TW: rape & physical abuse in a flashback. Brief, but detailed.
Kaioh Michiru took her normal seat next to Seto in what should be a normal day at Mugen Academy. But today was far from normal. The glares she received from Seto, the throbbing pain when she touched her head, and the whispers replacing the typical chatter all served as reminders of her horrible weekend. The whispers, the whispers were the worst part.
"I heard she got too drunk at the party on Saturday."
"Yeah, I saw her stumbling around."
"She hurt herself pretty badly…."
"Igarashi-kun was trying to stop her…."
"That's why they broke up, though. She got mad at him for it."
"Why?"
"I don't know. She WAS drunk."
"Wow, what a bitch!"
"I know, right? Poor Igarashi-kun."
Michiru desperately tried to absorb herself in her reading to block out the lies. She knew no one would believe her if she tried to tell the truth. Everyone loved Seto, and why wouldn't they? He was top of the class and student council president, as well as the object of many girls' fantasies. No one knew what he was really like. No one knew that he controlled her every move during the year that they were dating. No one knew that he was the reason she had no friends, that he didn't let her talk to others. As far as they knew she was the one that was so obsessed with him that she wouldn't leave his side, that she wouldn't make her own friends. Who would believe her if she tried to tell the truth of why they broke up on Friday, or what had happened at the party on Saturday?
They hadn't broken up at the party, as everyone believed. They had broken up after school on Friday. Seto had been glaring at her ever since the American transfer student had told her that her makeup was cute. He did not allow her to wear makeup. Michiru had known Seto would be angry, so when he erupted on her as soon as they were in private, she was not surprised, though still afraid.
"Why do you disgrace me, looking like a little slut?" was the fiirst thing he said, and no matter how much she tried to tell him her mother had wanted her to try it and she wore it as lightly as possible for him, Seto's anger did not diminish. Eventually he slapped her so hard across the face that she fell to the ground. At that moment, Michiru felt her whole world crash to the ground with her. He had threatened to hit her before, but never actually done it. What had happened to the sweet, kind, caring boy she met last year? How did he turn out like this?
She had risen to a sitting position on the ground when, in the distance, she saw Tenoh Haruka, the tough, aloof girl in her class, and their eyes met. For a few brief seconds Haruka's intense eyes locked with Michiru's, and then she slowly turned and walked away. Looking back, it's still impossible to say what about that encounter, what was hidden in those strong, fiery eyes as they locked on her own, that gave Michiru the courage to stand up and tell Seto, "I'm done. I can't be with you anymore," and run away.
Her thoughts drifted to the party, and suddenly her loins cramped as she remembered what had been done to her there. She hadn't wanted to go, but her mother had urged her to go and try to make friends. She had sat by herself until Seto approached her, given her a soda, and said he was sorry and asked to talk. What had happened between then and when she awoke? Of two things she was sure: she hadn't drank alcohol that night (or ever to be precise) and she woke up feeling how she imagined being drunk felt. Michiru racked her brain with questions she had already asked herself in vain countless times. Why couldn't she remember? What had happened during the time she couldn't remember? What had she done to cause what had happened next?
Now she was trembling as her mind automatically replayed what had happened...
Waking up dazed and confused, slowly realizing that she was naked and Seto was on top of her, the feeling of cold dread as she realized that Seto was stealing that precious thing that she could only give once. She felt once again his weight on hers, her sluggish arms attempting to push him off only to be held down. She saw once again his demented grin as he whispered in her ear, "You're mine, bitch." And then it was over, and she was in tears, struggling to put her clothes back on.
"Look at you, you little slut. You want to look like a slut; I'll treat you like one!" Then he punched her, one solid blow to the left temple. "How does it feel, bitch?" More blows, this time to the sides of her head, until finally, something in her screamed at her to run, and she stumbled away from him and out of the room, only to fall down the stairs and into the living room where the few remaining party guests were. Seto was behind her, a look of seemingly genuine worry on his face, begging her to at least let him take her home, saying she was too drunk, trying to hold her unstable body. Shocked eyes were fixated on her as she screamed at Seto to leave her alone, pushed him off of her, and ran away from the party.
