Well, I got this chapter done pretty quickly. I'm actually having fun writing this story. I hope it's just not too confusing. A lot of questions from this chapter will definitely be answered in the next one. Anyway, I don't work at all this week so I'm hoping to put up the next chapter as soon as I can. Thanks a lot to those who reviewed! I appreciate it. :D I hope you enjoy the chapter. And if there's a lot of grammatical errors, sorry...it's three in the morning. :p

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for the plot.


The Only Promise You Ever Made

Chapter 3-Guardian Angel

6 Years Later

Everything went by so fast. All the memories rushed through her mind and all the various emotions attacked her fragile heart that she didn't know if she could handle it. It was too much. Too much pain and worry…she was slowly breaking because she didn't know what was going to happen. That uncertainty about the person she loved most was killing her. The tears ran down her cheeks and all she wanted to do was scream. She just wanted to see Haruka and kiss her…hug her and tell her how much she loved her.

"Michiru…"

The soft, calm voice quickly caught her attention. That voice that she simply adored was saying her name. She looked up and there she was…perfectly fine and just the way she last saw her. That blond hair, those amazing eyes and that sexy grin…it was all the same.

"Haruka…you're okay. You're…really okay." She almost couldn't believe what she was seeing, but it was real. Her Haruka was standing there, smiling at her. She ran to her and those arms wrapped around her body. The comfort that her arms brought to her mind and body was unexplainable. She felt at home. "I'm glad you're okay, Haruka," she said, holding on tighter.

Haruka smiled then kissed her neck. "I am okay. I made you a promise, didn't I?" Michiru nodded her head, too happy to say anything. "But I need you to do something for me, Michiru."

"Anything…"

Haruka pulled back. She brushed a few strands of hair out of Michiru's eyes, leaving her hand on her cheek. "I need you to wake up."

Before she could say anything, everything went completely white.

Michiru quickly woke up and gasped. She glanced around the room before finally calming down. Her breath slowed down and she shut her eyes. The dream flashed in her mind—Haruka holding her and being healthy. It seemed so real, as if she was back at the hospital and Haruka didn't even have a scratch on her. But it was only a dream.

What could it mean? It had to be something important, because it was the first dream in six years that Haruka was actually in. Nothing was said, and no real words were exchanged, but it was one of the best dreams ever. To be able to see Haruka and hear her voice was amazing in its entirety. If it did mean anything, she would be able to figure it out later. She had time.

The body lying next to her stirred and she glanced down at the dark figure. A hand touched her thigh.

"What's wrong, Michiru?" the hand caressed her thigh soothingly. The touch made Michiru calm down even more, and she placed her hand on the other.

"I'm fine. I just had a crazy dream, is all." She ran her hand through the short blonde hair before laying down. She moved closer and let the strong arms surround her. In a moment like this, all she could do was remember everything before her life changed. The vision of Haruka holding her tightly every time they slept came into view. She desperately wished for those moments back. But what she had right now had to do for the time being.

To say that Michiru moved on wouldn't be truthful. She hadn't moved on, in any sort of sense. She did fall in love again, but it was hesitantly to every extreme. She didn't want to love another woman, because no other woman was like her Haruka: amazing and caring, strong and stubborn, and so charming and endearing. No other woman could match her sex appeal, either. But something happened and she fell for somebody who she had previously known for a while. Maybe that was what led to their friendship, and ultimately their romance. It wasn't new, but it was definitely unwelcome for Michiru in the beginning. Although she knew she had to move on, it was the least of her worries through these past six years without Haruka.

All she could do was think of Haruka. Her paintings were rare, and when she did take a brush to the canvas, the piece of board was always broken in an angered frenzy. She wouldn't touch the violin, because her music wouldn't be the same if she didn't have Haruka to listen to it. She wouldn't even do a duet with any other pianist. It was clear to see that Haruka was her life, and it ultimately suffered a lot since she left.

