Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own sailor moon. I wish I had.
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She's taking so long...
The tall blond senshi glanced at the time every 10 seconds. Tonight, she and Michiru had planned to crash on a bar near her racing ground to celebrate their anniversary. By anniversary, it meant that an anniversary for their first kiss. Since she and Michiru had had a lot of celebration's type in their relationship, sometimes one of them simply forgot about the special moment.
Haruka sighed. She couldn't blame the aqua haired violinist. They had been together for almost 4 years now and they hadn't even lived under the same roof yet. Technically, they were, but Haruka still had her own apartment as a spare whenever they got into fights. Not to mention that they were sharing room with the other outer senshis. Hotaru and Setsuna. In addition, it was obvious that the senshi of sea had already tired in throwing hints to the clueless Haruka. Although in this case, the blond had pretended to be clueless.
She loved freedom, it was her element. Stepping forward meant moving in and then engagement and finally a marriage. That type of commitment always scared her greatly. Anything Haruka would do for her Michiru, but this one... she wasn't sure of herself. In short word, she was a total coward and a loser.
Haruka now looked at the empty booth beside her. She had reserved the spot for Michiru. Her attention got distracted when suddenly a red haired woman took the spot out of blue. Haruka looked up, to see the woman.
"Excuse me, but it's already taken." Haruka said. The blond noticed that the red haired woman's face was flushed and she reeked of alcohol. She was drunk and Haruka knew better than anyone that the woman beside her was staring at her as if Haruka was her prey. From those dark violet eyes there were lusts and hunger.
Haruka scooted to the back of her seat. It was better to maintain their distance. However, the red haired woman who was wearing the same dress color with her hair only leaned closer to Haruka's direction.
"If this seat has already taken... haven't you?" The woman has cut their distance a great deal. Now Haruka and the stranger woman were only mere an inch with each other. The blonde observed how the woman had swelling eyes.
"Yes... me and that booth... we've already taken." Haruka retreated her face as far as she could. Anyone who saw them from any angle but the front side would assume they were kissing.
"I don't see a ring on that lovely finger... forget it." She tilted her head at Haruka's hand but then she was back leaning on her seat.
Haruka knew it... Michiru had mentioned about how a ring can chase away any suitor or seducer in one look.
"Actually, it's complicated." Haruka shrugged. She had a feeling that she was being ditched on their anniversary night right now. It had been an hour and the aqua haired woman hadn't shown up yet.
"Happy you... at least you still have a hope." The woman scoffed. "I was dumped... minutes ago." Her thumb pointed over behind her back, toward the bar entrance. Now Haruka had understood the reason behind those swelling eyes.
"Do you want a drink?" She waved to the bartender.
"I think you are already drunk."
"I thought you are a tough woman,"
Haruka raised an eyebrow on her remark. It was rare to have people aware on her gender at the first meeting.
"I am an artist, your wonderful figure and those damn fingers... absolutely a woman." She winked and grabbed her drink once it was served.
Now Haruka shifted uncomfortably on her seat. She needed an opening to get away from there.
"I need my toilet break," The red haired woman said and she got off from Michiru's seat. Haruka sighed full relief. However, the drunk woman stumbled on her feet. Haruka, automatically offered a hand to prevent the woman falling further and kissing the floor.
"Thanks," She murmured. Haruka only shook her head. If she left a drunk woman that even couldn't walk on her own, she would be a shameful person. A shameful, coward, and a loser...
She didn't want that.
"I will accompany you to the bathroom, but after this, you have to go straight home. Take a cab."
"What a gentleman."
They walked to the toilet with slow paces. The woman's arm was circling around Haruka's neck for support. Haruka waited by standing near the sink when the woman was throwing her stomach content in the toilet stall. The blond rolled her eyes. She hadn't planned for evening like this. She was supposed to have romantic evening with Michiru...
Haruka put her hand inside her jeans pocket. She pulled out a velvet box from her pocket and opened them.
It was a ring with an aqua colored stoned embedded on the middle.
"I am indeed a coward and a loser." Haruka said to herself.
When she tucked the box back inside, she found the troublesome woman was staring at her with a huge grin plastered on her face.
"Complicated relationship, my ass." She commented. Her face was between sad, depressed, and hurt but there was a gleam of excitement in her dark eyes. After she finished washing her hand and face, she turned back to Haruka who was still awkwardly standing on the corner.
"Let me guess... you are afraid." She crossed her arm on her chest. Suddenly she changed into this shrink mode from the drunk broken hearted woman.
"... Yes,"
"Of what?"
"I don't know. I think I'm afraid of what will happen after this... you know... there always be an end of everything... if thing like commitment are thrown, I think there will be no going back."
"You are afraid of an end."
