A disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon (and I'm running out of funny things to say).
Collisions
Chapter 1
Sailor Uranus. Tenoh Haruka. They were each a spectacular creature that outlined the true nature of unfaltering courage and undeniable confidence. Unruly sand-coloured hair seemed to define her personality with un-brushed, wild strands and some rather boisterous curls. But there… there in their bed, Tenoh Haruka was always the truest and most sensitive of individuals. Not just in making love—of course that was an upside—but in character. Michiru's blonde partner of the skies, she thought as she caressed the woman's soft cheek, was always honest with her feelings when they were alone.
"…Michiru…?" The aqua-haired soldier of the seas made a small noise in response and Haruka curled up to her partner. She rested her head on the smaller woman's chest and felt fingers intertwine in her hair, stroking lazily. "… Will… will you always want to be with me?"
Michiru smiled. Haruka's overpowering confidence was something that lasted only outside these walls. When it came to their love, she could be fragile. Scared.
"You know I love you." Michiru pushed aside sandy bangs and placed a soft kiss to her forehead and then to her lips.
"I love you too." Haruka burrowed as closely as she could. "… But am I stopping you from… from being with anyone else?"
"Haruka…?"
"I know… that sounds kind of strange. Let me think of what I'm trying to ask you."
Michiru sighed and smiled. "You're the only one I want to be with." She said gently to hopefully ease whatever was going through her partner's mind. They lay there for several moments, each content in each other's warmth, while the soldier of the heaven's stroked Michiru's side. Honestly… how was Michiru supposed to give coherent answers when Haruka did things like that…?
"I think…" Haruka finally spoke, "… What I'm trying to ask is… well…do you remember what I said about you when Hime-chan was a baby"
Michiru thought for a moment. "You've said a lot of things about me when Hotaru was a baby." She instinctively began some petting of her own.
"Yeah but… I said you were picture-perfect, right? A Kodak moment really. You were holding her in the coffee shop." Haruka shifted, lifting herself up and resting on her hands above Michiru. She kissed her again. "I really can't give you that… would you want to be with someone who could?" Sometimes, Michiru thought, Haruka needed a good smack. She only laughed softly and played with the blonde's fingers.
"I couldn't imagine ever finding pleasure in having a family with anyone else. I think you know that." But sometimes she just needs to hear it. "I love you and only you. The day that you feel nervous about that is the day I realize I haven't shown you enough." The blonde grinned proudly; in an instant she seemed to be the person everyone knew she was. The confidence was back in full force and the playfulness returned as well.
"I want to grow old and die with you. I want the eternal death… the peaceful death of the old aged no matter how far away that is for you and I." It was Michiru's turn to become nostalgic. Heart exposed, she felt some tears well up in her eyes. "I wish there were better ways to say I love you."
The blonde sighed and smiled, rather than grinned. "Let's make some up, shall we?"
Michiru giggled and, upon feeling Haruka's palm against her cheek, she turned her face into it and placed a sweet kiss against it. "I still love these hands."
"Only my hands…?"
"Only yours."
Michiru had Haruka fired up with another kiss. They had gone to bed early because of an intrinsic desire to be together. They would always have that fire. As Haruka's soft lips left a slightly wet trail down her partner's neck, Michiru inclined her head and let loose a soft sigh. When hands trailed up her sides, caressing her stomach, she smiled.
"Setsuna's going to kill us."
"Let her."
Michiru had awoken form that dream, tears still spilling from her eyes. She was older now but time had done almost nothing to embellish that fact. Her hair was darker but still the most beautiful shade of aquamarine. Her eyes were deeper but still the most elegant hue of seawater blue. She sat up in her bed, placing a kiss against the empty, rounded pillow to her right. A knock at the door of her palace bedroom told her it was time to wake up. She wiped the tears away and took some deep calming breaths. When she was ready, she called out.
"Come in."
The large door creaked open and Setsuna entered, closing the door behind her. Time guardian and soldier of a desolate planet, Setsuna was never affected by time. While each of them aged slowly, Setsuna never aged. Michiru was sure that was a curse and not a blessing.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Setsuna asked rather formally.
Michiru smiled politely, she stood and sat at the table at the far end of the room. Setsuna joined her, placing a tray with tea that she had brought with her onto the table. Gracefully, she poured tea for the both of them but frowned when she found Michiru staring at the bed longingly.
