I do not own the characters Haruka Tenoh or Michiru Kaioh as they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The rest are mine.
To 'Guest': Don't worry, Michiru isn't as bad as you might think she is. :P
Red Tulips
Haruka slowly opened her eyes the next morning. She was facing the wall next to her bed. When she turned she was startled to see her roommate staring at her. Mich had propped her elbows onto the edge of Haruka's bed and was waiting for her to wake.
"Mich. You scared me." Haruka said as she stretched in her bed. Her roommate continued to stare at her for a moment. "Is something wrong?"
Mich took her index finger and touched the scar on Haruka's face as she had done the previous night. She seemed fascinated with the scar. "Are you okay?" The same question she had asked Haruka the night before.
"I'm fine." Haruka continued to lie on her pillow and stare back into the blue orbs in front of her.
Her roommate continued to trace her finger along the scar on Haruka's face. The touch was so gentle. Haruka felt a few shivers course through her body. She hardly knew this woman but something about her gave Haruka the chills. She closed her eyes as her roommate continued to feel the scar. In this moment Haruka forgot about where she was at, she forgot about the pain of not knowing who she was. Haruka opened her eyes and set her gaze back onto her roommate. The woman was truly beautiful.
A smile slowly spread across Mich's face when their eyes met. "Everything will be okay now." She stood and held her hand out for Haruka to take it. "Let's have fun."
Haruka perked a brow at the gesture made by her roommate but decided to follow. Once on her feet she realized just how much shorter her roommate was. There must have been a good four to five inches between the two. They made their way to the bathroom. When Haruka left the bathroom her roommate was standing outside waiting for her still.
"I want to show you around." Mich gently took Haruka's hand to show her around. Each time she took Haruka's hand she always used her left hand.
Down the hallway from their room was a large room with tables and chairs scattered around. Some of the tables had board games on them and others had cards. A few of the other residents sat playing some of the games. Off in a corner were a couple couches and a television. An elderly woman sat watching morning cartoons.
Mich never once released Haruka's hand as she led her through the hospital. She took Haruka to a small gym as well. Haruka found this room the most appealing, she knew she would be in here a lot. She was then led to a small enclosed garden. As the sunlight hit her roommate's hair she realized it was more of an aqua color – it was beautiful. Haruka could not stop herself from touching the soft aqua colored hair.
"You like?" Mich turned to her when the blonde touched her hair.
"It's pretty." Haruka spoke in her deep voice. "I like it."
Mich smiled and led Haruka to some flowers in the garden. She leaned down and picked a flower. "It smells nice." Mich inhaled the scent for a moment then turned to hand it to Haruka.
"Thanks." The blonde reached for the flower. It was a beautiful red tulip. Haruka smelled the flower as well. The scent seemed familiar to her but she could not remember why. Mich still had a hold of her other hand as Haruka smelled the flower. She wanted to remember why the smell was familiar but no reason came to mind. Haruka frowned from frustration.
"Something wrong?" Mich's eyes displayed worry.
"No." Haruka replied and looked closely at the flower. 'Why do you seem so familiar and yet unfamiliar to me?' She questioned the red tulip in her hand. She brought the flower back to her nose again to smell it. "I remember this flower somehow."
"It's pretty. I like it." Mich leaned down and picked another flower. "Now I have one too." Her smile was stunning as she brought her own flower to her nose and inhaled the scent. For a moment both women stood holding the red flowers and enjoying the scent of them. "Want to play?"
Haruka removed her gaze from the flower in her hand and looked back at her roommate. "Okay."
Mich led Haruka back into the large room with the board games. They sat down at a table and Mich opened a game. "Do you remember how to play?" She questioned the blonde in front of her.
Haruka looked down at the game. "I don't." With each new situation Haruka felt more ashamed of herself for not remembering.
"It's okay. I teach you." Mich reached for Haruka's hand that was on the table and placed hers on it for a moment. Each touch by the woman comforted Haruka in ways she never knew possible.
Haruka smiled as the warm hand was placed on hers. 'What's this feeling I get from this woman?' She diverted her gaze from the petite hand on hers and looked into the beautiful blue eyes of her roommate. "Alright." Haruka placed her flower next to the one Mich had set on the table.
The two women played the board game for what was probably an hour or two. After a while they began to ignore the rules and make their own. For the first time Haruka could ever remember she was having fun. She never missed a chance to steal a look at the beautiful woman in front of her. She could have not asked for a better roommate. Despite the woman's mental condition everything else about her seemed perfect.
Off in a distance a couple of staff members observed the two playing the board game. "It looks like Mich was finally able to make a friend." A man spoke to a woman at the desk. "After these couple of years I'm glad she has a roommate that will do her some good. Maybe they can help each other."
The woman smiled as she replied to the man. "It will do them both good to have a friend. We all need friends. Maybe Mich won't scare this one away with her nightmares as she did her others."