But she knew that moving on would be healthy for her. Haruka wouldn't want her to be depressed and enclose herself off from people and the world. So she tried once again to regain the feelings she so loved with Haruka. It never happened. It probably never would, but anything close to it was good for her. She at least wanted to try.

Michiru ran her left thumb over the ring on her finger to feel the diamond. It had just happened the day before, but she still couldn't believe it. She had said yes to a question that she only envisioned she would ever say to Haruka. But she said yes nonetheless. After that dream, she was already beginning to reconsider her answer, and was wondering if she had made a mistake. With another woman, it wouldn't be the same.

"I take it you really like the ring," the voice behind her said. The arm wrapped around her reached up and grabbed her left hand. "I'm so happy that you said yes, Michiru. You mean the world to me."

Michiru didn't say anything. The arm moved down Michiru's body and rested on her thigh. Michiru couldn't resist the chills it sent down her body. The hand went under her shirt, caressing her stomach and sides. "I want you," the voice whispered in her ear.

Michiru turned around and ran her hand through the blond hair. She rubbed the arm and buried her face into the neck. It was going to be a long night of something familiar to her.

But the next morning would bring about change. All because of a dream.


1 week later

Michiru walked down the long corridor. There were no doors on either side of the walls, so she just kept on walking, and walking. She knew there was somebody else there, but she couldn't see anybody. But the presence was familiar and too much so.

A gust of wind blew past her, and she inhaled her breath. That feeling that she had so many times experienced came rushing back and it was intense. She was here. She was somewhere near…she could feel her.

"Haruka," she mindlessly uttered. The lights suddenly flickered off before quickly turning back on. Michiru stared ahead and saw her, standing there with an almost disappointed expression.

Haruka had her hands stuffed in her pockets and simply stared at Michiru. She seemed almost angry, but those eyes of her told a different story. Michiru knew that she was happy to see her. She could see the same love in those eyes that she saw every single day they were together. The happiness was evident, but there was something else now, and that confused Michiru.

Michiru walked toward her, but Haruka held out her hand for her to stop. The distance between them was short, but it was still too much for the violinist to bear. She wanted to be close, to feel her breath on her neck and her strong muscles under her fingertips. She knew, though, that this wasn't one of those days. The aura was different, and the mood was tense. There was something wrong.

"Why is everything so different, Haruka? Why won't you let me near you?"

Haruka gently smiled. "Nothing is different, Michiru. It's just that you have changed, and that fact changes everything."

Michiru shook her head and took another step forward. Haruka took a step back. That hurt so much. "I haven't changed, Haruka," she began, glancing away, "Sure, things are different now that you're gone, but I haven't changed." She looked up and into those green eyes. "I still love you so much, and you know I always will. I would give anything to be living my life with you."

Haruka didn't say anything for a while before slowly nodding her head. "I know that, and so would I, but-"

"Then why aren't you with me?!" Michiru rushed toward the blonde, but Haruka only kept her distance. Tears threatened to run down her cheeks, but she held them back. "You made me a promise, Haruka. You made me a promise!"

"And I intend on keeping that promise in the best way that I can."

"How? By appearing in my dreams after six years? By not letting me near you? I…I don't understand," Michiru said defeated. "I know that you're Haruka, I can see it in your eyes, but you're acting so different. What's going on?" Michiru was completely and utterly confused because it was true—six years had passed and she never once dreamt of Haruka. She thought about the blonde every single day, but not once did she have any dreams of past memories or even of what her imagination could conjure up about their possible future. She didn't have any of that, and it didn't make sense. Now all of a sudden, here she was, standing right in front of her. It had been happening for the past week, but each dream before was a lot better than this one.

Haruka crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm here to warn you, Michiru."

"Warn me? About what?"

Haruka glanced at the ring on Michiru's finger. "You can't marry her."

Michiru frowned. "I don't see why not, Haruka. I mean, shouldn't you be happy for me that I'm finally able to move on after so long?"

