Disclaimer: I own no Sailormoon
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The blond racer rudely jerked awake from her bed and tumbling down onto the floor. Her head connected with her nightstand with a loud thud. Her morning started in spectacular fashion.
As she was fully opened her eyes while her hand rubbed her sore temple, Haruka nervously stared at her surrounding.
She was on her bed, inside her bedroom.
Her phone rang, made her heart jumped for second time in the morning. Mamoru's name flashed on the screen.
"Hey Haruka. I'm sorry I wake you early. Actually today I have a meeting with the dean and I forgot to bring the manuscript."
The conversation sounded familiar. Haruka opened her mouth but nothing came out to reply her brother.
"Haruka, are you there?"
"Uhm, yes. Yeah, I'm here."
"Are you okay? You sound… off?" Mamoru's voice laced with concern.
"I bumped my head hard on the nightstand." Haruka replied honestly.
"I have ointment for bruises on my desk drawer. The manuscript also in my…"
"I got it, I'm going." Haruka disconnected the call. She turned back on her phone screen.
The funeral was on Sunday, but strangely the day on her phone was Friday February 8th. She scrolled down her unread messages. The mechanic sent her a text about her car that she could pick up tonight.
Damnation… what happened?
All of that was a dream?
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While she was showering, Haruka was sure she had gone batshit crazy. The TV, newspaper, online website, all stated that today was February 8th Friday. All the things she had witnessed was a nightmare.
But those were felt real.
Methodically, the blond racer freshened up and made sure she bring jacket with her. It will snow tonight.
The crying sound across the hall was heard again and right now, Haruka got to knock on the door and pressed the doorbell repeatedly. She didn't care if her neighbor thought she was a nosey neighbor. She needed to make sure the occupants in the apartment was alright.
It was Meioh Setsuna who answered the door. The woman who had been dead in Haruka's dream looked shaken and pale. She only halfway opened the door as she left the chain unclasped.
"I… uhm, I just heard someone is crying. Is everything alright?"
Setsuna, despite her pale expression managed to give Haruka a nod. "Sorry with the noise, we are watching some melodrama in television. We will turn down the volume."
That was a weak excuse but Haruka couldn't help it anymore.
"Meioh-san… by chance, are you studying in Mugen University?"
Setsuna took a moment before answering, "No, Michiru is. I am taking part-time job as lecturer every Friday anyway."
The next thing Haruka did was perhaps had totally overstepped boundary, "Meioh-san, can you just not attend university today?"
The sad expression on Setsuna's face turned into surprised one, "excuse me?" Now the woman was looking at Haruka as she had grown a second head.
"It's just… it will be safe for you to stay inside today… uhm, tonight is snowing… it will be dangerous…" Haruka had run out of excuses.
"I need better reason to skip lecture than a little snow, Tenoh-san. Anyway, have a good day to you." The woman slammed the door shut on Haruka's face.
Great. Now both women had made that into habit to do that to her. Just great.
No matter how weird her dream was, perhaps she could get over her day as she planned. And crap, now she was late to deliver the manuscript.
Late again.
Haruka hurriedly went to catch the train and knowing surely she wouldn't make it in time, just like in her dream.
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Haruka staggered inside Mamoru's office with disheveled look. She had been running from subway to the university to make up her time. Still she was late 15 minutes. Even by foot, she had to make a detour as the elevator in university was under maintenance. In her dream that elevator was simply full.
"What took you so long?" Mamoru asked again, he was neither angry or upset. His eyes travelled to Haruka's slightly limp left foot. "Did you run here?"
More like dashed… but Haruka simply sealed her lips. Still panting her breath, she pushed the manuscript folder toward her brother.
Mamoru seemed to discuss more about Haruka's way of fashion to get into his office. "We will talk later, don't forget to ice your ankle when you are at home." Mamoru said.
"Shoo shoo…" Haruka gestured to chase away Mamoru back inside the meeting room. Her ankle throbbed, but she already knew the consequences anyway.
