Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

Chapter 5

The Violin

The auditorium was filled with emotion. Rage, pleasure and undeniable hurt were projected by a violin in a peculiar yet stunning composition that the audience has never heard before. They were captivated, their entire beings shaken by the raw feeling produced by the instrument. It was refreshing, not often is a musician able to project something so effective from the stage, capturing each and every person within the audience. Even more perplexing was the combination of feelings that the said audience was interchangeably consumed by: they were basic instincts. No masks, no complicated layers, just pure animal nature of who humans are.

Many felt a shiver of pleasure shoot through them as a woeful yet seductive tune became audible. She tightened her grip and pressed her bow firmer into the strings, letting the rage unexpectedly pierce through the relaxed bodies. This was her outlet. This was her first performance in Japan, it was a benefit, but she could not miss the chance to relieve herself of the emotions that have been raging inside of her for the past few days. She wrote this the night after that dinner. She could not sleep. Actually, she could not sleep much this whole week, but this expression made her look forward to the restful night.

The rage and the tempo intensified only to be replaced with a deafening blow of hurt. She closed her sparkling eyes and remembered that night again, to make sure the emotion projected to the audience was exactly the right one.

ooo

"What are you doing here?" Michiru whispered in a low threatening voice.

Haruka looked at her incredulously and pretended to ponder on her question. "What am I doing here? Hmm…" She raised her eyes to the ceiling, putting a finger to her lips, mockingly trying to remember what she was doing there indeed. "Oh, I know!" She grinned as though she just figured out an answer to a million dollar question. "This is my parents' house! I must have been invited here! That's right, I'm here for a dinner."

Michiru was not amused at the blonde's antics. Not one bit. She did not know how she felt at the moment, her entire being flooded by all kinds of emotions at the same time. All she wanted to do was burst. Cleanse herself of the internal chaos and have a direction. Like I would be that lucky.

"If that is the case, I would appreciate it if you could concentrate on digesting the food you have recently consumed and leave me alone!"

Haruka looked pointedly around herself to both ends of the dim hallway. "I'm not the one who followed myself here… It's kinda hard to leave someone alone if they fall in your steps, don't you think?"

Michiru grunted. She was getting tired of this. The last thing she needed right now was the odd behavior from the girl she did not know outside the bedroom. Especially since that girl had the power of burying her alive in front of her family… the fact that she dug the grave herself was irrelevant in Michiru's reasoning.

"Listen, it's not like I have a choice of being or not being here. So can you please make an effort and ignore the fact that you may have dreamt something about a night of dancing and… more dancing?" She needed to get the control over the situation at least within her reach.

Haruka raised an eyebrow moving closer to the smaller woman, but keeping their gazes locked. "Well, it seemed to me that you really tried to make a lasting impression when you were… dancing… that night."

Michiru thanked the dimness for allowing her to hide the blush as Haruka continued.

"It would have to be one hell of an effort…" She brushed Michiru's cheek with her lips and felt the heat in the smaller woman's body rising.

"Besides, Michiru-san…" She pulled away, becoming entirely serious and cold. "You do have a choice. You can go back to the dining table and tell them exactly why you cannot marry my brother. Because trust me, you don't want to make him miserable."

The heat completely left her body at Haruka's threat. She looked into the cold green eyes and squinted her own blue ones. "What I tell them and when is my choice and mine alone. If you ever bring up that subject again, rhyme or not, I will take you down with me. Don't you ever forget that you were moaning in that bed as much as I was and you are as deep under the blankets in front of your parents as I am in front of mine. Don't fuck with me Haruka, I am much like you and I will not hesitate to bury you alive."

She turned around sharply and went back to the dining room, her icy words still piercing through Haruka.

Nariko saw the aquanette's flustered face on the way to the restroom and then her gaze fell on her daughter. She walked up to the blonde, grabbing her elbow, not bothering to stop, and let her to the other side of the house, into an empty study.