Mich looked up at Haruka after a while with the same smile she always had when they spoke. "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah." Haruka reached for the flower she had sat down a couple hours ago. It was partially beginning to wilt. She brought it to her face to look at it again. In a distant part of her mind she pictured a vase on a table with a dozen red tulips in it. She was unsure if it was a memory or not but held onto the thought it must be a memory.
Her roommate picked up the pieces to the game and closed the box. "I'll show you where the food is." Mich reached for her flower as well and smelled it again. "I like the smell." She stood and held out her left hand for Haruka to take again. The blonde gladly took the soft hand into her own and went with Mich to the cafeteria.
A few of the other patients sat eating a few breakfast foods. All the while they mumbled to themselves. As Haruka and Mich entered the cafeteria a few people looked at them for a moment and then returned to their meal.
"What do you like?" Mich stopped as she questioned Haruka.
"I'm not sure, what do they have?" Haruka observed a few of the foods the other patients were eating.
"Let's see." Mich tugged on Haruka's hand a bit and led her to where the food was at. A staff member stood behind the buffet style setup. Mich pointed at a couple of things to make her choice. Then she turned to Haruka. "Now you choose."
Haruka looked down at the food being kept behind the glass. She pointed out a few things as well and they went to sit next to each other and enjoy their meal. Mich carefully unfolded a napkin and pressed out the creases the best she could. Haruka put her own napkin in her lap and began to eat. The food was far from great but it satisfied her hunger.
Haruka observed her roommate with her peripheral vision. The woman ate slowly and wiped her mouth after each bite. Every time Mich placed her napkin back on the table she attempted to press out the rest of the creases in it.
"Haru." She whispered to the blonde. They had not spoken since they sat to eat. Haruka turned to Mich when she spoke her name. Her roommate reached up and wiped something off of Haruka's chin. "You made a mess." Mich smiled and returned to her own meal.
Once they had finished breakfast the same man from the day before approached Mich and Haruka. He held a similar tray in his hands with pills on it. "For you." He handed them each the appropriate cup and some water.
Haruka stared down into the cup at the pills. "Do I really need this?" She questioned the man.
"Doctor's orders. Like I said, it will help with your depression."
With a sigh Haruka gulped the pills down and handed him the cup back. Mich did the same. Haruka felt as though her depression might have been going away since she had met her roommate. When they finished eating Mich led Haruka back to the large room. This time she took her to the TV in the corner and they sat down. They were the only two watching the TV at the moment. Mich let Haruka find a channel to watch.
Her roommate had sat on the opposite end of the sofa at first but slowly moved her way closer to the blonde woman. Haruka continued to wonder what was going on in Mich's mind. For the most part her roommate was silent but always looked at Haruka as though she was silently questioning something. Haruka looked back at the flower she still held. Mich still had her flower as well.
Something in Haruka's mind seemed to trigger again with the flower. This time she saw a garden with red tulips. She brought the flower back to her nose and remembered the smell of the garden. A smile spread across her face as she was beginning to remember something in her past. To believe a simple flower could invoke a memory surprised her. Everything felt like a puzzle and she had to find the pieces.
Haruka looked back at the television and lowered the flower to her side. Mich moved closer to her again and their shoulders were now touching. Haruka felt her chest tighten a bit. She did not mind the closeness her roommate kept giving her.
"Haru." Her roommate whispered. "Don't worry. Everything is okay now."
Haruka remained silent. Her roommate had a tendency to repeat certain things. Not that it bothered her, it only peaked her curiosity more. She wondered what sort of reality the other woman was living in her mind. Her thoughts were interrupted when Mich made herself more comfortable and rested her head on Haruka's lap.
"Don't worry." Mich repeated and reached up for the scar on Haruka's face. Haruka took a deep breath as she felt the shivers she got every time her roommate touched her face. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the gentle touch as she did every time. Mich then reached for Haruka's free hand and held it above her face. The sleeve on her right arm fell down a bit and Haruka noticed a few burn marks on the woman's wrist. It became clear to Haruka that the nightmare her roommate had must have something to do with the burns on her wrist.
"For the first time in my life that I could remember, I felt happy. I barely knew this woman but she made me happy when I was around her. I questioned my feelings for her as each day went on. I also wondered if she felt the same way about me. I was not about to take advantage of her though and kept to myself. I let her take my hand when she wanted to and I let her rest on my lap when we watched TV. The other patients seemed to stay away from this woman and I wondered why. She seemed to be a complete outcast from the others. Everything about her seemed so gentle though.
"Every night she had the same nightmare. She always complained about something burning her. I wondered if she had been stuck in a house fire as a child or something. Each night that she had the nightmare I wanted to comfort her but I stayed in my own bed and watched her. It hurt me to see her have those nightmares."