A/N: I'd like to thank Trixxie for allowing me to quote her and I'd like to thank Vanessa Riverton, whose birthday is today, for her beta smexx. Happy birthday, f00!

Yamada Motors had just unlocked its doors when Haruka drove into the lot. Her blue Miata purred deeply as the engine idled momentarily. The sound was that of a lion, the king of the beasts, and appropriately so as Haruka was indeed the king of the beasts of steel that sped through Tsukuba Circuit every week. Not only was she the youngest racecar driver, but she was the racer who broke the lap time records, placing her at the number one position among all the racers in Tsukuba. It was one step closer to fulfilling her dream of becoming a professional Formula 1 racecar driver.

Haruka cut off her engine and stepped out of her car. The chill in the air caused Haruka to quickly make her way inside the installment. She was right about taking her car instead of her motorcycle today, but she was wrong about not wearing her jacket. The weather was quickly changing from fall temperatures to winter. Soon she'd be scraping frost off her windshield, a task she wasn't looking very forward to because it took up extra time in the morning, which meant she would have to wake up earlier, which also meant she'd lose precious minutes of sleep. It was already bad enough that she had to get up at 4:00 in the morning because she promised to go running with Hanako—the things she does for her best friend. Fortunately they decided not to run today since they had run in the Osaka Marathon over the weekend. There was always the option to go to bed earlier, but that wasn't going to happen.

Kameda held the door open for her. "Good morning, Haruka."

"Morning, Kameda."

"How was Osaka?"

"It was good. I won the marathon."

"Congratulations! I knew you would. I expected nothing less."

"How's Shizuma? Did she miss me?"

Kameda laughed. "She's been waiting for you. Come on."

Haruka walked with Kameda through the facility to the Yamada Racing Team department. The building was still mostly empty except for a few other employees. They arrived at a gray door that had the characteristic stencilled red letters that said AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY and a keypad beside the doorknob. Kameda tapped the combination into the keypad and a small click sounded, indicating that the door was unlocked.

"After you," Kameda said.

Haruka opened the door and walked in. The metal halide lamps hanging from the ceiling were still warming up to their full capacity, but there was enough light to illuminate the vast warehouse that served as the YRT's headquarters. Her eyes lit up as she saw the silver beauty standing in the middle of the room.

"Shizuma!" she cried gleefully and ran down the metal grated stairs, the clanking sound echoing off the walls.

"I take it that means you like what I've done to her," Kameda said taking his time down the steps and stopping at the bottom of the first flight.

"Like it? I love it!" Haruka stepped around her silver Skyline, examining all the new modifications that Kameda made while she was away. Her grinning face reflected off the Skyline's glossy paint. "If you were a woman, I'd ask you to marry me."

"Are you talking to me or your car?"

Haruka thought about it for a moment. "I was talking to you, but now that you mention it, I'd choose Shizuma over you. She's a lot sexier."

"Hey!"

Haruka laughed and said, "Well if it makes you feel any better, Shizuma wouldn't be the supermodel she is without you."

Kameda shook his head. "I'm just doing my job."

Kameda Yamada was the son of Eiji Yamada and heir to the Yamada Motors company. Currently he was the shop manager and head mechanic for the YRT. He was the only mechanic Haruka trusted and he was the best in Haruka's opinion, but Kameda would never accept such high praise. His humility was just another trait that proved him a person of integrity. Additionally, where Hanako was like a sister to Haruka, Kameda was like a brother.

"Well, she's ready when you are. I gotta go open up the rest of the shop," Kameda said and walked back up the stairs to the door.

"Thanks, Kameda. I'll definitely take her out for a ride after I check my email. I'm sure there's a lot I have to catch up on."

After a few more moments of admiring her car, Haruka climbed back up the stairs to the upper level area that overlooked the warehouse floor. Supposedly, this area was the racing team's office, but it served more as a lounge area. There were couches around a coffee table littered with motor sports magazines (and occasionally bottles and cans of Asahi and Sapporo), a floor stereo system, a pool table, and a broad filing cabinet that flanked a long table which served as a desk for the three computers that the team shared.

