Monday Mornings
Hated by many.
Loved by the outer family.
No, really they loved Monday.
Hotaru likes to say that she keeps hearing the people at school complaining about Mondays but she never saw something to complain about. On Mondays, it was Haruka's turn in the kitchen and since the blonde wasn't that skill in cooking, they always ordered take out or sometimes even pizza, and since they didn't have to wait for dinner they had enough time to hang out together and by hanging out it was understood that they were going to watch a movie or play some video games.
Hotaru loved Mondays. Also, it meant that Michiru would take some time off her music writing to teach Hotaru how to play the violin.
Setsuna was always the first one up. She was the one that got breakfast ready while Haruka made sure that Hotaru was up and taking a shower so she won't be late for school. After fighting with the teenager and making sure that she was properly dressed, Haruka went back to her room to get dressed, just in time to see her gorgeous girlfriend come out of the bathroom wearing nothing but the towel on her head, showing off the various marks of their last night love making all over her skin; a medal of honor for Haruka and Michiru. A small stamp of their love plastered all over their bodies.
Haruka removed her shirt and pants and jumped in the shower herself while Michiru leaned on the wall and watched her undress. "What's your plan for today?" Michiru asked as she patted her hair dry.
"Take Hotaru-chan to school then head over and check some cars with Toku. He left me a text saying he needed some help," Haruka explained as she turned the shower on and dipped her head in, testing the temperature of the water.
"So, will you be able to pick Hotaru from school?" Michiru asked before pulling the curtains away in order to look at Haruka.
"Right now, yes, if I take too long with Toku or if there is a change of plans, I will let you know before hand, alright?"
"Good." Michiru smiled, moved her hand behind Haruka's head and pulled her in for a wet kiss. "I'm going to take Setsuna to work. Her car has something off with the breaks."
"Oh? And you tell me now? I could've checked it out during the weekend."
"Our weekend?" She chuckled and patted Haruka's face.
"She could've had an accident." Haruka frowned and looked down at Michiru. "You are going to have an accident if you keep looking at me like that. You are already dry, do you want to get wet again?"
"My, my. You know the answer is always yes. But right now we are late." She pecked her lips and left her lingering at the shower with a soft grin painted on her mouth.
The family separated at exactly 7 am.
Hotaru called shot-gun while Setsuna placed her stuff in the back of Michiru's car. This gave Haruka and Michiru enough time to say goodbye in their own intimate way, which included whispering what they would do to each other once they were together again. Good thing neither Hotaru nor Setsuna heard them….
As soon as Haruka dripped Hotaru at school she headed to the racetrack. There, one of her top mechanics, Toku, was waiting for her. He had called her to let her know that one of the cars was having some troubles and that he wanted her to come and check it out with him before putting the vehicle in another race. Haruka was happy to oblige. She liked to work on the cars every once in a while and get her hands dirty.
That's why today she was the one under the car, working on it while Toku helped her by handing her the tools she needed. Haruka would pat the ground for a couple of times before he slipped her the wrench. Their conversation was vague since they were mostly focused on the car and fixing the problem, which seemed to be the transmission.
They were so absorbed in their work that neither of them noticed a third person had walked in on them until the shadow made by the tall body shielded Toku from the morning sun.
"Teno'u Haruka…"
Toku frowned and looked up at the tall man while Haruka pulled herself from under the car. Her curious gaze was replaced by a puzzled stare the second she recognized the person that had just spoken her name.
"Kou Seiya? What-"
"I need to talk to you," he removed his dark sunglasses and hung them from the neck of his shirt. "Now."
She removed the headphones and nodded in approval. "This sounds great!"
"Well, if you agree, we can just start distributing the album. All I need is your consent."
"All right then!" Michiru said while patting her arm. "I want that done by next week."
"You got it Kaioh-san!" Taski said to Michiru, yet as the violinist was about to leave she quickly turned to her and stopped her. "Kaioh-san, do you remember the hard rock music from the other day?"
"I do."
"They are a group recording too. I saw them on the way out and had a talk with them." She let out a nervous sigh before continuing. "They ask to meet with you. They have a couple of songs that could get a nice classical touch."
"They asked for me?"
Taski nodded apprehensively. "They just want to talk. What should I do next time I see them?"
"I am always up for some duets. Let me know when you see them next time, all right?"
"You mean it?"