"Are you still tired?" Setsuna knew this wasn't the case. Michiru has always had a knack for being awake whenever she knew she had to be. The severe lack of sleep the girl had endured throughout her life was alarming. The life of sleep deprivation had started at a young age with concerts, then the necessity to stay on top of homework, the distressing life of Sailor Neptune and finally the time spent sleeping with… well…
"I'm alright, thank you." Michiru's formal side could be cold to the touch.
The time guardian put down her cup of tea, her frown only deepened. Of course, Michiru did not mean to be so cold or uncaring but it was how she could be when she was finding importance only in what she was thinking. Michiru suddenly snapped out of that world and faced her friend.
"I'm sorry. I was caught in a bit of a daze." With her apology she sipped at her tea and smiled again at her old friend.
"Michiru--"
"I know what you're going to say…" she began, "… and just so you know, I really don't appreciate the underlying counselling you're trying to offer through our conversations. I'm just fine, aren't I?"
"While I can say you're coping… you certainly aren't moving on…"
Michiru frowned deeply but corrected the frown with somewhat of a smile that only appeared more miserable then the actual frown had been. "How does one move on from this?"
"…It's been fifteen years..." Setsuna said just before she sipped her drink.
"And I promised her my life." Michiru replied.
"… Let's change the subject."
"Lets."
The two sat for a moment, a rather uncomfortable silence permeating around them. Setsuna knew that if she did not start another conversation, their time together would only continue to be quiet like this and the time would be wasted but there was really nothing to say. Surprisingly, it was Michiru that broke the silence.
"You would not happen to know why Queen Serenity would need to see me, do you?
Setsuna looked from her friend to her tea. "All I can say is that it's important."
"An attack…?" Michiru put down her cup.
"To a degree." Setsuna stood; she gave her friend a small bow. "Will you be going with me to see her?"
Michiru looked into her tea. "I'll go by myself. Thank you."
"Have a good day, Michiru."
The aqua-haired beauty smiled kindly and nodded her head to her friend. Setsuna left as quietly as she had arrived.
Hotaru had become rather protective of her mother. She knew she was adopted and she understood her role in life, to be a destroyer and a bringer of death. Had she had no other use in this life, she would have demanded that she be put back to rest. Hotaru could not recall ever having any other mother before Kaioh Michiru. She made it her duty, the duty of any child to their mother, to be this woman's protector. To offer comfort when she was feeling alone or in pain.
Sadly, Hotaru could not judge Michiru's feelings like her father could. It frustrated her but she tried her best. Some would say that she had gained her confident and protective nature from Haruka. As she walked between the gravestones, she looked into her mother's steely expression and frowned. By the way the other woman latched on to her arm, she could tell that Michiru was feeding off of her strength. Depending on her to be strong for both of them.
"Michiru-mama?" Hotaru sighed. Like this she looked so old. Her mother adjusted her sunglasses and knelt in front of a beautiful marble gravestone. Hotaru knelt with her and pressed a kiss against the stone. She softly whispered that she missed her papa then turned and placed an identical kiss to her mother's cheek. "I'll give you some privacy."
Michiru delicately placed the bouquet of flowers she had brought on the ground in front of the stone as though they were glass. The flowers were unimportant though. She also placed a kiss against the shiny stone. Carefully, she wiped at a few tears before they escaped.
"I hope you are well, Haruka." She trailed her fingers over the engravings. "I miss you more with every passing day... I…. I am not well." Michiru let her gaze trail over to Hotaru where she paid her own respects to her blood father. "She's grown up so well and misses you more than she can ever express. The first Christmas season after your death… I could tell that all she wanted to do was take your hand and pull you around the mall, pointing at all the presents she wanted. She wants you to know that she loves you very much. I hope that heaven treats you well." A breeze passes and Michiru smiles. "At least you've gotten your wish."
"Mama?" Hotaru stood behind her mother. "Ready to go?"
"Yes." She took the hand that her daughter had extended to her and allowed herself to be helped up. As they began their way back to the car, Michiru began to feel weak, she had to stop and lean against the cemetery gate. Hotaru was promptly by her mother's side, trying to figure out what the problem was and how she could fix it.
Michiru breathed heavily. "… The seas… are restless." She pressed a hand to her forehead. "We have to return to the palace."