Haruka turned on all three computers and sat at the one near the edge so she could still adore her car. Logging in took a minute or two, then Haruka navigated to her inbox. There were several of the usual solicitations from sponsors, staff emails, and a few other emails that were actually worth reading, but they were all lost to the prominence of one email that struck her paralyzed. She stared at it incredulously, reading the name of the sender over and over, letter by letter, to make sure she wasn't misreading it. She even shut her eyes and opened them to see if the name was still there, and it was:

Michiru Kaioh.

It was as real as the pulse she felt growing increasingly rapid through her temples, the very beat of her heart sounding clear as day. Haruka began to shiver despite the sweat breaking out on her brow. The last time she talked to Michiru was four years ago. At that time, all her contact information was different from now, so Michiru must've had to do some sort of research to find a way to contact her. Haruka realized that was inarguably easy enough to find considering her rising popularity, but she had to wonder why Michiru would try to get in touch with her now. Two possibilities came to mind. Either Michiru found out that Haruka had broken up with April or Michiru still thought they were together and didn't care. But that would imply a notion that Haruka dared not entertain. It was too late though. Trying to ignore the idea alone was acknowledging its existence. Haruka wouldn't get her hopes up though. A lot of thoughts cross her mind that don't amount to anything and there was no guarantee that this would be an exception. At least Haruka was certain of one thing - Michiru hadn't forgotten her.

The paralysis finally wore off and Haruka opened the email.

Swimming was more than a favorite activity for Michiru. It was her favorite way to relax. The weightless sensation while floating on the water was the closest she could get to not feeling the burden placed on her shoulders by her duty as a senshi. Every morning she started her day at the indoor pool on the top level of her apartment building. Nobody ever used the pool at that time, so she enjoyed the luxury all to herself. The best part of it though was the view of the sky through the glass ceiling above.

Michiru was floating on her back, watching the last remaining stars slowly disappear from the sky as daylight crept in. Usually this was the time she'd arrive at the pool to begin her daily swim, but she had started her routine earlier because her anxiety made her restless. After she had sent the email to Haruka last night, she decided to think nothing more of it and not to expect anything to happen, but she found herself constantly waking up throughout the night with the urge to check her email. She refrained from doing so simply because she doubted there would be a new message waiting for her. It was unlikely that anyone else was awake at the ungodly hour of 4:00 in the morning, or maybe Michiru was just afraid of what she might or might not find. She was starting to regret sending a message to Haruka, but there was nothing she could do now. She didn't know which was better, receiving a reply or not. It might be easier to forget the whole thing if Haruka didn't reply, but how humiliating Michiru would feel after putting herself out there. But Michiru didn't exactly think about what could happen if Haruka did reply. She supposed it all depended on what Haruka said if she were so inclined to correspond with Michiru.

Taking a deep breath, she allowed the water to wash over her body as she sank beneath the surface. Once her feet touched the bottom, Michiru pushed off from the floor and swam towards the ladder at the end of the pool. Water dripped from her slender figure as she climbed out and even more splattered onto the tile floor when she wrung her hair. She retrieved her towel from one of the benches scattered around the perimeter and wrapped it around her body before settling into a lounger. It was still too early to go back to her apartment and get ready for rehearsals, and she was still trying to avoid her laptop, so she closed her eyes and let her mind drift a while.

Her thoughts went back to the visions she'd been having in her sleep and how they had changed since she first started having them. Originally, she stood alone in these visions, dressed in her senshi fuku, helplessly watching the destruction of the world by an unseen force under a dark crimson sky. Now there was another in the dream, a tall woman with long hair who donned a similar senshi fuku and carried a long staff in her hands. She appeared behind Michiru in a blinding white light that cast her in shadow, making it impossible for Michiru to see her face, but she could hear her voice clearly.

"You must find the Messiah."

"How?" Michiru called out to the dark figure. "How can I find the Messiah?"

"You cannot do it alone," said the woman and she held out her rod.

