Disclaimer: I don't own the DigiDestined or the Outers. I don't own
the concepts of Digimon and Sailor Moon, either. But the one thing I do
own is Maria, Sora's friend. She's mine!
Haruka and Michiru put their bags in the back seat of the car and buckled in. "You sure you wanna come with?" Haruka asked, eyeing her partner. "Of course, Haruka! I'd love to meet your family! You've never even told me about them before..." Haruka pushed her bangs out of her eyes and started driving down their driveway, and onto the street. "Well, I take it you want to know? I can tell you before we get there," she said. "Sure! I'd love to hear about your family!" Michiru exclaimed. Haruka sat there for a second, trying to figure out where to begin. "Well, I ran away when I was nine, because my parents were getting divorced. They live in Odaiba... At least, I think they still do. My dad works at the TV Station there, but I'm not sure what my mom does anymore. They've probably forgotten about me... Gave up searching, anyway. And I have two little brothers... The oldest was four when I left, so I don't think they remember me... And I doubt my parents would tell them. I was somewhat adopted by this other lady when I was 10, which is where I got the last name Ten'ou. But I left there, too. Neither of my parents were always too happy with me. I was their only girl, and I didn't act like one. But maybe they got back together and had another one, who knows?" Michiru sighed. "Haruka, don't act like they don't love you. I know that's what you're thinking. They're your parents, of course they love you," she said. The two of them stayed silent the rest of the way to Odaiba.
***
Haruka and Michiru had rented a hotel room near Odaiba High, and couldn't find it anywhere. "I wish I would have listened to you and gotten a map of Odaiba," Haruka said, admitting defeat. Michiru laughed. "Of course you are. But this way we get to have an adventure!" she exclaimed. Haruka blinked. "I'm not one for adventures..." Michiru shrugged. "Then why don't you ask one of those kids in that park we passed by a while ago? I'm sure they go to Odaiba High, they can tell us where it is," she said. Haruka nodded, and turned the car in that direction.
In the park, a group of kids were playing basketball, obviously girls against boys. "Taichi! Over here!" a brown-haired girl shouted, waving her arms. "Very funny Sora! Here, Daisuke!" the one named Taichi shouted, passing the ball to a purplish-haired boy with goggles on his head. The boy shot, and missed. The same brown-haried girl took the ball, and dribbled it to the other side of the court. "Here, Maria!" She passed it to a girl with red hair, who shot and made it. The four girls celebrated. "Looks like we win! 20-12!" a girl with light purple hair exclaimed. "Ha! Like you helped any, Miyako!" the goggle boy Daisuke said. "Aw, you're just jealous that a bunch of girls beat you! Be a sport!" Taichi said, who's mess of hair on his head was beginning to get matted down with sweat. The eight kids sat down on the grass, ready to take a breather.
Michiru carefully walked up to them. "Excuse me?" she asked. The majority of them looked up. "Yes?" a boy with blonde hair asked, putting a fisherman's hat on his head. "I was just wondering if any of you knew the way to Odaiba High?" Michiru asked. "Ummm... Why don't I have one of the older kids give you directions? Just a second.... Matt! Sora! Maria! Tai! Come here for a second!" he shouted. The two boys and two girls came over. Tai had big brown hair that looked like it hadn't been cut in years. Matt had blonde hair with lots of hair jell in it. Sora had short brown hair, and Maria and red hair the length of Setsuna's. "Whatcha need, little man?" Matt asked. "This woman here needs some help getting to Odaiba High. Would any of you help her? I'm afraid I can't..." Sora smiled. "I'll help her, TK!" she exclaimed, "So, ma'am, you need to go to Odaiba High?" She asked, turning to Michiru. "Oh, please, call me Michi. And, yes, I do need some help getting to Odaiba High." "Okay! All you have to do is go straight on this street right here. Then, at the first stop light, take a left. Keep going and you should be able to see the high school." Michiru smiled. "Thank you," she said. "No problem!" Sora replied as Michiru went back to the car, and got in on the passenger side.
***
Once they found their hotel, they checked in and put all their stuff in their room, just to go back out again. "Back in the room I got my dad's address from the phone book. I can only hope he's home," Haruka said, eyeing the address in front of her. She actually knew where it was. The two sat in the car in silence for another ten minutes.
