Dark
Skies, Bright Heavens
By Immora
June 1998 - February 2000
CHAPTER 8
"Class, we have a new student. Everyone, this is Ten'ou Haruka."
Haruka
bowed to the class, who had just finished bowing to the teacher,
ignoring the stares of pretty much all the girls in the class.
The guys all
had jealous looks on their faces, immediately
recognizing a rival for the
girls' attention.
Kemmei-sensei
pushed up his glasses and turned to Haruka. "Would you
like
to say anything to the class, Ten'ou-san?"
"No, thank you."
"All right, why don't you take one of
the empty seats in the back? We'll
be rotating seats soon,
anyways."
Haruka nodded and went to the back of the room
and took a seat off to
the side by a window where no one else was.
She winked as she went by to
a girl who was staring especially
hard at her. Might as well fit the part,
she thought with a
laugh. Guys seem to flirt at every cute girl in sight.
"Well,
class, we better get going or we'll be late for tyourei.
Everyone
head for the stairs; no way we can all fit in the
elevators, and after
the fiasco last week..."
Haruka
heard various groans as everyone lined up and walked downstairs
to
the courtyard. Haruka whistled under her breath at the number
of students
attending this school. Then again, with a school this
enormous, they had
better have a lot of people to occupy the
space. She'd heard a rumor that
there were actually some rooms on
campus where students lived, those who
had been sent from so far
away that returning home except for weekends
and holidays would
be torture. She stood with her class, not really paying
attention
to the principal's speech, something about cherry blossoms and
studying, somehow trying to connect them. Ah well.
The class went back to their room after that for History. Bleecccch.
While the teacher was talking about some silly
historical thing, Haruka
quietly wrote in her notebook. No sense
in being bored. She got quite a
number of poems finished.
The
teacher called on her to answer a question. Just as she opened
her
mouth to speak, it hit her again.
Blood red dripping across the sky, black
splatters, waves of color
Sharp pain
of the wind, hit with the pieces of a falling building...
Beautiful girl floating in the air, glowing, talking
about the Silence,
the Messiah, our
duty...
"Ten'ou-san? Is something wrong?"
"No, Kemmei-sensei," she said, then answered the question.
Damn that vision! Why
now?... Why at all?! What did it mean? She'd had it
twice between
the first and this, at least during the day, and she saw
it when
she slept. What did it mean?
Once the lecture was finally
over, the class had a long break, fifteen minutes
to be exact, so
they could talk a bit and get to their next class. Suddenly,
it
seemed all the girls in the class had swarmed around her.
"Nice
to meet you, Ten'ou-san!" "Oh wow, he's SO cute!" "Do
you have a
girlfriend?" "Back off, he's MINE!"
"sigh He has such nice eyes!" "Do
you want some
of my bento at lunch today?" "No way, he's gonna eat
MY
bento!" "Mine!" "MINE!"
"Ok ok, calm down, girls," Haruka said, about ready to throttle them.
"Suuuuure," they sighed dreamily.
"Excuse me please, I have to go... I have another class to get to..."
"Ohhhh... fiiiine..."
Haruka
rolled her eyes as she got on the elevator and went several floors
up
for the next class.
Oh yay, a language class of sorts... I
really hate this subject... God, I
can't wait for class to be
over; this is so boring! Haruka lay her head down
and almost fell
asleep.
It was off to an appointment with the guidance
counselor at the start of
the next class. She had refused to take
P.E. and had to discuss her 'options'
with the school.
"Now,
while I find my things, tell me why you won't take P.E.,
Ten'ou-san,"
the old woman told her.
Haruka sighed.
This would be fun. "I don't see the necessity of it.
I'm
already great at sports. I'm part of a racing team
now--"
"Racing?"
"Motor-sports."
"Ah,
really? Well, we require that you have some form of school board
sponsored physical activity. Anything you'd be interested in?
Lessee,
basketball, volleyball, fencing, football..."
Haruka yawned.
"Well, what would you enjoy?"
"I dunno."
"Hmmm, there's after-school track... you
could do that, and this could be
a free period."
"Is
this strictly our school?" Haruka didn't want to reveal her
gender any
more than she had to.
"Well, several
schools meet a few times a week. There's only... lessee, one
person
from our school in there... but it would count in place of
physical
education."
"All right, that'll be fine."
"Good! Now, why don't you go to the library
or something... do something
educational, ok?"
"... Right..."
At lunch that day, Haruka once again
had to fight off crazed girls, and
finally left the cafeteria to
find somewhere else to eat. If she'd know she'd
get this much
trouble from them, she might have just gone ahead and worn the
girls' uniform.
"Hey, Haruka, how's it going?"
Haruka turned to see Murasaki waving to her. She smiled and waved her over.
"Fine, Murasaki-chan, good to see you."
Murasaki lowered her voice and asked, "What's the guy's uniform for?"
"...I don't want anyone to know anything about me."
"That's odd. Ah well,
whatever pleases you. Frankly, I think it'd be more
comfortable
than this..." Murasaki gestured to the skirt she wore.
"Er...
well, this isn't so great... It's, ah... difficult... to make
myself
look flat in it."
"Well, depending on how
you... Oh... Ouch!... Hey, didn't see you in P.E., are
you taking
it?"
"No, that would be giving it away... I doubt
any amount of binding could hide
it in those silly uniforms...
I'll have track after school."
"That should be fun."
"What are you doing out of the cafeteria?"
"Just wandering, really, you?"
"Avoiding the annoying girls that seem determined to date me."
"Oh."
Haruka
sipped her drink, then raised her eyebrow. "Say, where's
Kanpeki? Why
aren't you eating with her?"
"Oh,
uh, her sister's been... kinda down in the dumps lately, so she's
making
sure she's ok... triplets... really close, y'know?"
"Ah. Must be... um, nice... to have siblings."
Murasaki,
realizing it was a touchy subject, took off on another topic.
"So,
how's the racing going?"
"Great! First real race is Friday."
