Dark Skies, Bright Heavens
By Immora
June 1998 - February 2000
I'll be your dream,
I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy,
I'll be your hope, I'll be your love,
Be everything that you need,
I'll love you more with every breath
Truly, madly, deeply do,
I will be strong, I will be faithful
'cause I'm counting on
A new beginning,
A reason for living,
A deeper meaning, yeah,
I want to stand with you on a mountain,
I want to bathe with you in the sea,
I want to lay like this forever,
Until the sky falls down on me...
--From the song "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden
Author's notes:
This is a story I've had up in my head for awhile, and I
finally got around to typing it up. I'm a huge fan of
Haruka and Michiru, and always wanted to write the "ultimate
story" about them. This huge piece of work you see here is
only the first part of what will be a much larger story.
I intend to write about them from birth to death. That's a lot
of writing. It will go through everything in the anime, without
changing the events, merely expanding upon them and adding more
backstory, and then going beyond the end of the series. The
chunk you're viewing right now is from birth to SMS. That's
pretty small compared to how big this will end up being!
This story has some content in it that not everyone can handle;
scenes involving language, violence, child abuse, suggestive
commentary, and a lot of homosexuality. I'd rate it PG-13,
perhaps R in some parts, but it really depends on your maturity
level :P If this kind of material offends you, you shouldn't be
reading this.
the usual legal babble here, just in case...
Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon and all related characters were
created by Naoko Takeuchi and are property of Toei Animation
as well as Kodansha Comics, and possibility other groups I
don't know about. All characters in this story are fictitious;
any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely
coincidental. This story was written without prior approval
from the creator or the owners of the anime and manga. The
song quotes are also used without permission. "#1 Crush" is a
song by Garbage, and "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden; while
I am not certain who would be considered the owners the publisher
or the artists, I certainly am not the owner. The actual story
contained in this document was created by myself, and should
not be copied in any way or form. The story represents my own
views and does not necessarily reflect those of the creator and
owners of Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon. All characters introduced
in this story that were not mentioned in the anime or manga of
BSSM were created by myself and should not be used by anyone
else. Sick of reading this legal babble yet? I know I'm tired
of writing it.
I'm not positive, but I think that you should be able to follow
the story even if you haven't seen the show or really don't know much
about these characters. Please note that the odd hair colors are still
considered "natural" since this is based on an animated series. It
may seem silly to point this out, but I consider indigo to be the
deepest shade of blue; some people think it's purplish, but I don't.
The Japanese terms might confuse people, even those who watch BSSM, so
I've included some here. In case you are wondering, I just prefer to
use some of the Japanese terms to English ones, and in some cases, the
translation just doesn't seem as interesting, y'know?
bento basically it's a nice lunch box with assorted foods, kids commonly
bring them to school. The presentation is very important and a lot of
work goes into them. It's considered very nice to share it.
fuku literally "clothing," used here to refer to the Senshi's outfits.
ginzuishou "silver crystal;" a magical item, explained later.
henshin transform(ation).
Goban Yobi-ko "Fifth Street Preparatory School," a school I made up.
Mugen Gakuen "Infinity Academy;" it's the name of a school that will
appear in the story; where Michiru and Haruka go in SMS.
Hikawa Jinja the Shinto shrine Rei lives at; it's mentioned at the end.
senshi soldier/warrior.
tyourei morning meeting at school, where everyone has to line up in
attention and listen to speeches and whatnot.
There are different words for "I" depending on whether you are male or
female, and some words are used exclusively by males/females. I won't
use them here, but be aware of that.
no suffix on a name depending on the person, it can either show great
intimacy or contempt. Used between family members and lovers.
sensei or -sensei teacher; mentor.
-chan usually used with children only, or girls; usually a familiar
term not with people you barely know.
-san a term of respect for someone older than you, or that you've
just met. Can be used with the first or last name.
-kun usually used with boys older than you or close guy friends. It
can also be used to refer to someone in a lower position.
sempai or -sempai used by students I think only them to refer to
an older student; respectful.
onii-chan/onii-san older brother
onee-chan/onee-san older sister
okaa-san mother
otou-san father
oba-san aunt
obaa-san grandmother
ojii-san grandfather
Note on names: In Japan, last names are put before first names, so
I will write them in this format, however, there are two characters
in this story with English names, and I will write theirs in the
first name first format we use.
