiru was running a bit late for school, so she left the house without

breakfast. She'd never been tardy before, and she didn't want to start.

Her siblings had all left ahead of her, leaving her with no one to hurry

off with. Her parents had gone to luck, so there was no one to drive her.

She groaned a bit and picked up her pace. The day had started out bad...

But she was going to watch Haruka's first race today, so it couldn't be

all bad...

A cold shiver went down her spine. The sea was restless... No, no, she was

just paranoid, there wasn't going to be a--

She heard a sound she'd never forgotten, and dreaded to hear. The scream

of a daimon...

Damnit! Not now! She was going to be late!... But she couldn't just turn her

back and ignore it. She had a duty... And she'd be damned if she turned her

back on it.

There was no one around to see her. She transformed in record time, and just

in the nick of time as well, for the daimon soon ripped its way through the

hedges. It trained its eyes on her, and leapt to attack.

Neptune didn't have time to use her powers, so she dodged it, then brought

back her arm and slammed her elbow hard into the top of its head. The

daimon howled with rage and whirled around to face her again.

"Deep Submerge!"

Energy collided with flesh, and a ripple went through the daimon, before

the form of a boy in a red and green school uniform appeared and collapsed on

the ground.

Neptune gasped for air, stumbling over to the boy, then made sure he was

alive.

He was fine... but what could she do now?

Hmmm... they were both going to be late now, but she had her enhanced speed

as Neptune... she decided she'd carry him to her school, detransform, and explain

that she'd found him lying on the ground and just had to help, didn't know what

school he went to... that's why she was late. Attacks from strange supernatural

beings weren't exactly uncommon in Tokyo, and well, as for heroes...

Neptune chuckled as she ran with the boy in her arms. The Inner Senshi were

awakened, and she knew they were fighting enemies out there. They'd become

the fascination of the local media, the saviors of the meek, the...

God, she really needed to get more sleep.

She found a place to detransform, then struggled a bit to carry the boy, his

bag, and hers at the same time. He seemed much heavier now that she was a

normal girl again.

A school official ran outside when he saw her. He came over and took the boy

from her. "What happened here?"

"I came across him on the way to school... he'd been attacked..."

"Thank you very much, young lady. You just might have saved his life."

She felt a cold feeling in her heart as she looked down at him...

I almost took his life... if the daimons can't be restored to a human when

we finish battling them...

"I-I suppose I did."

"Here, take this pass and go to class. A situation like this shouldn't be

counted as a tardy, hmm? We'll get him back to Mugen Gakuen right away."

Michiru slowly trudged towards the elevator. Why was she stuck fighting alone?

Who knew when Uranus would awaken, and the Inner Senshi... they were separate

from her... they had different obligations...

But what were hers exactly? Pluto was never very clear about them...

"Pluto... if you can hear me... Please..."

Pluto's image shimmered in front of her. "I'm sorry I can't appear directly

to you, but I cannot leave the Gate, not now."

"Why not?"

"There's--" her image rippled a bit, "a group trying to break through right

now... I must--" It disappeared, then reappeared. "I hope you don't have

anything important as your next class, because--" shimmer, "you'll have a

vision that will explain every--"

The image disappeared, and Pluto's voice with it.

The elevator made a "ting" sound at that moment, and Michiru slowly stepped

off into the hallway. She went to her classroom, gave her teacher the pass,

and took her seat. Some of her classmates looked at her with amusement.

"What happened to being _perfect_?" someone hissed.

"Ooo, little musician can't get to class on time..."

"Stayed up too late working on your CD, huh? Guess we're too good for y--"

"Shut the hell up," she said between clenched teeth.

"Oooooo..."

"Excuse me," the teacher called out loudly. "The discussion going on back there

needs to end, _now_." He then went back to his lecture.

Michiru sat back in his seat while he rattled off math, and closed her eyes.

She could feel herself slipping into a dream-like state, and welcomed it.

It was as if she was back on the Moon, the Silver Millennium. Everything

looked as it once did, the palace, the courtyard...

"Sailorneptune," a voice called out.

"I'm here," she said. She looked down at herself and noticed she was

wearing her fuku. "Who's there?"

A woman walked up, smiling gently at her. Neptune was amazed at her

appearance. Her eyes and hair were silvery in color, a gold crescent

moon was in the center of her forehead, and her hair was pulled into

two buns on either side of her head, with a long trail of hair spilling

from each. Her white gown was simple, but elegant; sleeveless, fitted

in places, with a bow of sorts in the front. She walked with a regal

bearing, and there was something about her...

She fell to one knee and lowered her face. "My Queen," she murmured,

filled with awe.

"Please... that was long ago. The time for formal titles has past."

"Queen Serenity... I..."

"Walk with me."

Neptune nodded and rose to her feet, unable to refuse her. This woman

was the ruler of the Silver Millennium, heir to the Moon Kingdom,

and...

"My Queen, what happened to the ginzuishou?"

Queen Serenity laughed a bit. "What a thing to ask! It's been so long,

and that's the first thing that comes to mind?"

Neptune felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I... my

mind seems at odds with itself sometimes, all these memories... I don't

quite know why I do things sometimes."

"That's all right... As for the ginzuishou, my daughter has it now."

"The princess was safely reborn?"

"Yes, and..." Queen Serenity smiled sadly. "My little Serenity is now

a Senshi, fighting alongside her old court."

Neptune's eyebrows raised in alarm. "But... the Inner Senshi were her

protectors! She is... she is one of them now?"

"Yes, she is Sailormoon now. The power of the ginzuishou is now in

her hands..."

"I never really understood the ginzuishou..."

"Well, there's not much known about it... it is hard to explain to

someone who hasn't used it. The ginzuishou gives you the power to do

so much good! To heal, to create, and it is made even more useful

when combined with special wands and staffs... but... it can be deadly,

if you try to do too much with it..."

Queen Serenity looked away from her, and stopped walking.

"My Queen... if... if it isn't too painful to tell... how did you die?"

"I used all my remaining energy when I sent everyone to the future. The

ginzuishou took too much out of me..."

Neptune gasped in shock. "Pluto... she never told me that..."

"Pluto is hard-pressed in her tasks, I'm afraid. She can't explain it

all herself..." She turned to face Neptune again. "Which is why you are

here with me. I need to explain what it _really_ means to be an Outer

Senshi... and what your mission is now."

"The Outer Senshi are comprised of you, obviously, Pluto, Uranus, and...

you'll discover that later. You three are the important ones for now.

During the Silver Millennium, the Inner Senshi were the guardians of my

daughter. They protected her from attack. The Outer Senshi guarded against

outside invasions, a much larger task. Because of this, you were given

stronger powers. You didn't interact with the Inner Senshi often; there

was no need. You weren't meant to; you had separate duties. I wish that

we'd thought to train you to work together, though...

"That's beside the point. You've been awakened now because you have

something important to do... something that will ultimately lead to the

destruction of Earth or its salvation.

"The Inner Senshi are busy fighting their own battle, but a new enemy is

quickly building its forces. You have fought some, yes? The 'daimons'...

these are the work of a group calling themselves the 'Deathbusters'. They

want to take this world for their own, for their master. To do this, they

need the power of an item known as the Holy Grail.

"The Holy Grail can be used for either good or evil. The power it can give

is almost unsurpassed. Both good and evil have a Messiah in this battle, a

Messiah of Light, and a Messiah of Dark. If the Messiah of Dark should gain

the power of the Holy Grail, we are doomed. We need to get the Holy Grail

and give it to the Messiah of Light.

"In order for us to have the Holy Grail, we must find the three Talismans.

These are sealed within people with pure hearts. Those with pure hearts

have a special crystal inside them, their 'heart crystal'. Three people

have heart crystals that contain Talismans. You must find these people and

retrieve the Talismans at all costs.

"The enemy is developing technology that can extract heart crystals. Be on

the watch, and be prepared to fight many daimons in order to gain access to

the heart crystals yourselves.

"You will know the Talismans when you see them. Do not be too frantic

worrying about when the Deathbusters will move to find them; your

partner will awaken before then. But be prepared."

Neptune trembled and had to lean on a column for support. "This... this

is our mission?"

"Yes."

"The fate of the world..." Neptune felt hot tears sting her eyes. All

this responsibility, the lives of everyone...

"I... I must warn you... if the heart crystal is away from a person's

body too long, they will die. Therefore, if someone's heart crystal

is a Talisman--"

"They will die." Neptune shut her eyes tight. "I understand..."

"Do you accept this mission?"

"I do." Not like I have a choice.

"Good luck... Michiru." Queen Serenity hugged her. "Good luck."

Michiru lifted her head from her desk when she heard the bell ring for the

end of class. Some kids gave her odd looks as they left. Her teacher called

her to his desk.

"Kaiou-san, in the future, please do not fall asleep in my class. I understand

you've had a rough morning, but... you're my best student, and you need to

set an example, all right?"

"Yes, sensei, it won't happen again," she said, bowing to him before leaving.

At lunch, she went over to sit by Elza as usual. Elza grinned widely at her.

"Hey, Michiru-chan! Hope you don't mind that I brought my sister today."

The girl next to her smiled and waved. She looked a lot like Elza, with the

same red hair and hazel eyes, but she was paler and wore her wavy hair long.

"Nice to meet you," Michiru said.

"Nice to meet you, too," Cindy said. "I can't believe we never met before."

"Well, that's Elza's fault," Michiru said, winking teasingly at Elza.

Elza chuckled a bit. "Hey, my family usually isn't around!"

"We are too," Cindy said, "you just aren't around when we're around."

"Oh, phooey..."

"You are both nuts," Michiru said with a smile.

"Yep," they said at the same time.

Michiru laughed and pulled her lunch out. It was nice to have another person

to talk to for once. Elza was her best friend, her only real friend, and she

was glad to have her, but sometimes she wanted to talk to more people than

just her. Elza usually sat alone as well; people were nervous around her due

to her growing fame. Now people were avoiding Michiru more than usual, as

well, what with her great success in music and her CD having just come out.

"I just got your CD," Cindy said, eyes twinkling. "It's really incredible. I

loved 'Windsong' the best."

"Really?" It was a song she'd composed about Haruka.

"Yeah, I _love_ your music... Elza's mentioned you before as being her friend,

but I hadn't gotten the chance to meet you... This is so cool! Anyways, I'll be

there for tomorrow's performance. I can't wait!... Hope I'm not acting too much

like a crazy fan," she said with a laugh.

"That hasn't happened yet," Michiru said.

A boy suddenly ran over to the table. "A-are you Kaiou Michiru?!"

Elza and Cindy giggled behind their hands, and Michiru said slowly, "Yes, why?"

He thrust a pen and paper out at her. "C-could I have your autograph?"

Michiru blinked several times, then took the pen and paper, asked his name,

and wrote a brief message.

"Oh, thank you so much!" he said, bowing deeply to her, then racing off again.

"You were saying, Michiru-chan?" Elza said, bursting out laughing.