"That's wonderful! Hey, I'll come cheer you on, all right?"
"That'd be good."
Murasaki looked down at her watch. "Well, I
better be going. Want to finish
some homework early. See
ya."
"See ya."
Haruka smiled. It was nice to have some family that cared.
School dragged
on, but finally ended. It was time to head to the track.
Running
was easy for her, so she expected no challenge what-so-ever.
She
opened the door to a building on the track property and walked down
the
hallway to a small office. A muscular woman with a long
purple ponytail sat
with her feet propped on her desk, talking on
the phone, a rather angry look
on her face. She slammed down the
phone as Haruka entered.
"What do you want?"
"I'm going to be joining the team as a P.E. credit."
She
raised an eyebrow and slipped her feet to the floor before standing
up.
She walked over to Haruka, smirking a bit as she stood nearly
as tall as the
blond.
"Do you know who I am?"
"I do not."
"I'm the instructor, Bofu, and you better not forget that. What's your name?"
"Ten'ou Haruka."
"And what school do you attend?"
"Goban Yobi-ko."
Bofu took several moments to size her up, then
chuckled and flipped her
ponytail. "You have some guts,"
she said with a grin, "waltzing around in the
male uniform
like that."
"... How could you tell?"
The instructor shrugged and smiled. "I have a knack for picking out people."
"Ah."
"If you want to
join, you better show your stuff. You'll find some fresh
uniforms
in the locker room. I'm want to see just how good you think you are
before I even consider letting you join. I don't care if you need
the credit,
you better prove yourself."
"Thank you, Bofu-sensei," Haruka said, and left.
It wasn't hard
to find the clothes. It was just a matter of finding a uniform
that
could fit her tall, thin frame. She could tell immediately nothing
would
hide the fact that she was a girl. She was quite glad when
she found one that
fit and she could get out of that horrible
stuff she was wearing, then she
went out to the track.
Bofu
stood on the side with a clipboard and stopwatch, sunglasses perched
on her
head. She nodded to some people that were trailing in to
observe. Haruka
remained off to the side, stretching on her own.
A few of the regulars cast
questioning glances at her, but she
ignored them. It felt good to stretch out
after being confined in
that heavy suit all day.
Bofu-sensei nodded over to her and
waved her hand, and Haruka came over. "Well,
quite a change
from how you were in the uniform."
"I would imagine so."
"Ready to run?"
"Yup."
"Let's
see how well you handle a hundred meter dash, all right? I'll wait at
the
end."
Haruka nodded and walked down the track,
then crouched down slightly. The
regulars milled around to watch.
She could hear them whispering, guessing it
to be about
her.
Bofu blew the whistle, and Haruka took off running as
fast as she could. It
wasn't that much of a challenge; 100 meters
was easy. She carefully slowed
when she finished and finally
stopped. She turned and saw Bofu with an
unreadable expression on
her face.
"Nice."
That one word had the other
runners seething within moments. Haruka didn't
see what the big
deal was.
"Ok... 500 meters."
Bofu walked to
the finish and blew the whistle. Haruka shot off again, and
earned
an "impressive" comment from Bofu.
"Care to run the whole track, right back to here?"
Haruka shrugged,
then nodded. Bofu smirked a bit, then lowered her sunglasses.
The
whistle shrieked, and Haruka started running as quickly as she
could
manage. She could feel her breath quicken very slightly. She
was happy to note
a breeze as she ran, and started trying to go
faster. She could see the finish,
and all the students standing
around, but it was all flying by to quick to make
out. She
actually felt sweat bead on her. She almost stumbled after
crossing
the line, and stopped a little too soon. Breathing a bit
hard, she turned back
to Bofu.
The students were all lined
up on either side of the instructor, looks of awe
on their faces.
Bofu's sunglasses once again rested on her head, as her eyes
slowly
shifted from clipboard to stopwatch readout several times. Her
eyes
stopped on the clipboard as she penciled in something, then
she raised them
with a wicked grin.
"Damnit girl, we'd
have to kill you if you didn't join the team. All those runs
were
faster than anyone of these kids ever managed!"
Haruka's
eyes widened in surprise, and the rest of the runners started
clapping
a bit.
"Um... sure, yeah, I'd love to join."
"Good!" Bofu slipped her sunglasses back
on with a grin. "Ok, everyone, I want
three laps right now
for warm-up! Don't try to push top speed yet; I don't need
everyone
worn out. Ten'ou-san, hang back for now."
"Yes, sensei."
The others kids took off running without a
glance back. Bofu waited till they
were a bit farther along before
turning to Haruka. "You're quite good at this.
Had
experience?"
"Not really. I just run for fun."
"Interesting." Bofu stretched her arms
and adjusted her sunglasses. "And where
did those scars come
from, Ten'ou-san? You don't get those marks just
anywhere."
"What scars?" Haruka asked softly, blood chilling. Damnit, she'd noticed!
"I can see several faint lines on your upper
back. Suspicious looking." Bofu
turned away a moment, then
said, "You don't have to tell me. I know what those
are. I
don't know who did it, but I do recognize a child abuse victim when I
see one. I--" Bofu waited a moment as some more visitors
walked by. "I...
well, if you need anyone to talk to, just
come to me, okay?"
Haruka nodded slowly, wobbling a bit
with dizziness. She sat down hard on the
ground.
"You all right?"
Haruka held her head in her hands and
mumbled, "I'll be okay... I'm just a bit
...
overwhelmed."
"Hey, relax," Bofu said with a
smile. "Yeah, I'm a bit gruff and I'm very tough
on this team
sometimes, but I'm not all hard-hearted, you understand? I push
them
so they can be the best they can be, but it's not like I don't care
for
them. Don't worry, you can trust me."
Haruka nodded and stood up.
"Now, why don't you go run with the others? You'll probably catch up easily."
Haruka grinned in agreement and started running again.
"See, what did I tell you?" Murasaki said with a grin.
Michiru
squealed in delight as they entered the stadium. "Thank you,
Murasaki-
chan!"
