(( Weeee! ^^ And back with chapter FOUR! -w- Dum dee dum dummm lol. Hope you enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: Again, I don't own Sailor Moon or any associated works, I just write this fan fic for fun -w- ))
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Michiru sighed as she walked outside the palace, her hands delicately enfolded around Nephrite's strong arm. She kept her gaze focused ahead, never moving to look up at the man who she would soon be married to inevitably. They had spent a few days together already, just talking, asking each other questions so neither was marrying a complete and utter enemy and stranger in most ways.
Michiru didn't care whether she knew Nephrite on the inside or not… She didn't love him. She didn't want to marry him. But if she did not, he would continue with a blood thirsty vengeance to attack her kingdom until she alone gave in to him. And they both knew she would never give it to him until everything was destroyed.
They both knew there was no point in fighting over rubble and ruins… so this was the solution.
"You have yet to give me an answer, Michiru," Nephrite said, looking at her.
The aquanette glanced up at him suddenly. "I believe it is princess, to you… Lord Nephrite," she said calmly.
He narrowed his eyes just slightly, but sighed, nodding a little. "Very well, princess. But again, you still have not formally given me an answer to my proposal. I know your mother says you will follow through with the decision, but I want you to say the one word to seal the deal," he said, smirking at her. "After all… you wouldn't want to upset your future husband, now would you?"
Michiru looked up at him silently and felt her teeth threaten to grind themselves to dust, but she remained impassive and turned to face forward still. "My answer is yes," she said in a tone that indicated no feeling towards the matter. She wanted to just get the hellish marriage out of the way, and then mind her own business and stay as far as she could from Nephrite whenever given the chance.
He smirked. "Good… I am pleased to hear it."
She lowered her gaze, feeling a steadily familiar feeling of her heart sinking as they approached the steps to the palace and they walked up the stairs together.
Michiru strode ahead of Nephrite once inside, but was stopped when she felt his hand on hers, tugging her back with surprising gentleness. She turned to look up at him and blinked, unsure of what the man wanted.
"Yes?"
Nephrite looked at her and smirked. "Your fiance would like a kiss from his future Queen… is that too much to ask?" he practically purred.
Michiru's body felt like ice suddenly and she swallowed, having forgotten that they were to kiss… She tensed as he stepped closer to her and put a hand at her back, drawing her closer to him.
"Nephrite, I am not-"
"Hush. I think it will bring us closer…" he smirked, knowing it made her uncomfortable to do such a thing, figuring it was more than likely her first kiss, and with him. The man she did not trust or love or desire. It made his smirk widen, relishing the thought of breaking Michiru down in such a small and yet still enormous way. Nephrite leaned down and brought his face closer to Michiru's, brushing back a lock of her hair.
Michiru flinched and moved back, shaking her head and averting her eyes. "No, please…" she quickly said, the discomfort obvious in her eyes and expression as she put her hands on his broad chest and tried to carefully push him away.
He chuckled and tugged her closer. "Come now… are you denying your future husband something as small as a kiss? I wonder what else you will be denying me in due time…" he taunted quietly as he leaned closer, ever persistent.
Michiru then gasped, her eyes glancing at a metal blade pressed to the pale skin.
"If the princess says no, you should learn to respect her if you want to win her over," said a deep and angered tone.
"Haruka…" Michiru breathed in relief.
Nephrite glanced at Haruka in obvious distaste and let go of Michiru, who quickly moved to stand behind Haruka safely, looking nervously at Nephrite, hugging herself as if to protect her body from him as well even though he was no longer holding her.
Haruka narrowed her eyes as Nephrite looked at her, her blade still poised at his throat, her other arm held out to shield Michiru partially behind her.
"Hmph… quite the loyal guardswoman you are… perhaps too loyal…" he sneered.
Haruka's cheeks darkened in anger and embarrassment and she clenched her jaw tightly to prevent herself from saying anything that would get her in trouble.
Nephrite glanced at Michiru then and glared. "I expect you to act appropriately as my bride when the day comes for us to wed… You cannot deny me yourself for eternity," he smirked, reaching up and boldly moving Haruka's blade away from his throat and passed the two. "And learn to keep your guardswoman on a tighter leash…" he added before disappearing down a hallway.
Michiru swallowed, glancing down at where she clutched the piece of cloth that stuck out from under Haruka's armour, as though it was her only lifeline. She glanced up at the blonde, noticing how tense and distraught she looked.