Michiru gave Taski an honest smile. "Of course." She gathered her belongings and turned to her before leaving. "Copies. Next Week!"
Haruka stared in disbelief not before giving the young looking man a glass of cold water. They were sitting at the bleachers under a cool shade.
"Thanks." Seiya said before taking the proffered glass. He took three large gulps and exhaled feeling refreshed.
"I thought you were never coming back. Where are your brothers?"
"My brothers didn't want me to come," he muttered clearly annoyed by the questions. "They said I wasn't a protector of this galaxy," he shrugged. "I believe it is my duty to be here."
Haruka nodded before sitting down beside him and casually glancing at Toku who was getting under the car. "Then, what brings you here, Seiya?"
"A new enemy."
"Oh?"
"There has been rumors in my solar system that a new threat has been reborn. Someone that does not feed off of energy. It just aims to kill and for revenge."
"Does the threat have a name?"
"No name has been given. They did tell me about the place it will attack and they mentioned the beautiful blue planet of the Milky Way. My first thought was to warn you guys. The princess might be in danger. Keep your eyes peeled."
"I am grateful that you think of us as your allies still. Thank you. We will protect the princess at all cost."
Seiya leaned forward and rested his elbows upon his knees. He had missed Earth and the hectic ways of being an idol. He liked the attention of excited fan girls who couldn't believe that Seiya Kou of the Three Lights had been seen walking the streets of Tokyo alone…
But what he missed the most wasn't the fans. It was something or rather someone else.
"How is Odango?"
Haruka patted her thigh with her agitated fingers. She didn't liked that question maybe because she knew what the intent of it was. She knew that Seiya would eventually ask about her. With her eyes glued to the track, she moved uncomfortably and gave him an honest answer. "She is happy; married and waiting for her first child." She could feel the air around them become tense and she could make out that Seiya's breath got caught in his chest.
"Really?" He managed to ask.
"Yes, she is."
"I am glad," he pushed himself to mutter. "And how about the rest?" He asked not wanting to sound obvious.
"They are all fine," Haruka said without giving too much details. She turned her eyes to him and watched how he placed his sun glasses on and stood up. "Are you leaving?"
"Yes, I need to go back. Yaten and Taiki might grow worried about me. It is weird for me to travel to other galaxies without my brothers."
For a moment, Haruka took him in. The young man appeared tired, aged. She frowned at that. He had a male body and yet his senshi form was of a woman. She stood up and looked down at him before shaking his hand. "Thank you for the heads up, Kou-san."
"You are welcome. Give my best regards to Michiru-san."
And then something Haruka hard and made her grip on him grow tighter as she didn't let him go while Michiru's played inside of her head like a broken record over and over and over again.
"Haruka-san," Seiya growled almost as a warning. "Let go of me."
"Kou-san," Haruka began. "I need your help in a more personal level."
Seiya frowned as his eyes tried their best to study Haruka's stern gaze upon him. "With what?"
"A duet?" Kazuo asked as he looked up at the woman in front of him. "With who?"
"Kaioh Michiru. Well renounced violinist." Runa licked her lips as she read some information off her computer. "She did a joint concert with the Three Lights some years ago. If we can get her into this-"]
"We can reach more people." Kazuo added before placing the guitar he was carrying besides him. "Runa we have just come back from America. We hit it big there. We should rest give each other some-"
"Time?" She interrupted. "Time for what? To think about how fucked up this has been? Kazuo, I am on a mission and that mission is to get to her."
"She is dead…"
"She is not. She has been reborn."
"Runa, you lost that child. I have been sticking around for the band and you, nut…" he sighed. "Runa she is gone."
"Please trust me. You were reborn and you found me. Something must've happened."
"I don't remember much of our past lives, Runa…"
She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, trying her best not to let a single tear leave her eyes. "I do, I remember everything-"she stood up and handed him a music sheet which he stared for a while before locking their eyes together. "Where do you think I get all this?"
Seiya gawked at Haruka with a bewildered expression on his face. He tilted his head and licked his lips, eyeing her suspiciously. "A man? Turn you into a –"
"You can transform. Help me then. Honestly, you are a man in your civil form and a woman in your senshi form. You can transform. Help me do the same. Besides it is only temporary."
Seiya scoffed and scratched the back of his head. "Haruka-san. Why would you-"
"It is personal."