"Ha ha, funny, Elza. So, Cindy... um, what else has Elza-chan said about me?"

"Michiru-chan!" Elza seemed shocked. "You think I'd talk bad about you behind

your back or something?"

"Of course not! I'm just wondering whether I need to inform her of certain things

or if you mentioned them."

"Er..."

Cindy cut in, "Well, she knows that I was good friends when I was younger with

someone you're interested in, so she mentioned that... She thought I might be

able to help... And I actually ran into this person on the way to school today

and exchanged phone numbers."

"Oh, wow, that would be great if you could... I mean, I'm still going to have

Elza-chan introduce us--"

"Me and my great people skills!" Elza said, sticking out her tongue and winking.

"Hush, silly. Later, though, if... this person acts stubborn, I could use some

help from a mutual friend."

"All right, that'll be fine with me," Cindy smiled widely. "So, you know a lot

about this person, right? How have things been lately?"

"I..." Michiru considered just what to say. "Things... have been very bad. Hard

times... Sunao-san had them move out into an apartment... Katai," Michiru spat

the name, "was a real jerk."

"Oh boy, was he ever!" Cindy agreed. "I remember going over to the house and him

telling me to leave, or not letting us play together... What an asshole! Well,

I'm glad they moved away from him. I would if I was stuck with him."

"Yeah..."

Kirei popped up behind them and shouted, "Boo!"

Elza and Cindy jumped a bit, not expecting someone to be there.

"Um, hi, onee-chan," Michiru said. Strange, she had known Kirei was there, and

that it was her, before she said anything. "What brings you over here?"

"You wanted to go to that race tonight, right?"

"Yes..."

"And you weren't sure about ticket availability?"

"... Yes..."

Kirei grinned shyly and handed her two papers. Michiru's eyes widened as she

took them from her. "Tickets for it?"

"I thought you would like them..."

"Thank you, onee-chan!" Michiru said, standing to hug her sister. Stepping

back, she asked, "Why two?"

"Cuz I'm going too," Kirei said with a wink. "Chance to catch up, and plus...

heh heh, there's this cute racer named Hayasa Erai..."

"Oh, an ulterior motive!" Michiru joked.

"Hey!... Well, Kanpeki said Murasaki-chan's friends with him... everyone calls

him Hayasa instead of Erai... I was thinking--"

"Oh brother... or should I say sister..."

"You're so _funny_, Michiru," Kirei teased. "Well, I gotta be going... the

silly clique thing, y'know? It really gets old, you're lucky to escape it..."

"Bye, Kirei."

"Bye, Michiru... and, uh, you two. I don't know you... oh well, bye all."

After Kirei had left, Elza commented, "I always thought your family was odd."

"Be quiet, Elza. At least she's trying to get along, unlike my parents, and

of course Suteki..."

"Good point."

"Well, I really need to eat--"

"Oh yeah! Food!" Cindy smacked her forehead. "C'mon, little miss track star,

need to keep your energy up."

Elza blew a raspberry at her, then they all began to eat.

At the end of the day, Haruka made sure she reminded Bofu that she wouldn't

be going to be at practice, then went straight to the race track. She could

feel her heart pounding with excitement. It was still early, and the race

wouldn't be for a few hours, but she wanted to be there anyways.

Engi waved and smiled to her as she walked into the garage. "Well, Haruka-

chan, you ready for tonight's debut?"

"You bet I am!" Haruka punched her fist into her palm. "I'm going to kick

some serious ass!"

"Don't get cocky," he warned. "Go out there aiming to do a great job, and

be happy if you do win, but don't be mad if you don't place first, ok?"

Haruka winked. "I'll be a bit disappointed, but hey, it's my first time."

"Can't win 'em all."

Haruka laughed and said, "Well, once I start making first place, I'll probably

expect to."

Engi chuckled a bit and said, "I know what that's like... I used to race, you

know. But I'm getting too old for this now. I'll let all the young guys-- and

girls-- have all the glory and fame."

"I didn't realize you'd raced!"

"How'd you think I know so much about cars and racing them?"

"Uh... er... I don't know. I never thought about that." Haruka scratched her

head, then looked around a bit. "Hey, where's everyone?"

"Some of them are getting off work still. Others, I don't know. Probably being

lazy, don't feel like showing up yet. I've seen several cars that could use some

last-minute tune-ups, but there's no one around yet. Too cocky." He shook his

head. "You should always show up really early. Good habit."

"How's my car?"

"Why don't you take a look at her yourself?" Engi led her to the sleek red car

she drove. "Unless there's been a change since yesterday, she's doing fine."

Haruka smiled. "Good. Man, I love this car!" She ran her hand along it, and

commented, "Once I get a good amount of money racing, enough to help pay for

school and things, I want to get my own car to drive around."

"The legal driving age is--"

"Yeah, yeah, so what if it's 18, I love driving and damnit, I'm going to drive!

Besides, I could get a motorcycle license pretty soon... I'll turn 16 in the

next school year..."

"Think you'd even want a motorcycle?"

"Why not? I'd like to try them sometime."

"Hmmm... that reminds me, you could try racing dirt bikes and things sometime."

"Let me enjoy F1 for now," she said, grinning, "but eventually I'll move on to

other things as well."

"Good! I'd hate to see you waste all your skill on one thing." Engi quickly

glanced over her car, then said, "Will your mother be coming to watch?"

"Yes, and my aunt, too, and maybe an old friend of mine."

"It'll be nice to have people you know be here."

"Yeah."

Someone rapped their knuckles against the door as they came in. Haruka looked

to see Hayasa there, an amused look on his face. "Pizza delivery," he called,

holding out a few boxes. "Thought we should have something to eat... Where

is everyone?"

"Not here."

"Always the comedian, Haruka," he said dryly. "Well, they'd better get here soon.

I didn't buy all these pizzas for no reason."

"Money out of your own pocket, Erai-kun?" Engi teased.

"Don't call me that! Yeah, I paid for it myself. Got the money, don't I?"

"I'll call you whatever I feel like, boy," Engi said, throwing a rag at him. "Now

come on, let's eat. The others can join in once they get here. Oh, and Haruka,"

he turned towards her, "go ahead and get your fire suit on. We don't need to

broadcast your gender to everyone. Some of the guys you'll race with are jerks

that will report you just as soon as look at you."

"Gotcha." Haruka went into a backroom and changed. She glanced at the clock and

sighed bitterly. Hurry up and be time! She wanted to race right that moment,

not wait. She didn't care that she still had to sit through the time trials,

either. Just being in her car, driving it on the track was enough.

She wobbled a bit on her feet and had to sit down. Damnit, a vision coming...

seemingly the same as always, and once it was over, she noticed someone was

knocking on the door.

"Haruka-chan, you all right in there?" Engi called.

"Fine."

"Ok, you're just taking longer than usual. Sure you're ok? Pre-race jitters

maybe?"

"I said I'm fine." What in the world... the vision was usually short, why

would it be longer? It seemed the same... Oh well.

She opened the door with a smile. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's eat!"

Michiru practically dragged Kirei by the arm to the race track. Kirei told

her they had all the time in the world, but Michiru insisted on getting there

at least half an hour early.

Michiru was excited to see they had front-row seats. Michiru looked around the

stadium to see who else might be there. Murasaki and Kanpeki were several seats

over, sitting with Sunao and Teinei. Kanpeki was coughing and fanning her face;

she hated exhaust fumes. Teinei noticed Michiru and waved, then nudged Sunao.

Sunao gave her a huge smiled, making Michiru quite glad. She had Sunao's approval

to pursue her daughter, and it thrilled Michiru to know that at least one of them

wouldn't have difficulties with their parents over the situation. Elza and Cindy

were a few more rows back from that, and two women were with them, one a red-head

and the other with black hair. Michiru assumed those were her parents; the red-

head must be their real mom.

"Eeeee! There's Hayasa-san, walking on the edge of the track! Ohhh, he's so

cute even from here! Ahhh! He's coming this way!"

"Calm down, Kir--"

"You know you'll just leap from your seat when Haruka walks out!" Kirei teased,

smiling at her. "Let me have my fun."

Hayasa walked over to the fence in front of where Murasaki sat. They talked a

bit, then Kanpeki pointed over to where the sisters sat. Hayasa smiled and

winked. Kirei squealed with excitement, then shrieked as he walked over.

"Your sister tells me you wanted to meet me?"

"Yes, yes, I did! Hi!"

"Hi there. What's your name?"

"Kirei! Kaiou Kirei!"

Hayasa took her hand and kissed it lightly. "A pleasure to meet you."

Michiru chuckled as Kirei swooned.

"Ah, Kanpeki's triplet. Nice to meet you... what brings _you_ here?" he asked

Michiru.

Michiru smiled a bit, then said, "I'm here to see a new racer."

"Ah, Ten'ou Haruka, perhaps?"

"Yes, you know he-- um, _him_?" Michiru almost slipped and said 'her', then

realized Haruka might not have revealed her gender to the other racers.

Hayasa raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I know... him. We're good friends, actually,

racing buddies." He leaned forward a bit. "You know more about Haruka than

the others here, I assume. You almost slipped."

"Yes, I know her... she doesn't know me." Michiru inwardly smacked herself.

What was she telling him this for?!

"Ahh, well then, I won't mention this to her..." He then winked at Kirei as he

said, "But I'll just have to mention _this_ cutie I met. Maybe she'll be

jealous that I met a pretty girl and she didn't."

Kirei blushed and giggled.

"Maybe we'll see each other again sometime? Just get Kanpeki-chan to tell

Murasaki-chan... those two are joined at the hip! Murasaki's a good friend of

mine, so she'll pass it on."

"Sure! Thank you!" Kirei waved to him. "Good luck!"

"Thanks, bye."

Kirei sighed softly as he left. "This has to be the best thing that's happened

to me in a long time. Wow, was he ever nice!"

"Yes, he was."

"Such a gentleman, too! Kissing my hand even..."

Michiru smiled. "He's older than you, you know."

"Not by much! Just a couple years."

"Do you like older men?"

"Not too much older, but yes. I don't want some dork whose voice still cracks.

I want him to be more mature, but still fun."

"You have rather specific tastes!"

"Well, don't we all?"

They looked out to the track, where the time trials were starting to wind down.

Some silly advertisement played on the screen. They started showing some pictures

of the regular racers, then mentioned the "first race of Ten'ou Haruka, the

youngest racer out here! Last year of junior high at Goban Yobi-ko. Heading for

his time trial now."

Girls started screaming as they saw Haruka emerge from the garage. Michiru

sat up in her seat.

"Whoa... if I didn't know she was really a girl, _damn_!"

"She does pull it off, I just don't know how... You'd think she was flat and had

no hips, but that's not true... You should see her in her pajamas."

"_Michiru_! I would _not_ enjoy that!... You didn't watch her _undress_, did you?"

"NO!! God, I'm not a pervert, Kirei-chan!"

