Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the anime Sailor Moon. Nor do I own any of the Miyazaki films. Dang I'm boring.
Jealousy
"Good luck, Ruka," Michiru told her girlfriend. "Don't push yourself too hard. You've barely recovered from that illness." Haruka looked at her wolfishly.
"That's not what you said last night," Haruka said in a low voice so Hotaru, who was busy eating an ice cream cone, would not hear. Michiru blushed.
"Don't be so loud Haruka," Michiru chided her. Haruka only laughed and winked. She picked up Hotaru and spun her around.
"Will I win?" Haruka asked her daughter. Hotaru laughed out loud.
"Haruka-papa, you always win!" replied the child, holding onto her ice cream cone. Haruka handed her to Michiru, then gave them each a kiss on the cheek before heading to the track, and walking to her position. She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, energized and eager for the race to begin.
"Ohayo Haruka-san! Good luck!" yelled Usagi. She and the rest of the inners were already sitting in the bleachers. Michiru walked up the stairs with Hotaru and joined them. Haruka smiled and waved at the young women.
"Hey Tenoh," said one of the racers Tanaka.
"Yes, Tanaka-san?" replied Haruka, trying to hide the look of distaste on her face. They had been rivals for years, with Haruka always beating the sturdily built man. He was extremely jealous of this, as well as the fact that she dated Michiru, who in his mind was a highly prized possession. This jealousy transferred over to the car race track as well, as they were both F-1 racers. Tanaka was notorious for tailgating others on the track, causing them to collide with one another, which earned him the nickname "Crash".
"Let's make a wager. If I win, I get to bang Michiru," he said with a smirk on his face. Haruka fought the urge to punch his nose in.
"How about you shut up?" she asked him candidly. He sneered at her.
"Dumb dyke," he said. She froze and stared at him before turning away.
"You're not worth my time," she told him. Moving back into position she looked over to Michiru. She was engrossed in a conversation with Makoto, no doubt sharing recipes and cooking tips, by the looks of Makoto's gestures. Michiru turned her head and caught Haruka's eye, smiling warmly and blowing a kiss. This empowered Haruka, who got ready for the race to begin.
"Runners take your mark, get set, go!" yelled the starter, shooting off a gun. The runners all galloped forward, arms pumping, legs a blur.
Haruka, who had been at the back when the gun went off, had quickly taken the lead. Tanaka was trailing her closely, and pushed himself to get level with her.
"You're not winning this one, Tenoh," he panted, trying to trip her. However Haruka managed to out maneuver him and with a burst of strength she pulled away, crossing the finish line first. Applause and cheers rang out as the senshi jumped up clapping.
Trotting to a stop, she bent over trying to catch her breath, coughing harshly. Shouldn't have done that, my lungs feel like they're going to explode, she thought to herself. She knew she wasn't in the right condition to run, let alone to compete. But she had won, which made it worth the while. She did not see Tanaka, who was just crossing the line come running at her, not stopping after finishing. Instead he was speeding up, and pulled his arm back.
"Haruka-san, look out!" screamed Minako. Haruka looked up, which unfortunately gave Tanaka just the target he had been hoping for. He slammed his fist into Haruka's temple, right where she had knocked it against the dresser corner just over a week and a half ago. The wound reopened and blood flew onto Tanaka's running clothes. The audience gasped as Haruka fell to her knees, one hand on the ground and one hand over her wound.
"Haruka-papa!" screamed Hotaru, who was trying to work her way out of her mother's grasp.
"Hotaru, stay here," Michiru instructed as she flew down the stairs followed by Rei. They approached Tanaka from behind, and before he could get another shot in Rei delivered a round house kick to his back, causing it to writhe in agony as he fell to the ground. He tried to get up, but Rei kneed him in the stomach, which knocked the air out of him and forced him to back away.
