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I don't own sailormoon.
Michiru wants to take her words back into her mouth.
Now she has to watch Tenoh's stupid race.
"So…" Rei implores beside her. the raven-haired second year is arranging library books with a ladder. After Michiru's incident, both girls had come to an agreement for the aqua-haired to never using the ladder again. Besides, Michiru is still nursing her sprained ankle.
"What?" Michiru hands Rei 3 books from the pile to get them onto the top shelf.
"You gave promise to Tenoh that you will come to her race?"
Michiru glares, she is half shoving the books to Rei's hand.
"I did that so she will not bother me in the school anymore."
Rei giggles, "that will not stop her. Seriously, Michiru… give that woman a chance!"
Michiru narrows her eyes on her childhood friend. "Why are you so suddenly on her side? You were supposed to be my friend!"
"I thought we are not friend anymore after a very elaborate threat you texted me last night." Rei deadpans.
"You gave that smug jerk my address!"
"I didn't have a choice! She did bring 2 new members! I promised her!"
"You made a deal with the devil!" Michiru points out.
"Uh oh, and you do any better? What you have done with Tenoh if it's not a promise?"
Michiru refuses to answer.
"Michi…" Rei tries. The girl climbs down the ladder, jumping down the last two and gives her friend her full attention. "I have told you what my cards said, right?"
Michiru bites her bottom lip nervously, "you did."
"This morning, I looked up the cards again."
A hope reflects on Michiru's eyes, "they change their mind, did they? There is no way I have chemistry with that… that arrogant selfish inflated head - !"
Rei offers a weak smile. "You will fall for her."
Michiru's rambling comes to a halt. Her head turns slowly toward her friend. A real horror now is plastered all over her face. "You must be joking."
"Not about my cards, never." Rei shakes her head. "I'm afraid it will happen soon."
"How- I never – what in the…" Michiru can never find her voice to utter what she is feeling right now.
"Come on, you can hate me later. Let's finish the books so we can get home before dark." Rei nudges Michiru a bit.
A pale Michiru complies with stiff movement like a robot. Rei worries for her best-friend. She did contemplate about telling her today. However, as her friend, Michiru deserves a warning. If she is about to fall in love with her arch-enemy, she wants a heads-up too.
They manage to finish two shelves before the teacher orders them to go home. The sun is on its way to set, a crimson color accompanied with flocks of migrating bird toward the east. On the courtyard, a baseball club is still in the middle of a heated game while swimming club is wrapping up for the day. The rest of the clubs inside the school building are also packing their things up.
Michiru is making her way slowly to the exit. She can walk by herself but not so fast. In occasion, she prefers to hop on one foot and that way is quicker. However, to maintain appearance, she is walking with both her feet albeit limping.
Rei is walking beside her, patiently balancing her steps with Michiru's. The raven-haired girl has offered her help but she is rejected. It is one of Kaioh Michiru's quirks to not appear vulnerable and weak in front of others, especially strangers and enemies.
When they reach a deserted hallway, Rei speaks up. "Now, will you accept my help? There is no one here, and we have to walk down the stairs."
Michiru frowns, "I hate stairs."
"You channel your hate to the wrong thing. You fell from a ladder." Rei grins, extending her hand.
Michiru looks quite put out for getting trapped in a situation where she needs other people's help.
Her hand is reaching out to Rei's when a blur of blond appears at the end of the stairs below.
Tenoh Haruka. The troublesome racer is carrying stuffs from supernatural club. Rei mentioned earlier today that their club room is being moved to the second floor.
"Hello, Hino, Kaioh." Haruka throws a wink toward Michiru.
Rei returns Haruka's greeting with a small and small wave. Michiru gives Haruka a glare. The blond acts as if the event in infirmary didn't happen. Perhaps it is the color of her hair making her to have a short-term memory capacity. Michiru makes a mental note.
Haruka observes the two girls above her, "do you need help walking down the stairs?" Haruka asks with a tone that's too sincere to claim it as ulterior motive.
"No." Michiru replies too quickly. She quickly retracts her hand that has already rested on Rei's forearm.
Rei is about to protest but Michiru silences her friend with a glare.
The whole about Kaioh's pride is getting ridiculous! Rei throws her arms on the air exasperatedly.
Haruka furrows her eyebrows, "let me help you." The blond is going up to get a hold of Michiru.
"Don't you dare approach me, Tenoh! I don't need your help."
Haruka stops in her track, shifting her glance to Rei and they both seem to understand Michiru's stubbornness.
Haruka sets the box in her hands down to the floor and folds her arms across her chest. "alright, do it. Come down here, you. I will catch you when you fall." Haruka says, half challenging the injured girl.
"Uh-oh." According to Rei's assessment, that was a bad idea to say. One cannot simply confront an obstinate Kaioh.
Determination flares from the aqua-haired girl as her lips turn into razor-thin line. "You wish, Tenoh!" And Michiru takes her first wavering step down the stairs.