Kirei breathed a sigh of relief. "Ok, good. Had me worried there a moment..."

They sat back and watched their respective racers get into their cars. Haruka

was the last trial, and after that, the race would begin.

Haruka breezed through the time trial, taking things leisurely, for her.

She wanted to impress everyone by being a new racer that had some speed

going, but still start far enough back to make things interesting. When she

finished, they told her she'd be starting tenth. She got out of her car to

get a last drink of water and stretch.

Hayasa finished up his time trial fourth, then came over to her. "Haruka-san,

I know you can do better than that! Tenth!"

"Relax," she said. "It wouldn't be any challenge if I started first."

"You're a nut, Haruka-san. You better start first next race."

He stopped as someone came over to tell them to get back into their cars.

Everyone else started revving their engines and getting ready to start.

"Good luck, Hayasa-kun!" Haruka shouted over the roar of engines.

"You too, Haruka-san!" he returned, winking as he gave her a thumbs-up sign.

Haruka slipped into her car, adrenaline already pumping through her veins.

This was it. Her big moment. Suddenly, the helmet she pulled on didn't seem

so constricting, the fire suit so hot and stuffy, her hands in her gloves so

constricting, the fumes so nauseating, her starting place so far back. It all

lead up to the race, the speed, the excitement.

She placed her hands on the wheel, anxious for the start. The sound of the

engine seemed to beg to be put to work. Some people waved to her, and she

waved back. She gripped the wheel. Come on, come on, come on...

Finally, they announced the beginning of the race. The lights came on. Ready,

set...

The light changed, and the cars started moving at once. Haruka quickly pulled

in front of a few cars that were near her, flooring the pedal to shoot ahead.

Despite the shielding and her clothing, she could feel the wind perfectly. She

felt herself move at speeds she could never hope to reach on her own. She

easily turned a corner, noticing out of the corner of her eye that some other

racers had bumped into each other trying the same corner.

Ah, here we go... Hayasa wasn't that far ahead of her now, with only a few

cars between them. She waited for her chance, then pulled in front of the car

just in front of her. This seemed to surprise the man now ahead of her. He

didn't react as he should have, and she pulled in front of him as well. A

long straight-away, this was where she was best. It didn't take much effort

to pull right behind Hayasa. She smirked a bit, enjoying the speed she'd

reached. There was a bend up ahead, and she prepared to turn. The man

behind her was getting in position to try and pass her, and she noted that

as she rounded it. She moved to block him, then noticed Hayasa was far

enough away for her to safely pull in front of him as well.

Two more to go, and she'd be in first...

Everyone was standing up, screaming. Michiru felt excited for Haruka-- here

she was, the new racer, and she was in third already! Kirei was screaming

to, at Hayasa to regain his position.

"Wow, that new guy's great!" Michiru overheard someone say.

"And he's hot, too!"

Michiru smiled to herself, and went back to watching the race.

Haruka carefully edged closer to the car in front of her. He was being rather

difficult, and she couldn't get ahead of him quite yet. He was no coward;

others had moved out of the way, fearing a crash, but he just kept going, not

backing down.

He would make a mistake. They always did.

There it was! He tried to pull in front of the first place racer, and had to

fall back a bit when he couldn't get around. Haruka swerved out to the side,

then shot in front of both of them. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and

inside she was screaming in delight. She kept picking up speed, intent on

widening the gap between her and the other racers. A quick glance revealed

the audience on their feet, apparently screaming, from the sight of all the

open mouths.

She completed the first lap with ease. She was intent on keeping her speed,

but knew she'd have to slow for the turns. She checked to see how much

distance she had between her and the others. Good, she could be cautious and

not have to worry about them gaining too much. Heck, she could make a pit

stop or two without losing her position.

It was a breeze to keep ahead of them all throughout all the laps. She lapped

some people. She stopped to change tires and get some more fuel. The other

racers posed no challenge. When she neared the finish line the final time,

Hayasa had pulled into second, and was getting close. She quickly checked

her fuel gauge, then decided to go all-out for the finish. Pressing the pedal

down hard, she shot off full speed for the finish line.

Everything seemed to slow in her mind. She could see it coming. She felt a

brush of wind against her cheek. Pressure pushed against her from the speed.

Fans were screaming, jumping up in the air. The other racers moved farther

and farther behind. There it was, coming closer, closer...

She literally shouted as she crossed it, well ahead of everyone else.

"HARUKA WON!!" Michiru screamed.

"Hayasa-kun got second!" Kirei added.

They were both shrieking in excitement, then they hugged each other tightly

on impulse.

"I can't believe it!" Michiru said. "She did it!"

"Hush, let's see what happens now."

Everyone finally slowed to a stop. Haruka leapt from the car, ripping her

helmet from her head as Hayasa and Engi ran over to her.

"You did it!" Engi shouted, slapping her on the back enthusiastically, then

pulling her in for a fatherly hug.

Hayasa gave her a high five and winked. "Beginner's luck," he teased as he

gave her a bear hug.

"Sure it was!" Haruka laughed, throwing her arms up in the air, her head back.

A gust of wind hit her at that moment, blowing her hair from her face. She

closed her eyes, enjoying it. This is what she lived for. The speed, the rush,

just like the wind, closer than any other human could be. She could hear it,

feel it, taste it. And it was happy for her.

Hayasa grabbed her arm and dragged her to collect her trophy and prize money.

Haruka paused a moment to wave and wink to all the screaming girls, then

followed him.

The trophy was beautiful, the amount of money staggering. She couldn't believe

her eyes. She got all this for having the time of her life?

Cameras were snapping pictures left and right, reporters trying to push their

way towards her, video cameras rolling. Haruka caught a glimpse of Sunao's

face, bobbing through the crowd, trying to get through.

"Okaa-san!" she shouted, waving. That got them to let her by. Sunao rushed

over and hugged her tightly, and she seemed close to tears.

"Oh Haruka, that was wonderful. I'm so proud of you!"

"Thank you, okaa-san," she murmured.

This was truly the best thing that had ever happened to her.

**********

Michiru sighed gratefully as she stepped into the hot shower. Three weeks

had passed since she saw Haruka race for the first time. She'd raced every

week since, and Michiru made sure to go every time. She always started and

placed first. The media was going nuts about her, plastering her face on

magazines, newspapers, and television stories.

Michiru was having her own share of fame. Her CD was selling fast, and her

performances were selling out. She performed every Saturday night, and

again Sunday afternoon. People asked for her to play on Fridays, but she

declined... after all, she had to watch Haruka race.

The daimon attacks were getting more frequent now, averaging two a week.

Michiru was terrified. They were getting harder to fight, and she knew they'd

just get worse. She needed Uranus's help. She needed it quickly.

Michiru shivered with excitement. Today was the day. Today she would meet

Haruka face to face. Her face burned whenever she thought about it. What a way

to start a new week. She didn't know how she'd make it through the day.

The sea was calm. Thank goodness; she wouldn't have to worry about a daimon

spoiling things. Everything was going to be ok. Everything would be great.

She stepped out of the shower to dress for school. It was going to be ok.

It had to be.

Haruka woke up screaming again. She stumbled out of bed into the kitchen.

Thank God Sunao wasn't here to question her about it. The visions were more

and more frequent now, not just every few days, but sometimes a few times

a day. It had interfered with the start of a race the other day, but she

managed to recover. She almost collapsed while running in her first track

meet because of a vision, but somehow her body knew to keep moving, just

going with the wind.

The wind... every few days now, she could feel it's uneasiness in the way it

would rustle. She didn't know why she did, or how, but somehow it happened.

She had a track meet today. Maybe she could sort things out then. Running

gave her time to think while letting her enjoy the company of the wind.

Was something going to happen today? The wind was being strange...

Finally, the school day was over! Michiru rushed to meet Elza and walk with

her to the track for her meet. Elza would be racing Haruka, and would introduce

her afterwards. Elza still remained confident she would win. Michiru knew

otherwise.

She held her sketchbook in hand. Stay calm, Michiru. Just ask her to pose for

a painting. Simple. If you have to, mention the wind... that will get her

attention. She'll realize you aren't just some ordinary girl.

She sighed and sat to wait for the race to end.

Haruka stretched a lot, as usual, to make sure she didn't injure herself. A lot

of kids were racing today, some she'd raced with before, others were new.

There was a cute girl with red hair racing by her. Haruka vaguely recognized

her as a top racer. Haruka wasn't intimidated. The girl looked over at her,

and said, "Hello there."

"Hi. Haven't raced you before."

"I haven't ran here in awhile. Been busy."

"Well, I always look forward to racing someone that's supposed to be unbeatable.

You do realize I'm going to win?" Haruka questioned as she stood up tall, ending

her stretching.

The vision hit her when she stopped stretching. For some reason, the girl in it

seemed sadder than usual. When she came out of it, the red-head commented to her,

"I've heard you're fast, but I'm not going to lose."

Haruka smirked a bit. "Oh really? Why's that?"

"I'm Elza Grey, and I lose to no one!"

They took up their starting positions. The gun shot rang out, and everyone took

off. Some kids tried to get an early lead, others were saving energy for the end.

Elza wanted an early lead. Maybe she could last the whole race, if she got it.

Haruka took the early lead. She would definitely last the whole race.

Haruka ran effortlessly, as always. Elza was struggling hard, trying to keep up

and get ahead. Haruka didn't give her full effort. A track meet wasn't worth it.

It was easily won without going all out.

Haruka crossed the finish line and slowed to a stop. Elza finished second,

breathing hard, a disappointed look on her face. Haruka didn't bother to stick

around long. People congratulated her as she walked away. She went over to where

the runners kept their bags and things, and pulled her racing clothes on over

her track clothes. What a boring day. She couldn't wait to leave.

She heard footsteps approaching. Two people... hmmm... Who could that be? One

hesitated, the other came forward.

Elza. She smiled and said, "Ten'ou Haruka! I've heard your reputation. You're

really great." She paused briefly, then said, "There's someone I'd like you to

meet. Come on, Michiru!"

Haruka fought to keep her jaw from dropping. She barely noticed Elza saying,

"This is Kaiou Michiru. She is extremely intelligent and a brilliant painter.

She really wants to meet you."

Really wants to meet _me_? This gorgeous girl? ... Lord Almighty, she was the

most beautiful girl Haruka had ever seen. She had incredible deep blue eyes,

soft but inviting; wavy seagreen hair that fell around her shoulders, held

black with a black headband; full lips that looked so soft and sweet; a delicate

chin and high cheekbones; small but elegant hands; a bit taller than average,

slender, well-developed, quite feminine in appearance; wearing the school

uniform, but looking much cuter in it than anyone else did. She was clasping a

sketchbook in front of her, head lowered, having closed her eyes, a blush just

barely flushing her cheeks. Haruka's heart pounded at the sight of her, and she

felt her blood heat up. She was attracted to her immediately. She wanted to get

to know her... she _wanted_ her. When Elza finished speaking, she opened her

eyes and stepped forward.