"No problem."
Kanpeki
pretended to roll her eyes, then laughed. "Michiru, you're so
silly
sometimes."
Michiru shrugged. "I get to see
Haruka run, I think I deserve to be happy about
it."
"What's the big deal?"
"Well, would you enjoy watching Murasaki-chan run sometime?"
Kanpeki blushed a bit. "Ok,
ok, I see your point." She grabbed Murasaki's arm.
"Let's
leave her to watch her little sweetie, ok?"
"Okay, bye Michiru... have fun!"
"I will! ... Wait a sec, where are you two off to?"
"We won't be far. Over in
the woods on the far side of the track, if you should
need
us."
Michiru raised an eyebrow. "Ohhh?"
"Hush, Michiru!" Kanpeki hissed, then winking at Murasaki. "Well, off we go..."
Michiru smiled as she sat down on the
bleachers and leaned forward, elbow on
her knee and chin on her
hand. Haruka was much better than the other runners,
and easily
passed them. She looked so happy when she was running...
Michiru
remembered that Uranus's element was the wind. Haruka should
probably
feel a natural affinity for speed and flight due to that,
which explained her
love for racing and running. Michiru sighed
softly. Wonder if she had the
visions at all...
Hmmm...
Michiru had a good friend was a member of the team, but she wasn't at
practice. Elza Grey was the best runner-- correction, now that
Haruka was here,
the second best. Then again, Elza did have a
private trainer, and usually only
participated in the races
rather than the practices. She was fast becoming one
of the top
runners in Japan.
Michiru smiled wistfully as she watched
Haruka more. If only she could tell
her how she felt...
Her eyes snapped open. It was so simple! It had to work!
Elza
would undoubtedly be racing Haruka at some point. She could have
Elza
introduce her, after a race or something...
She bit
her lip. Elza didn't know about her feelings for Haruka. How in
the
world would she deal with that? She could tell the truth...
and if Elza
decided not to be friends with her...
Haruka was growing closer to Murasaki, she could always ask her...
Michiru
pulled out her sketchbook and a pencil and drew a quick picture
of
Haruka as she ran. She wondered if Haruka could 'hear' the wind
like she
could sense the sea. Probably did without realizing
it...
"Hey, Michiru!"
Michiru looked down and
to the left, and saw Kirei waving to her. She was
sitting with
Suteki and some friends. Suteki was glaring in her direction,
the
girls with her also giving her vicious looks. She wavered a bit, then
cheered up when Kirei got up, apologized to the others, and came
over to
where she was.
"Hi, everything going ok?" Kirei asked.
Michiru shrugged. "All right... why are they glaring at me?"
"Jealousy, I'd imagine. Sure nothing is wrong?"
"Onee-chan, why are you coming over here out of nowhere?"
Kirei looked startled. "What do you mean?"
"Well, after what happened the other night...
and I overheard you and
Suteki talking bad about me
once..."
Kirei looked down at the ground. "Look,
Michiru... I'm really sorry...
about everything. You kinda get
stuck going along with things, y'know, when
other people are
around... damn image to maintain," she grumbled. "Michiru,
you're my sister, nothing will change that. Suteki is acting like
some sort
of high-and-mighty queen just because she thinks she
has something over you
now... how did she put it, 'guess little
Miss Perfect ain't so perfect if
she's going after girls'... but
I don't agree with that, I really don't. I...
I have to admit, I
always thought it was... well, kinda weird... but knowing
that
you, um, are... well, it really changes how I look at things."
"Do you mean that?" Michiru asked softly.
"Yes, I do,"
Kirei said with a smile. "I'm really sorry... I wish we'd
grown
up closer... all of us really kept apart, but if you ask me...
well,
okaa-san and otou-san really didn't encourage sibling
interaction,
y'know?"
"Oh, I know," Michiru
groaned, then mimicking their mother, "'Time for a
violin
rehearsal, when will you finish that painting, oh you look so
pretty
but don't forget your manners...'... Lessee, then Kanzen is
her
little genius, and where does that leave the rest of you?
Trailing along...
in her mind... ugh."
"Okaa-san
drives us all nuts," Kirei agreed. "We each have our own
talents,
but she just encourages the ones she thinks she can
profit from... Hell,
not even that, she ignored Kanpeki's art
talent, she ignored my singing,
she ignored Genki's computer
skills, and she ignored Suteki's natural
beauty..."
"She's a strange one, our mother."
"Yes, indeed..."
Kirei dropped her voice a bit as she said, "You aren't
going
to let her find out about your interest in Ten'ou-san, are
you?"
"And get kicked out of the house? I think not." Michiru sighed bitterly.
"Y'know, everyone I know think it's a choice--"
"Like hell it is!"
Michiru spat. "Who would willingly decide to be part
of a
minority group that is ridiculed, attacked, and even killed for
it?"
"Well, when you put it that way..." Kirei
looked out at the track. "So,
which one is Ten'ou-san? I
forget what she looks like."
"The tall blond that is way ahead of everyone else."
Kirei whistled.
"Damn, she's fast... God, I wish I had her figure! I'm
so flat!" she whined.
Michiru couldn't help
but laugh. "Some of us are... more endowed than
others... and
Haruka's one of them."
"And I'm one of the
lesser..." Kirei looked around a bit. "Say,
where's
Kanpeki-chan? I thought I saw her a little while ago, with
that friend of hers
... Murasaki, right? What are they up
to?"
Michiru almost choked. "Um, well... maybe you
should have a talk with her...
they're, uh, in the woods... make
noise when you approach so they know you're
coming."
Kirei
stared at her, looked away to think a moment, then her eyes
widened
and she laughed loudly. "Oh my! Oh my! Don't tell
me... Both of you?! Oh
wow... Don't tell me Genki is,
too?!"
"Fine, I won't tell you."
"That
is so freaky! Geez, I can't believe I didn't notice! All three of
you!...