Suddenly strong gales of wind blew past, tossing debris all around the barren land on which Michiru stood. Michiru lifted her arms up to shield her face, but when she lowered them the mysterious woman was gone and she was alone again.

But she wasn't alone. The woman in her vision said she couldn't find the Messiah alone, so that only meant there had to be someone else who shared her mission. Someone else, another anonymous person for Michiru to search for. It could be anybody.

Michiru sighed in dismay and opened her eyes. The sun was now well above the horizon. Her eyes darted to the clock hanging on the wall and saw that hours had passed even though it only felt like a few minutes. It was now 8:00. She had just enough time to shower and get dressed and still be able to arrive on time for the concert rehearsal. And maybe check her email.

Michiru hurried back to her apartment and rushed to get ready, briefly pausing to open up her laptop and log in. She was in her closet in the midst of slipping on her dress when she heard the new message alert chiming from her laptop. Her stomach tightened. Quickly tying the bow of her blue dress, Michiru sat down at her desk. The email icon bounced eagerly, waiting to be opened, as if the suspense was too much for it to handle as well. Michiru clicked on it, then felt her heart sink to the floor. It was nothing more than an announcement for a sale on art supplies.

She should've known Haruka wouldn't reply to her message. She had no business talking to her anyway. Haruka had probably already long forgotten her and moved on with April. And even if Haruka hadn't forgotten her, she was sure she wouldn't talk to her. It would be wise not to. Michiru could still remember the nights when Haruka came crying to her because of April, but yet April was the one Haruka chose.

Michiru scolded herself for expecting too much and returned to her preparations without bothering to close her inbox. There was no more time to waste. With one final glance around her bedroom, Michiru went through her mental checklist to make sure she had everything: purse, violin, and score sheets. It wasn't until she reached the front door when she realized she didn't have her henshin stick. Slightly annoyed, she quickly walked back into her bedroom just as another chime rang from her laptop. Coincidentally, her henshin stick lay beside it. As Michiru reached to pick it up, she couldn't help but take a quick look at the screen. She nearly dropped everything she was holding to the floor when her eyes came upon the name of sender:

Haruka Tenoh.

For once, she was grateful for her henshin stick. Had it not been where it was, she wouldn't have seen Haruka's message. Of course, she would've seen it later in the day, but she would've kicked herself for not seeing it sooner. There was no way she was going to be able to concentrate at rehearsal now. One thing puzzled her, though. She could've sworn she placed her henshin stick in her nightstand drawer, where she kept it every night.

Kameda returned to the YRT headquarters and was surprised to find Haruka still there. He expected her to be testing out her beloved car on the racetrack, but instead she was sitting intently at the computer.

"Haruka, you're still here?"

Haruka spun around in the chair, a stunned expression on her face. "Kameda! You'll never believe what just happened!"

"What is it?" Kameda asked curiously.

"My ex emailed me!"

"That psycho bitch just won't leave you alone, huh."

Haruka shook her head. "No, no, not that one. The other one."

"Oh, really? She did you wrong, too, didn't she?"

"Yeah, but she never hurt me like April."

"From what you've told me about her, she doesn't sound like she would've," Kameda said while he pulled out the chair beside Haruka and sat down. "She may have kept things from you, but she wasn't manipulative and evil like April."

"That's for sure."

"Does she know you and April broke up?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is she wants to talk about, I hope to clear things up with her."

"You thinking of getting back together with her?"

"Nah, it'd probably be best to be just friends." Not that the thought hadn't crossed Haruka's mind, but she truly meant what she said. She didn't want to hurt Michiru again, nor could she stand the pain of losing Michiru once more.

Kameda rocked his chair forward and leaned closer. "What about Hikari? Are you going to tell her about this?"

"Yeah, there's no reason not to," Haruka stated matter-of-factly.

"Haruka, the girl is smitten with you." Kameda grasped his hands together and held them to his chest in a lovestruck, starry-eyed pose, then batted his eyes. "Oh, Haruka," he sighed, mocking a girl's high-pitched voice.

Haruka gave Kameda's chair a swift kick that nudged it enough to startle him.