On the way outside the campus instead of bumping with silver-haired stranger, Haruka met with Michiru on campus ground.
"What are you doing here?" Haruka had no recollection from her dream that Michiru was supposedly in the university.
"I study here. What are you doing here?" Michiru retorted.
Today the aqua-haired woman had forgone her ponytail style and simply let her wavy-hair down. Michiru's swollen eyes had expertly hidden under heavy make-up and mascara but despite all that, she still looked gorgeous, and being in the campus ground, the woman seemed to be in her element. Haruka eyed the paper rolls stick out from Michiru's canvas bag.
"My brother forgot something this morning…" Haruka didn't bother go into detail. Knowing that perhaps she had been too nosey this morning, Haruka gave Michiru a space.
"Setsuna skipped the lecture today." Michiru said when she noticed that the blond racer was about to leave.
Haruka halted her steps and turned toward Michiru, "… I'm sorry this morning. I was out of my mind, perhaps I sounded crazy but…" Haruka tried to justify her action this morning. What kind of person that suddenly appeared of nowhere and asked her neighbor to simply not go to work?
"No… you didn't sound crazy. I believe you." Michiru fidgeted on her feet.
Haruka's eyes widened. This conversation was too familiar. The image of certain aqua-haired woman slipped away from her hand and falling down…
Haruka shook her head, Michiru was staring at her with confused gaze.
"Kaioh-san, do you want a cup of coffee?"
Haruka bit her lip, now that she replayed her own voice inside her head, it sounded like… like asking her out for a date.
Michiru was a bit startled by Haruka's invitation. However, she honestly was curious about the blond's reason of her outburst this morning.
"uhm.. I would like to but… I need to do some assignment." Michiru cursed herself as she felt her cheek turned hot.
"How about after that? I need to pick up my car and…" buy milk. Haruka made a mental note.
"Alright. After 6?" Michiru cut the blond's rambling too quickly.
Haruka nodded in relief. Now that Meioh Setsuna out of harm's way supposedly the nightmare was over, right?
Right?
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After picking up her car, Haruka skipped the grocery store and raced back toward the University. Her gut feeling still felt like something was missing.
She hadn't bumped into the silver-haired guy meant that somehow the threat was still lurking. She felt so stupid and cheated. She kicked herself as she forgot to ask Kaioh Michiru's phone number.
Haruka had sped away 2 red lights and she could not be more careless. Mamoru would scold her, that will come later, the important thing was Kaioh.
She was crazy, Haruka felt her mind slipping. Just because one nightmare, that couldn't be more real… she had done something like this.
She had nothing to lose anyway, except one sad girl that probably could end her own life just because she unable to do anything to change the fate.
Haruka just simply needed to be faster than fate to change it. Faster and faster until fate could not catch up with her.
From different direction, Haruka's eyes caught a glimpse of royal sleek black sedan passed her. She might be not very observant of people, but she was always paying attention to detail of any model of car. She recalled from her nightmare that the convict was driving a black sedan he had stolen from the nearby street. And that car right now was like her, breaking speed rule from the campus ground.
The blond racer abruptly made a U-turn and floored her gas pedal.
Her bad feeling was reaching on its peak now.
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Michiru had so many questions in her head now. Starting this morning when she woke up after she had dreamt of her best friend's funeral. Minutes later, her neighbor told her best friend to not go outside and to stay inside the apartment.
She took a gamble. To believe and not believe her blond neighbor. It's true that Tenoh Haruka had made appearance in few of her dreams. All in same manner, that she staggered to hug her in the middle of the street, blood and snow.
She chose to believe Haruka.
Setsuna always believed her so she agreed to take day off from university. Michiru though had to deliver the assignment that suddenly had advance deadline to be today. Her professor appeared to have messed up with dates.
Her encounter with Haruka on campus ground was rather surprising. She wanted to ask many questions of why she had asked her best friend to stay put today and how the blond had known that it will snow tonight.