She spoke, the voice of an angel, so sweet and kind, "You didn't break a sweat.

I think you were holding back. Right?"

"What do you mean?" She could tell?

Michiru tilted her head slightly, a sly grin appearing on her face. "You can hear

the wind rustling, can't you?"

WHAT?! All traces of nonchalance were erased from her face and her eyes shot open.

She stared hard at Michiru, who stared right back, but her gaze was wistful,

taking her in, while Haruka's was one of horror.

What... how... And suddenly, a sharp chill went through her. Oh no, no, it

couldn't be... but gazing at Michiru, hearing what she said... this was the girl

in the vision. The girl begging her to join her mission... to leave her life, to

risk it for some strange cause. To give up all she'd worked for... all she'd

tried to accomplish, to fight, be hurt, and maybe die. To make her life a living

hell all over again, but this time it would be willingly.

Haruka felt like something in her had died. How could fate be so cruel? To give

her a girl she was dying to be with, but place this price on being close to her.

How could she just give up her new life for her?

Fighting back her tears, she tried to sound and look disinterested and cold.

She grabbed her bag up, slinging it over her shoulder. "You're strange," she

said, turning away. "So, want do you want of me?"

She looked over her shoulder to see Michiru as she said in an excited tone,

"Would you be a model for my painting?" Her voice left no doubt as to what she

was feeling for Haruka.

Haruka's heart skipped a beat. No... Even worse, this girl was interested in

her as well. "Pass! I don't like that kind of thing." I don't like that kind

of thing, but I like _you_...

She could sense Michiru's pain, the hopes she'd crush. Her eyes threatened

to brim over with tears as she walked away from Michiru.

God... I hate you. I hate you for doing this to me.

Michiru's head sagged, and she just stood there trembling, her face unreadable

except for the tears welling in her eyes. She swallowed hard and turned to

Elza.

"Michiru?... Are... Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Michiru said, her voice carefully controlled. "I-It's just a minor

set-back. She's probably just... just stressed from all that's happening. I'll

talk to her again some other time. I'm fine..."

"Michiru, you look pale--"

"I'm fine," Michiru said again. Her knuckles were turning white from her grip

on her sketchbook. "I'm going home now. I'll see you later."

"If you're sure... I'll see you."

Michiru calmly walked away from the track. Elza watched her leave, then turned

away.

When Michiru was sure no one could see her, she ran. She'd never run so fast in her

life. She'd never felt this hopeless. She'd never felt this much pain.

How could she do this to me?! How could this happen to me?! After all these

months, after all this waiting, all this time... she just gives me the

brush off?!

She cried out as she stumbled and fell. She had run into her backyard, lay

near the lake. She felt the sea share her agony. The waters cried with her.

She screamed, tearing up the grass.

I love her... I love her so much.... and she doesn't care.

She shook all over, racked with sobs. Ki ran outside to see what the commotion

was, followed by the other children.

Ki tried to go to her, but Kirei and Kanpeki got there first. Kanpeki sat her

up, hugging her tightly, and Kirei motioned for Genki to pick her up. She made

Ki step aside as they carried Michiru up to her room.

How can I go on? How can I complete my mission, knowing she doesn't care? How

can it be completed at all, if I don't have my partner?

"Michiru... please... stop crying," Kanpeki pleaded. "Please... you need

to calm down."

Michiru pushed her away, crying out, "Leave me alone! Get away from me!"

"What happened?" Kirei asked softly. "I thought you were meeting Haru--"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Kirei flinched, then bit her lip and left. Genki gave her a hug, then led

Kanpeki out with him, shutting and locking the door.

Michiru lay back in her bed, too weak to move. She closed her eyes and tried

to ignore the pain. She couldn't stop sobbing, and ended up coughing violently.

She couldn't breathe, and she doubled over from the effort. Gasping, coughing

harder, she ran for her bathroom and threw up.

She lay on the floor in there afterwards, not wanting to move. She struggled

to stand and rinsed her mouth out, then went and flopped on her bed again.

"Michiru..." Setsuna. At a time like this.

"What the hell do you want?!" Michiru cried out. "Can't you see that I'm--"

And then Setsuna was there in person, in her fuku, as usual. "Michiru-chan, I

know what happened. Please, don't give up. It's going to be ok."

"How can it be ok?!"

"Just keep trying. It'll be all right. Haruka's not one to rush into things, you

should know that. She terrified right now. She's had the visions everyday now,

and they're started to interfere with her life. She's afraid to accept the

mission."

"Wh... what are you trying to say?"

Pluto smiled sadly, then said quietly, "It's not that she isn't interested in

you. She's afraid of losing her life, the one she's made for herself. She

doesn't want to be a Senshi."

"A-are you sure?"

"Yes." Pluto sat down by her and said, "Michiru, you're my friend, and I'm

going to look out for both you and Haruka. Just give her time. Be her friend.

It may take awhile, but she'll learn to get over her fear and accept things."

"How am I supposed to--"

Pluto chuckled and said, "I have... connections... at your school. I have

arranged for you to switch around your classes so you'll have the same as her.

You won't need to worry about P.E., they'll make an exception in your case."

She winked and said, "They just won't realize it."

Michiru sniffled and said, "You're an interesting person, Setsuna-chan."

Pluto laughed and said, "When you're stuck by yourself for a long time, you

learn to think your way through all sorts of possible situations."

She stood up and smiled sadly. "Well, I've got to leave again. Remember, it's

going to be all right."

"Th-thank you, Setsuna-chan."

"You're welcome, Michiru-chan." Pluto seemed to shimmer as she disappeared.

Michiru hugged her pillow tightly. Could things really work out between her

and Haruka? She was very grateful for Setsuna visiting her and talking to her,

not to mention rearranging her classes. How in the world had she done it?

The doorbell rang. Michiru assumed someone else had gotten it. Shortly after

that, she heard someone coming up the stairs, then knock on her door.

"Michiru-chan? It's me, Elza. Can I come in?"

Michiru got up and smoothed her hair, then unlocked the door. "Um, hi..."

Elza shut the door behind her, and handed over her sketchbook. "I figured you

weren't as fine as you said you were. You've always been too good at hiding how

you feel, especially when you're upset. Tell me the truth, are you all right?"

"I'll live." Michiru sighed sadly.

Elza hugged her, saying quietly, "I know it hurts to have her act like that,

but like you said, she's been going through hard times, right? So she's

probably just afraid of relationships right now."

"Yeah..."

Elza pulled away and said, "My ex-boyfriend... he was so rude to me at first,

but he eventually came around. He treated me like a queen after a few months."

"Ex?"

"He moved to Europe last year," Elza said quietly. "I really miss him... But

enough about me, right?"

Michiru smiled. "Thank you for coming over."

"No problem. We're friends, and friends look out for each other. Come on,

let's go get some ice cream. Nothing like chocolate chip cookie dough to

cheer you up. My treat."

"I think I'll just rest some... I'm fine, really. I'm just really tired."

Elza looked at her with concern. "Are you sure you're ok now? I mean, after

what happened and all?"

"Well I... had a visit, of sorts."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind. Let's just say, I had a talk with someone. I'll be fine. I'll

... I'll try to see you at school tomorrow, but I'm changing my schedule."

"Um, ok. See ya."

"Bye, Elza-chan."

As Elza shut the door behind her, Michiru curled up in a ball on her bed. It'll

be all right, she told herself. It'll work out. Don't start crying again. Things

will be fine.

Haruka slammed the door of the apartment shut, making a picture fall from its

hook on the wall with the force of it. Sunao tried to talk to her as she

stormed past to go to her room. She slammed that door too, and flopped onto her

bed.

Part of her was numb, unable to accept what had happened. The other part was

screaming bitterly, sobbing hard. She lay their, eyes fixed on the ceiling,

unmoving.

Sunao quietly opened the door and sat down at Haruka's side. "Is something

wrong?"

"I-I'm fine, okaa-san, I..." Haruka left a long pause, continuing to stare

at he ceiling. She closed her eyes and muttered. "I need to get away from

here, from everything."

"Oh?... Well, do you want your own apartment?"

What a way to twist her words... but it would be better than being trapped

here. "Please... I'll pay for it myself. I'll move today, I don't care..."

"I-If that's what you really want. I'll call some places right now."

Sunao got up and left, and Haruka buried her face in her pillow, crying into

it. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't worth crying over; she'd just

met this girl, knew nothing about her... but deep inside, she felt like she

did know her, that somehow this girl was perfect for her, if only...

Why did the mission have to be a part of it? Why did that damned Senshi junk

have to be mixed in? She couldn't accept it, and by refusing that, she refused

Michiru. Why couldn't she just be with Michiru and not deal with the mission?

After half an hour, Sunao came in again. "I found a place for you in the

downtown area. It's about the size of this place, rather nice... a bit pricey,

but you can cover it, right? Closer to the school..."

"Fine. I'll be packing."

Sunao seemed almost hurt, but nodded. Haruka looked at her sadly, then said,

"I'm sorry, okaa-san, I... I just need to be alone. I need to get away from

everyone, even you. I can't let my troubles bother you. You... you really can't

do anything for me now. I'm sorry."

Sunao lowered her head. "I... I'm sorry I couldn't be a better mother--"

"No, no, that's not it..." Haruka sighed. "I just have too many personal issues

that I can't let you get involved with. Just... get on with your life. We'll

still see each other... I'll call you..."

Sunao hugged her tightly. "I love you, Haruka."

"I love you, okaa-san."

Sunao sniffled a bit and left the room, and Haruka quickly packed her things,

called the friend they'd borrowed the van from before, and drove it to the

new address. She examined the apartment critically when she arrived. It was

more than enough for her alone. It came with nice furniture. It wasn't too

much money, considering what she earned racing.

After quickly unpacking her things, she went to stand out on the balcony.

It was very windy that night, so she rested in the chair there, closing her

eyes.

It wasn't like she'd see Michiru again... she'd never met her till that day,

so they must not have any classes together. She could get over her, in time.

It would be fine. She just had to avoid seeing her.

She almost screamed at the terrifying vision that entered her mind then.

"Haruka..."

It was too dark to see clearly... just a bright red coming from

somewhere... too much wind to keep balance...

"Haruka... please..."

She struggled to look up and saw Michiru in her sailor fuku, her face

more sad and pleading than ever.

"Please... don't be afraid... we need you..."

Other Senshi could be seen faintly, fighting, dying?

"No, I can't... you don't need me! You can do this without me!"

Michiru's eyes closed, tears streaming down her face. A silhouette

rose up behind her, a girl with shoulder-length hair, wielding a

large weapon... a glaive? It started lowering towards the ground,

time seeming to slow as she did so.

"Please... Everyone is counting on us..."

"No!"

"Please, for the sake of the world--"

"NO!"

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, the sound of millions of

screams. A cluster of metal ribbons shot out from the glaive, tearing

first Michiru, then the other Senshi to pieces. They shot out everywhere,

covering the Earth.