"Whoa!" Kameda exclaimed, catching himself before the chair actually did tip over.

Haruka laughed lightly. "Hikari's a sweet girl, but I don't think it'd be a good idea to be anything more than friends with her, or with anyone actually. I have too much baggage."

"I can't blame you, but you know, that's why we're rebuilding you! How long has it been? Three months since you broke up with April?"

"Yeah."

"And it only took you all but two weeks to get over it! Look at you now! Top racer of Tsukuba Circuit! Marathon winner! You even look healthier and happier compared to when you first walked into this shop as a new-hire!"

Haruka nodded in agreement. "It feels good to have my life back. And I have you to thank. If you hadn't insisted that I enter the qualifiers match for that Time Attack, I'd probably still be a lowly new-hire and as miserable as ever."

Kameda clapped Haruka on the shoulder. "I knew you could beat all those other racers the moment I caught you sneaking in early to race around the track. The way you drove Shizuma, the control you exhibited at every turn, it was just mind-blowing! And just think, you would've never uncovered your potential if you didn't break up with April."

"Seriously. Breaking up with her was the only way I could do it. Or else she'd never let me race."

"She held you back from a lot of things."

"I know," Haruka scowled. "I just hate that it took me so long to do it."

"But you did it and it's done. You braved the unknown and took that leap."

Haruka scoffed. "I'm not brave."

"Hey, listen to me," Kameda said and his tone became solemn. At this point, Haruka knew she was in for something deep and profound. While everyone else assumed Kameda was just another motorhead, Haruka was one of the few who knew otherwise and she considered it an honour. "Bravery isn't something you can fake. It's not something that is easy to forge. Once you've done something that requires it, you instantly question if it was the right move, if there was another choice, if the consequences truly outweigh the reaction." He looked right into Haruka's eyes and continued, "I was there when April kept calling you the next few days after you broke up with her, begging you to come back to her and work it out with her. I could see you struggling with yourself, questioning yourself, and fighting the urge to take it all back. But you didn't. You did the right thing, Haruka, and you know that now."

Haruka took a moment to let Kameda's words sink in, then she smiled and said, "Thanks, Kameda."

Kameda nodded. "So anyway," he cleared his throat and sat back in the chair, resuming his more professional manner, "are you going to take Shizuma out for a run or not? I didn't spend all that time working on her for nothing."

"Actually, I was thinking of taking her out for a little long run."

"Hmm, a long run where?"

Haruka turned back to the computer and began typing. "Tokyo."

"And what's in Tokyo?" Kameda inquired further.

"The Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra."

Kameda scratched his head. Haruka was trying his patience and she knew it. "And what do you know about the Tokyo whatever Orchestra?"

Haruka finished typing, clicked the mouse a few times, then logged out. She turned to Kameda with a wide grin on her face. "I know the featuring violinist."

The last time Haruka had been to Ueno Park was in grade school when her class took a field trip to the Ueno Zoo. She must've been only 8 or 9 years old at the time, and at that age Ueno Park seemed endless. Now she could see the park wasn't as big as she remembered, but it still bustled with the delighted cries of small children. Young adults, most likely students who attended the nearby art academy, were also scattered around the park, switching their gazes between the natural scenery and their black leather-bound sketchbooks in which they scribbled in so meticulously. Beside the art academy, standing right across from Ueno Station, was Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, home of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. It was here that Haruka would find Michiru.

Haruka stood outside the front entrance, her whole body buzzing with anticipation. She was still without a jacket and the day had warmed up by only a little bit, but she didn't mind the cool air. Her body was unusually feverish. She hadn't felt that way since the first time her mother forced her onto a stage in front of a large audience to play the piano. It was a truly nervewracking experience, but the stage fright wore off when she learned to ignore all the eyes watching her and allow herself to get lost in the music produced at her fingertips. Speaking of which, she couldn't remember the last time she touched the piano. Sadly, she realized that was another part of her life that she had lost and now had to rebuild, just like Kameda said. At least there was nothing to stop her now. She had her life back.