Rei is watching worriedly. Haruka is also watching, with more amused expression.
They both are crazy.
Michiru has progressed three staircases down when crashing sound of the window near the stairs echoed.
Rei witnesses a white baseball ball crashing the window glass and landed to unexpected Michiru's shoulder with a loud smack. Glass raining, balance losing, Michiru's foot misses a step.
The aqua-haired girl trips and falls down face first from the stairs.
Rei let out terrified shriek for her friend.
Haruka's reflect is much better.
The blond racer springs on her feet as her arms circle Michiru's body halfway on the air. However, gravitation has won and they both fall down on the first floor with Haruka's back colliding with the box she has been carrying earlier.
Rei gathers herself after she has recovered from the initial surprise. She skips the staircase toward her friend who is lying on top of Haruka's body.
"Michiru! Tenoh! Are you two okay?!"
Michiru who has closed her eyes, preparing for inevitable impact with the floor now found herself awkwardly sprawls on top of Haruka. The last thing she expected when she opens her eyes is a pair of blue eyes and Haruka's smug smile.
"You fell." The blond states the obvious.
"That was a fluke." Michiru seems upset. "What was that breaking glass?" Michiru squirms to get up from Haruka when the blond's hands secure her hold on Michiru's waist tighter.
"Don't move, Kaioh. There are glasses around us." Haruka's tone holds seriousness despite her big grin. "I don't want you to cut yourself."
Michiru widens her eyes on the realization. There are indeed plenty of glass shards surrounding them. But she needs to get up and move away before she humiliates herself any further in this kind of position.
"You can stay here forever. I do not mind you to be on top." Haruka remarks.
Michiru rolls her eyes, "must you flirt in every situation?"
"I am an opportunist." The blond winks.
"Ehem!" Rei clears her throat loudly. "For the freaking third time, I ask. Are you two okay?! You two seem cozy down there."
"We are."
"Are not!" Both girls reply on the same time.
Rei holds up the source of their tragedy, "it was a baseball ball." She picked it up on the floor near their falling spot. "I bet the baseball club made a home-run."
"An out." Haruka corrects Rei's assumption. Michiru notices Haruka's blue eyes visibly darken. "They cannot even hit the ball properly! Kaioh could've hurt worse! They will pay." Rei thinks that Haruka is making a promise of threat to the baseball club.
Michiru realizes that Tenoh Haruka is pissed. This side of Haruka is certainly new for Michiru.
"Don't move, Kaioh." Haruka reminds her with much softer tone. Effortlessly, the blond lifts Michiru's body, thoughtful that Michiru's skin has made no contact with sharps shards.
After they both are back to vertical position, Haruka asks for the ball on Rei's hand.
"What are you going to do with the ball?" Rei asks curiously.
"Take it hostage." Haruka smiles innocently. "Kaioh, you are not hurt anywhere, are you?" the blond goes to check every part of Michiru's body. She gets a light slap when Michiru caught her staring at her cleavage too long.
Strangely, the aqua-haired girl doesn't even bother to push the blond racer away from fussing over her.
Feeling overwhelmed by everything, Michiru only manages a weak shake of her head. She could've broken her neck if it wasn't for Haruka to save her.
"You look pale. You better go home." Haruka appraises Michiru's feature for a moment. "Not that you are less beautiful."
Michiru should've seen that flirt coming, after all Tenoh Haruka flirts like she breathes. However, this time, the compliment makes her heart skips.
Haruka dismisses herself to both girls. A baseball ball in one hand and her other hand inside her pocket. "I'll see you in the race, Kaioh." Haruka yells from across the hall then sprints out of the building.
Rei has been watching their interaction. She finds it odd that Michiru hasn't given even a single retort back at Tenoh Haruka when she is flirting.
Oh.
"You are falling to her." Rei whispers but Michiru can still catch it.
"No." Denial is easier to come out of her mouth. After all, she has been denying having any fraction of affection for Haruka in past 2 years. Why would she change her mind now?
She should've said thank you though.
"No, Michiru. My cards said that you will fall to her. They mean it like, literally falling. You know, from the stairs?" Rei laughs upon her findings. "They are usually vague, this is the first time my cards are being blunt."
Michiru smiles. Inside, there is storm raging in both her heart and her mind. Rei's cards could mean it literally and figuratively.
Deep with her own mind, she is unaware of Rei who is inspecting the shard of glasses on the floor.
The raven-haired girl spots drops of red liquid on the floor. It is undoubtedly blood.
Rei turns worriedly toward her friend. She has checked Michiru's body from head to toe and couldn't find any scratch on her.
The blood belongs to Tenoh Haruka's.
.
.
AN: The ice is beginning to thaw. I love to hear what you are thinking about the story. Let's thicken the plot, shall we? Do you want to read Haruka's POV? Reviews encourage me to update faster!