"This isn't over. Michiru, you'll see, you're dating a loser. I'll show you, she's not good for you. I'm a real man, she's just a worthless dyke. You need somebody like me to show you real pleasure," he told her, holding his middle while slowly walking backwards towards the exit.
"For your information, this "worthless dyke" showed me real pleasure until past midnight last night. I bet you couldn't keep it up that long, you bastard," Michiru yelled at him, causing Rei to blush. This only served to enrage Tanaka, who started to jog away, yelling over his shoulder:
"You'll see, Michiru. You'll see what a mistake she is, whether you want to or not."
Michiru paid no attention to him, instead running to Haruka's side and helping her into a sitting position. "Are you okay Haruka? Oh no, your wound has reopened. We'll need to-"
"No hospital, Michiru. Please, I spent two weeks in one. Ami-chan or Setsuna can fix it at home. Just please, no hospital?" begged Haruka, pleading with her lover. Michiru was torn between acquiescing to her lover's desires, and to her own common sense. The look Haruka gave her, so full of love, trust, and hope caused her to sigh and smile at the wind sailor.
"You can get me to do anything, can't you?" she asked of her taller counterpart. Haruka beamed at her, then grimaced.
"Can we get me some pain killers, Michi? It hurts like hell," complained the blonde. Michiru and Rei helped Haruka up, and they walked over to the other senshi who were all waiting for them expectantly.
"Oh Haruka-san!" Usagi said, running up to her and giving her a hug. Haruka chuckled and returned it lightly.
"I'm fine, Koneko-chan. Don't worry about me. I'd feel more worried for Tanaka, I think Rei might have broken a rib."
"Fu- I mean, forgot about that guy. He's a jerk," said Makoto, looking at Hotaru to make sure she did not hear what she almost said. But all Hotaru cared about was the blood seeping its way out of her papa's head.
"Haruka-papa, we must get you home so Ami-chan can help you," said the bright young girl. Haruka agreed, so they all piled into their respective cars and went to Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru's mansion. When they arrived they all entered it, and relaxed in the living room while Michiru went to get a first aid kit. Haruka followed her to the bathroom where it was kept, as did Ami.
"Poor Haruka-san, you can't seem to catch a break," Ami noted as Michiru handed her the first aid kit. She pulled out some gauze, antiseptic wipes, and a large bandage. She proceeded to clean Haruka's wound, and then to bandage it. Haruka hissed in pain when the antiseptic was applied, but otherwise remained quiet.
"Michiru? I feel tired," she said sleepily, her eyelids drooping over her teal eyes. Michiru's own blue ones looked at her exhausted lover, deciding that it was time for sleep.
"Come on Haruka, let's get you to bed. You over-exerted yourself, I bet. What did I tell you before the race?" Michiru asked Haruka. Haruka gave a half grin.
"The same thing you tell me before every race, love. And I did the same thing I do every time, didn't I?" responded the nearly asleep racer. She reluctantly stood up, thanked Ami for her help, and was pulled by her limp hand into the bedroom she and Michiru shared. Michiru pulled the covers down, and helped Haruka to lay down. She felt the blonde's forehead, and frowned when she felt a faint fever approaching.
"Ami-chan? Can you come in here a moment?" Michiru called to the young woman. Ami entered Michiru and Haruka's bedroom for the first time, and gazed around in awe.
The bed was high, and the ceiling vaulted. There was a painting of a stormy sea on one side of the room, with a painting of a calm sea at sunrise over the bed. There was a white comforter covering Haruka, and black pillows with black sheets. On the other side of the room was a long, medium height dresser across from the bed, stained a deep cherry oak color. On top of it were white thick candles of various heights scattered over it. There were two side tables, with matching lamps. On Haruka's side was a framed picture of Michiru and Hotaru, and on Michiru's side a picture of Hotaru and Haruka. A large book shelf stood next to the entryway, with books varying from novels, to art books, to programs from operas.
Ami snapped out of her reverie and proceeded to the bed, where she placed her gentle hand on Haruka's forehead.