Haruka opened her eyes, finding herself lying on the floor of her balcony,

sweating and crying.

"It's just a vision... just a vision..."

She shuddered and swayed as she stood up. It was just too vivid, too real...

the pain seemed so real, the screams...

She passed out on the floor of the apartment before she could make it to her

bed.

~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 9

~~~~~~~~~~

Haruka flopped into her desk, arriving early as usual. She glanced out the

window briefly. She had a bad feeling about today, and she wasn't sure why.

Kemmei nodded to her and went back to grading a test from yesterday. He was

an all right teacher, considering Haruka's low opinion of teachers in general.

Some other kids waved to her as they took their seats. Haruka went back to

staring out the window. It was fairly quiet in the room. She thought she

heard someone else come in the room and talk to Kemmei. She was a bit

surprised when the footsteps seemed to come towards her. She turned to look

and practically choked on the breath she sucked in.

"Well, hello, Haruka. Nice to see you again. Mind if I take the seat next

to you?"

Michiru... what was she doing here? She called her "Haruka"... just that,

no suffix... oh lord... "I--"

Michiru sat down and carefully put her bag on the ground. Haruka couldn't

help but stare at her curvaceous legs as she crossed them. Michiru smiled

faintly to Haruka. "How are you?"

"I... I..."

Michiru bent forward a bit and asked urgently, "You had a vision too,

much worse than before, didn't you? Last night?"

Haruka glared at her. "What do you mean? Are you nuts or something?!

Visions?!"

Michiru narrowed her eyes, then smiled. "You're still going to race this

Friday, right? I want to make sure the tickets I bought don't go to waste."

"_You_ watch racing?!" This elegant, classical girl?!

Michiru laughed and said, "No, no! I'm not really into racing..." she dropped

her voice as she smiled slyly. "I just enjoy seeing you out there."

Haruka gulped and fought back her emotions. "Oh..."

"You're a great runner, too. You shouldn't hold back, though. You're so fast

when you just cut loose." Michiru then giggled a bit, talking quieter as she

said, "Besides... that track uniform looks much better on you than all those

silly suits and binding and make-up... I think you look so silly in this stuff.

You look exactly like a man!"

She knows I'm a girl... Oh lord... But she's still interested in me...

Haruka tried to sound cold as she said, "Stop following me, got it? I don't

know why else you'd be in here--"

"Why, Haruka, I have all your classes now."

"You WHAT?!"

"Don't be so surprised." Michiru flipped her hair over her shoulder, glancing

over Haruka. "We'll be seeing a lot of each other..." Her gaze lingered on

Haruka's legs as she murmured, "Hopefully a lot more..."

Haruka thought she was going to melt in her seat, but managed to keep being

rude as she said, "I think _not_, Kaiou-san. You're not my type."

Michiru glared at her and hissed, "You're just scared of your mission. You

shouldn't treat me this badly because of it."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're lying and you know it. You're afraid of getting near me because you

have a destiny to fight by my side. You can't stand the idea of throwing

away all you've worked for to fight for something you don't understand. I

would appreciate it if you were at least civil to me. I didn't choose this

anymore than you."

"Y-you're delusional..."

"Stop fooling yourself, Haruka. You can't avoid it, and you know it. Please,

just give me a chance. You don't have a choice anyways. Don't act like this.

Can't we at least be friends?"

"I don't need any friends," Haruka mumbled.

Michiru narrowed her eyes again and opened her mouth to speak, but a red-

headed girl bounded up the aisle to Haruka.

"Hey, Haruka-san! How're you? Haven't seen you since the other day... Oh,

Michiru-san! You're here! Hiii!"

Haruka wanted to thank God for sending Cindy. "Hi, Cindy-chan... You know her,

_Kaiou-san_?"

Michiru's eyes seemed to go flat and cold when she referred to her as "Kaiou-

san," and she said quietly, "Her sister is my best friend."

Cindy blinked rapidly. "Wow, you're actually talking to h-- oops, er, sorry,

nevermind me... Your race last week was really great, Haruka-san."

Haruka smiled. "Thank yo--"

"Don't you agree, Michiru-chan? I saw you there, too."

"Wonderful as always," she said in the same quiet tone.

"Eeeek! Gotta go, the bell's about to ring!" Cindy ran off, the bell ringing

just after she left.

The class stood up as Kemmei rose to his feet, then bowed to him. "We have

another new student. Kaiou Michiru has been a student here since elementary

school, but she just joined our class. Why don't you tell us about yourself,

Kaiou-san?"

Michiru lowered her head demurely and said, "I paint a lot and have my works

displayed in some museums. I play the violin professionally and give shows

every weekend, and I recently released a CD. I'm the middle of a set of

triplets, and have several other siblings as well."

Haruka felt her jaw go slack and carefully kept from letting it hang open.

"Wow, another star in the class!" Kemmei said with a laugh. "Sitting right

by each other, too!"

Michiru glanced at Haruka briefly then nodded.

"Time for tyourei, let's go."

The usual groans followed, then everyone got up and headed for the stairs.

As they were descending, Michiru's slipped a bit, and Haruka instinctively

grabbed her to steady her. Michiru stared up at Haruka, hands pressed to her

shoulders, and blushed a bit. Haruka coughed and let go of her, ignoring some

teasing whistles other people made.

She's just too wonderful, too beautiful... I can't help but be attracted to her,

but I can't give everything up... what am I going to do?

Michiru limped down the rest of the stairs. Haruka hung back to make sure she

was all right, eventually falling behind the others. When they reached the bottom

of the stairs, the class walked out, and Michiru surprised Haruka by grabbing

the door handle and pulling it shut. Haruka opened her mouth to question her,

but Michiru's finger on her lips silenced her.

"I really did hurt my ankle, but..." Michiru lowered her gaze. "Haruka, please...

talk to me. Don't shut me out. Please, try to be my friend... p-please..."

Haruka's eyes softened a bit. "Kaiou-san... I..." She shook her head, trying to

clear her thoughts and think rationally. If you become friends, you'll get close

to her. You'll fall even harder for her. How can you resist her then?

Michiru looked up at her pleadingly, lower lip trembling. Haruka could feel her

heart pound, moving to embrace her, soothe her worries... Haruka gripped the

railing behind her to keep from moving forward and said, "I-I can't promise you

anything. I can't say I'll make any effort but..." she lowered her head and said,

"don't be upset if I'm horrible to you. Got it? Just... remember that..."

Haruka bolted up the stairs, leaving Michiru stranded at the bottom. About five

flights up, she slowed to a halt as she heard shuddered sobs echoing in the

enclosed stairwell. She felt her eyes tearing, and slowly went back down the

stairs. She'd made Michiru cry, no, sob... all because of her. All because she

was afraid to be near her. She felt wretched, evil, corrupt.

Michiru was curled into a ball in the corner, her face hidden in her hair,

pressed to her knees. Haruka hesitated a moment, then knelt down next to her.

"Michiru-chan..."

Michiru lifted her head, biting her lip. Her eyes glimmered with a faint spark

of hope.

Haruka quickly pulled her into a hug, silently cursing herself for giving in.

Michiru cried harder, but Haruka saw that she was smiling; they were tears of

happiness. It felt so right to hold Michiru close, comforting her. It felt so

nice to have Michiru in her arms. She gently stroked Michiru's hair, surprised

at how nice it felt to hold her, not really awkward but rather pleasant.

"Michiru-chan, I'm sorry... I... I don't want to hurt you. I really don't.

But I... I'm so scared... I don't think I can do it. I can't take the mission.

I'm sorry... I'll try to be your friend, really I will... But..."

Michiru suddenly raised her head, her hands trailing to touch Haruka's cheeks.

Haruka shivered as she felt Michiru's breath on her as she whispered, "All I

ask is that you try... thank you... y-you don't know how much this means to

me..."

Haruka wanted to hold her close, kiss her trembling lips, never let her go. She

ignored the ache in her heart as she pulled away and stood up instead.

"I better get you to the clinic... um, have them take a look at your ankle."

Helping Michiru up and assisting her steps, she lead her out of the stairwell

and to the clinic.

Throughout the next few classes, Haruka fought to keep a straight face while

Michiru kept casting smoldering glances her way. When Kemmei would unexpectedly

call on her, she would stumble over her words, making Michiru giggle at her.

He'd then ask Michiru, who answered correctly.

When it came time for her free period, she was surprised that Michiru didn't

leave for a class. Haruka gathered her things to go outside to sit and think,

and Michiru started to follow her.

"Michi--" she started.

"What? I need to practice." She lifted up her violin case. "I have a performance

on Saturday night and need to prepare."

Haruka sighed grudgingly as Michiru carefully walked behind her into the elevator.

She hobbled a bit, trying to keep weight off her hurt ankle, but kept smiling at

Haruka.

"So... um... where are you performing?" Haruka asked.

"It's on a cruise boat, actually," Michiru said. "Taiyo cruise lines... It's

a charity event, actually, that I was invited to go to... help bring in more

money."

Haruka raised her eyebrow and said, "Well, I suppose I'll see you there. I'm

going because of my sponsors. Just a silly publicity stint."

Michiru laughed a bit and said, "You're actually giving in to them? It's not

like you to bend to someone else's wishes."

Haruka looked away and said, "I need something to do... and what would you know

about it being 'like me' or not?"

"I know more about you than you think," Michiru said softly with a sly grin.

"I'd like to be alone," Haruka snapped. "Don't follow me outside."

Michiru gave her a hurt look. "Haruka..."

When the elevator doors opened, Haruka rushed out, leaving Michiru behind,

unable to keep up. She took a detour and went to the library instead, just

in case Michiru decided to try to find her outside. She was terrified of

the girl. She promised to try and be her friend, but it was so hard to try

to be _just_ her friend. She didn't know if she'd be able to do it. It was

best to just try and avoid her as much as possible, no matter how much it

hurt. It would only hurt more if she got involved.

**********

Michiru sighed as she carefully arranged her hair. She'd lost her

enthusiasm for her performance, as Haruka's recent treatment of her had

brought her mood down. On Tuesday, it seemed like things would be all right.

Haruka had promised to try and be her friend, and had even held her. After

that, she gave her the cold shoulder, ignoring her as much as possible.

Michiru kept trying, but Haruka was unflinching, not responding to her

flirting in the least bit.

The daimons were attacking so frequently now. The visions were so

overwhelming. Every day, she ended up exhausted from battle. It was getting

to be too much. She didn't know how much more she could take without Haruka's

help.

Michiru picked up her violin and prepared to walk out on stage. She knew

Haruka was out there somewhere. She peered around the curtain and smiled to

herself when she noticed Haruka in a sharp black tuxedo, an untouched drink

on the table where she sat. She felt a bit of tingling in her stomach,

excited to be performing in front of Haruka. She walked out on stage and

smiled to the audience, to Haruka in particular. Closing her eyes, she

prepared to play.

Haruka felt her heart quicken as Michiru started playing. She looked so

beautiful, standing there in her white gown, all the attention on her. Her

playing was the best she'd ever heard. Haruka let out a tiny sigh, smiling as

she listened.

She could overhear the couple next to her talking about Michiru; "That girl

is Kaiou Michiru." "She doesn't look like a junior high girl. She must be

very popular at school." "I heard she doesn't make many friends." "Why is

that? She seems very nice." "Well, they say she dislikes people."

Haruka felt rather uneasy about the couple's words, and as soon as they'd

finished, she gave Michiru one last glance, then stood up and left the room.

She couldn't handle being there anymore, she couldn't handle the ache she felt.

The vision passed through her mind briefly as she walked, but she ignored it,

walking out into the hall, then entering the stairwell.

Michiru, though she played with her eyes shut, opened them and frowned,

feeling a strange feeling go through her. It felt as if her audience was sudden-

ly much smaller, not as appreciative. She noticed that Haruka was gone, and

felt let down. She didn't want to play anymore. She drew her song to an early

close, curtsied, and quickly left the stage. She ignored the hot tears in her

eyes as she put away her violin, then carefully descended the staircase where

one of her paintings hung. She sat down on the landing, her ankle throbbing

slightly where she'd injured it on Tuesday. She glanced up at her painting,

"The End of the World." After a particularly gruesome vision, she'd painted

it. A huge wave smashing into the city, destroying everything in its path...

Michiru sighed a bit. She felt as if there was no hope for the future, no

chance for Earth to survive. That painting could be the truth.

She was thrilled to see Haruka descend the stairs, then stop before her

painting, looking up at it, a tender smile on her face. Michiru trembled a

bit, wondering what Haruka must be thinking. Fighting back fear, she managed

a smile as she called out, "How do you like it?"

Haruka looked over to her as she said eagerly, "You are more than welcome here,

genius racer Ten'ou Haruka!"

"You know a lot about me, don't you?" Haruka said. Looking at the painting,

she asked, "Did you paint this?"

Michiru ignored the question. "You're famous, aren't you?" She deliberately

chose misleading words, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she said, "In my

school, there's lots of your fandom. One of your fans wants to ride along the

coastline with you in your car... even though she's a girl!"

The color drained from Haruka's face. Michiru wondered if Haruka realized she

meant herself. Haruka looked away and said, "The end of the world... How can a

pretty girl who won't hurt a fly paint such a horrible, imaginary painting?"

Michiru felt her hand shake. How could she say that? Haruka had the visions,