Ah well... I'm going to go check up on our lovebirds,
then. Hope they aren't too
busy making out," she said with a
wink.
"Er..."
"Heh heh, just kidding. Bye, Michiru."
"Bye, Kirei."
Michiru
turned to watch Haruka again, sighing softly. She could go for
hours
just watching her.
Practice ended before she could watch too
long, though, and Haruka left for the
locker room. Michiru
decided it was wise to leave before she accidentally bumped
into
her. Kirei, Kanpeki, and Murasaki were coming out of the woods at
that
moment, so she joined them to walk home.
"So, did you talk?" she asked them.
"Yeah," Kanpeki
said, taking Murasaki's hand. She smiled at her sisters. "It's
good
that we don't have to hide it from each other."
"Yup," Kirei agreed.
"I call the phone when we get back,"
Michiru said. "I need to talk to Elza-
chan."
"That's the red-head, right?"
"Yes. I'm surprised you remembered her."
Kirei shrugged. "I remember random people and forget others. Ah well."
They walked in silence awhile.
"Hey, Michiru-chan, when's the CD coming out?" Murasaki asked.
"This week, actually... I'm going to perform a couple nights to help promote it."
"You excited?"
"A bit. I used to hate doing all this
silly stuff, but I enjoy it now. I love
playing the violin. I
don't do it for okaa-san, oh no... It's for me. I want
to perform,
to share my music with everyone."
"That's great,"
Murasaki said with a smile. "Maybe one day you could play a
duet
with Haruka on piano?"
Michiru chuckled a bit. "I hope so!"
She sat down on her bed once they got home, a
bit nervous as she picked up the
phone. She dialed Elza's number
and waited for her to pick up.
"Hello, this is Elza. Speaking?"
"Hi, Elza-chan, it's Michiru."
"Oh, hello! How're you?"
"Fine, you?"
"I'm great. Just got back from my training. I can't wait till next week's race!"
"Yeah, um... say, Elza? I need to talk to you about something..."
"You want me to come over or do it over the phone?"
"Uh, why don't you come here?"
"Be right over! I'll run, give me some
practice!" Elza said with a laugh, then
said bye and hung
up.
Michiru was a bit nervous as she waited for Elza to
arrive. She wasn't sure
how to explain it, or how Elza would
react.
Elza didn't live very far away, and being a fast runner
helped her get there
quickly. She waved to Michiru, slowing up as
she approached her. Michiru
smiled. Elza was so determined in
everything she did. She was quite the star
athlete. She had pale
red hair, slightly wavy and cropped to her chin, hazel
eyes, and a
rich tan, and was always cheerful. "Hey, Michiru-chan!"
"Hey, Elza-chan."
They went inside and up to her room. They sat
on the floor of her room, as
usual.
"So, what's up?"
"I... I need some help, Elza. There's..."
Michiru sighed and looked up at the
ceiling. "I really don't
know how to explain this..."
"C'mon, you can tell me."
"There's... there's someone I'm... I'm
interested in... and I'd like you to
introduce me sometime, after
the next race perhaps?"
"Oh? Sure... someone on the team?"
"...Y-yeah..."
"It's Iki-kun, isn't it? He's quite the looker..."
Michiru
lowered her eyes. "No, a recent addition, just today... first
day
at school."
"Oh? Well, give me a name so I know who to look for."
"... Ten'ou Haruka."
"Hmm, all right... So, what's he look like?"
"I... I'll
show you a picture... A painting I did, actually, but...
it's
accurate."
She went into her closet and pulled it
out, then turned it around for
Elza to see.
Elza sat there
a moment, looking at the painting with an unreadable
expression.
She then leaned back on her hands and looked up at the ceiling
a
moment. "Nice painting."
"Th-thanks."
"For Christ's sake, Michiru-chan, stop acting so nervous!"
Michiru looked at her with surprise. "What?!"
Elza stood up
and bent over her, pointing her finger at her. "You're
getting
worked up over the fact that she's a girl, aren't you?
You're worried about
what I think, aren't you?" Elza
chuckled, then said, "Well, you don't have
to worry at
all!
"Eh?!"
Elza laughed loudly. "Michiru,
Michiru, Michiru, you never met my parents,
did you?"
"No, I don't recall..."
Elza's eyes crinkled with amusement.
"I don't even know my father. My mother
has been with my new
mom for... well, before I was born. I grew up around it,
so you
have nothing to worry about!"
Michiru stared at her in shock. "You're serious?!"
"Yeah, they raised my
sister and I together. Never thought much of it, till
some kids
gave me a hard time about it... but they're just idiots. I love my
mama and my okaa-san, and I know they're happier together than
mama could've
been with my real father. They really took care of
us, too. I was really sick
when I was little, but they always
watched over me. Okaa-san always stayed
behind with me, only time
she didn't was when I was visiting my grandparents.
They spoiled
us, actually... We moved just because we didn't have a big
enough
backyard to play in!"
Michiru smiled, feeling tears in her eyes. "Th-thank you, Elza-chan..."
"Hey, don't cry... It's all right."
"I'm... I'm just so
happy..." Michiru squeezed her hands together. "I mean,
I'm
really glad for you and all but... oh God, I'm finally going to
meet
her!"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well,
I saw her one day and... something just clicked. I was attracted
right
away. I've been following her since... I've never talked to
her, she doesn't
even know I exist... I've been so scared to
approach her, she... she's gone
through some rough times,
but..."
Elza smiled. "Well, I'll be here to help
you, don't worry." She gave her a
quick hug.
"Thanks, Elza-chan! You're the best!"
"I am, aren't I?"
she joked. "Say, I just realized, that name seems
vaguely
familiar... old neighbor of mine, perhaps... I dunno,
maybe she played with
my sister when they were little."
"What's your sister's name? I've never met your family."
"Cindy."
Michiru
thought a moment. "Hmmm... that seems familiar, too... Her
aunt
mentioned a Cindy once."
"Well, maybe we'll re-introduce them, hmmm?"
"Yeah, she'd like that..."