And indeed, it snowed, despite the weather forecast had said.
She had accepted Haruka's invitation for a coffee. It was awkward but she needed to get over with. So after 6pm she walked off toward the campus gate. Michiru was taken by surprise when she was greeted by a black sedan stopped abruptly in front of her. She had been late to react when the driver got out, silver hair beneath the black cap and awful necklace she had seen previous nights ago.
The Koh Kaoru, silver fox.
The smirk of that man was the last thing Michiru had seen before her sight turned black.
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The first thing she had noticed when she came around was the smell. The smell of ice and smoke and how her head was throbbing while her body was sore all over the place.
Michiru found herself strapped on a passenger car's seatbelt. She tried to calm herself before assessing her situation. It looked like the car she was in had wrecked violently into a pole while she turned her gaze, she found the damage mostly happened on the driver's side. There was so much blood and Michiru turned her sight away from the sight of driver's body.
The man could be dead and she didn't care. She needed to get out of the car.
Manouvering her way out of the broken seatbelt was not an easy task. Thankfully she able to kick open the car door. Screaming for help was in her mind but it seemed that the car was wrecked in the middle of deserted street. It was no wonder since the snow had practically buried the road and most people prefer to not drive on slippery road.
Her ears were ringing, Michiru just realized. She barely able to pick up a voice from distant away or so it sounded between her ringing ears.
"…OH! KAIOH!"
Michiru turned her head sideways. And then she saw it.
A familiar tall figure approached her with steady steps. The hazy figure with sandy blond hair walked toward her under poorly lit street lamp. The figure was no stranger anymore, she knew who was it.
"Kaioh!" The steady pace turned into a limp jog and once the figure reached her side that Michiru could make out her face clearly.
Tenoh Haruka with worried and bruised expression was looking at her. Her dream couldn't be more true.
With one violent jerk, Michiru was freed from the darn seatbelt. She swung her legs and tried to stand by her own, anywhere, faraway from the horrible car.
Anywhere… and she fell into Haruka's embrace.
"Hey, Kaioh… you are okay." Haruka whispered soothingly. Michiru could feel the blond's hand trembled or it was her own body who trembled, she had no idea.
"How?" Michiru asked. She had guesses.
"I knew the car had taken you, somehow, I saw it in my dream… I tried to chase you… I can't be fast enough, I crashed my car as last resort, I'm sorry I had no choice… I made sure I crashed it on driver's side."
Michiru had lost track of Haruka's words after the first sentence. The blond had dreamt… a nightmare and…
"I knew it was stupid, and you won't believe me but my dream…" Haruka tried to explain.
"I believe you." Michiru said in hoarse voice. "Because it's me…. I believe you…"
Haruka gulped the rest of her words. The Michiru in her dream, that she had lost…
"I promised to you that I will change it. I'll change it…"
Michiru fully stared at Haruka with pure admiration. She understood everything. "And you keep the promise." She absentmindedly trace a bruise that now marking Haruka's cheek to her neck.
"I almost didn't."
Michiru smiled, the more beautiful smile than the one Haruka had witnessed in her nightmare. "You know, I often wish for my dream to stay as a dream… but right now I wish that this is not a dream."
"I have double checked it, Kaioh. Bumped my head on steering wheel and I cannot be more awake." Haruka joked. Her warm breath tickled Michiru's nose.
"You can call me Michiru." Haruka raised an eyebrow.
"You can call me, Haruka."
In Michiru's dream they never kissed, and the aqua-haired woman had to make a better reality than her dream as she tilted her head up and kissed her blond stranger.
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This story was inspired by a Korean drama titled: while you are sleeping. I suggest you check the drama out, it's awesome and inspiring. I just meddled with SM characters since canon Michiru has similar ability to have clairvoyant dreams.
Anyway I hope you enjoy the story and leave some thoughts about this. See you in my next story, folks.