Again, please note that at the time this was written I hadn't seen all
of the episodes, so sorry for any inaccuracies. I am not entirely
certain how the Japanese school system is structured I'm doing the
best I can based on a write up on Japanese schools I found on a web page;
forget which. If I understand it correctly, junior high begins 7th grade
and high school begins 10th. It's a little tricky for me to figure out
what age people are at certain times though; the school system starts
in April and ends in March, but I'm not sure what days... I will be taking
some liberties with Mugen Gakuen since I'm assuming it wouldn't be quite
like a normal Japanese school. Any other inaccuracies relating to the
Japanese culture I greatly apologize for; I'm not an expert on Japan.
I'm pretty certain they don't have vans... but I'm including them anyway.
I put in honorifics at the end of names in the dialogue, but I may be
a bit off with which ones should be used for what situations. Also, note
that the house Michiru's parents own is incredibly Westernized.
About the separation within chapters: I use the to indicate scene/setting
shifts, three blank lines for... well, I just feel like it. I switch
perspectives somewhat during the story... and I may accidentally switch
tense (of course, if it's a flashback or vision, that's intended)... so
sorry if that bothers you. I will usually tab over flashback/vision
segments. I will also tab over the first paragraph for scenes that switch
between short focuses on Haruka and Michiru. Some dream sequences are all
over the place--you'll understand later. It's just for effect ; Please
excuse some of the obviously random line breaks; for some reason, this
program (Cetus CWordPad) likes to throw them in after I spend all the
time trying to get rid of them.
Please take the time to visit my website "Truly Outrageous!" if you
haven't already. The address is http:// www. immora. com
If you want to e-mail me, my address is immora gmail. com
If you have a website of your own and like this story or my others, feel
free to post them on your page, as long as you credit me. I appreciate
being e-mailed to let me know that you're posting my story, that way I
can come check it out:)
Tons of thanks to:
Sailoreagle, Haruka Tenoh, Ana G., Bronwyn, Lorraine, Sheryl D'Silva,
Voodo Monky, Tenshi Keonia, Willy Tang, Melissa RodrÃguez, Haruka Mulder,
Hotaru Tomoe, Tiger, and Vasiliki Papaioannou for being prereaders.
Soraya Jaojaroenkul for her comments and absolutely wonderful artwork
based on this story. She's gonna be famous, I tell ya!
Jessica Donald for comments and catching lots of spelling problems as
well as some flaws in character portrayal (namely Michiru)
Jackie Chiang and Tim Nolan for convincing me not to release this in
chapters, because they said it is "hell." Really. Oh, and Jackie-onee-chan's
a total sweetie and Tim supposedly makes good food, aside from being really
nice and having all sorts of fun conversations with me :D
Jon Carp for being a nut, telling me I'm a good writer, and trying to push
me to release it as chapters. Sorry Jon, but I can't do that :D
The great Greenbeans for at least joining my mailing list, even though I
don't think she ever read this :P Ah well, she's been really nice to me
anyways, yay Beanie-chan!
Sean Gaffney for lots and lots of C&C and suggestions to get me out of
writer's blocks, being an amusing pervert, and a good friend.
Trinity Ice for being a very kind wacko I mean that in a good way!
She's given lots of support and comments, as well as wuvvin' friendship.
Ingrid, Laura, and Tanin, some of my best friends, who've always supported
me and my writing. Thank y'all so much! ;.;
Blitz Amanda, the most kawaii beaver plushie in the world, who didn't
contribute but oh well, his influence is felt.
Well... enough with that babble for now. Enjoy the story!
PROLOGUE
A tall, thin woman with short, dark blond hair stood on the roof of a
gorgeous two-story house, silently letting the night-time breeze blow
around her. Her dark teal eyes lifted to the sky, where the stars
twinkled brightly. She spent many nights up here in contemplation,
enjoying the simple caress of the wind blowing against her. Today was
not an average day, however. She had just returned from watching three
friends leave forever following her own and other friends' death and
revival.
She sensed more than saw or heard someone join her on the roof. A slender
woman of average height with long, wavy, sea green hair came over to stand
next to her, her own eyes, blue in color, lifting to the sky as well. "I
love watching the stars," she mused in her smooth, mezzo voice.
"It's very relaxing," the first replied in her warm, deep voice. "It's
good to know that they are back home in them now."
Their hands unconsciously clasped each other's, and they sat down on the
roof, wrapping an arm around the other while leaning their heads against
each other's.
"What have you been doing up here?" the seagreen-haired woman asked.
"Thinking, mainly... remembering... everything really."
A soft hand reached up to caress the other's cheek. "Everything? Are you
sure you want to remember all that has happened to you, especially after
what just happened?"
"I can never forget what's happened, whether I want to or not," was the
immediate reply. "Besides, despite all the bad times, I've had some
rather good ones as well... mostly because of you, actually."