She put her hands back in her pockets. "That has nothing to do with it. I am happy that you're able to finally move on, even if I don't really like it, but this is your life and you can live it however you want. I just want to warn you about her before you make a mistake."

Michiru shook her head. She was angry at Haruka for saying these things. She was making assumptions about a person she didn't know, and that was unacceptable. She loved Haruka, but she changed. This wasn't the Haruka she knew six years ago.

"I don't believe you. You're not making any sense. You don't know her, Haruka!"

"And neither do you!" Haruka walked forward, pulling her hands out of her pockets and placing them at her sides. "You don't know her, Michiru. You don't know anything about her. Please, just listen to me." Her eyes became soft, and her muscles relaxed. There was sympathy in her facial expression, an almost sadness that seemed to be caused by a situation she couldn't change.

Michiru slowly reached out to grab Haruka's hand, thinking she would pull away, but she made no movements. She interlaced her fingers with the blondes and felt complete again. "I don't understand why you're telling me this, Haruka. I want to believe you, but I don't know."

"If you really cared about her, you would have told her already about these dreams, and about me." Michiru pulled her hand away and hugged herself. Haruka's eyes became sad. "You haven't told her anything about me…not one single thing. What does that say about your relationship with her?"

"I can't talk about you," All the memories from their life together came rushing back and tears started to fall. "I can't talk about you, Haruka." She looked up at the blonde. "It hurts too much, even after all these years."

Haruka looked away. She couldn't stare into those eyes of hers—they were too broken. It was all because of her. "I'm just trying to protect you Michiru." She pulled Michiru close to her. "You have to believe me. I'm just trying to watch out for you." Haruka lightly laughed to herself. "It's been so hard for me, Michiru. It's been so hard to see you in so much pain, and all I want is for you to be happy. But…just not with her."

"Will you at least tell me why?" Michiru asked, looking up into her eyes. The blonde just slowly shook her head.

"I'm not allowed to do that. You just have to believe that I'm telling you the truth. I promise you I am."

Michiru rested her forehead against Haruka's chest and grabbed on to her shirt. She started to cry and shook her head. "Don't say that."

"What?"

"Don't say those words to me. Please, just don't ever say them again."

"Michiru…"

For years, Michiru had blamed herself for Haruka's death. It was all because of that promise she figured. It might have sounded unreasonable and just plain silly, but she felt that her death was her fault. Haruka made the one promise that she couldn't keep, all for Michiru.

The lights suddenly started to flicker, and Haruka's grip on Michiru became tighter. It was time for her to leave.

"Michi…I have to go."

"No, you can't. You can't leave me like this! I haven't felt like this in six years, and now you're suddenly going to leave me!"

Haruka looked up at the lights, and one by one they started to go out. There was nothing she could do in order for her to stay. It wasn't her choice to make. Haruka lifted up Michiru's chin and smiled. "I still love you, Michiru. I always will. And I'll be watching over you. You'll get to see me again. Trust me."

It started to get darker, but they stared at each other. Haruka quickly pulled the younger girl closer and kissed her passionately. All the love they shared was being sent through that kiss and Michiru missed it so much. She missed Haruka so very much.

Then everything went black.

Michiru woke up, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. She touched her lips and began to cry. It was only a dream, but to her it felt so real.

For the past week she had been having dreams with Haruka in them. Each one was different, but she would see Haruka and hug her. That was all she was able to do before she woke up. It didn't make any sense to her why these would occur so suddenly, but then she remembered Haruka's warning.

Michiru turned on her side and stared at the outline of the body lying next to her. It had taken her so long to trust anybody ever again, and it had taken her so long to even begin to get those feelings like before. They were different in every aspect, but she figured it was good enough for her to at least be happy in some sense. But the warning Haruka gave had to be important, because she knew that she wouldn't lie to her.

Even so, Michiru still couldn't understand. There were no reasons that she could think of that would justify Haurka's words. No actions and no words that could make this girl lying next to her seem like a horrible and untrustworthy person. There was nothing at all.