Elza smiled at her and turned to leave her room.
"C'mon, we have homework to
do. I have a report to write,
ugh! I'll see you later, ok?"
"Yeah, bye, Elza-chan."
Elza waved and said bye, then left.
Michiru sighed and sat down on her bed. Thank God for Elza...
The phone rang and she picked it up, wondering who'd be calling her.
"Michiru-chan?"
"Yes... who is this?"
"Oh, this is Sunao. I thought you might be
interested to know Haruka
will be entering her first car race in a
few days... want the details?"
"Of course!"
Michiru
grabbed a paper and pen, frantically writing down the address
and
date. "Thank you, Sunao-san!"
"You're very welcome, Michiru-chan."
Michiru clapped her hands with
excitement. Everything was working out,
finally! She'd probably
wait a few more weeks to meet Haruka, but it
would be worth it!
Dark red sky... shards of glass from the building cutting into my skin...
can't breathe, too weak... pushed to the ground by the wind hitting me...
blood running down my face... I look up... the girl... speaking, sad... "The
Silence is approaching. We have to find the Messiah quickly. Only you and
I can do this!" I try to cry out, what is the Silence, who is the Messiah?
Why me?!
Haruka's eyes snapped open and she sat up tall in bed.
She was trembling
hard, sweating, unable to find her voice. The
light came on and Sunao
rushed in.
"Haruka, what's wrong?! I heard you scream..."
"S-sorry... I... I had a nightmare, that's all... I'll be fine..."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, it's all right, okaa-san... sorry I woke you up."
"It's ok... well, if you're sure
you're fine... try to get back to
sleep."
She shut off the light and left, gently shutting the door.
Haruka let out
the breath she'd been holding and curled up into a ball.
Damnit,
why was she seeing these visions?! Same thing, over and over,
only
slight variations... She closed her eyes tight, trying to keep
from
remembering the images, the voice. It was so horrible, what
could it
possibly mean?
She stood shakily and turned on the
television in her room, careful to
keep the volume low. Maybe it
would wear her out enough to sleep.
"--But I love you!
Why did you fall for my twi--" Click. "C'mon down to
Tomu's Cars--" Click. "We return to the late night
movie--" Click, what was
all this crap?
"In
other news, citizens have reported seeing a mysterious group of girls
calling themselves 'Sailor Senshi' in the area recently,
following a wave of
'energy drains' to local residents, which may
be linked to the strange meteor
that fell last week. Witnesses to
a recent attack say..."
Sailor Senshi... that name...
strange, it seemed familiar... But she'd never
heard of them
before...
"The five, reportedly called 'Sailormoon',
'Sailormercury', 'Sailorvenus',
'Sailormars', and 'Sailorjupiter',
respectively, have rescued a number of
people recently. It is
unknown who they are or where they come from, or even
why they're
here... but Tokyo thanks these lovely heroines for the lives of
many."
Haruka shut the television off and crawled
into bed again. Something familiar
about their clothing...
The
girl in the vision had a suit on like theirs. Perhaps... another
Senshi?
But what did any of this have to do with Haruka?
Haruka
yawned loudly and shut her eyes. Oh well... maybe now she
wouldn't
have the vision.
Haruka woke up groggily, vainly reaching for the alarm clock that was out
of her reach. She hadn't gotten used to the time school started, even
though this was the fifth day of it. Goban Yobi-ko started earlier than
her previous school had, and it annoyed her to no end. They seemed
convinced that an early start somehow made them more alert.
She went into the kitchen and found a pot of
coffee waiting, and her
breakfast on the table. Sunao had to go to
work just before Haruka woke
up, but took time before leaving to
make breakfast and coffee for her
daughter.
Haruka sipped
her coffee, and smiled to herself. Her first race was today
...
oh, it was going to be so much fun! She'd be racing against Hayasa
as
well as some other men from the normal group, plus others she
hadn't had
the chance to race against. Some big names in racing
would be there, and
she couldn't wait. She smirked a bit. If only
they knew they were racing a
girl... she could imagine the looks
on their faces when she beat them.
She walked to school, as
always. She was never in a hurry; she left early
so she'd have
plenty of time. She smiled to some kids she recognized from
class
and track, and tried to avoid her "screaming fans," as she
referred
to them, trying to push gifts and bento on her. She tried
to be nice to the
poor, delusional girls, but no matter how many
times she told them otherwise,
they remained under the impression
that "he" was interested in dating them,
if they could
only prove themselves better than the others. Haruka sighed;
she
wasn't interested in these crazy girls that only saw her as a
handsome
guy, she wanted someone that knew who she really was and
wasn't ashamed of
it.
She uttered a loud "ooof!"
as someone accidentally bumped into her (she
hoped it was
accidental and not one of those girls trying to get
her
attention...)
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" the girl said.
"That's fine," Haruka said. "You hurt at all?"
"No, no, I'm ok... tripped over this
stupid uneven pavement. I'm quite the
klutz," she added,
laughing a bit.
Hmmm, she seems familiar... "No harm done..."
"Do I know you?" the girl asked,
looking at her quizzically. "You look vaguely
like someone I
knew when I was little... No no, you can't be..." she
laughed
loudly. "Oh, I'm so silly..."
"I was just thinking you looked familiar, too. I'm Ten'ou Haruka, you?"
The
girl squealed and hugged her tight. Haruka pushed her off
immediately,
scared this girl, whoever she was, would notice
her... extra assets.
"Haruka-chan! Just what do you think
you're doing?" The girl frowned. "You don't
know who I
am, do you? It's me, Cindy Grey!"
"CINDY?!"
Haruka stared at her, then laughed and hugged her. "My gosh, it
really
is you! I knew you looked familiar! You've certainly
changed though... grew up
cute," she teased with a
wink.
Cindy chuckled. "Well, you certainly... didn't turn
out like I expected." She
looked around to make sure they
were alone. "No offense or anything, but I swear,
I thought
you were a guy."