too! She stood up, glaring at Haruka. "It isn't imaginary! I can see it

clearly! As can you!"

Haruka snarled at her, "Ridiculous! I am Japan's first ever junior racer,

Ten'ou Haruka! Neither the memory of my previous life nor the end of the world

is my business! If it has to be done, why don't you do it? I don't want you

snooping around about me anymore!"

Michiru clenched and unclenched her hands while Haruka spoke. "Stop talking

that way!" she cried. "I don't want to do it either! I have a dream to be a

violinist! I just can't keep on doing stupid things like saving the world

from ruin!"

They stood staring at each other for several long moments.

Haruka came down the stairs a little way and said, "You're just too weak to do

it then. You don't need my help! Don't think you can push this on me! I don't

care what you say, there's no reason to think the end of the world is coming,

and that _I_ have some part in stopping it."

She turned to leave, and Michiru moved to stop her, but instead fell to the

ground when her ankle gave out and only brushing her fingers against Haruka's

pant leg. "Leave me alone, Kaiou Michiru! I'm through with trying to be your

friend! Go away!"

"HARUKA!" she screamed, trying to get to her feet. Haruka didn't even look

back.

**********

Michiru sat in her desk at school, head hung low as usual. Another

day, another disappointment. The bell was getting ready to ring, and she

couldn't wait. A month of Haruka ignoring her had been hard to handle.

She didn't understand it. Haruka had promised to try to be her friend, but

she was showing no signs of keeping that promise.

She tried to catch Haruka's eye, tell her she'd be at her race that night

(as always), but Haruka didn't even glance her way. Michiru clenched her

fist and was the first out the door when the bell rang. She didn't look back.

Haruka gathered up her books quietly. Pretty much everyone had left

by now. A couple girls tried to ask her out to dinner, and she politely

refused. She didn't have the time nor the interest to date either of them.

She closed her eyes, an image of Michiru flashing in her mind. If only she

didn't have to accept the mission by being with Michiru... if only there was

some way...

But there wasn't. The dreams had made that quite clear. She was exhausted

from school and needed a nap before her race, and it terrified her to think

that she could have another dream. She hated sleeping, the dreams that came;

visions of the Silence... and dreams of Michiru. It wasn't that they weren't

enjoyable, but they made it even harder to keep up the cold treatment of her.

She smiled a bit as she got into her car. She was glad she finally had

something to drive around the city. She didn't care if she wasn't the legal

age, she was going to drive if she felt like it. She could afford to buy her

vehicles. She had a nice, bright yellow convertible; reaching high speeds but

also letting her enjoy the feel of the wind against her face. The motorcycle

she had was fun too; she had to really put her body into driving it. The car

was much safer, though, and she could relax while she drove.

When she got up to her apartment, she found a message waiting on her answering

machine. Pressing the button, she was surprised to hear that it was Teinei.

She hadn't had the chance to talk to her in awhile.

"Hello, Haruka-chan! I've missed you... I've so much to say! I'll be coming to

your race tonight. Good luck! I wanted to know if you could come over for a

late supper afterwards. Your mother will be there, too... We haven't gotten to

see you in so long! Call me if you can... I'm assuming you're coming unless you

tell me otherwise. Bye."

Haruka smiled; it would be nice to see family again. She stretched as she lay

down on her bed. It always took awhile to get to sleep; so many thoughts racing

through her head made it difficult. She finally closed her eyes and let the

dreams come.

Michiru racing towards me, dressed in sailor fuku.

Arms outstretched, begging for help. The Silence is coming soon.

Red sky turned blue. Fuku turned to nice, white dress.

She reached for me, not pleading, but for an embrace. Eyes sparkling.

Her kiss so warm, so passionate, so loving... arms holding close...

Breath on my cheek, arms gently caressing my back... lips on my neck...

Her dress slowly falls to the ground...

Haruka's eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up, gasping for air. She

shook her head rapidly, swearing when she noticed she was running short

on time. She quickly slipped into her fire suit and gloves and rushed out

the door, not bothering with the elevator. She drove far faster than the

speed limit to reach the track, trying to outrace time and thoughts. The

dream was worse than usual. She shivered a bit, tightening her grip on the

steering wheel. She had to ignore it. She had to just race and forget

about it.

She wasn't at all surprised by her victory. Afterwards, her mother and

Teinei came over to her, hugging her tightly.

"It's been awhile," Sunao whispered, trying to keep the press from

overhearing. "Can you come to Teinei's?"

"Yes, let's just get away from this..."

The crowd parted to let her through, leading Teinei and Sunao to her car.

Sunao gave it a worried look while Teinei had a look of approval.

"Haruka, this is illegal," Sunao said, getting in the passenger seat.

"Let her have fun, she deserves it," Teinei said. "She has the money for it,

and besides, you know how she loves to go fast."

Haruka smiled at her in the rear view mirror. She started the engine and

pulled onto the road. They had no idea what had been going on lately in her

life. They didn't know what a help it was to keep her thoughts off Michiru.

They stopped at a restaurant to get take-out before heading to Teinei's.

Haruka felt strangely uneasy when they entered. Teinei and Sunao got the

table set while Haruka went to change into something else before sitting

down to eat.

"So, is school going all right?" Sunao asked. "I know how tough that place is

on some people."

"It's easy for me," Haruka said with a shrug. "Not very challenging."

"Have you been making friends?" Sunao asked her, giving her a strange look.

Haruka shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I ran into my old friend Cindy-chan, but

we don't get to talk that much... and I have track meets with her sister, Elza

Grey..."

"The famous runner?" Teinei asked.

"Yeah... she's, um, she's nice, but she can be bothersome..." Haruka recalled

the many times Elza had pleaded with her to give Michiru a chance.

"So..." Teinei pushed her food around a bit. "Are you seeing anyone? Have

an interest in anyone, by any chance?"

Haruka narrowed her eyes. "I'd rather not discuss that..."

"Oh? I've heard there's someone _very_ interested in you..."

"Many people would love to go out with me," Haruka said, pressing her fingers

to her temples. The endless barrage of fans got on her nerves sometimes.

"There's one girl in particular... that knows you're a girl... Michiru?"

Haruka knocked over her drink in shock. "How did you--"

"Because I'm her neighbor and I talk with her all the time." Haruka's eyes

widened with shock as a blushing Michiru walked in. "I-I'm sorry to interrupt

... but..."

Haruka's chair clattered to the ground as she stood and started for the door.

"HARUKA!" Sunao shouted. "Get back here right this--"

"LIKE HELL I WILL!" she shouted back.

"Haruka, this isn't what it looks like!" Michiru pleaded. "I just came to visit

Teinei, it's not like we planned to--"

"I'm through with you, Kaiou-san! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Haruka slammed the door shut

and jumped into her car, giving them no time to stop her.

"i... i didn't mean to... i didn't realize..."

"Shhhh, it's ok," Teinei said, gently rocking the sobbing Michiru back and

forth. "You didn't mean to upset her."

"i didn't know she was here... i just walked in and..."

"It's ok, Michiru, just calm down... It'll work out. Why would she _not_ want

a relationship with you?"

Michiru clenched her fists tight and sobbed harder.

**********

After two months of trying, Michiru felt she was no closer to gaining

Haruka's affections than before. She went home crying from heart ache and

wounds sustained at the hands of daimons. She couldn't take it anymore.

She _had_ to have Uranus at her side. There was no way to keep fighting.

Any day now, a daimon would appear that was too strong for her and would

kill her. Would Haruka care then? Haruka showed no signs of any feelings

towards her whatsoever, be they friendship or attraction. She was a cold,

hard slate.

Michiru tried to keep up hope, following Haruka to the race track for practice.

Though it was Friday, she didn't have a race today; it was scheduled for

Saturday instead. Michiru felt incredibly uneasy though; she'd had a strange

dream last night, picturing Haruka and Uranus simultaneously, and a young boy

curled up on the ground. Michiru hoped there was nothing wrong, and hid to watch

Haruka.

Haruka walked towards the garage, wondering why she heard painful cries

coming from inside. It sounded like the cries she heard in her dream last

night... A strange dream about Michiru in that sailor garb, fighting some

hideous creature. It pained her to dream about Michiru so much. Usually,

the dreams were so much sweeter, so wonderfully romantic... of things that

could never happen. It was getting harder and harder to resist her. Day

after day, Michiru gave her those wonderful looks, said those sweet things,

making Haruka almost willing to give up everything to be with her. But she

couldn't... she couldn't do that.

She ducked a bit to avoid hitting her head on the low door and called out,

"Is someone here?"

"Help..." A young boy in a red and green school uniform was doubled over in

pain on the floor. He was grimacing and sweating a lot.

"What's up? Are you okay?"

A strange shape loomed over him and suddenly he was engulfed by it, turning

into a monster. Haruka took several steps back. It couldn't be! One of the

monsters she'd seen in the visions... how could this happen?!

She grabbed a crowbar, trying to block it as it dove at her. She screamed as

it knocked her to the ground, the crowbar flying out of her hand. She felt

dizzy and confused, and an image of the boy appeared when she looked up at

the monster. How could she stop it?! It was an innocent boy trapped in this

body!

She gasped and shielded her eyes as a bright light appeared, pulsating, a

shrill sound filling her ears. A strange looking object appeared in the center

of the glow, a dark blue rod topped with a strange decoration. Fascinated,

unable to resist, she reached for it. Her hand was close to touching it, her

mind numb to whatever consequences it could hold. It felt right, she needed to

do it...

"DON'T!"

The glow disappeared and the rod fell as she turned to see who had spoken.

Her eyes widened. Michiru? Here?

"Don't touch it! Once you've touched it, you can never return to a normal

life."

Michiru's eyes closed, almost painfully, and she lifted a similar rod in the

air. Haruka stared, disbelieving, as Michiru was engulfed in light, and left

clad in the outfit from the visions.

Sailorneptune...

She wasted no time in attacking the monster. Once it had crashed into some

shelves and had been knocked to the ground, she turned to face Haruka.

Haruka shook with rage. She was thankful for her appearance, but how could

she attack an innocent like that? "Stop it!" she shouted. "This was a human

being until a little while ago! ... Are you okay with killing people?!"

Neptune narrowed her eyes. "The Silence is approaching!" she insisted. "If I

don't do this, there will be more sacrifices!"

"So, you choose this way?!" Haruka was quite ready for an argument.

"No, I don't choose this way--"

"Are you still--"

"LOOK OUT!"

Haruka barely had time to comprehend that the monster had dragged itself from

the ground and dove to attack, that Neptune had jumped in the way, before she

was momentarily winded by her impact with the ground.

She didn't think, she just reacted. It dared attack Haruka, she had to

protect her! She dove in her path, crying out as it's claws raked across her

back and arm, digging deep into her flesh. She was thrown onto Haruka, both

onto the ground. Haruka let out a huge breath, stunned from the impact. Neptune

fought back tears of pain, then a blush when she realized she was lying right

on top of Haruka. She carefully got to her feet and let loose her Deep Submerge,

not noticing what happened afterwards. She stumbled and fell to her knees, her

eyesight failing her for a moment as she saw only black and splashes of

color.

She could feel herself tremble as Haruka gently took her into her arms and

carefully, gently cradled her in them. She lay back in them, welcoming the

warm embrace. She felt Haruka's hands quivering a bit, her heart thumping

fast. She was too weak to move, trying to ignore the pain while welcoming

the comfort.

"The monster?" she whispered.

"It's returned to human form. Don't worry," Haruka told her. Such strong, but

gentle hands, carefully holding her so as not to aggravate her wounds...

"I almost killed it," Neptune said softly. "No, I'm sure I'll kill it next time.

It isn't easy... but I chose to become a Senshi."

"Then why did you protect me?" Haruka gently lifted her arm, looking over her

injuries. Her hand clasped Neptune's as she said, "If you hurt your hands, you

can't be a violinist."

Neptune fought back the warm rush in her cheeks. Her voice didn't rise above

a very soft level, and she could hear the tears she held back. "I didn't snoop

around just because you're a Senshi. Before I knew that you were the one... I

was watching you from nearby when you were racing for the first time. I always

wanted to ride in your car along the coastline just once... You never asked any

favors of anyone. You are always faithful to your feelings."

"I'm not faithful... I'm always running away," Haruka said.

Neptune felt the tears brimming closer to spilling, and told her, "I know

more about you than you do... because I watch you all the time! I don't

want you to take the same way I took. Still, I was happy when I found out

that you're the one..." A hot blush stained her cheeks briefly, and she

looked away, tears running down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to

talk about it... sorry..."

Neptune was terrified then. She'd confessed so much to Haruka... had she

ruined any hope she had with her? She closed her eyes and tried to stop her

tears.

Haruka trembled a bit, looking down at Neptune. She couldn't believe it.

She couldn't believe that Michiru really had been watching her, and that even

after this attack, she didn't want her help, for her to be a Senshi. After all

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.

~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 10