But she cared about Haruka too much to disregard her words, and that kiss; it was simply amazing. She was going to be careful from now on, just to be safe, and just because Haruka asked her. She was at least going to give her that.


1 month later

"Are you sure you want to talk about this, Michiru?" The older girl took a sip of her coffee. "You've never mentioned her before, and I respect that."

Michiru sat down on the chair, bringing the cup to her mouth and taking a drink. "I know, but you should know. You've been so great to me, and if we're going to start our life together, then I want you to know everything about me."

The other girl nodded and sat back. "I just want to be sure because I know Haruka meant a lot to you."

"Thank you for understanding, but I feel that it would be good to talk about her and what we had."

"I understand where you're coming from, babe." She smiled and kissed Michiru on the cheek.

Michiru began to tell her everything: how she met Haruka, how they fell in love and the wonderful life and love that they shared with each other. Thinking of everything made Michiru sad, but mostly happy. She was lucky enough to experience something that so many other people seemed only to be able to imagine and dream of. Still, it was a little difficult talking about the past, but she felt it was for the best. It would help her decide something, in the end.

Across the street, from the coffee shop, stood a tall blonde wearing a long jacket with her hands in her pockets and her green eyes staring at the woman through the window as she spoke. All the people walked around her, some admiring her figure and looks, while others simply shoved her carrying on with their own business. But she wasn't paying attention to anybody or anything else. Her eyes were fixed on the violinist, the most beautiful woman she had known, and her only love. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

It was all going to begin today.

Haruka looked up at the sky, and noticed the clouds start to form. The sky was getting darker, and she could smell the rain that was coming. She saw lighting strike down from the corner of her eye, and waited patiently for a few seconds until she heard the thunder in the distance. She noticed people starting to walk more quickly, as other held their umbrellas tightly in their hands.

The rain started to fall in a slow drizzle. She looked back down and straight ahead into the coffee shop, taking notice of their change in body language and mannerisms. They were about to leave, and she was going to follow them.

The rain began to fall harder, and after a few minutes it was pouring down on the streets with a force that couldn't be understood. Michiru walked out of the shop, holding on to the taller girl who held the umbrella firmly above their heads. They walked slowly but quickly along the sidewalk, being careful not to slip.

Her green eyes simply followed them for a while, and she couldn't help but smile at the beauty she was staring at. The memories and the life they had shared came back to her and that smile grew even bigger. Things were different now, but she still felt the same emotions after so long.

When the couple was a safe enough distance, Haruka started to follow them while still on the other side of the street. She was soaking wet, but she didn't care; it was unimportant for the time being.

Haruka slightly turned her head to hear a sound that only she was capable of hearing: the screeching tires, the police sirens and the people screaming. It was getting closer, but everybody around her was oblivious to it all; a fact that she knew would be true.

The woman walking with Michiru suddenly and unexpectedly turned her head to stare directly in Haruka's direction. The blonde became confused, but turned away quick enough. She stared at her through her peripherals, and noticed the smirk that came to her lips. A weird feeling overcame her body, and there was something else wrong. There was more to this situation than she had been told of, and she didn't like that. For her not to know details of anything she did was a bother.

When the woman turned away, Haruka stopped. She turned her head again to listen to the sounds that were getting closer. She then heard the panting of somebody running towards to where Michiru was, and that was something unexpected, as well. There wasn't supposed to be anybody running towards them that she could remember being told of. Something was definitely wrong.

She turned around completely and faced the other direction. The two cars came speeding by, followed by police vehicles, as a helicopter hovered above. Gunshots could be heard causing people to scream and scatter to safety. She watched as the two cars sped by her with men hanging outside the window and shooting back at the police cars. They turned the corner, but she knew they were going to come back around. She turned her head towards Michiru's direction when she heard her scream.

Her lover lay on the floor writhing and grunting in pain. The rain washed away the blood down into the street, and Haruka was confused once again; she wasn't supposed to have gotten shot. She just watched the commotion from where she was, not daring to reveal herself yet.

