Heart Of Mine
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Sailor Moon. I'm just a fan writing a fanfic. Please don't sue me.
PROLOGUE
A little girl dressed in a white summer dress ran across tall trees with a smile on her face. It was another weekend with her father and she had been looking forward to it since the last time they went out. Her sisters were too busy socializing and perhaps felt a little old for the trip, nevertheless, she was happy. After all, her loving father was with her, not to mention a packed lunch her mother made just for her.
Skipping, she took note of the path her father taught her before. She should know this by now. Her father always told her she was very bright and would remember as long as she tried really hard. At a bend, she grinned then ran when she saw another marker - It only a few meters now. As she ran, her aquamarine locks flowed graciously with the soft wind, happily and contently. She would glance from time to time, watching birds, butterflies and little squirrels pass by. Giggling, she continued on the path, towards the one thing she really wanted to see.
A free flowing river.
Her father followed her helplessly throughout the small journey. He stumbled upon a few rocks and stepped on a few bricks but it was alright. As long as their small princess was happy, he would follow her anywhere she would go.
She was the youngest among his four daughters and certainly the most promising. She had the talent on painting and had interests on playing the violin. Many said she might become well known someday, given the proper education and guidance. But for now, she was their little princess. Child geniuses are still children at heart. The world can wait.
He would agree though that their princess was like an irony at some extent. When she turned 10, she seemed more likely to be running around, opposed to her sisters who liked to stay put inside the house to chat amongst themselves. She didn't lack the manners though, specially with gatherings and important functions. Oftentimes she was even more graceful than her elder siblings whenever she was brought into a formal occasion.
He huffed but gave a smile once the bubbly little girl glanced at him. The old man knew she loved the outdoors, especially ones near the water. It was for this reason he took his daughter to this trail. It was her favorite.
They were near now. He could readily hear the water streaming from the river.
"Papa! Fishy!"
"Hai, Hime-chan. Wait for me ok?" He replied taking more breaths.
He found his daughter sitting by the river bank, watching water creatures in sight.
Her blue eyes widened and softened while she marveled nature's little wonders. Animatedly, she took note of their movements and colors. She clapped her hands and turned to find birds flying across the sky.
He shook his head realizing his daughter has disturbed the peace of the animals in flight.
"Hime-chan, keep it down. We don't want to scare the pretty birds." He smiled taking a seat beside his daughter.
"HAI!" The little girl replied with a smile.
She turned to play with the water again, letting her fingers touch the cool water and splash it around. She giggled and sighed, pointed and rambled about the birds overhead to her father.
The old man just nodded at everything she said. It didn't matter if their little princess was very much curious about things in the world. They know they would be there no matter what.
He took his camera out and took pictures of their little princess. He then turned to prepare a blanket, just under the shade. Soon his little one would be hungry. Smiling he took out a good smelling sandwich his wife made for them.
Little Michiru was playing with her feet in the water when she saw something floating.
Golden strands.
She didn't know what to make of it so she called out to her father.
"Papa, look!" The aquamarine haired girl pointed.
He tried to focus his eyesight, which was a little blurred as of the moment. He stared at the so called object his daughter was pointing at. His eyes widened when he realized what it was.
A person!
A child!
He didn't have to think twice.
The little girl watched as her father took off his coat and shoes to dive into the water. He handed her his phone before swimming off. In haste, he tried to reach the child who apparently was unconscious. Soon enough, the blonde child was safely ashore and her father was administrating CPR.
"Papa, what's wrong?" The little girl asked, confused as to why the blonde child was pale.
She stared and studied the child. A girl like me, she thought. Maybe I could play with her later, she smiled.
Her father smiled nervously at her. This isn't something she should be learning this early. My innocent Michi-chan…He turned to the child in his arms. He knew he shouldn't try to push the little one's chest any further, but he had to. He can't just let her die.
"Michi-chan… I need you to help me while I pump her heart. Can you dial the emergency number for me?"
Michiru stared though unfazed. She took her father's phone and dialed as she was told to. Michiru waited as the other end rang. Her eyes still glued at the unresponsive blonde.
"Hello?"
"Papa." She smiled and gave the phone to her father.
Am I dead?
All she could see was darkness, her body seemed so weightless.
Am I dead?
Pain. More pain.
She couldn't hold it any longer.
Her eyes went wide through the sudden surge of brightest. She felt her lungs scream out in pain. Next thing she knew, she was coughing water out.