~~~~~~~~~~

Haruka stirred a bit in her sleep, thinking she was smelling breakfast

cooking already. She knew that couldn't be so; how could anyone be making

breakfast since she was the only one here? She lay there, almost falling

back to sleep, then her eyes shot open in surprise. She was definitely

smelling something cooking.

She stretched out and ran her fingers through her hair before stumbling

through her door. It took her awhile to fully wake up in the morning. She

peered around the entrance to the kitchen and her eyes widened in surprise.

There was Michiru, looking perfect as always with the addition of an apron,

walking around the kitchen making various dishes. She almost dropped the bowl

she was holding when she saw Haruka.

"Haruka! Oh, I'm so sorry! Did I wake you up?"

"I could smell it even in my sleep... It looks wonderful... What are you

doing here this early making a meal for me? How'd you get in anyways?"

Michiru smiled a bit sheepishly. "A few weeks ago, I convinced your mother to

give me a copy of the key... I thought you might appreciate breakfast in bed,

but you woke up already... You have a race today and... Well, considering that

you've agreed to join us..."

Haruka smiled at her. "That's really sweet of you. Thanks." She wiped a bit

of batter from Michiru's cheek, then said, "Now, if you don't mind... I think

I'll put something else on. These pajamas really are too small."

"Awww, darnit."

Haruka's eyes widened in surprise. "You're... kidding... right?"

Michiru just winked at her.

Haruka blushed and turned to walk to her room. It felt strange to know someone

actually found her attractive how she really was and not the way she looked in

public. She slipped into a T-shirt and pants and went back into the kitchen.

Michiru had almost finished, so Haruka went ahead and put out silverware at the

table.

"You look beautiful today, Michiru," she said. Michiru really did look wonderful;

her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail that looked cute on her, and she wore

a nice floral sundress. A glance at the foyer showed she'd been wearing sandals

with it. "Not that you don't all the time..."

"Thank you," Michiru replied, blushing a bit. "It's good to see you not hiding

your... ah..."

Haruka laughed. "It's definitely more comfortable! You have no idea how awful

it feels, ugh!"

"Probably pretty bad, considering how much there is to hide. I swear, if the

boys knew what you really looked like, they'd all be drooling over you. I'm

surprised you've never had any boys ask you out."

Haruka coughed a bit. "Er, that's... not quite true."

Michiru raised her eyebrow and started bringing the food to the table. "Oh?

Something I don't know about you!"

"That's a first, hmmm?" Haruka winked at her. "Well, I had a friend named Sai

when I was little, but we lost touch. He popped up at my junior high and hung

all over me and eventually asked me out. He didn't take the rejection too

well."

"Did he realize why you weren't interested?"

Haruka closed her eyes briefly. "He made a rude remark as a joke, and when

he saw the look on my face..."

"I'm sorry." Michiru placed her hand on Haruka's. "I didn't mean to--"

"It's all right," Haruka said with a smile, squeezing her hand. "He wasn't

a real friend if he did that to me, right?"

"True..."

"Anyone ever ask _you_ out? Or should I say, how many?"

"Actually..." Michiru sighed. "No one. Everyone's been afraid to approach

me since I was little. Even at Goban Yobi-ko, I'm smarter than everyone,

and they're jealous of my skills in art and music. I have very few friends,

and the only other people that talk to me are fans asking for autographs."

"I'm surprised that you don't have herds of men following you," Haruka

said. "I would think your celebrity status would make them even more

interested..." Her eyebrow twitched as she said, "The girls won't leave me

alone thanks to my racing... But really, you're so incredible, Michiru, and

if no one else has seen that... well, they're idiots, and I'm pretty damn

lucky I managed to have you to myself."

Michiru giggled a bit and gripped her hand tighter. "Why thank you... I

better bring everything over now."

"Let me help." Haruka took several of the dishes and brought them over

as well. They both sat down. "Hmmm, Western foods, yummy. Don't have that

often enough."

Michiru laughed and said, "Our house is a Western design, and my parents

pretty much raised us on Western breakfasts. You have to love the pancakes,

hmmm?"

"Definitely." Haruka poured syrup onto hers and passed it to Michiru. "I

should have you cook for me more often," she teased, "I can barely cook

anything, much less anything this good." She took a bite and smiled in

contentment. "It's delicious!"

"Thank you." Michiru shyly smiled at her. "I'm glad you like it."

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"Well..."

Haruka pushed a plate in front of her. "It's more fun to share a meal

than have it to yourself. Come on."

"If you insist... but I really didn't intend to have any..."

"Michiru!" Haruka grabbed her hand again. "You spent all that time

cooking and didn't think you'd eat any? Come on, don't be silly. You

need to eat."

"Oh all right."

They ate quietly, exchanging few words, gazing into each other's eyes.

Once they'd finished and cleaned up, Haruka offered to take her for a drive

later. Michiru was a bit hesitant, then agreed. They went into the living

room and sat down on the couch.

"So, what now?" Michiru asked.

Haruka shrugged. She looked up at the ceiling, thinking to herself a bit.

"Michiru... I have something to show you."

"Oh?"

Haruka went into her room and got her notebook. When she returned, she

handed it to Michiru. "I want you to see it. I think you know what this is

already."

"Haruka..." Michiru carefully opened it. "Are you sure? This is really

personal..."

"Yes." Haruka lay back on the couch. "I want you to see it."

Michiru got up and moved Haruka's end of the couch. She sat next to her and

gently pulled Haruka back to lie on her lap. Haruka chuckled a bit and looked

up at her. "This is very comfortable..."

Michiru laughed too and gently stroked her hair, holding the notebook open

with her other hand. Haruka sighed blissfully and closed her eyes for awhile.

After a few minutes, she opened them again and looked up at Michiru in

surprise. "Angel?"

Michiru nearly dropped the notebook. "What?!"

"Sorry..." Haruka reached her hand up to touch Michiru's cheek. "But... you

are her, aren't you? The girl that saved my life those times..."

"Well... yes."

Haruka smiled sweetly at her. "I'd forgotten about seeing you like that. My

memories of you then are pretty blurred, considering the condition I was in...

and I suppose," Haruka blushed faintly, "once I'd really met you, I forgot

about my 'angel' and thought of you in that sense instead..."

"Thank you..." Michiru traced a finger along Haruka's jawline. "Think of me

as your angel, hmmm?"

Haruka shivered a bit. "Oh, definitely... the term fits you... you're so

beautiful, so kind, definitely heavenly... And you saved my life a few

times..."

Michiru's hand trailed to Haruka's neck and collar bone, gently brushing her

fingers over Haruka's skin. "I'm heavenly?"