Great. This is just great. First I will be skinned and then I will be buried alive… without my skin. She felt herself being forced into the study, the door shutting behind them. Her mother let go of her elbow and sharply turned around to face her, her eyes almost black, the darkest Haruka has ever seen.

"I am through with you. I asked you nicely, I told you threateningly, it does not reach your thick head. This is not a game, Haruka! These people are not some low-life humans you exercise your vexation on. They are our family. If you don't care a damn about this family, then you will not be part of it! This is my last warning to you. Don't make me choose between you and the rest of them, you don't want to know my pick!"

Haruka looked at her in stunned silence. Did her mother just threaten to disown her? How could she? What for? "What did I do?"

Nariko looked at her in frustrated disbelief. Is she kidding? No, she's not.

"I'm not just talking about your rudeness to the people that are dear to my heart Haruka. I'm talking about your games. Your whole life is a game. You are too good for whatever it is that life gives you, so you need to make it more fun. You are a spoiled brat that cares about no one than herself if you think even for a second that your actions have no effect on people around you. Look at your current toy - Michiru. When you started playing, did you realize that you may break it? Did you realize that your toy is your brother's future wife? Did you realize that of all people you were hurting him? I have always thought that it was all about you for the two of you. Apparently I was mistaken. For you, Haruka, it is all about yourself."

She turned around and left without another word or a glance.

Haruka felt like she was stripped of all her feelings and then the layers of her heart where removed by a sharp blade with every word that came out of her mother's mouth. In the end, there was nothing left. Nothing but a gaping hole.

She felt tears coming to her eyes, finally bringing some relief. She knew she had a temper and she knew she was brash with people she did not care much about, but that was no different from her brother. Games? She was not playing games… was she? How could her mother be so mistaken as to think that she would not care about the people around her? Of course she cared. How could her mother not see through her the way she saw through the same faults of her brother? Did her secret distance her from her mother so much that the latter was unable to see who she was anymore? Then again, if she did see through her like she did through Haru, she would know, wouldn't she?

Haruka did not feel her nails digging into the palms of her hands; she was numb. Inside and out.

ooo

Michiru was fuming. The words she threw at Haruka made her feel slightly better, but not enough. Surprisingly, she was starting to feel guilty. Maybe she went too far. She looked up as she saw the subject of her thoughts walk back to the table. She was very stiff, a hard mask placed securely on her face. There was just one second when the blonde's feelings reflected in her eyes - when she connected them with her brother, and Michiru flinched from the agony she saw in them.

She swallowed hard. She did go too far. Did her words hurt Haruka this much? Suddenly she felt pain put down the raging fire inside and she was left completely empty and tired. She wished for this day to be over.

Her hand automatically reached for the glass as she turned her attention back to the conversation at the table.

"… were thinking that it would be reasonable to schedule the wedding in a month." Miho's voice reached her. Michiru almost chocked on the wine she was sipping.

"A month?"

"Reasonable?"

Michiru and Haru stared at each other for the first time, shouting the questions.

"We will take care of the business side of things and the sooner we finish it, the better." Riku put in. "All you two have to do is plan the actual event."

And get used to the idea of sharing a bed. Michiru closed her eyes.

"I doubt you will have problems doing so in a month with your sisters helping you." Kaito finished for his friend.

Silence fell around the table as the young people contemplated the meaning of those words. Yeah this was going to make it easy. No problem. They will take care of it in no time. They were only planning something that would start a new life for all… Haru looked at Haruka… three of them.

What was wrong with Haruka anyway? He looked at her again. Ever since she came back from the bathroom she looked like she was stubbed in the chest by someone and then they pole-danced around the handle of the knife. Haru shivered at his own distasteful originality. He will find out what hurt his Ruka, but not today… she looked like she needed space.

He shifted his eyes to his fiancée. She was beautiful. He felt completely mesmerized by her and he loved her spunky personality, at least the little of her spunky personality he got a glimpse of when she was bickering with his sister. He was feeling better and better about the arrangement. So a month, huh? I guess I'll have to call in the favors.