Haruka gave an embarrassed laugh. "Well,
that's the whole point of the
disguise..."
"Why
are you... well, why do you want to look like a guy? Geez, I mean,
you make
a good-looking guy," she said, winking a bit,
"but... why would you want to look
like one?"
"Well...
I... I'm trying to hide, actually... from my life, from some
people...
I don't want anyone to know who I really am, not
yet."
"Well, they certainly won't know with you
dressed like that! My opinion of you
just dropped a
notch."
Haruka flinched a bit. "Ouch! That was a cheap shot."
"Yeah, I know, I know... but geez, have
you really thought this through? I mean,
c'mon... you look like a
cute guy, so all the girls are gonna flock to you, all
the guys
will think you're one of them... how will you ever get a date? Do
you
really want that?"
"Er..." Haruka
blushed a bit, unsure of how to break it to her childhood
friend...
but then she remembered Cindy's interesting parents.
"Cindy, actually I... well,
let's just say, your mothers and
I have something in common, hmmm?... You know
what I mean?"
Cindy
raised an eyebrow, then giggled. "Well! I guess the disguise
does work
to your advantage then!"
Haruka
laughed with her and they started walking again. "Well, I
suppose...
but not really. Those girls like me because they think
I'm a guy. I want a girl
who'll like me as a girl."
"That makes perfect sense... but how are you going to manage that?"
"I
have no idea, I didn't really think about that when I made this
decision,"
she admitted. "But maybe one day I'll get
lucky..."
"I hope you didn't mean 'get lucky' as in--"
"I didn't mean it like THAT!"
Cindy
giggled and asked, "So, what have you been up to... besides the
cross-
dressing?"
"Oh hush!... Well, I've gotten
into motor-sports now, and my first race is
today!"
"Oh cool! I'll be sure to come, if there's still seats left."
"Heh
heh, you do that... I joined the track team, but... eh, no real
challenge.
I need the P.E. credit though, and it gives me
something to do."
"Track, huh? My sister races...
She's heading towards the top, y'know... she's
considered one of
the best junior racers. Maybe you'll race her sometime."
"If
she's part of our little group, I will. No offense or anything,"
she said,
smiling a bit, "but no one can out-run me, no
one."
"We'll see," Cindy said with a grin.
They exchanged phone numbers before they had to get off
on different floors for
their homerooms.
Ah, it was a
beautiful day... Haruka smiled and sat back to wait for the bell
to
ring.
Michiru was running a bit late for school, so
she left the house without
breakfast. She'd never been tardy
before, and she didn't want to start.
Her siblings had all left
ahead of her, leaving her with no one to hurry
off with. Her
parents had gone to luck, so there was no one to drive her.
She
groaned a bit and picked up her pace. The day had started out
bad...
But she was going to watch Haruka's first race today, so it
couldn't be
all bad...
A cold shiver went down her spine.
The sea was restless... No, no, she was
just paranoid, there
wasn't going to be a--
She heard a sound she'd never
forgotten, and dreaded to hear. The scream
of a daimon...
Damnit!
Not now! She was going to be late!... But she couldn't just turn her
back and ignore it. She had a duty... And she'd be damned if she
turned her
back on it.
There was no one around to see her.
She transformed in record time, and just
in the nick of time as
well, for the daimon soon ripped its way through the
hedges. It
trained its eyes on her, and leapt to attack.
Neptune didn't
have time to use her powers, so she dodged it, then brought
back
her arm and slammed her elbow hard into the top of its head.
The
daimon howled with rage and whirled around to face her
again.
"Deep Submerge!"
Energy collided with
flesh, and a ripple went through the daimon, before
the form of a
boy in a red and green school uniform appeared and collapsed on
the
ground.
Neptune gasped for air, stumbling over to the boy,
then made sure he was
alive.
He was fine... but what could she do now?
Hmmm... they were both going to be late now, but
she had her enhanced speed
as Neptune... she decided she'd carry
him to her school, detransform, and explain
that she'd found him
lying on the ground and just had to help, didn't know what
school
he went to... that's why she was late. Attacks from strange
supernatural
beings weren't exactly uncommon in Tokyo, and well,
as for heroes...
Neptune chuckled as she ran with the boy in
her arms. The Inner Senshi were
awakened, and she knew they were
fighting enemies out there. They'd become
the fascination of the
local media, the saviors of the meek, the...
God, she really needed to get more sleep.
She found a place to detransform,
then struggled a bit to carry the boy, his
bag, and hers at the
same time. He seemed much heavier now that she was a
normal girl
again.
A school official ran outside when he saw her. He came
over and took the boy
from her. "What happened here?"
"I came across him on the way to school... he'd been attacked..."
"Thank you very much, young lady. You just might have saved his life."
She felt a cold feeling in her heart as she looked down at him...
I almost took his
life... if the daimons can't be restored to a human when
we finish
battling them...
"I-I suppose I did."
"Here,
take this pass and go to class. A situation like this shouldn't
be
counted as a tardy, hmm? We'll get him back to Mugen Gakuen
right away."
Michiru slowly trudged towards the elevator.
Why was she stuck fighting alone?
Who knew when Uranus would
awaken, and the Inner Senshi... they were separate
from her...
they had different obligations...
But what were hers exactly? Pluto was never very clear about them...
"Pluto... if you can hear me... Please..."
Pluto's image shimmered in
front of her. "I'm sorry I can't appear directly
to you, but
I cannot leave the Gate, not now."
"Why not?"
"There's--" her image rippled a bit, "a
group trying to break through right
now... I must--" It
disappeared, then reappeared. "I hope you don't have
anything
important as your next class, because--" shimmer, "you'll
have a
vision that will explain every--"
The image disappeared, and Pluto's voice with it.
The elevator made a
"ting" sound at that moment, and Michiru slowly stepped
off
into the hallway. She went to her classroom, gave her teacher the
pass,
and took her seat. Some of her classmates looked at her with
amusement.
"What happened to being perfect?" someone hissed.