Before Michiru knew it, class had passed by and it was time for lunch. Sighing, she pulled out her bento box and prepared to stand, only to tremble in fear as she saw Seto standing over her, his eyes dancing with wicked mirth. Michiru silently prayed for someone, anyone, to come save her….
"Oi, Kaioh-san, some eat lunch with me."
Michiru looked up to identify her savior, and looked into the intense eyes of Tenoh Haruka. This was the first time Haruka had spoken to her, though several times Michiru had caught her staring, always during incidents like Fridays. She always had an intense but pensive look in her eyes, as if wondering what would happen next, almost challenging Michiru, asking her what she was going to do next. Admittedly, Haruka's gaze made Michiru uneasy, but today her heart and soul overflowed with joy as she followed her savior past Seto and out of the classroom.
.
.
Michiru sat in the grass next to Haruka, nervously picking at her food. She kept stealing furtive glances at the girl who saved her from Seto's wrath. Haruka leaned leisurely against a tree, one arm comfortably behind her head, the other shoving large chuncks of food into her mouth. Her eyes were unfocused, looking bored at the everyday high school scene. She appeared strong and confident, almost like a boy, Michiru thought, even more so because of her short hair and tall, muscular stature. Michiru felt weak and pitiful next to this figure she could only desribe as a goddess of strength. Finally, she mustered up all her courage to speak.
"Um, Tenoh-san-"
"Call me Haruka."
"Um, Haruka-san?"
"Haruka-chan will do fine. Or you can use kun; I don't really care."
Michiru was shocked by her new acquaintance's willingness to use kun, a suffix reserved for males. This only added to Haruka's mystery and wonder in her eyes.
"Um, Haruka-chan," she said, choosing to be polite, "Thank you for inviting me to lunch today, but…why did you?"
Haruka swallowed her food and leaned toward Michiru, her deep blue eyes on fire.
"I want to know the truth about what happened Saturday."
Michiru was taken aback by both Haruka's forwardness and her assumption that what she heard was untrue. Blushing, she began to explain that she had drank too much, when she was cut off.
"I told you; I want to know the truth. I saw how he treated you. I saw him hit you. I know there's more to the story than what everyone is saying. Don't be afraid to tell me the truth." Softening, she rested her hand on Michiru's and repeated herself, "Don't be afraid to tell me the truth."
Tears began to form in Michiru's eyes as the whole story came out, how Seto had criticized her, controlled her, isolated her, and finally hit her, how she had finally broken up with him, what he had done to her at the party, and what everyone was saying. By the time she had finished, she was crying and shaking uncontrollably.
Haruka wrapped her muscular arms protectively around Michiru, enveloping her in warmth and the scent of men's cologne, offering her a place of refuge. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, almost crying herself. "I've been watching you from afar for a while now, but never intervening. I knew he wasn't treating you well, but I never knew how bad he truly was until I saw him hit you on Friday. The only reason I didn't intervene then was because I saw something in you that told me to stay away."
"Me? What do you mean?" Michiru had stopped crying and pulled away from Haruka by now, utterly confused at the confession she'd just heard.
"Something in your eyes told me a line had been crossed. Things couldn't stay the same anymore. You had a decision to make and a battle to fight, and it would have been wrong for me to step in and influence your decisive moment." Michiru recalled that day, the shock of Seto hitting her, and Haruka's intense, puzzling gaze before she turned and walked away. Haruka continued, "I didn't think you would be at the party, if I had known, I would have been there in case something happened. If I had known…I'm sorry," she finished, her head hanging.
For a minute, time seemed to stand still as Michiru stared at Haruka, shocked that anyone saw through Seto's act, let alone cared. Then the bell rang.