Michiru felt him look at her, but ignored it. A month. Kept replaying in her head. There was just a lousy month before her sentencing was going to take effect… and one of the reasons of why God was punishing her was sitting across the table. Michiru wanted to drown in her own misery.

ooo

Blue eyes opened as complete silence erupted into standing ovation. She saw her family members standing in the first row, pure joy and pride radiating from each of them. She bowed politely to her audience and left the stage.

"Wow. That was... something." Nanami locked her sister in an excited embrace. "I don't think I have ever seen you play like that… with such passion… and the song…"

Michiru chuckled. "I guess all I need for a good performance is to be told that I'm getting married in a month."

Nanami's smile fell off her face. Michiru grimaced, indicating for Nanami not to take her statement to heart. They entered the ballroom, noting that many of Tokyo's creme de la crop as well as other performers from the benefit were mingling throughout the room. Her eyes fell on a head of sandy blonde hair that belonged to her fiance.

They looked so alike… she was wondering, not for the first time, how similar they were beyond their looks. Now that she had an outlet for her feelings and tamed her hurting heart, she was wondering what was ahead of her and how she would deal with it. If the recent events have taught her anything, it would be the fact that life is unpredictable, so she decided to settle for taking it one day at a time.

She followed her parents as they approached the Tenoh circle.

"Ah, Michiru-chan, you were wonderful!" Nariko hugged the musician as she approached. "It caught my breath. I don't think I have ever heard anything this powerful in my entire life."

Michiru faked a smile. She was still trying to get used to the idea that these people she has known for years will be her family. She turned to Haru as he approached.

"I could not agree more with mother, I think you are truly brilliant. I felt really sad that my sister missed such a performance."

Michiru did not share the sentiment. Somehow she had this strange feeling that the blonde would see directly through the music and into her soul. She shivered at the notion, happy that the woman was not there.

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that." She was going to ask where Haruka was, but decided against it.

The group enjoyed a light conversation, sipping their drinks and munching on some hors d'oeuvres. Michiru suddenly felt warm when she saw a tall blonde enter the room, wearing a simple black evening gown. Her unrefined beauty was breathtaking. Michiru quickly lowered her gaze before someone else noted her flush.

Haruka approached the group of people, bowing upon her arrival. Though she joined them physically, her emotional state lived up to her name. She was polite and respectful, answering when addressed, but never initiating a conversation.

Haru was watching her from underneath his lashes, but figured that the time has not come yet to intervene. She was acting odd, that was for sure. Even more surprising was the fact that she has been acting this way all week, no matter whether their parents or Kaiohs were around or if they were alone. She was simply distant from the world. The fact that she went to the tracks every day did not escape him either. He sighed inwardly and turned his attention to Michiru. He had to admit, she was growing on him. She was beautiful, successful, smart, and she had a soul. The last one he knew when he heard her play. He has only heard one person play like that before and he knew that those feelings were real, they came from the deepest place within one's being - their soul.

His musings were interrupted by a subtle realization that Michiru was stealthily watching Haruka, while the blonde completely and utterly ignored the aquanette's presence. He looked around to see if anyone else noticed this as well and his eyes connected with Nanami's. She looked away too quickly, which signaled to him that he was right. He disregarded a nagging feeling that his twin was hiding something from him as ridiculous. He heard the first strings of waltz and turned to Michiru.

"Do you dance?"

"Occasionally." She gave a quick pointed look to Haruka, who glanced at her for the first time throughout the whole night in time to catch its meaning.

"Then may I have a dance on this particular occasion?"

To refuse was simply impolite, so she did not hesitate in agreeing. They walked to the middle of the dance floor and started moving in tune with the music. Soon, Michiru noticed that they were being observed by many in the room. Though it may have been surprising to her, it was only natural that the beautiful couple attracted attention. We would look like that if I danced with her too… The thought was dangerous and unfitting, so she pushed it out of her mind and concentrated on following the steps of her partner, feeling two pairs of green eyes on herself throughout the dance.