"Ooo, little musician can't get to class on time..."
"Stayed up too late working on your CD, huh? Guess we're too good for y--"
"Shut the hell up," she said between clenched teeth.
"Oooooo..."
"Excuse
me," the teacher called out loudly. "The discussion going
on back there
needs to end, now." He then went back to
his lecture.
Michiru sat back in his seat while he rattled off
math, and closed her eyes.
She could feel herself slipping into a
dream-like state, and welcomed it.
It
was as if she was back on the Moon, the Silver Millennium.
Everything
looked as it once did, the
palace, the courtyard...
"Sailorneptune," a voice called out.
"I'm here," she said. She looked down at herself and
noticed she was
wearing her fuku.
"Who's there?"
A woman
walked up, smiling gently at her. Neptune was amazed at her
appearance. Her eyes and hair were silvery in
color, a gold crescent
moon was in the
center of her forehead, and her hair was pulled into
two buns on either side of her head, with a long trail
of hair spilling
from each. Her white
gown was simple, but elegant; sleeveless, fitted
in places, with a bow of sorts in the front. She walked with a
regal
bearing, and there was something
about her...
She fell to one knee
and lowered her face. "My Queen," she murmured,
filled with awe.
"Please... that was long ago. The time for formal titles has past."
"Queen Serenity... I..."
"Walk with me."
Neptune nodded and
rose to her feet, unable to refuse her. This woman
was the ruler of the Silver Millennium, heir to the Moon
Kingdom,
and...
"My Queen, what happened to the ginzuishou?"
Queen Serenity laughed a bit. "What a thing
to ask! It's been so long,
and that's
the first thing that comes to mind?"
Neptune felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "I'm
sorry, I... my
mind seems at odds with
itself sometimes, all these memories... I don't
quite know why I do things sometimes."
"That's all right... As for the ginzuishou, my daughter has it now."
"The princess was safely reborn?"
"Yes, and..." Queen Serenity smiled sadly. "My little
Serenity is now
a Senshi, fighting
alongside her old court."
Neptune's eyebrows raised in alarm. "But... the Inner Senshi
were her
protectors! She is... she is
one of them now?"
"Yes,
she is Sailormoon now. The power of the ginzuishou is now in
her hands..."
"I never really understood the ginzuishou..."
"Well, there's not much known about it...
it is hard to explain to
someone who
hasn't used it. The ginzuishou gives you the power to do
so much good! To heal, to create, and it is made even
more useful
when combined with
special wands and staffs... but... it can be deadly,
if you try to do too much with it..."
Queen Serenity looked away from her, and stopped walking.
"My Queen... if... if it isn't too painful to tell... how did you die?"
"I used all my
remaining energy when I sent everyone to the future. The
ginzuishou took too much out of me..."
Neptune gasped in shock. "Pluto... she never told me that..."
"Pluto
is hard-pressed in her tasks, I'm afraid. She can't explain it
all herself..." She turned to face Neptune
again. "Which is why you are
here
with me. I need to explain what it really means to be an
Outer
Senshi... and what your mission
is now."
"The Outer
Senshi are comprised of you, obviously, Pluto, Uranus, and...
you'll discover that later. You three are the
important ones for now.
During the
Silver Millennium, the Inner Senshi were the guardians of my
daughter. They protected her from attack. The
Outer Senshi guarded against
outside
invasions, a much larger task. Because of this, you were given
stronger powers. You didn't interact with the
Inner Senshi often; there
was no
need. You weren't meant to; you had separate duties. I wish that
we'd thought to train you to work together,
though...
"That's beside the
point. You've been awakened now because you have
something important to do... something that will ultimately
lead to the
destruction of Earth or
its salvation.
"The Inner
Senshi are busy fighting their own battle, but a new enemy is
quickly building its forces. You have fought
some, yes? The 'daimons'...
these are
the work of a group calling themselves the 'Deathbusters'. They
want to take this world for their own, for their
master. To do this, they
need the
power of an item known as the Holy Grail.
"The Holy Grail can be used for either good or evil. The
power it can give
is almost
unsurpassed. Both good and evil have a Messiah in this battle, a
Messiah of Light, and a Messiah of Dark. If the
Messiah of Dark should gain
the power
of the Holy Grail, we are doomed. We need to get the Holy Grail
and give it to the Messiah of Light.
"In order for us to have the Holy Grail, we
must find the three Talismans.
These
are sealed within people with pure hearts. Those with pure hearts
have a special crystal inside them, their 'heart
crystal'. Three people
have heart
crystals that contain Talismans. You must find these people and
retrieve the Talismans at all costs.
"The enemy is developing technology that
can extract heart crystals. Be on
the watch, and be prepared to fight many daimons
in order to gain access to
the heart crystals yourselves.
"You will know the Talismans when you see them. Do not be
too frantic
worrying about when the
Deathbusters will move to find them; your
partner will awaken before then. But be prepared."
Neptune trembled and had to lean on a column for
support. "This... this
is our
mission?"
"Yes."
"The fate of the world..." Neptune
felt hot tears sting her eyes. All
this responsibility, the lives of everyone...
"I... I must warn you... if the heart crystal is away
from a person's
body too long, they
will die. Therefore, if someone's heart crystal
is a Talisman--"
"They will die." Neptune shut her eyes tight. "I understand..."
"Do you accept this mission?"
"I do." Not like I have a choice.
"Good luck... Michiru." Queen Serenity hugged her. "Good luck."
Michiru lifted her head
from her desk when she heard the bell ring for the
end of class.
Some kids gave her odd looks as they left. Her teacher called
her
to his desk.
"Kaiou-san, in the future, please do not
fall asleep in my class. I understand
you've had a rough morning,
but... you're my best student, and you need to
set an example, all
right?"
"Yes, sensei, it won't happen again," she said, bowing to him before leaving.
At lunch, she
went over to sit by Elza as usual. Elza grinned widely at her.
"Hey,
Michiru-chan! Hope you don't mind that I brought my sister
today."