***
Once at the apartment, Haruka hesitantly knocked at the door. There was some shouting inside before a young girl opened the door. "Hello?" she asked, looking questionably at Haruka. "H-hi... Are... are you Mr. Ishida's daughter?" The girl giggled. "No, no... I'm his son's girlfriend, Sora. And hey... I remember you! I gave you directions at the park this afternoon!" she exclaimed, seeing Michiru. "Oh, hello. Thank you again," Michiru said. "You're very welcome! Would... would you two like to come inside? Matt's in the shower right now, but he should be out in a second... His dad isn't home at the moment." Haruka's eyes widened. "Yamato??" she asked, surprised. "Yes... Yamato Ishida... You know him?" Haruka shifted her feet uneasily. "Uh, yeah... I guess you could say that... Can we, uh, sit down?" she asked. "Of course."
"What did you say your name was, again?" Sora asked. "Oh, I didn't. My name's Haruka, and this is my... uh... this is Michiru." "Oh." Haruka looked around the room. She saw lots of pictures, mostly of her dad and Yamato. She wanted to get up and touch them, pick them up and look closer, but she knew it would be rude. One picture really caught her eye, though. She was six, and little one-year-old Yamato was sitting next to her. She could even remember that day... But why would her dad still have that picture? Then she wondered if that really was her, and not somebody like one of their cousins, or something. "Excuse me? Sora?" Haruka asked. "Yes?" Sora replied, looking at her. "Do you know who those people are in that picture?" she asked quietly, pointing at the little girl she really thought was her, and the little boy next to her. "Oh... That's Yamato and his sister... It's sad, though, she died a long time ago, or so he says." Just then, there were footsteps in the hall. "Sora-chan? Who was that at the-" he stopped mid-sentance to see two people he'd never seen before in his life sitting on his couch. "Uh, hello?" he said uneasily. "Hi Yamato... You probably don't remember me..." Yamato took a seat next to Sora, on the other couch. "You're right, I don't. Care to refresh my memory? At least tell me your name?" he asked. "Sure, Yama... My name is... Haruka." Michiru squeezed Haruka's arm in a reassuring way.
Yamato blinked. "You... You couldn't be? You... You're lying! Haruka-san is dead! She died a long time ago!" he exclaimed. "She?" Sora asked. "Yes, she... Haruka... Haruka was my sister... She died when I was five!" Haruka sighed. "I'm not dead, Yamato... I ran away when I learned mom and dad were getting divorced. This Ten'ou lady took me in for a couple years, but I ran away from there too. I took up running, and later car racing. Then I met my... friend... Michiru here, and we share a house with another friend of mine, Setsuna, and my sort-of daughter Hotaru."
"Sort-of daughter? Friend? What? Who's your daughter's father? I thought dad said that you were-"
"It's hard to explain about Hotaru, and you probably wouldn't believe it. And yes, dad was telling the truth."
"So Michiru is..?"
"Yeah."
"You mean to tell me that my only sister, who I thought died years ago, is still alive, has a girlfriend, has a "sort-of" kid, and knows stuff I wouldn't believe?"
"Basically, yeah."
"Yeesh! Well, welcome home sis! TK will like this news."
"Takeru?"
"Yeah. But he's... uh... kinda out saving the world."
"Hah! You expect me to believe that?"
"Haruka, you should!" Michiru exclaimed.
"Hmmm... Guess you're right, Michi."
"What do you mean?" Yamato asked
"We kinda save the world too."
"Very funny... You're not a Digidestined!"
"Digi-what?"
"See! You can't save the world."
"We're Sailor Scouts, thank you very much."
"Whatever. But hey, why don't we stop by TK's place? Mom's home, I'm sure."
"O-okay, if you think she... wouldn't mind..."
"'Course not. Now c'mon."
***
Haruka, Michiru, Yamato, and Sora all piled into Haruka and Michiru's car, and Yamato gave directions. He gave a couple wrong turns, but they backtracked and eventually found their way. After slowly getting out of the car, they walked quietly to the elevator, and headed towards Takeru's floor. When they got there, they ran into a little boy. "Oh, hello Yamato, Sora," he said, smiling. Then he looked to Michiru and Haruka, and bowed. "Nice to meet you, ma'am, sir. Friends of Yamato's?" he asked. Yamato nudged him in the side. "Iori, the tall blonde one is my sister Haruka. The other is her, uh, friend, Michiru," he whispered. Iori turned paler than normal. "I'm so sorry, ma'am... I thought you-" Haruka shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Happens all the time. Nice to meet you." Iori bowed again. "Pleased to meet you, too. Pardon me, but I need to get going..." Iori quickly shuffled into the elevator and was on his way down. "Don't mind him, you two. His name's Iori, he's a friend of Takeru's." Haruka and Michiru nodded, and they proceeded on their way.
