A/N- Well here's chapter three and it's quite a bit longer then my last 2. I figured I might get hurt if I didn't add some explanation and background in this one. Anyways thank you all for your continued support. It means a lot.
Falling Ch.3
Michiru slowly pulled on the dress that she had been wearing when she had fallen off the bridge. It had been cleaned by the hospital, but even so it felt dirty to Michiru. It was tainted and as soon as she got home and was able to change, it was going straight into the garbage.
She heard a knock on the door of her room and opened it to see Haruka smiling gently at her. She was now dressed in the clothes that she too had been wearing that same night, but hers were worse for the wear. Michiru had learnt from Haruka that all the cuts she had received had been when she had pulled Michiru from the water. In order to get back to the road and her car they had to go through some brush and thickets. Michiru had been protected for the most part by Haruka's jacket that she had placed on her, but the thin material of the black dress shirt that she wore was not enough to protect herself. Now the shirt was ripped and torn in several places. As far as Michiru was concerned though, this only served to make Haruka appear more attractive.
"Are you ready to go?" Michiru nodded her head.
"Yes." She walked out of the room and Haruka fell in step beside her. They went to the nurse's station and Michiru filled out the papers that authorized her release. She was more then glad to be leaving the hospital. It had too much of a cold feeling to it and it made her feel more depressed then she already was. The only thing that was comforting to her… was Haruka.
For almost the entire afternoon Michiru had cried and Haruka had held her. When she wasn't crying she was just holding tightly to the woman who seemed to be the only one in the world who cared for Michiru.
Michiru had yet to tell Haruka anything and she was thankful that the blonde had not pushed her. Instead Haruka had opted to tell Michiru a little more about herself. She found out that the 26 year old blonde was actually Japan's top racer. The blonde had faked hurt, when Michiru had told her she had never before heard of the famous racing star. She told Michiru that she had been living on her own since she was sixteen, but never said why she was alone at such a young age. Michiru wanted to ask, but reciprocated the kindness of the blonde and did not push. Overall Michiru felt that she knew quite a bit about the blonde, although she knew that there was much more.
Once they exited the hospital, Haruka led the way to her car, which in the daylight Michiru could see that it was a yellow convertible. Haruka opened the door for Michiru, who thanked her and sat down in the car. Haruka went around and climbed in the driver's side, starting the car.
"So where to?" Haruka asked looking to the violinist. Haruka had offered earlier to let Michiru stay at her place if she didn't want to be alone. Michiru hadn't really answered because yes, she didn't want to be alone, but she still had only just met Haruka. It was true that this woman had risked her life to save hers and she had been incredibly kind and caring towards her, but Michiru had been hurt by too many people she thought had cared about her that she was wary to openly trust and leave herself vulnerable.
"Would you be able to drive me home?"
"Of course. Just tell me where to go."
30 Minutes later found the yellow car parking in front of an elegant looking apartment building. It looked to be at least 30 stories high and was a more modern design then what Haruka was use to. Once the car stopped Haruka killed the engine and turned to look at Michiru. The aqua haired beauty was looking down at her hands that were folded in her lap. Slowly she looked up to Haruka and offered a weak smile.
"Thank you for driving me home Haruka." She slowly got out of the car ignoring Haruka's worried face. She walked to the front door and just as she was about to unlock it, she turned back to Haruka. "Would you like to come up for a drink?" Haruka smiled and hopped out of her car.
Together they got in the elevator and went up to the top floor. Michiru's apartment was a very sleek and attractive place. It wasn't overly furnished which gave it a nice clean, organized look and the walls we're a very light shade of aqua. A shade that Haruka thought suited Michiru very well.
While Michiru went about preparing some tea, Haruka wandered about the living room. She walked over to the balcony that overlooked downtown Tokyo and was amazed by the view. It was absolutely breathtaking. She was so engrossed in it, that she didn't notice Michiru come up behind her.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Haruka turned with a start.
"Oh yeah… it is." She accepted the cup of tea that Michiru held out to her. They stared out at the sunset for a few minutes before Michiru turned around and sat on the light beige sofa that sat against the wall. Haruka joined her, eying her with concern. "You alright?" Michiru nodded and looked into teal eyes.
"Yes… I'm alright. Just… thinking."
"Are any of those thoughts going to be out loud so I know what happened?" The blonde's question was met with silence. "I thought not." She placed her cup of tea on the coffee table and turned to look at Michiru fully. "So how about I tell you what happened to me?" Michiru turned to look at the blonde and could see a distant hurt in those concerned eyes. She didn't say anything, allowing the racer to start her tale.