"Very!" Haruka whispered, barely holding back a moan. "God, that feels

wonderful!..."

Michiru laughed and gave her shoulder a squeeze, then went back to looking at

the notebook. Haruka pretended to pout, then relaxed, gazing at Michiru. She

sighed happily and closed her eyes again. She blinked when a tear hit her

cheek. "Michiru? Are you all right?"

"S-sorry," she whispered. "I just... this is dated yesterday... you wrote this

about me?" Michiru showed her the poem she was looking at.

"Yes."

"I-It's... it's amazing... it's really..." Michiru wiped her eyes quickly. "I

didn't know you could write this well... a-and that you felt this way..."

Haruka sat up and put her arm around her shoulders. "I meant every word of it.

You are the most important person, most important _anything_ in my life. You've

made me feel like a better person than I am. You've given me hope and happiness,

the will to live..." She hugged Michiru and whispered in her ear. "I can't put

into words how much you mean to me."

Michiru rested her cheek against Haruka's, then held her hand tightly. "Then

don't speak," she breathed, leaning her lips towards Haruka. Haruka started to

lean to her, then put her finger against Michiru's lips. "What's wrong?"

"I want to be ready to say I love you before we kiss," Haruka whispered. She

smiled sadly at her. "And you were the one telling me to take things slow

yesterday..."

"I suppose so!" Michiru laughed. "It's hard to control myself around you!"

"Same here," Haruka said with a wink. She pressed her face into Michiru's hair

and mumbled, "Give me a little more time, then I'll be more than happy to..."

"Your breath tickles!" Michiru giggled and wrapped her arms around Haruka's

shoulders. Haruka blew against her ear lightly, making Michiru squirm. "Ohhh...

Ohhh Haruka, cut that out! Ahhh!"

"Mmmm, I think you're enjoying it! Besides, it's fun to watch how you react!"

Haruka pulled away from her with a grin. "Oh well. Plenty of opportunities for

that later, hmmm?" She helped Michiru to her feet. "Well, as much as I'm enjoying

this... My mother was planning to come over later this morning, and later I'll

need to be getting dressed to head to the track... yuck... If you want to take

my notebook with you... I don't mind. Meet you there?"

"What if I don't want to leave?" She smiled broadly. "Your mother knows me. She

knows how I feel about you and actually encouraged me to pursue you. And I'd

like to show up with you for the race."

Haruka sighed. "I can't help but give in to you. You win." She linked her arm

around Michiru's. "I guess I'll go to her instead of her coming to me... and

you'll be going with me. Would you like to go in my car or my motorcycle?"

Michiru giggled a bit. "Let's try the motorcycle..." Her eyes gleamed a bit

as she said, "I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to get closer to you."

Haruka raised her eyebrow a bit, smiling at her. "Who would think someone so

elegant and reserved as you could be so... so amorous."

"Blame the reservation on my parents," Michiru laughed, "I was raised to act

perfect and lady-like all the time... as for the other..." She rested her

head on Haruka's shoulder. "You just have that effect on me."

Haruka chuckled a bit and led her out the apartment. "Well then, my dear,

let's be off, so you can enjoy 'getting closer to me'."

Michiru laughed and bopped her lightly on the head. Not as close as I'd

like, she thought, but close enough for now.

At first, Michiru seemed terrified of the motorcycle. Haruka calmly

explained to her that she had nothing to worry about; she was a very safe

driver, and besides, all Michiru had to do was hang on tight-- which she

was sure to do anyways.

Haruka climbed onto it and put their helmets on the shelf nearby so they

could grab them when ready. Michiru carefully seated herself and wrapped her

arms around Haruka's waist.

"Well, shall we be off?"

"O-okay..."

"Michiru! Relax! I race professionally; I think I can handle a motorcycle."

"I know... I've just never been on one before..."

"Just hold on tight, okay? Not too tight or I won't be able to breathe..."

Haruka adjusted her seating a bit. "Now, make sure you lean _with_ me into the

turns. If you try to go the other way, it'll really make things interesting.

You might feel like you're falling, but don't worry, just keep leaning into it,

all right?... And try not to let your hands stray too high or I'll crash us," she

teased with a wink.

Michiru laughed a bit, her nerves easing somewhat. "I'll try."

Haruka started the engine. Michiru involuntarily squeezed her tighter, letting

out a tiny shriek. Haruka turned it back off again and made Michiru get off

with her. "Michiru, you're the one who wanted to take this instead of my car.

If you can't handle this, we can just get my car and--"

"No." Michiru set her lips in a firm line. "I'm not going to back down."

"Conquering a fear perhaps?"

Michiru blinked a bit at her. "What do you mean by that?"

"I think you're just pushing yourself to do something you wouldn't normally

do. You're testing yourself, whether you realize it or not." Haruka touched

her cheek gently. "We're going to have a lot of trials ahead. You can handle

this. You've fought daimons, remember? This is nothing."

"Haruka the psychologist," Michiru joked quietly.

"Some psychologist _I'd_ make," Haruka groaned. "I'd have more problems than

my patients! 'Hi, I'm your cross-dressing, self-supported, lesbian, abused

psychologist! I bet there's nothing wrong or unusual with you compared to me!"

"Haruka!" She frowned at her darkly. "I don't think you should turn those

things into a joke..."

Haruka shrugged a bit. "I know. But... face it, the nail that sticks up gets

hammered down... and I'm very visible. It's all right though. I'm quite stubborn,

aren't I?" Haruka winked at her.

"I..." Michiru sighed and flung up her hands. "Nevermind. It's already been

said. Let's just get going; I want to get this over with."

"All right."

Again, they got onto the bike, and Haruka started the engine. Michiru kept

quiet this time, though her grip got noticeably tighter.

"Ready?"

"One moment..."

"What... now?" Haruka let a loud gasp and a choked moan as Michiru slipped her

hands under her shirt to run across her ribcage. She nuzzled her face against

Haruka's neck, pressing her body against her back. Haruka leaned back against

Michiru, her breathing quickening noticeably. "M-Michiru?! W-what..."

"Drive safely," Michiru whispered throatily in her ear. "Don't forget who

your passenger is... or how she feels about you."

"I... I..."

Michiru grabbed their helmets, putting hers on and handing Haruka's over

to her. "Well, let's be going."

Haruka trembled, noticing the gleam in her eye. Michiru wrapped her arms

around her again, smiling at her. "What are you waiting for?"

Haruka put on her helmet and put her hands back on the handlebars. She

closed her eyes, trying to ignore the warm rush to her cheeks over what

just happened. "N-nothing. Let's go."

Michiru's arms gripped her considerably when they took off onto the

road. Haruka was thrilled to be out on her bike with Michiru. Michiru

was only enjoying the fact that she was with Haruka. Haruka started to

speed up far over the speed limit, but Michiru let her know she wasn't

thrilled with the idea. A hard pinch does wonders to convey messages.

As they were driving, Haruka felt the wind stirring. She glanced around

and pulled off onto a side street, parking her motorcycle.

"You felt something, too?" Michiru said once she'd pulled off her helmet.

"Yep. What do we do now?"

"We better take care of it now. Don't want to interrupt your race."

Haruka pulled her bike to where no one would see it. "All right... Hmmm,

that's strange. Something feels... different. There's something about

this one... And there's something else I sense, something that has

nothing to do with--"

"Let's just find it and take care of it, hmmm? Don't want to worry

okaa-san too much."

They transformed and leapt onto the rooftops. Neptune walked to the

edge and looked around. "I think... over there." She pointed in the

direction of a small park. "I'm pretty sure it's over there." A

series of leaps brought them to the building closest to the park.

"Uranus," Neptune turned to look at her. "Out of curiosity... I had to

experiment to find out I could jump and leap this high, and it came as

quite a surprise. How'd you--"

"I just followed your lead," Uranus laughed. "And to me..." she smiled

up at the sky, "... to me... the idea of being able to go so high... it

doesn't seem unusual."

"Head in the clouds," Neptune teased.

"I wish."

Neptune smiled at her and looked out to the park. "Well, let's check it

out. Think you'll be able to figure out your attack?"

"Sure."

They jumped down from the building and back up into the trees. Leaping

from the branches of one to the next, they searched for the daimon.

"Neptune! Over there!" Uranus whispered. "What's happening?"

Neptune looked to where she pointed. A woman stood, gloating over a

teenage boy that had fallen to the ground and now tried to scramble

away. His backpack lay next to him. The woman had long red hair, flowing

loose from a braid-wrapped bun, purple eyes, and a short red dress that

bared scandalous amounts of her chest. Uranus raised her eyebrow a bit

then let out a small "oof!" when Neptune jammed her elbow in her ribs.

The woman just stood smirking while the boy reached for his backpack.

He screamed when it started to morph.

Uranus moved to leap out and attack, and was stopped when Neptune

grabbed her shoulder. "Let's see what it does first. We need to know

what we're facing. This isn't like the other daimons."

The backpack took the shape of a woman with strange accessories all over

her-- a ruler down her spine, dozens of pencils for hair, a crayon-

plated dress... She looked ridiculous. "SAMBON!" she screamed.

"Nooo!" the boy scrambled to regain his footing and tried to run. The

daimon lifted a corner of the skirt and revealed a black star printed

on her thigh. A beam of light shot out from it to the boy's chest. He

screamed as a glowing object started to emerge from his chest, his skin

taking on a gruesome pallor... Out of his chest came a magenta-tinged

crystal, with many pieces shooting off from the center, giving off a

bright glow...

"That must be a heart crystal! GO!" Neptune shouted. They leapt down and

ran to attack. The woman glared angrily at them as they approached, while

the daimon stood there, too shocked to move.

"Sambon! Stop those two!"

"Yes! SAMMMMBON!" A huge pencil appeared in her hand and she started to

swing it like a bat.

"Neptune! The crystal!"

Neptune rushed to the boy while Uranus dodged the over-sized pencil. She

flipped over the daimon's head and kicked her from behind. Neptune grabbed

the heart crystal and frantically examined it. It was so bright, so fragile,

and it floated over her hands rather than her actually holding it. It

seemed so unique... She had the feeling this wasn't a Talisman, however.

She didn't know what to do with it now. She shouted to Uranus that it wasn't

a Talisman, and heard Uranus swear at that. She was surprised to hear the

red-head also mutter a curse.

"Sambon, kill them!" She vanished from sight.

Uranus let out a short grunt when Sambon's pencil hit her in the ribs.

It didn't take her long to recover; she leapt over the Sambon's head and

planted her heel in the daimon's back, knocking it over. Uranus waited

for it to stand up, feeling her attack phrase coming to her. She raised

her hand over her head, smirking a bit. She balled her hand into a fist,

yellow beams of light pulsing from it. "World..." She slammed her hand down

towards the ground. "Shaking!" A huge, round ball of energy shot out along

the ground and slowly rose higher into the air, finally connecting with

Sambon.

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."