Once at the near end of the hall, Yamato stopped at a door labeled "Takaishi" and knocked. As Haruka figured, her mother answered the door. All Haruka could do was stare blankly. "Yamato!" her mother exclaimed, "Why, you hardly ever visit me! And you've brought friends! Oh, please, come in!"
***
Everybody sat down in the living room. "So, Yamato, who are your other friends here? I know Sora, of course, I couldn't forget her, but who are your other two friends?" Ms. Takaishi asked. Yamato opened his mouth, but Haruka shook her head. "No, Yamato, I'll explain. It's my problem." Yamato nodded, and Haruka turned to her mother. "Do you remember, oh... I'd say about ten or eleven years ago?" she asked. Nancy gasped. "Why, yes, young man, I do remember. A lot happened around then." Michiru almost giggled, but Haruka gently elbowed her, stopping her from doing so. "With that settled, then... Do you remember me?" The older woman blinked. "I don't think I've ever seen you before in my life, young man." Haruka sighed deeply. "Remember this?" she asked, pulling up her shirt sleeve and showing her mother a jagged scar on her arm.
Nancy gasped. "Oh my god... Haruka?!" Haruka silently nodded and pulled her shirt sleeve down. Tears attempted to slip down her face, but Nancy quickly wiped them away. "You... Why did you go? Where have you been?! We thought you... you..." "I left because I was frustrated and confused. At first I went to live with this Ten'ou lady, but I left there too, and started living on my own. I regret running away, I've missed Yama and Takeru so much... But if I hadn't gone, I wouldn't have met Michiru..." Haruka stopped, figuring details about Michiru wouldn't be a good thing to tell her mother yet.
For the first time, Nancy put her attention to the aqua-haired girl. She was sitting close to Haruka... almost too close. She was looking at her hands, probably trying to stay out of the conversation for now. "Michiru? Is that woman sitting next to you Michiru?" Nancy asked. "Yes," Haruka said, in a way that meant, 'end of subject.' But her mother just had to know. "So, Michiru is your friend?" she asked. "Yes." "Is she your best friend?" "Yes." "Do you live together?" "Yes!" "So you're close, then?" "Damn it, mother! If you want to hear it I'll say it!!!!!!!" Haruka yelled, and took a deep breath, "Michiru... is... my... lover!!!!! I don't care what you think, I'll always love her!"
Nancy hadn't meant to anger her daughter. But it was so strange, talking to your child that you thought had died years ago, and finding out she was in a more-than-friends relationship with another girl. "I... I'm sorry, Haruka..." was all she could say. Michiru was trying to calm Haruka down, and Yamato and Sora were sitting awkwardly in a big chair near the corner of the room.
It was quiet until Takeru stepped in the room. "Hey m-" he fell silent, and looked around the room. "Yamato? Sora? What are you doing here? Why do you look so weird, mom, and who are those people on the couch?" he asked, obviously confused. Sora nervously bit her lower lip, and looked at Yamato. "Takeru... uh... I think we'd better go in the other room and talk," Yamato said slowly. His mother gave him a look of relief, and he just nodded back at her. He got up. "I'll be back in a few, Sora. You'll be alright in here?" She nodded, and he left, Takeru following him into his room.
Yamato sat down on his brother's bed and sighed.
"This is going to be hard to explain, so I want you to listen good, okay?"
Takeru still had the confused look, but nodded. Yamato remained silent,
trying to figure out how to say it so it wouldn't be such a shock. "Do
you remember Haruka?" he finally asked. Takeru gasped. "Well... yes...
of course I do. How could I forget our sister? But she's gone, what does
she have to do with any of this?" he asked, looking at the older boy for
an answer. None came. "Yamato? What does she have to do with it?" he asked
again. "Takeru... she's sitting on your living room couch."
A/N: Okay, I don't really think that Yamato would believe it was really his sister or be so cool about it that fast, but it just ended up that way. My apologies.