"Hmmm... I can easily relate to that, Haruka. I don't think either of us
really had much before we had each other."
"No, we didn't, Michiru. We certainly didn't."
Haruka gathered Michiru closer, Michiru resting her head against
Haruka's chest. "Do you think things were made worse when we became
Sailor Senshi?" Michiru asked softly. "All the sacrifices, the blood
staining our hands, was it really worth it?"
Haruka tilted Michiru's head up towards hers. "If we hadn't become
Senshi, we might not be together," she whispered softly, her voice
shifting into a purr as she said, "Anything I've endured in the past is
worth being with you, my love..."
Their lips met in a warm, tender kiss, opening their mouths to each
other as they gently probed inside with their tongues. Michiru wrapped
her arms around Haruka's neck, drawing the two of them deeper into their
embrace. The sweet taste of Haruka's lips intoxicated Michiru, causing
her to almost roughly tighten her arms around her lover's neck and pull
her down to lie on top of her on the roof. Haruka buried her mouth
deeper against Michiru's, overwhelmed with passion, her tongue dancing
along Michiru's as they struggled to keep in control of the raging
warmth spreading through their bodies. They slowly, almost regretfully
pulled away, closing their mouths against the other's until just their
lips touched before drawing back.
Haruka gazed into Michiru's eyes, sparkling brightly as she looked up at
Haruka in a semi-daze. Michiru smiled gently up at her, a faint blush
forming on her cheeks. "You're wonderful, you know that?" she breathed,
lightly brushing her fingers across Haruka's wet lips.
Haruka reached her hand up to gently hold Michiru's. She kissed her palm
gently and smiled faintly. "Not really, but you are."
Michiru chuckled faintly, and Haruka hugged her tightly. Michiru rested
her head on Haruka's shoulder, her cheek pressed against Haruka's hair.
She closed her eyes and sighed. "We didn't get a last kiss, you know...
that more than makes up for it."
"Mmmm, that was nice, wasn't it?" Haruka nuzzled her neck a bit.
"Haruka... Do you have any idea how scared I was today?"
"Hmmm?"
Michiru looked down at her wrists, imagining the large gold bracelets still
there. "Trying to fool Galaxia like that... God, the most powerful Senshi
ever!... I was so terrified of what might happen... and..." she closed her
eyes again, "when we lay there, dying..."
"Hush, love. Don't think about it. Everything's all right now. Galaxia's good
now, like she was before Chaos possessed her. We're all alive again. The
Starlights have gone back to their home galaxy."
"Still... It was only a few hours ago. It's still fresh in my mind."
Haruka pressed her finger to her lips, whispering, "We've both had a lot
of pain in our lives... but we won't anymore. Everything will be fine
from now on."
Haruka gently kissed her cheek, and Michiru smiled, sighing as she rested
her head on Haruka again. She opened her eyes wide in surprise as she
saw that they weren't alone on the roof after all.
"You finally noticed we were here, I see," a rich, calm voice scolded
them. A breath-taking woman stood there with her arms crossed. She almost as
tall as Haruka, with a deep tan, long, dark green hair pulled into a small
bun with her loose hair falling to the backs of her knees, and dark red eyes.
A short, pale-skinned girl with shoulder-length black hair and wide, purple
eyes was standing next to her. "You really don't pay attention to anything
when you're busy with other things, do you?"
"Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, is it all right if we stay up here too?" the
soft, gentle voice of the girl asked.
Michiru stared nervously at her best friend standing beside her and
Haruka's foster daughter and blushed faintly, realizing the two standing
here had seen everything. "Oh... all right, Hotaru-chan. So, Setsuna-san,
what brings you two here?"
Hotaru smiled and sat down, Setsuna taking a spot next to her. Setsuna
answered Michiru, "Just checking up on you two. What are you two up to?"
Setsuna's eyes crinkled with amusement.
The two in question both coughed into their fists. Haruka said, "Well,
I came up here just to sit and reminisce about things."
"And I came to check on Haruka."
"It seems you two found something else to do instead," Setsuna remarked,
drawing another faint blush from Michiru.
"C'mon, Setsuna-san, stop teasing us," Haruka scolded, lying back again
and drawing Michiru down with her. "We're grown women and we can do
whatever we want to do. Besides, it was just a kiss, it's not like we
were having s-"
Michiru pinched her arm lightly. "Haruka..." she growled softly, "watch
what you say when Hotaru's around. She doesn't need to know about that,
or that we have it together."
Setsuna chuckled and Haruka blushed brightly. "Tsk tsk," Setsuna said in
a mock scolding voice, "you wouldn't want to discuss such things at Hotaru's
age, would you, Haruka-san, so why bring them up?"