The doors to the concert hall suddenly opened and Haruka felt her muscles ache with tension. The men and women who came out first walked past Haruka without a second glance and went straight towards the train station, except for one woman.

Michiru stared at the tall, blonde woman, her expression filled with uncertainty. She had been fooled before by close resemblances and she was not ready to be fooled again. Besides, Haruka was in Tsukuba. It would've taken her two hours to drive to Tokyo from Tsukuba. But this was Haruka, Michiru reminded herself, and knowing Haruka, she could make it in one. And knowing Haruka, she would do something like this and surprise her with a visit.

Haruka walked up to the aqua-haired woman staring at her and offered a warm smile. "Hey, stranger."

With that gesture, Michiru's doubts melted away and she smiled back, but with inner reservations. "I see not much has changed. Still like sneaking up on me, huh, Haruka."

Haruka shrugged. "You know what they say, old habits die hard."

"Does April know you're here?" she asked hesitantly.

"No, she doesn't need to know."

Michiru sighed. "Old habits really do die hard," she said as her inner voice spoke the infamous four words, I told you so.

"Well, it's 'cuz we're not together anymore," Haruka clarified. Apparently Michiru didn't know about the breakup after all.

Michiru's thoughts froze. "You're not?"

"We broke up about three months ago and I haven't talked to her or seen her since."

"Really?" Michiru tried to keep herself from sounding a little skeptical at the news. "I mean—"

"No, I know. Of all the times April and I have broken up, what makes this any different, right?" Haruka's face grew serious. "I did it this time. I broke up with her."

Michiru believed her. Haruka's whole demeanor seemed transformed. She stood tall with her shoulders back and her head held high, her piercing green eyes fearless. A new confidence exuded from her and Michiru could tell Haruka was no longer under April's control. "I'm happy for you," she said, "I really am."

"Thanks."

"But you know, you didn't have to drive out here just to talk to me."

"I know, but I wanted to. It's always better when you can talk to someone in person. Also, I've never taken Shizuma to Tokyo, so I figured why not take her on a little road trip?" Haruka said casually.

"Shizuma?" Michiru's mind immediately brought up an image of a woman of stunning beauty sitting alongside Haruka in her car just as she once did.

"Yeah, would you like to meet her?"

"Um, sure," Michiru agreed. She couldn't deny she was curious to meet this woman, but she thought it was a bit inconsiderate of Haruka to bring someone along if she meant to talk to Michiru.

Michiru followed Haruka across the street and into the Ueno Station parking lot. She could only assume that this Shizuma woman was waiting inside Haruka's car because she saw no other reason why Haruka would bring her there to introduce her. Ahead of them, just as Michiru suspected, a woman in sunglasses stepped out of a white car and started walking towards them. The woman had red hair in two long pigtails and she wore a white trench coat. More noticeable was her choker necklace, which bore a black star in the center that matched the black star on the vehicle.

Haruka stopped just short of the red-haired woman and turned to Michiru. "Michiru, this is Shizuma. Shizuma, meet Michiru," she said and directed Michiru's attention to the silver car before them. Haruka held out a small remote that was attached to her set of keys and pressed a button, making her car chirp and flash its lights. "Shizuma says it's nice to finally meet you."

Embarassment came over Michiru when she realized Shizuma was nothing more than Haruka's car and that the red-haired woman was just a random stranger who happened to be there. She chuckled quietly to herself. "It's nice to meet you, too, Shizuma," she played along, though it was obvious she felt a little silly talking to a car.

"So, can I take you out to eat or something?" Haruka offered. "Maybe we can talk over lunch."

"Sure, that would be nice."

"So basically I had to choose: let April control my life and miss out on a great opportunity or break up with April and embrace the chance of a lifetime. I chose the latter, obviously, and breaking up with April was actually easier than I thought it would be. The hard part was actually sticking to it," Haruka said before taking a sip from her soda. "I did go through a kind of grieving period and for a while I felt like I didn't know what to do with myself because I had been so used to centering my life around April. But once the big day finally arrived and I crossed that finish line in record time, I haven't given it a second thought since and the rest is history." Haruka took another long sip of her soda and let out a satisfied sigh. "So what's your story, Ms. Kaioh?"