Where am I?
She clenched her little hands. Her eyes closed with sudden shocks right through her veins. She gritted her teeth, almost grinding them. It seemed getting back to life hurt more than those in her brother's movies.
She coughed out more water. It was so painful, she felt like her chest was being ripped apart. Water still rudely went the other way of her body so that she coughed more out.
Tears came streaming down her eyes. She felt cold, weak and scared.
Onii-chan…
She wanted to call out. Unfortunately there was no sign of him.
She her eyes wondered and saw a man from a distance. He was talking to someone on his phone - Hopefully her brother.
Pain.
There it was again. She closed her eyes and started to sit up.
"Lay down."
She heard a soft voice say. The aquamarine haired girl sat besides her stroking her head gently. She took a coat that probably belonged to the old man and used it to cover Haruka's shivering body.
She then felt the man's hand on her forehead. Haruka turned to see him smile at her.
Daddy?
She stared. Not really knowing nor remembering how her father looked like. Her brother had shown her pictures of their parents. Holding her, kissing her – But none of which Haruka remembered. He gave her one last look then went over to the side to talk some more on the phone.
Daddy…
She whimpered – Still feeling cold and alone.
Onii-chan…
Just then, the other girl took her hands and rubbed it against her own. She's warm, she thought. The girl's eyes, piercing blue, were giving her warmth as well.
She had never had this much attention when her brother wasn't around. The maids were not of this sort. The man, who was still on the phone, seemed to be like her brother, only he seemed older.
She frowned.
Why couldn't she make anything right?
Why was she too weak?
She remembered the things she was doing before she ended up floating along the river. It was her first trip to their parents' motherland since they had gone to heaven. Promising her brother that she'll behave, the little blonde girl was given a special vacation before school would start. She forced her brother to take her to a river so she can fish and swim a little. He initially hated the idea, but she knew she was loved so much she could get away with anything.
Her brother was fixing the tent, last time she saw him. She was just trying to fish, sitting on a shallow part of the river. Nothing dangerous, she thought at the time. She remembered feeling a sharp pain on her chest then lost it.
Her tears were threatening to fall now. Her big brother maybe worried about her now. She shouldn't have stayed near the river bank. She should have just stayed in the tent. Baka, she scolded herself. But a hand squeezed hers, taking her out of her own world.
The little girl smiled and gave her kiss on the cheek.
"I don't get it." Blue eyes stared angrily at green eyes.
This wasn't supposed to happen. They were supposed to be together forever. Hasn't she suffered enough?
She had to watch the disappointment in her parents' eyes.
She had seen her sisters' critical stares.
Was she put into suffering for nothing?
"Why do you have to go to the US? We have gone through hell, Amara. Why do you have to make me come out of the closest just so you could go island hopping somewhere else?"
Her lover just took her hands and kissed her deeply. Michiru couldn't think of anything anymore. She knows she wouldn't stay. No matter what she would do, Amara would leave her and would not come back for a year.
"Michiru… I did that so you could be you. Even without me. I wanted you to be yourself, specially when I'm not around. Don't you see that?"
"Then why leave me then? Are your track meets starting to dull? Are your races starting to bore you? Am I starting to bore you?" She struggled to get away from her lover's arms.
Her eyes filled with tears. Tears that meant fear.
Disappointment.
She had come out of her shell to say who she loved dearly – Endured the most critical among her family. Kaioh Michiru endured the press and above all her critics in the public.
Why was it all for nothing?
Why would her girlfriend leave her now?
"Iie! I love you! And you know that!"
"Then why leave me here? Can't you wait till I could decide for myself, then we could go together?"
"Michiru, I have to do this alone. I promise. I'll come back. Don't you trust me?"
"I trust you. But you're going for a year. A year, Amara! A year!"
Her girlfriend was to leave for the US for a reason Michiru couldn't fathom. Though it seemed short, a year without Amara, in fact a day without her made the aquamarine haired woman squirm in loneliness. She wasn't lonely as in lonely.
She just felt incomplete.
"Koi, you're in my heart. Don't forget that…"
"Amara…"
There was no other choice but to let go.
She stared at the mustang her brother bought her for her birthday. It was bloody red like the myth said.
Devil's car, she grinned.
Her fingertips caressed the cold steel of the hood. Her mind twirling on which parts she would ask Yamagata to set up. Haruka even thought of how fast the wind would be once she coasts along the seaside.