"I can't remember when it started, but it was definitely at an early age. My parents were what you would call a normal couple. They both had jobs and made decent salaries. They had a large, but modest house in the suburbs and everyone found them to be quite nice. What they didn't have though… was the daughter they always wanted. They wanted a little princess and not a tomboy who got into fights at school. How unfortunate for them that they received the latter." Haruka paused as she thought about how to continue.
"My father started beating me every time I would come home covered in dirt or with a note from my teacher saying how I had gotten into a fight with a boy at school. He always disregarded the part about how it was never me who started it and I was only trying to defend myself. It got to the point where he didn't even wait for an excuse. As soon as I set foot in the door I received a backhand to the face."
"I made up stories at school to cover up for him. I couldn't say anything. I was terrified. If he did this to me when I was obedient imagine what would have happened if I went against him? I had no one to turn to. My mother knew that everything was happening, but she had the same mentality as my father. I wasn't perfect, so they would beat me until I was."
"This continued throughout school well into my teens. When I entered high school I befriended a girl named Orihime. She was beautiful, intelligent and just an overall wonderful person. I found that I was attracted to her and though I knew that I had never been into boys I questioned it. I finally accepted it when she kissed me one time on the front steps of my parent's house. I wish she had chosen a better place, because my father had come home early and saw everything. Now not only was his daughter not a princess… but she was a 'dyke' too."
"He dragged me into the house, slamming the door in Orihime's face. That night he beat me more then he had ever done before. I honestly thought that I wasn't going to make it." Haruka looked up at Michiru to make sure she was still listening. She was, and with a look of utter horror and sadness upon her face.
"I missed a week of school. When I finally went back I avoided Orihime at all costs. My father told me if I ever saw her again that I would not live past it. After two weeks of narrow escapes and the likes, she managed to corner me in the locker room after our last period of gym. She asked me why I was avoiding her and started crying. I don't know how it happened, but seeing her crying like that made me snap. It was the final straw. I couldn't take anymore of this life."
"I pushed past her and ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I screamed in frustration as I punched the mirror in front of me, shattering my image. I picked up one of the pieces and after hesitating for what seemed like hours, but must have only been minutes, I decided this was the only way to end all of the suffering… all of the hurt and pain I felt. I dragged the jagged piece down my arm and watched as the blood ran from the wound. I did the same to the other arm. I wanted to make sure that this was it. That I wouldn't have to live another day of this hell again."
"It couldn't have taken me too long to pass out from lack of blood. The last thing I remember was Orihime pounding on the door and yelling at me to open up. Then… there was nothing… just black."
"When I woke up I was in a hospital room and there they were… my parents. I don't know how I survived, but they told me Orihime had gotten a teacher to unlock the door and then they had called the paramedics. Amazingly enough… I lived, despite the severity of my self inflicted wounds."
"I was under suicide watch and was never left alone, which I think is the only reason my father hadn't murdered me before I woke up. One day when they weren't there Orihime came to see me and she persuaded me to tell my psychiatrist about the abuse which she had come to realize on her own."
"They locked both my parents up after a huge ordeal and I got my own place. Things started to look up for me. I graduated high school and Orihime and I were a couple. We went off to college and I started to race. Something I had always had a passion for, but hid it because my father would have been furious with me."
"At that point I realized that if I had managed to kill myself, I never would have been able to experience everything that I have. Racing, school… Orihime." There was a pause after that and Haruka looked down at her hands.
"What happened to Orihime?" Michiru asked in a very soft voice, barely above a whisper.
"She died… Killed by a drunk driver the year we were to graduate together."
"I'm so sorry Haruka." Haruka smiled sadly at her.
"Don't be. There wasn't anything you could have done. And I treasure the time I had with her more then anything else. I miss her, but I have to keep telling myself that she wouldn't have wanted me to forever mourn her. She was the one who showed me that there are things worth living for in this life… even if I can't see them right away. They always make themselves known eventually."
A silence engulfed them again as Haruka took time to calm herself emotionally after having told of the most traumatic experiences of her life, and Michiru took in all the things that she had said.
She had gone through so much… so much that most people probably would not have been able to come back from. This woman in front of her was the strongest woman she had ever met, which made it that much easier to once again fall into her arms crying, just to feel the strength and protection they offered. Michiru almost didn't hear Haruka's gentle words over her own muffled sobs,
"It's not easy to do it alone, but I'm here… and I do care even if you think that no one does."
A/N-Well there you go. You know what you have to do now if you want me to update…. REVIEW!! Thanks Again!