"Oh hush, both of you," Haruka mumbled, trying to hide her blush.
"Setsuna-mama," Hotaru groaned, "I'm not a child..."
"Oh really?" Setsuna smiled slightly.
Hotaru raised her knees under her chin. "I can remember things clearly
from before I di-... um, was reborn. I may have a young body but my
memories are older. After we... After the recent events with Galaxia, my
memory of my life a few years ago was completely restored."
Setsuna shifted uncomfortably. Everyone tried not to discuss with Hotaru
her unusual age situation, since they might unknowingly reopen old wounds...
and poor Hotaru never had a chance at a normal childhood. When she had lived
with her birth father, she had died and been restored to life, but was
possessed by an evil entity. She gave her life to save the world, and was
reborn as a baby. This time, Galaxia had sped up her aging so fast that she
didn't get to experience childhood more than a few days, going straight to
adolescence.
"Um, Haruka-papa, do you remember what things were like when you were my
age? That is, my physical age?" Hotaru, appearing to be twelve or so, looked
at the tall blond quizzically.
Haruka winced slightly, and Michiru looked at her with a concerned face.
"Yes, I do," she replied slowly.
"Were you happy, like I am?"
"Well, I... um, well, things could have been a lot better. Why don't we
all go inside, it's getting cold out here, and it's been a long day." Haruka
carefully changed the subject as everyone stood up, climbed down onto the
porch outside Haruka and Michiru's window, and went back inside.
"Setsuna-san, why don't you tuck Hotaru-chan in? I need to talk with Haruka."
"All right. You two try to get some sleep for once. We're all exhausted, after
all. And don't forget, Hotaru still has school tomorrow, and I don't want her
to be kept awake for the next few hours because a certain couple decided to
get intimate with each other."
"Setsuna!" Michiru gasped in a shocked voice. "A little blunt!"
Setsuna smiled faintly. "Sorry, good night," she said in a neutral voice,
leading Hotaru from the room as she shut the door behind her.
Michiru turned at once to Haruka, hugging the silently crying woman
tightly. "Haruka, calm down. Hotaru-chan didn't mean anything by the
question. She couldn't have known."
"I know," Haruka choked out. "But it still... it hurts all the same. I
always think I've gotten over it... but..."
Michiru led her to their bed, then gathered Haruka in her arms again with
a sad sigh. "Maybe it isn't good for us to remember all these things
that have happened," she murmured, her mind wandering to her own
childhood.
Haruka sniffled slightly, then looked up at Michiru. "I never did like
thinking about it," Haruka admits. "I don't know why I think about it
when I know it'll just upset me, but I'd rather confront what happened
than run from it."
Michiru kissed her forehead gently. "Always willing for a fight, aren't
you?" She gently cupped Haruka's chin, tilting her face up to give her
a short, soft kiss. Haruka noticeably calmed, sighing gently as she
buried herself in Michiru's arms. "We just had the fight of our lives;
why don't we try to get some well-deserved sleep?" Michiru murmured.
"A little rest wouldn't hurt."
Haruka's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Are you sure you want to go to
sleep? There are plenty of other things to occupy ourselves with. Death
gave me a new hunger for life and... other things."
Michiru laughed as Haruka leaned her face towards her neck, trailing warm
kisses across her throat. "I thought you were upset," she commented
lightly, savoring the touch.
"Not anymore," Haruka chuckled. "Why be upset when I can be with you
instead?"
"Haruka, really. I'm just so tired from the battle. I want to get some
sleep tonight, and like Setsuna-san said, Hotaru-chan has school tomorrow
... what a way to bounce back from death. Another time."
Haruka sighed with disappointment. "Oh, all right."
"Haruka..." Michiru teasingly pinched her. "You know I want you," she
purred, "but we have a responsibility as Hotaru's parents to look out for
her best interests... and one of those is getting a good night's rest so
she can, too."
"Well, if you put it that way, it's ok." Haruka kissed her cheek lightly.
"Sometimes I wish we didn't have the responsibility though," she said
jokingly.
"When you're thinking with your hormones and not your head," Michiru said,
lightly bopping the top of her head.
"Michiru!"
"Silly."
They changed into their pajamas and climbed under the sheets in their
bed, loosely holding each other.
"Good night," Haruka whispered, kissing her lover's lips gently. "I love
you."
"I love you too... sleep well."
They both closed their eyes as their breathing slowed, but neither of
them really went to sleep. Their minds were still whirling as they
replayed the events of the years gone by, keeping them awake as they
fought back tears.