"Hmm," she muttered. "She feels a little warm, but Michiru-san that could just be because her body is overheated from the race. Let's get her a cold wash cloth. That should take care of things." Michiru went into the bathroom, ran cool water over a sky blue wash cloth and brought it back, placing it over Haruka's heated brow. She leaned down and kissed Haruka's lips, then left with Ami. The two women returned downstairs.
"Is Haruka-san okay?" Rei asked, voicing the question on everybody's mind. Michiru shrugged.
"She's resting. I think, no, I know she overdid it today. She shouldn't have run… Especially with that Tanaka. God, I hope he doesn't keep harassing us," Michiru mused out loud. Hotaru ran to her, tears running down her face. "What's wrong, princess?"
"What if he kills Haruka-papa?" Hotaru asked, sniffling. Michiru looked shocked.
"Hotaru, what do you mean?"
"Haruka-papa's in a car race next week, and so is Tanaka. She told me so earlier today," Hotaru explained. The senshi gasped.
"You don't think-"
"There's no way-"
"He did threaten her-"
"Oh, Michiru, you have to make sure Haruka doesn't race next week," Setsuna told her. Michiru was about to respond, when a voice cut in.
"No," Haruka said from the doorway. She had got up to get water, being parched from her race.
"Haruka-san, what if Hotaru-chan is right? I mean, the guy is called "Crash" for a reason," Minako said.
"It doesn't matter. I'm going to the race next Saturday, with or without you guys," Haruka stated somewhat coldly. Michiru looked over to her.
"Haruka," she mumbled. Haruka's eyes softened.
"I'm sorry Michiru. But I have to race. It's who I am, it's what I love," Haruka said softly.
"But don't you love me too? Aren't I a part of who you are?" Michiru asked gently. Haruka looked almost pained, wanting to please her mate but also needing to stand up for her right to do as she wished.
"You know you are Michiru. But I must do this. He can't be allowed to intimidate me. Besides, there will be officials and such at the race. No matter what he does he won't get away with it."
"No matter what you decide, we'll support you," Mamoru said, his arm wrapped around Usagi. The inners and Setsuna all nodded. Michiru stood up and moved to her lover.
"I support you too, Haruka. I may have to avert my gaze during the race, but I'll be there." She kissed her lover's forehead, and hugged her.
"Kawaii!" exclaimed Chibi-usa and Hotaru.
"Michiru, you're making me blush," Haruka whispered.
"Good," Michiru said, smiling.
"We should get going. Haruka-san needs her rest," Makoto said. The rest of the senshi left, saying their goodbyes and wishing Haruka well, leaving the family of three all alone.
"Haruka, how about you watch a movie with Hotaru while I cook dinner?"
"Sounds like a divine plan to me. What movie, princess?" Haruka asked her daughter.
"Totoro! Totoro!" Hotaru jumped up and down shouting. So father and daughter sat together on the couch, watching the film while mother made a simple dinner of miso soup and curry chicken.
The week passed by quickly, much to Michiru's disdain. Haruka had been busy practicing for the race everyday, going to the track as early as five and coming back at eight every night. On Friday, Haruka stayed home to spend the day with her family. Hotaru had school, so to the delight of Haruka and Michiru they spent the morning making love slowly, reveling in the feel of each other's body. Afterwards they lay in bed, clutching each other as close as possible, almost desperately.
"Ruka…don't leave me?" Michiru mumbled into Haruka's hair. Haruka turned to look at her lover.
"Michiru?" A solitary tear ran down her cheek.
"I feel that something bad is going to happen to you. I know you'll race tomorrow, and I know I'll be there," Michiru explained. "But damn it Haruka, you better not die. If you do, I'm following you. I can't live without you." Haruka looked shocked.
"Michiru, I'm not going to leave you. How could I? I'm not going to die tomorrow, or any time soon. It's just a race tomorrow, love. Nothing more," Haruka told her, squeezing her close. The wind reached out to the sea to dry the tear, caressing her cheek.
