Disclaimer: I don't own any Sailor Moon characters.

Chapter 2

Haruka and Michiru continued spending more time together, talking about everything and anything, and sometimes even nothing, but that was still just fine. Haruka and April got back together, and it hurt Michiru to see Haruka in so much pain though because of April. It also scared Michiru whenever Haruka hurt herself or even tried to hurt herself.

One night Michiru woke up. Her cell phone was ringing. It was Haruka.

"Hello?"

"… Michi…"

"Ruka? You okay?"

There was silence on the end, and then Michiru could hear faint sobbing.

"Haruka?"

"… It hurts so bad."

Michiru sat up straight. "Haruka, what hurts? Where are you?"

"I'm right outside your window."

"I'll be right there."

Michiru jumped out of bed and realized she had nothing but her panties on. The summer heat had been reaching extreme numbers. She grabbed a shirt, but hesitated before putting it on. "Come on girl, this is no time to be thinking of that right now!" she scolded herself and she put her shirt on.

Michiru opened her window and was a little startled to find that Haruka had climbed up the tree by her house and was literally just outside her window. Her face was pale.

"What happened?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, I know it's really late and all," Haruka started.

"No, it's okay. You wanna come in?"

Michiru tried to hold Haruka's arm and help her in when Haruka suddenly drew back in pain.

"What's wrong?" Michiru asked.

Haruka pulled up her sleeves to reveal dark blue and purple marks and scratches. "April hit me." Tears glistened in the moonlight as they spilled from Haruka's eyes. "She said she'd never hit me again, and she did."

Michiru carefully helped Haruka through her window and held Haruka in her arms.

"What am I doing wrong?" Haruka cried.

"Shhh, you're not doing anything wrong," Michiru said. Then she noticed more marks on other parts of Haruka's body and something inside her broke free and she felt a sudden rage. "Why do you let her do this to you?"

"I don't know! I don't know how much longer I can take this!"

Michiru calmed down for Haruka's sake and just held her tight. She began stroking Haruka's head and soon the blonde was calmer. "It'll be okay," Michiru whispered.

They were like that for a while, wrapped in a blanket, Michiru sitting up and leaning against the side of her bed with Haruka on her lap. Haruka had stopped crying and her breathing was more relaxed. She felt so at peace whenever she was with Michiru. Why couldn't she be with Michiru all the time? Because you're with April, Haruka answered her own thoughts. "Why can't I leave her?" Haruka broke the silence. "Why can't I let go of April?"

Michiru swallowed hard. "Because you love her."

For some reason, it hurt Haruka to hear her say that, almost, if not as much, as it hurt Michiru to say it. Do I? Haruka thought. Exhaustion began to take over her by then and she could no longer hold her eyes open. "But I love you, Michiru," Haruka barely whispered her thoughts out loud before drifting off to sleep.

Michiru looked down at the girl she was holding in her arms, unsure of what she heard.

"Ruka?"

Haruka's slow, steady breathing was all she got in response.

Michiru leaned down and kissed Haruka on her forehead. "I love you, Haruka.," she whispered softly before joining her love in sweet slumber.

Sunlight spilled into the bedroom and Michiru woke up to find Haruka still sleeping soundly in her arms. She gently woke her up and snuck her back out her window. Haruka found her footing on the tree then turned to look at Michiru.

"Thanks," Haruka said.

"Any time."

"So I'll see you in school later?"

"Definitely." Michiru smiled.

Haruka smiled back and began climbing down the tree, but came back up. "By the way, if you get hot at night, you should put a fan in your room." Haruka paused and seemed to blush a little. "It works for me."

"I'll take that into consideration," Michiru said a little confused as she watched Haruka climb down. They waved goodbye as Haruka ran to where she parked her car. Then a thought crossed her mind, Did she see me without my shirt?


Two weeks later, Haruka and April broke up; again the couple breaking up was a routine thing at their school, but it was a little different this time. Usually Michiru would see Haruka running after April, but today, Haruka was the one who just walked away. Michiru went after Haruka and found her by her car. She gathered Haruka in her arms and soon Haruka stopped crying.

"You okay, Ruka?"

Haruka stared blankly at the ground with a stunned look on her face. "I did it. I let her go. I left." Haruka looked up at Michiru. "I'm… single."

Michiru didn't even bother with the thought of Haruka being single because she and April were always breaking up and getting back together. But as the weeks passed, Michiru began to notice that she and Haruka had been acting like a couple. Hell, even other people thought they were a couple, but they weren't. And April had hooked up with some other guy in their school.

They were on the phone one night and Michiru thought it was time to confront Haruka.

"Ruka?"

"Yes?"

"What are we? Girlfriends, committed..?"

There was a pause on the other end. "Well..I was hoping you'd be my girlfriend"

"Sure"

"Really?"

"Yes"

Now you can't see people smile on the phone, but you can feel it.