"Haruka…"
"Shh," Haruka suddenly said and sheathed her blade, turning towards Michiru, a hardened expression in her eyes as she took her hand and pulled her to her own room.
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It was far smaller than Michiru's bedroom, and less furnished. But it all reminded Michiru of Haruka. Every inch of it…
She looked up at the blonde as she closed and locked the door behind her and then quickly closed the small distance between them, Michiru gasping in alarm and backing up to the other wall, looking up at Haruka in fright, having never seen her look so… angry.
"Haruka… I'm-"
"Did he kiss you?"
Michiru looked at the taller blonde woman quietly and blinked. "What?"
Haruka clenched her teeth tightly. "Did he manage to kiss you at all before I got there?" she repeated.
Michiru blushed faintly and then shook her head. "No… You came along just in time to stop him," she said. She looked at her dear friend and watched Haruka's face visibly relax, a relieved expression taking place of the previous angered one. "Thank you for that…" she murmured calmly.
Haruka shook her head. "It was nothing… I merely wanted to save you from a situation that it seemed you did not want to be involved in…" she said before meeting Michiru's gaze again.
Michiru watched her quietly and then smiled for a brief second. "My guardian angel…" she whispered.
The two were silent for a moment before Haruka reached up and frowned, her fingers brushing along Michiru's delicate and smooth white cheek, right where Nephrite had touched her to brush away a lock of her hair before he'd tried to make a move on her.
Michiru sucked in a breath of air and held it, realizing her heart was absolutely racing from how close Haruka stood in front of her, and the feeling of her usually strong fingers touching her cheek so delicately.
"What are you doing…?" she whispered with surprising calmness.
Haruka blinked and then met her blue eyes with her own green ones.
"Disinfecting the area where he touched your cheek…" she murmured absently.
Michiru's full lips parted slightly, at a loss for words at how intimate Haruka was being towards her at that exact moment. She couldn't think of a single thing to say or do. It was inappropriate for one of royal lineage to associate themselves with a guard of any level, especially one who'd been brought in from an average familial household. It was frowned upon… and yet, at that moment, Michiru could not understand or even think about why… She just knew it didn't FEEL wrong at all… Not in any way…
She was then brought out of her half daze when Haruka dropped her hand and lowered her gaze to the floor.
"Forgive me… I should not have touched you in such a way…" she murmured quietly.
Michiru blushed faintly, but was so stunned by it all, the faint pink coloring in her cheeks quickly faded.
"It's alright… It will be our secret…" she assured her and smiled calmly, only a small hint of confusion in her blue eyes.
Haruka smiled at her and nodded.
Michiru didn't move past Haruka and to the door though. She stood where she was, against the wall, only a few inches of space between her and Haruka.
"Why did you stop him…?" she suddenly asked, her voice quite and calm.
Haruka glanced at her and sighed. "I could see you did not want to kiss him… So I stopped him before he could upset you and make you more uncomfortable… That is all…"
Michiru glanced to the right quietly. "That is all…?"
Haruka gazed at her for a moment and was overwhelmed with the temptation to lean down and trap Michiru's lips with her own. She was so tempted to take her princess' first kiss and tell her that, no, that wasn't all. It was because she loved her more than anything. She wanted her. She desired her. She wished she could marry her, not Nephrite. The man didn't deserve her at all. She would do anything to make her happy… Anything… But she didn't do or say any of those things.
"Yes… that is all…" she whispered quietly, the words bearing so much weight to them that her lips had difficulty forming them properly when she spoke them.
Michiru glanced up at Haruka and then nodded, her whole body suddenly feeling far heavier than normal.
"Alright… well… again, thank you… I should go…" she said and smiled at the other woman, stepping past her and unlocked her door, then left her room.
Haruka sighed, then slumped onto her bed and held her head in her hands silently, wishing she had the courage to tell Michiru everything. But she wouldn't. She couldn't do that to her when she had to focus on marrying Nephrite and creating peace between their kingdoms… She could not risk ruining everything just because of the feelings she harboured for someone she knew she could never have…
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(( Yes. Short, BUT emotional, was it not? -w- I really hope you all liked the tension between Haruka and Michiru, even though it was brief :P I promise the next chapter shall contain something I'm very excited to write about, so yay! Hope you all like it as much as I liked the idea while its been floating around in my mind :D Toodloo all my lovely mysterious readers! ))