"Ruka, play me something?" Michiru asked, smiling at the blonde.
"Of course my love. Let me get my robe-"
"No. As you are now. Hotaru won't be home for hours," Michiru said, blushing. Haruka raised her eyebrow and grinned.
"For you, my sweetheart, anything." Haruka and Michiru walked hand in hand down the stairs to her grand piano, black as the night. She sat down on the piano bench, exclaiming at the coolness of it. She began playing the "Moonlight Sonata" for her goddess, who sat next to her, eyes closed as she swayed back and forth. When she finished Michiru wrapped her arms around Haruka's shoulders and laid her head down on her, breathing in her musky odor.
"Honey, Hotaru will be home any minute, and she's bringing Chibi-usa over," Haruka said. Michiru reluctantly released her, and dragged her upstairs to the shower where they "cleaned" themselves before dressing.
A half hour later Hotaru and Chibi-usa came home, being dropped off by Setsuna who drove over to Ami's house to spend the afternoon with her lover.
"Michiru-mama, Haruka-papa, we're home!" Hotaru called. Michiru was preparing tea and cookies for the two girls. Haruka dashed towards the door, yelling over her shoulder:
"Michi, I'm going to go to the store for a sec, I'll be right back!" and slammed the door behind her. She was on a mission: to make Michiru feel less stressed and worried about the race. So instead of going to the store, she drove to the agent of Tanaka, who shared an office building with her own agent. She parked her car, entered the building and went upstairs. Entering the office of Tanaka's agent, Yamada Tenchi, she knocked.
"Come in!" was the reply. When she entered Yamada's eyebrows nearly jumped off of his head.
"Tenoh-san, what do we owe this honor to?" he asked sarcastically. He was as irreverent as his client.
"Your man Tanaka has been bothering me, and I want it to stop. Now. If anything happens at the race tomorrow, I will hold you responsible for it. And trust me, you do not want to deal with this angry woman," she glared at him, making him gulp audibly.
"I don't know what you're talking about, my client is a gentleman and would never do anything to harm another person."
"Yeah, well your harmless client assaulted me at the race last weekend and reopened a gash in my forehead. And he then proceeded to threaten me, and my girlfriend. I advise you to take care of this little problem." Haruka turned to leave, when she heard a low laugh coming from a door leading from the office to a back room. Turning around, she came face to face with Tanaka.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here? A dyke!" Haruka faced him, unimpressed by his comment.
"Shut up, you bastard. You leave my girlfriend alone, you leave me alone, you just leave all of my family alone, you hear?!" Haruka yelled at him. He walked up to her, and she saw something in his eyes which made her, for the first time, view him as a threat. There was ire, rage, and something more, something akin to…desire? Haruka lunged for the door, but was stopped by a hand yanking her back. Suddenly, Tanaka's hand came around to her front, and groped her. She shuddered, and without warning jerked her head back into Tanaka's nose, breaking it. He let out a pain filled cry as he let her go, and she ran to her car. She got in, then sat behind the wheel, not moving. I can't run away, he'll try the same thing later she thought, groaning. She pulled out her cell phone, and dialed her house number. Two rings later Michiru picked up.
"Moshi moshi?" Michiru's angelic voice rang out.
"Michiru?" Haruka asked. The sea senshi could already sense something was wrong.
"Haruka? What's going on, what's the matter?" she replied to her lover. "You're not at the store, are you?"
"No, I went to Tanaka's agent, and Tanaka's here. He groped me, and now-"
"He did what?!?" Michiru screamed into the phone, earning a shocked look from Hotaru and her friend.
