The clock ticked on the wall, the sound filled the whole room. Michiru reached for the bathrobe lying on the floor. She put it on and sat down on the edge of the bed. There were no words said. Michiru looked back over her shoulder and saw Haruka sitting on the other side of the bed, buttoning up her shirt. Michiru thought about saying something, but she didn't know what to say. Usually she and Haruka didn't have silences like this. Either they talked, or they could leave things unsaid because they already knew each other's thoughts. But this time, neither could find the right words. Haruka glanced over her shoulder and saw Michiru looking at her. They both looked away.

"We could… try again, if you want to?" Haruka suggested.

"No. It's… I'm fine. I'll go take a bath," Michiru said and got up. Haruka heard her walking into the bathroom and closing the door. When she heard the water being turned on, she reached for her pants and started to pull them on.

The evening had started out perfect. Haruka had reserved them a nice hotel room and they had had dinner. They were no longer bound by their mission, so now they could focus on themselves and their relationship. Both of them had yearned for this for so long, yet their sense of duty had kept them from being together. Now they had all the time in the world.

Michiru had fantasized about their first time for a long time. She had imagined it to be perfect, the two destined lovers finally getting to be together. Reality had turned out to be something quite different. They had both fumbled while taking off their clothes, and they had nearly fallen off the bed at one point. Then, for a while, everything had gone just like in Michiru's fantasies. She had gotten to kiss and taste every part of Haruka, and the blonde had cried out Michiru's name in ecstasy. It was the most beautiful sound Michiru had ever heard. When Haruka had finally come down from her high, it had been Michiru's turn. She had felt Haruka's hands everywhere on her body, the slender fingers trailing a path from her neck down to her breasts, to her stomach and her thighs, followed by Haruka's soft lips. Michiru had felt good. But that was the problem. Just good. Not amazing, not wonderful. She had not seen fireworks, and she had not moaned out Haruka's name. That "just good" had lasted for too long, and Michiru had gotten tired of it. She knew she couldn't have gotten anything else out of it at that point, so it had been better to just stop. She had seen the disappointment in Haruka's face and felt the same in her heart.

Michiru leaned her head against the cool tiles on the wall. She couldn't understand why she hadn't enjoyed being with Haruka more. Had she been too nervous? Yes, that must've been it. She had waited this for so long that she had expected perfection. Michiru couldn't even count the nights she had spent alone in her room, biting her lip to stop her from crying out Haruka's name as she touched herself. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. It was hard, since her body was still yearning for Haruka. Michiru let her hand slide under the water and between her thighs.

Haruka wanted to bang her head against the wall. Michiru must be so disappointed. She probably thinks I'm a bad and selfish lover, Haruka thought. She paced around the hotel room. What could she say to Michiru? Oh no, what if Michiru never wanted to sleep with her again? Haruka sat down on the bed, only to get up just seconds later. She had wanted Michiru so badly. It had not helped that they had spent almost every moment together. Michiru had been so close, yet Haruka hadn't been able to touch her, not the way she had wanted to. And every time Michiru had transformed into Neptune, Haruka had cursed the short skirt for showing her just what she was missing.

Haruka heard Michiru coming out of the bathroom and turned around. They stood there staring at each other, before they both started to speak at the same time:

"I just wanted to-"

"I'm sorry that-"

"You go first."

Haruka took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry that this didn't go as well as you had hoped. I wanted everything to be perfect, but I guess you can't plan this kind of things ahead. I mean… What I'm trying to say is that… I… I… I love you, and-" Haruka's words were cut off as she felt Michiru's soft lips against her own. When the smaller girl pulled away, Haruka could only blink and stare at her.

"I love you too. I don't blame you for anything. I was just too nervous; I also wanted everything to be perfect. You were good, but I think we just need some practice," Michiru said. Haruka pulled her into her arms, Michiru's hair leaving a wet spot on Haruka's shirt.

"So you're not mad at me?"

"Of course not. I have no reason to be. Let's just take the clothes off and lay on the bed, okay?" Michiru suggested and opened her bathrobe. Haruka leaned down to kiss her while unbuttoning her own shirt.

Finally, they both lay down on the bed, their legs tangled and arms wrapped around each other, as if the other would disappear if they let go. Haruka held Michiru closer, and the two were starting to slowly get tired. They tried to stay awake so that they could enjoy the moment, but in the end they gave up. They had all the time in the world. They could sleep for one night.