Neko raced over to join her girlfriend and her twin. When neither one moved in response to her yelled greetings, she frowned. *Doushita?* They were staring intently at each other, and to Neko's horror she both sensed and saw her sister slip into an attack stance!
"Mi-chan, doushita?!" Neko rushed to her sister's side, placing a hand on the girl's arm. She could feel the muscles tensed under the skin, fury directed at Tenshi! What was going on?! Did Michiru think Tenshi had done something?
Michiru didn't even look at her sister. "I'll tell you what's wrong! Your boyfriend here was in the women's locker room watching them change! He's a Peeping Tom, and I won't let him go on like this just he can hurt you!!"
Neko froze. This wasn't happening! Her sister was not about to beat up Tenshi! She couldn't be! One look at the younger Mizuno twin's face was all it took to drive the situation home. Neko felt sick to her stomach as she watched Michiru take another step towards Tenshi.
Neko looked at her girlfriend. The older teen looked completely at a loss. It was up to Neko. Determined to stop her sister from harming the woman she loved, Neko tried to throw herself between the two. Michiru wouldn't hurt Neko just to get at Tenshi, she wouldn't!
Unfortunately, the twins knew each other too well. Anticipating Neko's action, Michiru's arm came up, stopping her sister in mid-motion. No amount of force on Neko's part would be able to match Michiru's iron will to protect her sister. "Mi-chan, please don't do this!"
"Unless you give me an extremely good reason why I shouldn't beat him to a pulp, you can't stop me, Neko-chan."
The ice in Michiru's words sent a chill through the older Mizuno. As she watched her sister shift her weight to launch herself at Tenshi, Neko cried out the words that would save her love.
"Tenshi is a woman!!"
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Tenshi is a woman!!"
Somehow, Michiru managed to stop herself from lunging at the older teen. She turned her head and starred at her sister, her eyes still boiling with anger, body still tense for battle. This was absolutely the craziest explanation Neko could have come up with in Tenoh's defense. Which meant it was a lie. But Neko never lied. So Michiru waited for the truth.
"Tenshi-kun is a woman. She was in the woman's locker room because she is a woman. I never expected it would be a problem that you didn't know, but it just never seemed the right time to tell you. Please don't hurt Tenshi-kun. I love her."
The last words were whispered, but they hit Michiru with the full force of a shout. As she focused on her sister's face, Michiru could see the tears at the corners of Neko's eyes, threatening to spill over. The protector of the Mizuno family looked back and forth between her twin and her intended victim, the reality of the situation finally becoming clear. *What have I done?!*
As Tenshi and Neko watched, the anger drained out of Michiru's face and the tension in her muscles disappeared. "Neko-chan, I �" She tried desperately to figure out what to say in the now very awkward scene. "I�I'm sorry. I didn't know�I�I can't believe I almost�" She looked hopeless at Tenshi as shame overwhelmed her, an apology dying in her throat. Unable to speak, she pushed past the older student and began to run, not caring where she was going.
"Mi-chan, matte!" Neko called after her twin. Feelings of shame, confusion and self-directed anger washed over Neko as she watched her sister go. She was just about to go after the disappearing sister when Tenshi placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.
"Let her go. Once she has calmed down a little, the two of you should have a long talk."
The words came not from Tenshi, but from Jian-wa who was standing behind Neko. Unnoticed by all, he had arrived close to the end of the discourse. His eyes were fixed on the point where Michiru had disappeared from sight, concern filling the brown orbs.
Neko turned towards him, ready to protest. "But-"
"Koneko-chan, he's right. She's too upset right now. Give her some time."
Neko bit her lip, wanting to protest further. She looked at Jian-wa, not sure what to do. In surprise she watched him turn and trot off after her twin without a word.
*~*~*~*~*~*
As he moved away from the pair, Jian-wa sighed. He had feared there would be trouble when he had learned Neko had not told Michiru the truth about her lesbianism and Tenshi's gender. Michiru had a bad habit of not only acting, but overreacting, before she had all the facts in a situation. It had been a close call here today. One that could have been avoided.
He shook his head as he slowed to a walk. It wasn't his place to judge. Unlike Michiru, Neko thought before acting, and she must have had her reasons. "Well, the damage has been done," he muttered to himself. It wasn't
important now why. While Neko was the last person Michiru needed to see right now, he was certain that she definitely needed someone.
*And this will be your last chance to be that someone. She won't want you around anymore now that she knows the truth of what happened at the dance,* Jian-wa thought miserably to himself.
The worst thing of all was that his time with Tanzanite was what now allowed him to know exactly where the upset young woman had gone. Breathing deeply, the raven-haired youth once again quickened his pace.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Michiru pushed open the door to the roof of the athletics building. She was thankful that it was abandoned as always as she let the roof door slam behind her. The roof was far from level, with raised sections separated by square valleys and iron partitions. An elevated square on the western edge was at just the proper angle to create a shady spot for most of the day. A spare tarp from home, some nails and a pole were all Michiru had needed to create a little haven for herself from rain and late day sun. It was here she had spent many lunch hours before joining Jian-wa and Neko in the Kempo room.
More than once she had been guilty of calling home to make some excuse about running late, when in reality she had come to this place to watch the sunset and be alone. She could have her own thoughts anywhere, but sharing a room with an identical twin sister and having a psychic father did not make for much privacy at home. She would sit under her rain guard and watch the dying light trying to meditate, wondering why she seemed to be the only one in her family who had such difficulty with the process.
In her heart Michiru knew the answer. She was afraid to totally clear her mind, freeing the guarded thoughts and fears that consumed her. And without a clear mind, meditation did little good. As was always the case, her troubled thoughts would again prevent meditation from bringing her emotions under control today.
Michiru ran to her haven and could only stand, breathing raggedly. So many thoughts and emotions were running through her head that it actually hurt.
"How could she?! My own sister lying to me like this!!" Michiru began to pace. *Now that's not true and you know it. Neko-chan doesn't lie, she just omits certain details unless asked point blank.* It was a trait of her sister's that irritated Michiru.