"Don't get too excited about it, Haruka. Yamagata still needs to teach you to drive."
The blonde girl just nodded not really caring with her brother's words. It made him chuckle to see his baby sister off to her own world.
"Mind you Haruka, you will not take this myth out into the streets."
"Nani?"
It was automatic. Even though Haruka already grew up in the US, the people around them were still Japanese. Their influence in Haruka's character made the blonde more like a whole. They are Japanese. They should embrace it and nourish it even if they were in a foreign land.
Learning the language was a start.
"You will not drive like hell on the streets. Nor will you participate in races." Her brother crossed his arms across his chest to add to his serious tone.
"Your health is still unpredictable, Haruka. I just want you to be careful."
"Hai. Onii-chan."
She had just finished a successful concert and her family was sure to be waiting proudly at her dressing room. She could just imagine their happy faces, their proud and happy faces. She made a last bow and bid farewell to her audience. A smile never leaving her lips.
The concerts were finally over and she was finally going on vacation. It was such prefect timing since she needed the time off. The end of her concert tour was also a mark. 30 more days before her lover comes home. 30 more disconcerted days and she would be reunited with her once more.
She thought of the places they would go. The beach, the city, anywhere would do as long as she was with her girlfriend once more. She thought of the kisses, and probably the first night she was going to spend with Amara.
A grin made way across her face.
It's high time she made Amara wait.
She thought of the things she would do to tease her lover so she would want her more. But she knows it would be worth it.
Amara would love her no matter what.
She made a turn towards her dressing room, arms already aching to hold her parents and siblings. The smile left her lips when she found one of her sisters in tears. Her parents didn't look so happy either. They looked sad. Her eldest sister gave her a hug and handed her the phone. It was her girlfriend's mother. And she had very bad news to deliver.
She was coming home from work yesterday, when a drunk driver swerved across the lanes. She tried to avoid it but she was against a very big truck. The paramedics tried to revive her but could not. Gomen ne, Michiru-chan. Everyone did what they could. But she died right there, on the spot. Gomen ne…
She stared at nothing, her eyes wide-eyed. Denial was evident, but Michiru couldn't find her voice. She sank to her knees and tears flowed freely from her eyes. Her other siblings started to cry too but Michiru couldn't hear them. Everything seemed to stop, everything seemed to be silent. Her whole world suddenly came crushing down.
Her brother scolded her for trying out with the track team, but Haruka didn't care. Though he said he would kill her if he finds out she was disobeying him, Haruka pursued. It was her dream - Her small dream to be able to run. She wanted to feel the wind against her body. She needed it. She desperately needed it to know she wasn't weak - That she was capable of doing something, achieving something.
Elza Grey was preparing right beside her. She was a very polished runner, but Haruka didn't care. She was hell bent on winning today because it was her only chance. It was the first and possibly the last race she would be able to run. Once her brother notices she wasn't in her piano lessons, he's sure to storm the track.
A yell from the coach signaled the end of their preparation and the start of the run. Haruka made last stretches and set herself up. She turned to Elza who gave her a grin. She heard the gunshot and sped off.
10 meters: She could feel her heart starting to pump fast.
20 meters: She could feel her legs wanting to run faster.
30 meters: She could feel her body starting to fly.
40 meters: She could feel the wind.
50 meters: She was already in third place.
60 meters: She had already gained equal footing with Elza Grey.
70 meters: She already passed Elza and gained the lead.
80 meters: Her chest was starting to hurt.
90 meters: Her breathing was starting to be more labored and she could hardly contain it.
100 meters: She finally crosses the finish line and wins the race.
Haruka smiled and waved to Elza who was about to approach her in order to congratulate her. She turned around to appreciate the redhead's efforts when she felt a sharp pain on her chest. Not again, she said to herself.
"Tenoh! You monster! Hehehe! That's beginner's luck you know! Hehehe!" Elza gave her a pat on the shoulder, totally oblivious to the fact the she was hurting.
"I can prove that it's no fluke… Soon…"
There it was again. She looked up to the sky and closed her eyes. I can do this. It's nothing. It's just…
The last thing she remembered was seeing her brother jumping over the fence before everything went black.
We have to operate or your sister will not make it through.
But how?
We already have found a heart Mr. Tenoh. And it's completely compatible with your sister's.
Save my sister doctor.
We will do our best.