Chapter Two
Soft… what kind of tree am I in? Haruka wondered, snuggling closer to the warmth of what seemed to be a pillow of some sort. She figured she must have found some leaves last night, making a pillow out of them. She also noted that something heavy and warm was located from her torso down, reflecting body heat back onto her, making it nice and toasty.
Absent-mindedly, she wondered where she had found the pillow and blanket. And what kind of tree it was made of.
A sharp prodding came in her side.
Grumpily, Haruka swatted it away, figuring it was a squirrel mistaking her for a giant acorn of some sort. Her clothes had gotten quite dirty as of late, but she had neglected to wash the dirt off, as it would serve as camouflage for her when she needed to hunt down prey.
She heard her name being called rather awkwardly, Haruka noted. Wondering who it was, she cracked open an eye.
Deep blue eyes stared into hers from above her head; aquamarine waves falling in tresses, nearly into Haruka's face.
"A-ano… could you please get off?" Michiru asked.
Haruka looked at her pillow, and realized her pillow was one of Michiru's breasts.
"Gomen n-nasai!" Haruka stuttered with a slight blush as her body shot up. "Gomen…" she repeated.
"It's, um, okay," Michiru replied.
Silence reigned for a few minutes.
Deciding to change the subject, Haruka asked, "How many more hours until we land?"
"The pilot came on about five minutes ago and said we're going to land in the next ten minutes."
"Oh. Lovely," Haruka said, an oddly bad feeling coming into her stomach. She winced as her stomach pulled upward slightly, wanting to stay in the air. "Did we just land? Because my stomach felt nearly the same way when we took off."
"Yes, I think we just landed."
They clambered out of the plane quickly, deciding they were hungry after flight.
"Do they have any of that stuff… uh, ketchup?" Haruka asked.
Michiru rolled her eyes. "Try this one. This is called mustard," she said as she handed a yellow bottle to Haruka, who had spotted a red bottle and was currently shoving its contents down her throat.
Haruka took the mustard, wincing as she did so. "What was that? That wasn't ketchup."
Michiru looked at the bottle. "I think you just ate the whole bottle of hot sauce."
Haruka winced again, this time at the burning of her throat. "It would go a lot better with some deer. Preferably nice and bloody."
"That's nice, Haruka," Michiru said as she got up to order some food. "Want to try some chicken this time?"
"Chicken? What's that?"
Michiru sighed. "Were your parents vegetarians?"
Haruka shrugged. "What's a vegetarian?"
"It's true, sir. I saw her with my own eyes."
Glass was shattered, shards spreading across the otherwise pristine oak desk. A man sat in a chair behind it, eyes unreadable as he stared at the man across from the desk, nervously staring at him. "Really?" the man behind the desk asked. Trembling, the other man nodded. "Alright, then. Call Isaac in."
The nervous man left, leaving the man behind the desk to sit and sigh and mull over possibilities. Back? Damn it… was she really back? He had no time to wonder about what to think about next when an American man entered.
He had sepia eyes that seemed to look right through you, brown hair brushing into it. He had a messy cut, the back of it extending to the end of his neck. As the man behind the desk glanced over him, the American asked, "You called for me, sir?" in slightly accented Japanese.
"Yes, Isaac. Please, have a seat."
Isaac nodded, sitting down in a plush maroon chair.
"I take it you have already heard that she has been spotted?"
Isaac nodded, and the two began to negotiate a plan.
Michiru decided that she liked Haruka better when she was clean.
After showing her how to use the overly-complicated bathtub in her house, Haruka had hogged the bathroom for a little over an hour. Michiru had gone shopping and had arrived when Haruka had stepped out; thankfully having the grand idea to put a towel on before she came out. Michiru's eyes had gone immediately to Haruka's head, widening slightly as she noted that Haruka's hair was a pale blonde. So pale, in fact, that it looked almost white. Michiru wondered how she could have hidden that whitish color under all of that dirt that she had had originally when Michiru met her. It had looked dark brown, which seemed not to be an easy feat.
"Are you getting old already? You're only twenty-three and your hair is white, Haruka," she said with a playful tone. Haruka glanced her way, smirking.
"You think my hair looks white? You should see my dad's. Blinding, I tell you," she replied. She looked around. "Hey, do you have any clothes I could fit into?"
Michiru held up a shopping bag. "I had to guess your measurements, but I think I got them right. Sorry if they don't fit."
Haruka nodded, taking the shopping bag into another room. There was a moment of silence, and Haruka asked from the other room, "Why is there a dress in here?"
"Just in case. It's mostly pants and shirts."
"Ah. Ano… okay."
Sounds of fabric came from the other room, and Haruka stepped out in a white button-up and black pants. Scratching at the back, she mumbled, "This is itchy. Why is it so itchy?"
Michiru walked around to Haruka's back and looked. "You forgot to pull the tags off."
"Oh. Can you pull them off for me?"
Michiru made a noise of assent and proceeded to take a pair of scissors and grab the plastic wire, cutting it off. Haruka visibly sighed as she removed it. "That's better. Thanks, Michiru."
"Sure," Michiru replied. As Haruka began to walk around in her clothes to test them out, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," said Haruka. Running to the door, she unlocked it as Michiru had showed her, opening it.
A young woman with her blonde hair in odangos stood there, looking up at Haruka with pale blue eyes. A man with jet black hair who looked to be a few years older than her stood behind her, ice blue eyes boring into Haruka curiously.
"Hi! I'm Chiba Usagi. Is Michiru here?" she asked. Haruka nodded.
"Hai. Let me get her, Ms. Chiba," Haruka replied, turning to the inside of the house. "Michiru? Someone named Chiba Usagi wants you!" she called. It was silent for a few moments, and then Haruka could hear Michiru running to the door.
"Usagi! You mean you got married after I left and didn't tell me?" Michiru asked excitedly. Usagi nodded.
"Hai, Michiru! There was cake! Lots and lots of cake! And is that a boyfriend?" she asked, referring to Haruka.
Michiru shook her head. "Haruka? She's someone I found while on my trip. I invited her to live with me for a while."
Usagi looked mortified. "She? Haruka is a girl?"
Michiru nodded. "Don't worry about it. I've seen a few people mistake her for a boy."
Haruka chuckled, watching the two talk. Mr. Chiba, or whoever he was—stood next to her, smiling at Usagi. "She's wonderful, isn't she?" he asked. "I'm Chiba Mamoru, by the way."
Haruka bowed. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ten'ou Haruka," she replied.
They both stood in silence, watching the two girls chat about whatever it was they usually talked about.
And Isaac watched from a distance.
Author's Note -- Well, here's the second chapter. It's not as long as the first one, but I want to introduce certain plot points gradually. Thanks for the reviews!
Oh, and does anyone know in which Act in the manga both Haruka and Michiru appear in Mugen Gaken (sp?) girl uniforms? I can't seem to remember it right now. If you can answer, thank you!