"... perhaps."
"Let me get this straight... you are afraid of an end of something that even you haven't started."
Haruka didn't have response over that.
The woman laughed, holding her stomach like it was gonna drop anytime. Haruka wondered what was so funny to her.
"You treat it so seriously!"
"It IS!"
"Well... I don't think so. They call it commitment to scare mostly men specimen to take it. However, women usually call it a promise. The type of promise where both parties in relationship will try so hard to not break it off. It's okay if bad thing happens on the way. The matter is both of them would be assured that they will have each other in the end of the day. That kind of bond is what called companion, partner, friendship, whatever... that lasts longer and serves exclusively for one another. It would be like what you are doing right now with that person... only you will have reserve this legally in front of the law and God, one if that matters. To call that simply a commitment... is understatement of the century. It is love. Yes there will be several responsibilities along the way but that's not all the whole point." She talked while putting her make up on. From the mirror she could see the change of expression on that handsome face. "If you scared on the inevitable you will end up wasting your life away in fear."
"Who dumped you again?" Haruka was still stunned over her speech.
"My boyfriend," She replied briefly.
Haruka seemed confused for a second, "You were hitting on me..."
She smiled sincerely, the first time tonight. Haruka noticed that the woman was actually beautiful. "I was that desperate. You are really handsome anyway, maybe I fell for you a tiny little bit."
Haruka grinned.
The woman spun her heels, what she didn't expect was the bathroom tiles had slippery surface. Her shoes quickly gave up on gravitation, again.
Haruka jumped to catch her again, only this time, the wind senshi was lost against slippery tiles.
They both fell with Haruka landed on top of that woman.
As they hadn't recovered from the compromising position, the bathroom door opened with loud bang.
Both heads, blond and crimson looked up with still in position.
Haruka's jaw dropped while the woman beneath her simply looking with confused stare.
The intruder's face was more animatic when she saw the scene upon her.
"Se... Setsuna." Haruka greeted. Her face went pale.
"Haruka," The green haired time senshi nodded a little. Her face was changed into disgust and disagreement. She didn't need words to say everything. They had already written all over her face.
"Ah... this- this is not what you are thinking!" Haruka was aware with her position on the dirty tiles of the bathroom. She struggled to break free but her edge of her shirt was tangled on the red haired woman's dress button. They couldn't break away with each other. Haruka pulled and pulled but it wouldn't come off from the button.
That panic event, she heard a second voice. The voice of a person she mostly didn't want to see at the moment.
"Haruka..." Sweet, melodic, almost resembled an angel. However when the racer glanced up she only met these scary expressions and aura she only could see. Haruka's pale face then turned paler as white sheet.
Haruka ripped her white shirt immediately to get away from the mess.
"Mi-Michiru..."
"Ara... I was stuck in this heavy traffic with Setsuna. Even I persuade our friend to drive over the speed limit because of our anniversary... but I see... you have started the party without me." The senshi of sea smiled, sweetly but the burst of vein on her forehead told her real emotion. Haruka shuddered, Setsuna had carefully stepped back. There was no one better than Setsuna in case of reading the atmosphere. It was a form of her friendship with Haruka that had made Setsuna stay in that situation. It was her friendship with Michiru that had made Setsuna step back, not willing to interfere. Above those all, it was also for her safety's sake.
"That was not what you are thinking. Don't! Don't jump to conclusions damn it!" Haruka cursed, that action didn't make the whole situation better.
"You cursed on me?" Michiru retorted back.
"What- NO! I..."
The red haired woman had completely removed herself from Haruka and now she was retreating to the further corner. Her instinct was comparable with Setsuna.
"Mi-Michi... it was an accident, I didn't - "
Haruka was unable completing her sentence as a pile of dirty water was splashed off on her. Michiru was still holding the now empty bucket in her hand.
"Ara... I apologize, Haruka... my hand slipped. Just be thankful I didn't deep submerge you with sea water..." The violinist played her henshin stick like a toy. "You deserve it."
Haruka gulped out of fear. One of them she was swallowing included that dirty water.
"I tripped!" The red haired woman butted in. She had gathered all her courage to cut their conversation. "I tripped and she just wanted to help me but we both fell in the end... slippery..." Her last word came out as whimper as she met Michiru's wrathful eyes on her.
Haruka rolled her eyes. She should've explained earlier.
Out of the commotion happened in ladies room, a guy appeared by the door. He was so dense because he couldn't read the situation that was going on inside.
"Excuse me? Ah, there you are..."
Haruka didn't know who that man was. Whoever he was, the red haired woman immediately jumped in excitement and then rushed toward the guy. She enveloped him with big hug while crying like a mad woman.
"I'm scared! I'm scared!"