"Hmm, where to begin?" Michiru thought out loud. The first thing that came to mind was her senshi awakening, but Michiru still wasn't ready to divulge that information to Haruka, especially not now when she just wanted to reconnect with her. "There's not much that you missed really. I've just been really focused on playing the violin, and as I'm sure you can see, I've turned out to be quite the violinist." That was her story and she was sticking to it, Michiru decided. "It wasn't long before I began receiving offers to be a part of some of the most renown orchestras in Japan before anyone else in my ensemble did. I didn't understand how at first, considering I hadn't attended any auditions, but I found out my conductor had been recording some of our rehearsals and sharing it with his colleagues. And that's how I wound up as a violinist for the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra," Michiru ended with gusto that made Haruka let out a small laugh.

"I see. What about your girlfriend?"

"My girlfriend? What girlfriend?"

"Well, the last time we spoke, you said you were seeing someone."

"Oh, her." Michiru frowned and shook her head. "Her name was Kamane. We were together for about..." Michiru thought for a second, "at least a year or a year and a half. Maybe almost two years."

"Oh, really?"

"She seemed very nice at first, and I did love her, but then it turned out she was crazy."

"What? How so?"

"She was pretty jealous and possessive. We would fight constantly." Michiru looked down at her cup of tea with eyes that grew distant, recalling the past. "One time she went and slept with another woman, but she tried to lie about it and say she was raped. I had a suspicion that wasn't the only time she cheated on me, and yet I stayed. I must have wanted things to work with her so badly that I just lost myself."

"I know what you mean," Haruka said heavily.

"Maybe that's just it though. Maybe subconsciously, I was trying to understand why you chose April over me, so I allowed myself to be in a situation similar to yours."

Haruka felt a burn in that statement. Although she had already come a long way from the mentality she was trapped in for so long, she was still susceptible to feelings of fault and failure. These feelings were residual emotions from the life she left behind, a life that unfortunately still cast a shadow over her, weighing her down. She lowered her head in shame. "Nobody should be in a situation similar to mine, especially you. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, it's not your fault."

"But I—"

"Look at me, Haruka." Michiru reached out and lifted Haruka's chin back up. Her soft blue eyes offered a reassurance that silenced anymore feelings of guilt that Haruka harboured in her soul. "I didn't come here to blame you for anything," Michiru said as she took Haruka's hands into her own.

Haruka said no more and they both fell silent. To feel the touch of the other's hand after what felt like a lifetime was electric. For a moment they were both transported back to that fateful hectic morning of high school when they first ran into each other. Neither of them had expected anything more after that random encounter, and yet their paths crossed again the same night and led them farther than they had ever hoped for. Now here they were again, years later after what should've been the final chapter of their lives together. This couldn't be attributed to simple coincidence. There was some kind of connection Michiru could almost feel, but she couldn't put her finger on it. It was as elusive as her visions.

"I'll take this whenever you're ready," the server said as she placed the check on the table between Haruka and Michiru.

"I'll take care of that," Haruka said, quickly releasing her hands from Michiru's to snatch the check before Michiru could reach it.

Michiru opened her mouth to protest, but decided it was no use. Haruka was never one to argue with when it came to paying the check.

Both women remained quiet even after the server had returned to pick up the check. Haruka tried to distract herself by fiddling with the ice that was now melting in her glass of diluted soda. She still didn't know for sure what Michiru was keeping from her when they were in college—she no longer thought it was a matter of the distance putting a strain on their relationship—but she wasn't going to ask. It was in the past and Haruka preferred not to dig up old graves.

Finally, Michiru said, "I'm not the same girl who was in love with you all those years ago, but I still care about you. It hurts to think of all the ways April hurt you. I believe you're in much better hands now though, so keep it that way."

Haruka smiled. "Don't worry, I will."

"Ruka."

"Yes?"

Michiru simply smiled at Haruka for a moment, wondering if saying her name still had the same effect it used to, then said, "Thank you for lunch."

"Anytime, Michi."