Their return was swift; Michiru had sensed a great disturbance and had immediately felt that it was urgent to see the Queen. As she rushed down the corridors of the large crystal palace she considered the likelihood of this being an enemy. She rushed into the main hall where the Queen would likely be with Chibi-usa.
Serenity looked up from her spot at the table, the child in her arms was latched on to her mother's breast. "Michiru-chan."
"I felt turmoil." Michiru stated bluntly, always prepared to serve her Queen. "A great disturbance."
Serenity looked to Hotaru and smiled, in turn spreading a thicker blush across the teen's cheeks. She then turned her calm smile to Michiru and motioned for her to sit down. Having just recently given birth to Chibi-usa, the Queen was still very weak and often tired. The tiny baby hadn't wanted to be born and was acting the very stubborn Chibi-usa that they all knew and loved. Everyone was happy when she was born… except for Hotaru. She realized that Chibi-usa would not know who she was in the future because they would only first meet in the past… to Hotaru… it only meant that something would happen to her or that time would play some very odd tricks.
Michiru ran her fingers gently through a pink tuft of hair and smiled as the baby greedily suckled at her mother's milk.
"Setsuna will be joining us soon." Serenity stated as though sensing her presence rather than having invited her.
"If this is pressing, Serenity, then please tell me what the problem is."
"… It is good news. It is also bad news. It could be crushing news." Setsuna stated from the doorway. She had a knack for saying what Serenity would never be able to. But that never took away from the mystery in her words. She broke away from the doorway and took a seat across from Michiru. She had her time guardian face on, ready to divulge secrets but only some so as to further the stream of time and protect it.
"This involves you, primarily," The guardian continued, "… the others will have some part in this." That was Hotaru's cue to leave. She stood, careful not look directly at her princess because of the feelings she felt when she saw her, bowed to each of them respectively and left quietly.
"…I'm going to have to have a talk with her." Serenity thought aloud.
"What's going on here?" Michiru asked sternly. Setsuna took this as a signal to be blunt before Michiru suddenly lost her patience. Her duty as Sailor Neptune had allotted her the ability to sense danger and it was likely the feelings she sensed now were very overpowering and possibly nauseating. Her friend, though patient and controlled, was likely in a state of panic.
"This involves the enemy that killed Tenoh Haruka."
Michiru shot up, the chair screeching across the floor. She gripped the table and glared across it at her friend. "They are dead."
"No. They are not." Setsuna honestly did not like seeing her friend this way, but the apologies would have to wait.
"Tell me where they are."
"That is the part for the inners. There is something more important for you to do." King Endymion stepped into the room to take the baby princess from his wife. "Please, Michiru, try to be calm."
"While my lover's murderers still breathe?" But Endymion's calming tone was pleading and she nodded and took her seat again.
"You must know now, before I tell you anything else, that to defeat this enemy, we will need all the senshi." Setsuna began, "I hope you understand what this implies."
"Haruka…?"
"She was never meant to die, Michiru-chan." Serenity put her hands over her friends and held them serenely. "We have to fix a mistake."
"Why now? Why not fifteen years ago?" Michiru asked. Her gaze bore holes into Setsuna's expressionless face. The time guardian's answer would not be pleasing; she could already tell by the way Setsuna refused to make eye contact.
"Not all enemies are in our specific timeline. They enter it from outside." Setsuna shifted every so slightly and continued, "It is my duty to protect a certain line of time that ensures the safety of Serenity and the prevalence of the Crystal Millennium. Haruka's death… at the time, did not pose a threat to this timeline and it is never my decision to make to go back and undo a death."
All at once, Michiru felt too many feelings to describe the pain she was feeling. Haruka's death may not have posed a threat to the timeline… but she was important. She didn't understand anymore. But she knew she had to calm down. She did feel betrayed by Setsuna, but also rationalized that the woman in front of her had orders that were out of her hands.
"You want me to save her?" Michiru spoke softly and Serenity's hands tightened around hers. "Why me…?"
"She will trust you." Setsuna stood… "The Queen knows the rest of the details… she will let you know what it is you have to do exactly." The time guardian stood and bowed before leaving. This was her way of avoiding questions that she could not answer.
Michiru turned to Serenity with a questioning gaze.
"Will you be alright?"
"I'm sure I'll be fine." Michiru felt her heart being pulled in every which way. She was already having worries about this.