Haruka stood up first, then held her hand out, asking, "Will you eat lunch with me from now on?"
Michiru stared at her dumbfoundedly for a few seconds, before taking her hand with an enthusiastic "Yeah," smiling her first genuine smile in a long time.
.
.
From that day forward, lunchtime became Michiru's refuge as she became close with Haruka. She was fascinated by her new friend's dream to become a race car driver, the first female race car champion in Japan. Never had she met a girl as strong and confident as Haruka, and she began to feel safe and comfortable around her. She even started playing the violin again after a long time, and would occasionally play for Haruka at lunch. Haruka seemed to really appreciate her talent and passion for art and music, something Seto never understood. As Michiru discovered new sides to both her new friend and herself, she began to feel something she hadn't genuinely felt in a long time: happy. No matter what happened outside of lunch, no matter how many people were rude to her, she was happy. She had everything she needed, someone to protect, nurture, and support her, in her best friend Haruka.
Then came the day Haruka didn't come to school. All day Michiru was disappointed, wondering where her friend was. As she began to eat her lunch in their normal spot alone, she speculated that Haruka was sick and resolved to cook her a get-well meal. She started planning what to make when she saw a shadow looming over her and felt a dread she hadn't felt in a long time. She turned around and looked up at Seto.
"Michiru-chan, about everything that happened…I wasn't in my right mind at the time. I'm so sorry."
Michiru looked down and quiety said, "You did something to me that I cannot forgive."
"Michiru, I can't live without you! I want you back, no, I need you back!" Tears began to form in Seto's eyes as he became more frantic.
"No, Seto-kun. I can't take you back." She stood up and looked him in the eyes, her resolve firmer than ever. "I can't."
His eyes flashed, and then his expression grew furious. He slammed her into a tree and hovered over her, blocking her escape. "You're mine, bitch. If you won't come back on your own, I'll-"
"You'll what?" Michiru rejoiced as Haruka walked up calmly behind them, her eyes deadly. "Sorry I'm late Michiru-chan. My car broke down this morning and it took me FOREVER to fix." She turned on Seto. "So just WHAT is going on here?"
"This is none of your business. Stay out of it, you little cunt!"
"Or what? You'll hit me? Go ahead; I can take a few punches." Several students had gathered around, and already whispers were starting. "Tell me, Igarashi Seto, do you always hit women when they annoy you?"
Her expression grew sly as more students gathered and the whispering grew louder. Seto froze, glared murderously at Haruka, and then turned abruptly and stormed off, shoving his way through the shocked crowd. Michiru let out a huge sigh of relief and rushed into Haruka's arms.
"Haruka-chan, thank you!" Her voice cracked as if she was about to cry. Haruka patted Michiru's back and then turned toward the crowd.
"Oi, you lot. There's nothing to see here. Go about your business as usual."
The crowd slowly dispersed, and eventually Michiru and Haruka were left alone as usual.
"Y'know, Michiru-chan, I always think about things when I'm fixing my car, and today I was thinking about you." Michiru looked up at her friend, puzzled. Haruka continued, "At first I just wanted to protect you. I admit, I only saw you as a weak little girl, everything I didn't want to be, and…I guess I kind of pitied you. But then I got to know you. You're patient, and kind, and sweet, one of the sweetest girls I've ever met, in fact. And when you show me your art or play the violin, I feel like I'm in the prescence of someone majestic. You're not weak, you're just strong in a way I've never experienced before, and I love it. I…love you."
Michiru gasped and her eyes grew wide. "Haruka…kun…." her voice trailed off. How could she even begin to describe everything she was feeling right now?
Haruka continued, "If you want to pretend this conversation never happened, I'll understand. I will still be your friend; I will still eat lunch with you, and I will still protect you, because knowing you're happy is good enough for me." As the bell began to ring, she finished with "But you deserve to be treated like a princess. So how about it?" She stretched out her hand to Michiru. "How about you be my princess?"