The guy patted the woman and smiled while resting his chin on top of her crimson head. "I'm sorry. I was a jerk earlier... let's go home. I love you," He said, taking her with him and then disappeared from sight few seconds later.
Now, there were only Michiru, Setsuna, and soaked Haruka inside the bathroom.
Long awkward silence fell between them.
Setsuna broke it. She cleared her throat with dramatic too loud voice.
"... So, you both tripped." The aqua haired woman said... she was now looking down on her sight of her shoes.
"Yes..."
"You didn't do anything inappropriate?"
"You saw me ripping my shirt... if that was count."
"Well then..." Michiru's tone softened. When she tilted her face up, she had the usual expression on her. She was looking at Haruka with her usual loving and compassionate eyes.
Haruka couldn't ask more.
"Well then..." Haruka repeated.
While the trio exited the bar, Setsuna gave her car key to Haruka.
"Second thought, I think I will crash to my friend's place tonight. Spend the night maybe." Setsuna said. It took whole of her dignity to say that. Afterall it was her car and their apartment.
"Are you serious?"
"Just keep everything neat by the morning. I don't want to clean up your mess."
"Aye aye."
Haruka and Michiru both walked to the parking lot. Michiru's hand was circling Haruka's arm while her head was rested on the blonde's shoulder.
"I am stink." Haruka said.
"...I know."
"You are beautiful tonight. Your dress too."
"I know,"
"Your dress will be dirty."
"...I know."
"I love you, you know..."
"I know..." This one Michiru replied in a heartbeat.
The blond smiled, she opened the car door for the violinist.
"I'm sorry I threw water on you..."
"That's the least of my concern. The problem is... you had this betrayed look on your face. It hurts when your partner didn't trust you at least that much." Haruka made pouting face like a hurt puppy.
"... I'm sorry... I can't control my emotion... I thought it was enough by me loving you... but... I can't help for expecting more and more from you. I am too greedy and selfish that I forgot... I forgot that you always love me too... in your own way." Michiru could speak thousands of Japanese poem or speak any variation of courtesy... however when she was speaking about her own emotion, the senshi of sea would talk carefully slow. The violinist was pouring all her concentration on Haruka's third shirt button. She didn't want to confront the blue eyes which were boring intensely on her yet.
"I am sorry... I was a coward too." Haruka grabbed Michiru's hand that was busy playing with her shirt button. The movement caught the violinist's attention as they now were looking into each other's eyes.
"It is only a promise that we need to keep as long as possible. It is only a promise and verbal form of our feelings that we have for each other... I think I could do it." Haruka muttered.
"Haruka?"
"You believe in me, right?"
"Wha- yes,"
"Do you love me?"
"YES."
"Marry me, then."
"Yes... WHAT?" Michiru covered her opened mouth with her hands. She wasn't mistakenly heard those words...
"I wish I had planned it better for you... I didn't expect I would have a parking lot as scenery and drenched, stinky clothes as my outfit when I'm doing this. But..." Haruka dropped one knee then she pulled the previous velvet box from her pocket.
Michiru gasped audibly when Haruka opened the box.
"I thought you hate commitment?" Michiru who was still trying to control her heartbeat rate clenched her own chest. Her face flushed but she had kept her voice tone steady.
"Commitment was understatement of century."
"Pardon?"
"I have compromised." Haruka continued and shrugged. "So... where was I?"
"About you want to marry me." Michiru pointed out.
"Right..." Haruka cleared her throat while Michiru was waiting uneasy. "Kaioh Michiru... would you marry-"
"YES!"
Haruka smiled, "I haven't finished my sentence yet!"
"I have waited the whole 4 years, I am a very patient woman!"
The blond revived from her position and put the ring on Michiru's finger. The violinist beamed upon the new weight that was now decorating her finger.
"Haruka."
"Yes?"
"You should kiss me,"
What a patient woman, "We are in the parking lot, Michiru."
"I know,"
"It would be inappropriate..."
"I... know, you should compromise about it."
The senshi of sea didn't want to hear any excuses. She threw herself on Haruka and started kissing Haruka. From her forehead, trailing down to her eyelids, nose, and then took longer time in lingering kisses on the blond's lips.
"We should get in to the car." Haruka suggested between her ragged breaths.
"I agree." Michiru was out of her mind as she didn't notice that her own hands were already halfway in unbuttoning Haruka's shirt.
"Haruka, I - I love you... I thought I can't fall more deeply in love with you. But I just have."
Haruka now replied, "I know."
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AN: This one shot has been on my folder for days. My mind was preoccupied with 3 ongoing stories. I hope you enjoy this oneshot and feedbacks are always and forever be appreciated. Happy summer, all! :D Where do you go for summer vacation?