"I'm scared about letting you go back." Serenity was always so open with what she felt. "I know it's something that you have to do but I don't want you to be hurt. I would never forgive myself." She frowned.
"It's alright, Usagi-chan." In private, Michiru used her given name to comfort the younger woman. She was still childlike in many ways. "Please give me the details of my assignment."
The Queen nodded and cleared her throat. "Do you remember the first time you and Haruka had come in contact with the enemy…?"
"Yes…I had fractured my ankle" Michiru still had the slightest of limps to serve as her reminder…
"Neptune! Watch out!" The blonde soldier had tried to rush to her lover's side but hadn't been fast enough. The monster that Neptune had been fighting unleashed an enormous beam of energy from the symbol on its chest. Her partner didn't have the slightest chance of escaping its diameter in time. Her jump to dodge only put her in a position to fall from the building top, landing five stories below.
Needless to say, Uranus was furious. She let loose an infuriated battle cry, charging the monster while it amassed the energy to let another attack fly. As it readied to attack, Uranus hurled the space sword into the monster's chest.
In mid-dash, she turned to find the creature she had been fighting about to run her through with a blade. Reflexively, she ducked and punched the demon in the stomach. All she could think of was finishing the bastard and finding Michiru. She speared the demon, stood and flipped back and away from it.
"World! Shaking!" She shouted, the ominous ball of power could have shred the demon in two but the attack missed and the blast only sent the monster hurling towards its brethren. Uranus was about to charge readily when unexpectedly, the live monster pulled her space sword from the other demon's chest. She felt as though the monster was clutching her heart in its big hand and squeezing. It looked at her expectantly but she did not make a move and instead of the creature unleashing one of her own powerful attacks… it simply disappeared with her talisman.
Her thoughts were spinning but all she could clearly think about was finding Neptune. When she had, the senshi of the seas was leaning against a wall, limping to the building entrance.
"Where were you off to?" Uranus startled her as she approached from behind. The sky soldier lifted Neptune into her arms.
"Stairs." Neptune panted in reply.
"In that condition?"
"I couldn't leave you." Neptune detransformed. "I think I need to go to the hospital."
"I think you do too. I wish I could have killed him twice." Haruka gritted her teeth as she also detransformed and let Michiru down softly on the passenger seat of the car.
"They're gone?" Michiru asked.
Haruka didn't say anything… she took her seat behind the wheel and stared ahead at the road. She felt emptiness inside her, like a piece of her was taken away. She felt weaker.
"What happened…?" Haruka felt her lover brush a few strands of hair behind her ear. "… They took my talisman." With that, Haruka started the car, revved the engine and drove off.
"That's right." The queen said as Michiru relayed the story of the first attack.
"I had a concussion and a fracture. I had to stay in the hospital for the few days it would take to recover. Haruka assured me that things would be fine but…"
Serenity stood and pulled Michiru into an embrace. "You don't have to say it."
"You want me to help her get her talisman back?"
"Seven days." Serenity said. "We're sending you seven days before Haruka's…final fight. When you arrive in that time, you must contact her. You will be in the hospital at the time and not at risk of being noticed by your self. Steer clear of the others if you can help it. This should be strictly you and Haruka."
"Why involve her at all?" Michiru asked curiously.
"If you fail in retrieving her talisman, you must protect her until the threat has dissipated."
Michiru nodded and stood. "Alright." Serenity knew the girl was listening attentively but it was obvious her mind was miles away. She simply hoped that things would work out. She understood that Michiru would protect Haruka with her life, like she would have had Haruka kept her promise to stay clear of battle until her return. The older woman turned to leave.
"Michiru…. please be careful about what you do in the past. We're counting on you."
"Of course, Usagi-chan. I will be very careful… please be safe while I'm gone."
Guarding the gates of time, Sailor Pluto waited.
"I'm here." Michiru arrived; she had changed into something more appropriate.
"Are you ready?" Pluto asked.
"I am." Michiru walked towards the open gate and looked back.
"Good luck." Pluto smiled.
"You too."
Author's Note: Thanks ahead of time for any reviews! I know I should have updated 'Cry of the Raven' but I had this sitting in my head all morning. I may still update CotR so no worries! (We'll see how homework goes). Honestly, check out all the titles I have sitting in my profile… those are only half of all the ideas I have. I'm afraid that if I don't start them, I'll forget them.