"Privacy was tossed right out the window, pal. You are asking me to do something dangerous. We are not from the same solar system; our bodies are not the same! I don't know how this will affect you so," he grabbed her by her shirt and pulled her closer, "why do you want to be a man?"
"Haruka-san! Everything alright? Do you need me to take him out?"
Haruka locked her eyes with Seiya and waved her hand out to Toku, asking him to stay at bay. Seiya knew better than to try and hurt her. He could still feel the punch to his stomach from their final battle.
"Michiru and I…"her eyes watered for a moment but she blinked her tears away. "We want to be parents."
Seiya frowned as he slowly released the collar of her shirt. "Parents?" Haruka nodded at his question. "You want to be parents?"
"Yes. I mean, we have Hotaru who we adore but she grew up fast…"she sighed and rubbed her temples.
"Well, kids tend to do that."
"No, believe me. The kid grew way too fast."
"What about adopting?" he asked.
"We want our own." Haruka whispered. "As selfish as it may sound. I want my kid to look like me and my partner. Not like some random man I don't know."
Seiya took a couple of steps back and studied the tall woman for some minutes. The change in her eyes were the clear evidence of what she was saying. And for a moment he wondered if he should agree to help her or not. He inhaled deeply and turned to look at the empty racetrack. He hesitated as he thought his words over before answering to her request. "I can help you," he shrugged, "but there are many risks that even I don't know about. I know it can be done but…"
"It is temporary."
"I know it is. First of all you should know that all of it will be reverted back when you transform into Sailor Uranus. Second, I don't have a clue of how your brain will react to the sudden change. You will be a completely new person."
"All right." She answered nonchalantly.
"I mean it, Haruka-san. It is not the same way as it is with me."
"But, Seiya, Will I still be able to control myself?"
"Haruka-san, this is not about control. It's about thoughts and emotions. You must remember who you really are at all times or you will slip away and lose yourself. You will no longer be Haruka Teno'u and what's worse is that you won't even notice when you are completely gone."
"Well that sounds utterly terrifying." She chuckled in amusement. "When I get to that point of being "completely lost" as you say it, will I be able to come back?"
"I have not seen it happen, no." He studied her face, trying to find that hint of hesitation and fear, yet he found nothing but determination. "Are you sure you want this?"
Haruka felt something move on the pit of her stomach. Her conscience kept screaming at her to not do it. To stop, turn around and run from this. But her heart melted as she imagined herself holding a new born child in her arms. She locked her green eyes with Seiya's dark ones and nodded. "Yes, I am."
It was exhilarating. The chanting of the crow always made her want to five one more performance. The drummer started to play a soft rhythm as if remanding the rest of the band to quickly recover from their last song in order to start the next.
Runa's grip on her guitar grew tighter before she turned to Kazuo. The young man was gawking at her before he joined the drummer. Soon the intro of the song filled the room and Runa's lips brush the microphone as if giving it an intimate kiss.
Why was I one of the chosen ones?
Until the fight I could not see
The magic and the strength of my power
It was beyond my wildest dreams
Her guitar came into play while Kazuo accompanied her not before joining her with his raspy voice.
Dark wings they are descending
See shadows gathering around
One by one they are falling
Every time they try to strike us down.
The crowd roar in anticipation and screamed in unison as they sang with Runa and Kauzo.
Don't you die on me
You haven't made your peace
Live a life, breathe breathe
Don't you die on me
You haven't made your peace
Live a life, breathe breathe
Runa smiled as her skilled fingers strummed the strings of the guitar. She turned to look at Kazuo, proud of what they accomplished. They had the entire crowd in the palm of their hands, screaming and cheering just for them. She chuckled and couldn't help but raise her chin high in the air as Kazuo took the moment to look upon the crowd, their own voices dying out as they let the crowd be the one to sing the last chorus.
Dark wings they are descending
See shadows gathering around
One by one they are falling
Every time they try to strike us down.
The song ascended into a soft melody different from the strong first one. Slowly, the throng of people began to hush before Runa stopped playing the guitar and cupped the microphone within her hands.
As they took your soul away
The night turned to day
Blinded by your rays of life
Give us the strength we needed.
The drummer knew it was his time now. The fast pace came back and so did the harsh guitar chords. The trashing of sound made the audience go wild before they last part of the chorus was song and the song came to an abrupt end.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon. Or the song.
Its "Dark wings" by Within Temptation.