Michiru kneeled down on the floor applying pressure to the gunshot wounds to try to stop the bleeding. "Yuka…Yuka, open your eyes and look at me." The older girl did what she was told, but was in too much pain to say anything. "You're going to be okay, you hear me? You're going to be just fine." Yuka just nodded her head in acknowledgement.

The blonde frowned at the scene. This was all wrong. She heard the cars coming back around, but coming from the direction they had sped off in. The car swerved around the corner, and she noticed that instead of the other car behind it, those men were on foot trying to escape the police. This, too, was wrong. Nothing was playing out the way she was told about.

She took a step to the side before a bullet went right past her head. She quickly glanced at Michiru before she felt the barrel of a gun against her temple.

"Should we kill him? He's seen our faces," the man said, lightly pulling the trigger. Another one came up behind him, shooting behind them at the police, making them duck behind objects and cars.

"Do whatever you want, just do it quick," he answered, before he continued to run.

The man snickered, but before he could fully pull the trigger, Haruka turned to look at him and grinned. She picked up her arm and swiped his away, then grabbed his neck and slammed him to the ground. She slammed her knee onto his wrist, making him let go of the gun. She skillfully pressed against a trigger point on his neck to knock him out before standing up. She looked up just in time to see the other man point his gun at her and pull the trigger. She nonchalantly caught the bullet in her hand, crushed it and let the dust fall to the ground. The man just dropped his gun, turned around and kept on running.

She quickly turned back to face Michiru when she heard a knife being unsheathed. A man came running up behind Michiru from the alley and grabbed her by the neck, holding the knife to her throat. It was unexpected. She carefully stared at the man, noticing that half of his face looked badly burnt, as well as parts of his arm. The burns were strange, though, and she knew it wasn't from a fire.

She noticed the police aiming their guns at the man, but of course they weren't going to fire until Michiru was safe. She turned her head to find the car coming back around again and saw the one of the men inside the car was aiming a gun at Michiru.

"No…" she said, sprinting to the other side.

One of the policemen shouted at her, "Hey, you, stay back!!"

She wasn't going to listen. She kept running, ignoring the car that was speeding towards her. Michiru looked to her direction and froze; she couldn't believe her eyes. She was standing there…Haruka was standing right there a few feet away from her.

Haruka caught a glimpse of Michiru's eyes and stopped in the middle of the road. She saw Michiru scream and turned to find the car about to hit her. She quickly reacted in the best way that she knew—she reached down and stopped the car with both of her hands, before flipping it backwards to barely miss the patrol car right behind it.

Everyone was taken aback by what had just happened, and just stared at Haruka not knowing what to believe. As everyone was distracted, Haruka was able to get behind the man who held Michiru hostage, and knocked him out. For some reason, his face didn't look burnt anymore; she had to get answers for everything later on.

"Haruka…"

She looked up and smiled. Michiru was speechless after witnessing what she just did, but that didn't matter anymore. For some unknown reason, Haruka was standing in front of her. She reached out and touched her arm thinking her hand would go through, but it didn't.

"I told you I would be seeing you soon, Michiru," she began, caressing her cheek. "I also told you that I'd always be here."

"You…you kept that promise, after all."

Haruka seemed amused. "Of course I did."

One of the policemen shouted for the others to help out with the men trapped in the upside down car. His voice got everyone's attention, so Haruka used this chance to get out of there. She would return at another time.

Before leaving, she glanced back at Yuka who was lying on the floor and noticed something that probably nobody else saw. Her face looked burnt, as well.


This chapter wasn't as long as I wanted it to be, but that's okay. I'm sure it leaves a lot to the imagination...like what's the whole deal with Yuka and the "burn" marks. Anyway, again, hopefully it wasn't confusing. I'm sure it's obvious that Haruka didn't survive the crash, sadly, but she's back. Well, review if you'd like. Take care!

-Nightfall5029