"Now I'm going to go and finish this. He won't be bothering us again, love. Bye," and with that Haruka hung up her phone, turning it off so Michiru could not reach her. She walked back to the room she just left, and entered slowly. There was blood all over the floor, and nobody in the room. She wandered back towards the door on the other side of the room and walked through it. Suddenly a great pain hit her in the stomach as Tanaka delivered a kick to her ribs, breaking two of them. Haruka gasped for breathe as hers left in an ephemeral instant.
"Stupid bitch! You broke my nose! Now I have to go to the hospital and get it reset. So for you, I'm going to make sure you can't race tomorrow, you goddamn dyke!" he shouted at her before putting his hands on either side of her face, grabbing it and bringing it down to meet his knee, causing an instant concussion. As Haruka started to come back up, he yanked at her arm so hard it became dislocated. Then he simply began to beat her, kicking, punching, and brutally harming every inch of her body. Then, when Haruka lay on the ground unmoving, he panted loudly, and unbuckled his belt. He pulled his pants off, followed by his underwear. But before he could get any further, a loud noise was emitted when a coffee maker made contact with his head, and he fell onto a ficus plant passed out.
Michiru, who had broken all speed limits and laws of physics to get there within ten minutes, stood there, a shattered coffee pot in her hand. "Oh Ruka, not another trip to the hospital," Michiru said mournfully, taking in her battered soul mate. "Love, why do people get so mad at you?"
"I don't know, why don't you ask them?" Haruka mumbled. She started to get up.
"Whoa, what do you think you're doing?" Michiru asked her, throwing the shattered coffee pot onto Tanaka. She ran to her lover's side and knelt down, easily keeping Haruka from getting up with only one hand on her back. "We're going to the hospital," she informed the stubborn blonde.
"No, no hospital-"
"Haruka, if you keep talking you're only going to be in more pain. Let me call an ambulance, or can you walk? I don't want to be here when Tanaka wakes up."
Haruka nodded slightly that she could indeed walk. Michiru helped her to her feet, then supported most of her weight since she was still so light. They walked to Michiru's BMW, and the sea senshi slowly lowered her girlfriend into the passenger's seat. Haruka immediately passed out, so Michiru hurried to the other side and started the car.
"Haruka, I love you," Michiru told the unconscious senshi as they drove. "I knew something bad was going to happen today…it's all my fault, I shouldn't have let you out of my sight. Thank God Usagi-chan showed up right before you called to pick up Chibi-usa. She took Hotaru with her too." Michiru was so upset she didn't care that Haruka couldn't respond. Within record time they were back at the hospital which Haruka had recently vacated. Michiru had called ahead of time, so two nurses and a doctor were waiting with a gurney for her and Haruka.
"What happened to her?" asked the doctor, taking in her bloody countenance.
"Jealousy," Michiru replied, tears in her watery eyes. The doctor and nurses carefully placed Haruka onto the gurney, and rushed her into the emergency room.
She was suffering from internal bleeding, broken ribs, a concussion, and multiple lacerations. She was moved into a private room, where she had an IV drip of blood to replenish that which she had lost. Michiru sat vigilantly by her side, holding her hand.
Déjà vu, she thought to herself, and almost let out a wail at the sight of her broken lover. She noticed Haruka's eyelids fluttering, and slowly the green fields opened themselves to her viewing pleasure. "Hi, love. How are you feeling?"
"Pissed off," was the reply. "I can't race like this, can I?"
Michiru sighed. The race was the only thing on her lover's mind. "No, sweetie, you can't. How does that feel?"
"Terrible, because I know Tanaka is going to win."
"Don't be too sure. I gave him a pretty bad hit to the head. I don't think he's going to be doing anything for a long time either. Is it really so bad you'll have to spend tomorrow in my arms, with me taking care of you and loving you?" Michiru asked, a smile playing on her lips as she saw the wheels in Haruka's head cranking.
"Will you make me hot cocoa?" Haruka asked, already looking forward to her guilty pleasure.
"You know it sweetheart," Michiru replied. She laced their fingers together. "Honey? I love you."
"I love you too, goddess."