A/N: Thanks a lot for the reviews! :) I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well. It's still Michiru-centered and I guess this chapter makes it quite clear where this is going.

Again, I am very grateful for any feedback, it would be great to know what you think!

Disclaimer: Surprisingly enough still not mine.

- Four years later -

„I have to go, see you tonight!" Haruka rushed down the stairs, gave her a quick kiss and left the house.

„Have a nice day!" Michiru called after her, as the door clunked shut loudly.

The water boiled and she poured it into the tea pot. She still had half an hour left before she had to leave the house and so she sat down at the table to enjoy her morning tea. Today was a quiet day, she only had an orchestra rehearsal until 3 o'clock.

Since three years she was studying the violin and painting at the Tokyo University of the Arts – an unusual combination, but in case of Michiru Kaioh they had gladly made an exception. However, the double subject also meant that her timetable was mostly quite full – and on top of that she naturally still worked as a violinist and artist. Only now, with her fourth and final year at university starting, her timetable had relaxed a little.

Haruka was studying mechanical engineering at Keio University. Along with her racing which she hadn't quit either of course, her schedule was a full as Michiru's – or even fuller, for while Michiru brought to perfection what she was best at already, there was a big difference in winning car races and learning how to build them.

The other girls as well devoted themselves to their dreams – even though no one knew how much time was left until the advent of Crystal Tokyo. Ami was a medical student at Tokyo University, while Makoto worked as apprentice to one of Tokyo's finest cooks. Rei dedicated herself to the work at her shrine and Shinto teachings and Minako studied dance and singing at a drama school.

Usagi had very halfheartedly started studying political science of all things, apparently believing that this course of study would best prepare her for her role as future queen, but Michiru doubted that she would ever finish it – she wasn't even sure how often she had actually attended the lectures. Instead she occupied her time with working very enthusiastically in a kindergarten and two months ago she had finally married her Mamoru who was a junior doctor now. For the past months she had kept her Senshi busy with wedding preparations and the wedding itself.

Setsuna still lived with them and was studying astrophysics at the moment even though she had been claiming for years that she wanted to start training as a fashion designer soon – recently however her presence at the time gate was almost constantly demanded, she had hardly seen her since the wedding.

She finished the rest of her tea and her stomach clenched painfully. She pulled her legs up to her stomach, hoping that it would calm down again.

She had been feeling unwell for days and wondered whether she should go to see a doctor after the rehearsal today. Since Hotaru had fallen ill and died so suddenly, she had developed a strong aversion against hospitals and clinics, as they reminded her in cruel detail of Hotaru's death and so she had postponed it again and again.

She took her bathing suit and a towel along, as she planned on spending her free afternoon in the pool and finally left the house, taking the subway to the concert hall. Despite everything Haruka had predicted her, she hadn't lost her desire for normality and if all of Tokyo was taking the subway, she was taking it as well.

~o~o~

„Kaioh, Michiru, right?" The nurse entered the information into the computer. „Please take a seat, we will call you in soon."

Michiru nodded and sat down. It was quite a big clinic close to the concert hall where her rehearsal had taken place today. After her upset stomach had forced her to run to the toilet twice during today's rehearsal, she had unhappily at last decided to visit a doctor.

Soon she was called and followed the nurse to the doctor's office.

A middle-aged doctor greeted her friendlily. „You are suffering from nausea, then?" she asked after taking a look at the computer screen, where the nurse apparently had already entered some information. "When did it start?"

„A couple of days…maybe a week?" Michiru replied uncertainly. She hadn't paid attention that closely, it had become worse by and by.

She looked out of the window for a moment, through which warm afternoon sunlight fell into the room, trying to rid herself of the anxiety the clinic caused her.

"Are you constantly feeling sick during the day?" the doctor prompted further. "Ms Kaioh…?"

She forced herself to redirect her attention to her conversation partner. What had she asked? Ah…yes. „No. It keeps getting better and worse all day."

The doctor nodded. „Do you have any other symptoms?"

„No. I am only feeling sick, otherwise there is nothing wrong with me." She wondered whether she would be allowed to leave now. Now that she had described her indisposition to the doctor, it sounded quite trivial…surely she could leave.

However, she was disappointed, as the doctor continued her questioning. „When was you last period?"

Michiru blinked surprised. When had the last time been? She never paid any particular attention to it, it had always been quite irregular… Finally she remembered and replied: "About two months ago".

The doctor nodded and took a note…as though she just found a theory confirmed. Surely she didn't think…?

"But…it is out of the question that I am pregnant", Michiru added quickly.

"Is that right?" The doctor looked at her for a moment. "I still would like to perform a blood test, Ms Kaioh, simply to rule this possibility out and maybe obtain some further results. It might also be an upset stomach, of course, but it is unusual that you have no other symptoms."

Michiru nodded politely, even though she would rather have risen and left the office right away. If she had known this in advance, she would never have gone to see the doctor. This could take hours…

She endured having a sample of her blood taken and then sat down outside again to wait for the results. For one moment she closed her eyes. She didn't sleep well recently and felt exhaustion catch up with her while she waited.

She started as the nurse called her in again. Had she really fallen asleep? Hurriedly, she took her violin case and her bag with her swimming utensils and followed the nurse back to the doctor's office. The doctor motioned for her to sit down at her desk.

„I suppose…I may…offer my congratulations, Ms Kaioh", the doctor started hesitantly. "It seems like you expect a child after all".

Michiru laughed uncertainly. „This is not a very funny joke, doctor…" What nonsense was this?

The doctor shook her head and frowned. „I'm not joking Ms Kaioh. You mentioned before that you believe it impossible for you to be pregnant, may I…Ms Kaioh?"

Michiru shook her head. The room became blurry, the outlines melting away. She gripped the arms of her chair very tightly, in search for support. She couldn't hear properly anymore and noticed vaguely how the doctor called for help. Then she was lifted up from both sides and led a few steps away.

"So, please lie down here, all right?" Two pairs of hands helped her lie down on a narrow bed and put her legs up. She breathed deeply and slowly her vision returned.

She meant to sit up and apologize, but the nurse who was still standing next to her prevented her from doing so. "Please don't sit up yet, Ms Kaioh, we don't want you to faint again".

A couple of minutes later the doctor returned and smiled at her. "Are you feeling better? We'll conduct an ultrasound in order to confirm the pregnancy, before we talk about everything else. Sometimes blood tests may lead to false diagnoses, so let's rather be sure."

Michiru nodded weakly. Of course she already knew that the diagnosis was false – had to be false, but the doctor would most likely only believe her if she saw it with her own eyes.

The doctor prepared the test and then looked intently onto the small screen. The fuzzy black and white structures and spirals held no meaning for Michiru and so she waited patiently for the diagnosis – inexplicably nervous although she knew it was absurd.

„Ah, there we have it", the doctor said. "Here you can see the embryo quite clearly, I think you are probably in the 6th to 8th week." She looked at Michiru for a moment concernedly.

She nodded quietly. Should she tell the doctor that she had to be wrong, that it was impossible what she believed to have found? But both tests had turned out positive – the blood test and the ultrasound… She felt her stomach turn again and forced herself to continue breathing deeply.

~o~o~

When she finally had been allowed to leave – provided with a vast amount of information impossible to ever remember – her legs apparently had followed the way to the pool on their own account, as to her own astonishment she found herself in front of it when she looked up.

Well, she had brought her bathing suit anyways and maybe this was exactly what she needed – a place to think quietly.

The indoor pool was empty, as usually – one of the reasons why she liked coming here so much – but today the water was unable to calm her.

She was still feeling sick and she didn't know whether it was sheer horror or the fact that… she tried to push the thought away, but it proved to be impossible.

Finally she gave up, wrapped herself into a towel and sat down on a small bench at the edge of the pool. She took a few deep breaths and leaned back, pulling her legs towards her stomach to fight the nausea. She laid her forehead against her knees and closed her eyes, but her thoughts didn't stop spinning.

The doctor had to have made a mistake. It was absurd – impossible.

'And what if she didn't?', a small voice kept nagging in the back of her head. Yes, what if not? Two positive tests – and the signals her body was sending…what was happening to her? What was happening to her body?

She had never been with a man in her entire life – or had she? How else should a child form in her womb – if it really existed? She felt herself shaking and wondered vaguely whether she might be cold.

Haruka. She wanted to call Haruka and be taken home and…but…what was she supposed to tell her? What was she going to say? Would she believe that she didn't know what happened? How should her beloved believe it, if she herself found it quite unbelievable? She couldn't go home like this.

But…it simply COULDN'T be. How… a new thought slipped into her mind, even more horrible than the previous one. What if it was a demon, implanted by an enemy? It seemed even more absurd than her first thought and yet... A new wave of nausea hit her and she felt dampness on her knees. Was she crying?

She didn't know how long she had been sitting like this, until she suddenly felt a light touch on her shoulder.

„Michiru?" She lifted her head and looked into the blue, worried eyes of Ami Mizuno.

„Oh…Ami…" Her voice didn't comply and the words came out in a whisper, barely audible.

„Michiru, what…" Ami stopped as Michiru laid her head back onto her knees, unable to deal with the question. She felt warm arms close around her and after a long moment gratefully leaned against her friend.

„Shall I…shall I maybe call Haruka?" she finally heard Ami's hesistant voice.

Michiru shook her head. „No…no, please don't…", she answered softly.

"All right…", Ami said slowly. "I…well then…would you maybe like to come to my place? The pool will close soon and you will catch a cold sitting here like this. I'll make some tea for you, all right?"

Gently, but decidedly she detached Michiru's arms from her legs unto which she was still holding tightly and pulled her into a standing position. Michiru nodded with a vague feeling of relief that someone else took control of the situation and allowed herself to be pulled towards the showers.

To be continued.