The girl next to her smiled and waved. She looked
a lot like Elza, with the
same red hair and hazel eyes, but she
was paler and wore her wavy hair long.
"Nice to meet you," Michiru said.
"Nice to meet you, too," Cindy said. "I can't believe we never met before."
"Well, that's Elza's fault," Michiru said, winking teasingly at Elza.
Elza chuckled a bit. "Hey, my family usually isn't around!"
"We are too," Cindy said, "you just aren't around when we're around."
"Oh, phooey..."
"You are both nuts," Michiru said with a smile.
"Yep," they said at the same time.
Michiru laughed and pulled her lunch out. It was nice to have another person
to talk to for once. Elza was her best
friend, her only real friend, and she
was glad to have her, but
sometimes she wanted to talk to more people than
just her. Elza
usually sat alone as well; people were nervous around her due
to
her growing fame. Now people were avoiding Michiru more than usual,
as
well, what with her great success in music and her CD having
just come out.
"I just got your CD," Cindy said,
eyes twinkling. "It's really incredible. I
loved 'Windsong'
the best."
"Really?" It was a song she'd composed about Haruka.
"Yeah, I love your music...
Elza's mentioned you before as being her friend,
but I hadn't
gotten the chance to meet you... This is so cool! Anyways, I'll be
there for tomorrow's performance. I can't wait!... Hope I'm not
acting too much
like a crazy fan," she said with a
laugh.
"That hasn't happened yet," Michiru said.
A boy suddenly ran over to the table. "A-are you Kaiou Michiru?!"
Elza and Cindy giggled behind their hands, and Michiru said slowly, "Yes, why?"
He thrust a pen and paper out at her. "C-could I have your autograph?"
Michiru
blinked several times, then took the pen and paper, asked his
name,
and wrote a brief message.
"Oh, thank you so much!" he said, bowing deeply to her, then racing off again.
"You were saying, Michiru-chan?" Elza said, bursting out laughing.
"Ha ha, funny, Elza. So, Cindy... um, what else has Elza-chan said about me?"
"Michiru-chan!"
Elza seemed shocked. "You think I'd talk bad about you behind
your back or something?"
"Of course not! I'm
just wondering whether I need to inform her of certain things
or
if you mentioned them."
"Er..."
Cindy
cut in, "Well, she knows that I was good friends when I was
younger with
someone you're interested in, so she mentioned
that... She thought I might be
able to help... And I actually ran
into this person on the way to school today
and exchanged phone
numbers."
"Oh, wow, that would be great if you
could... I mean, I'm still going to have
Elza-chan introduce
us--"
"Me and my great people skills!" Elza said, sticking out her tongue and winking.
"Hush, silly.
Later, though, if... this person acts stubborn, I could use some
help
from a mutual friend."
"All right, that'll be fine
with me," Cindy smiled widely. "So, you know a lot
about
this person, right? How have things been lately?"
"I..."
Michiru considered just what to say. "Things... have been very
bad. Hard
times... Sunao-san had them move out into an
apartment... Katai," Michiru spat
the name, "was a real
jerk."
"Oh boy, was he ever!" Cindy agreed. "I
remember going over to the house and him
telling me to leave, or
not letting us play together... What an asshole! Well,
I'm glad
they moved away from him. I would if I was stuck with
him."
"Yeah..."
Kirei popped up behind them and shouted, "Boo!"
Elza and Cindy jumped a bit, not expecting someone to be there.
"Um, hi,
onee-chan," Michiru said. Strange, she had known Kirei was
there, and
that it was her, before she said anything. "What
brings you over here?"
"You wanted to go to that race tonight, right?"
"Yes..."
"And you weren't sure about ticket availability?"
"... Yes..."
Kirei grinned shyly and handed her two papers.
Michiru's eyes widened as she
took them from her. "Tickets
for it?"
"I thought you would like them..."
"Thank
you, onee-chan!" Michiru said, standing to hug her sister.
Stepping
back, she asked, "Why two?"
"Cuz
I'm going too," Kirei said with a wink. "Chance to catch
up, and plus...
heh heh, there's this cute racer named Hayasa
Erai..."
"Oh, an ulterior motive!" Michiru joked.
"Hey!... Well, Kanpeki said Murasaki-chan's
friends with him... everyone calls
him Hayasa instead of Erai... I
was thinking--"
"Oh brother... or should I say sister..."
"You're so funny, Michiru,"
Kirei teased. "Well, I gotta be going... the
silly clique
thing, y'know? It really gets old, you're lucky to escape
it..."
"Bye, Kirei."
"Bye, Michiru... and, uh, you two. I don't know you... oh well, bye all."
After Kirei had left, Elza commented, "I always thought your family was odd."
"Be quiet,
Elza. At least she's trying to get along, unlike my parents, and
of
course Suteki..."
"Good point."
"Well, I really need to eat--"
"Oh yeah! Food!" Cindy
smacked her forehead. "C'mon, little miss track star,
need to
keep your energy up."
Elza blew a raspberry at her, then they all began to eat.
At the end of the day, Haruka
made sure she reminded Bofu that she wouldn't
be going to be at
practice, then went straight to the race track. She could
feel her
heart pounding with excitement. It was still early, and the
race
wouldn't be for a few hours, but she wanted to be there
anyways.
Engi waved and smiled to her as she walked into the
garage. "Well, Haruka-
chan, you ready for tonight's
debut?"
"You bet I am!" Haruka punched her fist
into her palm. "I'm going to kick
some serious ass!"
"Don't
get cocky," he warned. "Go out there aiming to do a great
job, and
be happy if you do win, but don't be mad if you don't
place first, ok?"
Haruka winked. "I'll be a bit disappointed, but hey, it's my first time."
"Can't win 'em all."
Haruka laughed and said, "Well, once I
start making first place, I'll probably
expect to."
Engi
chuckled a bit and said, "I know what that's like... I used to
race, you
know. But I'm getting too old for this now. I'll let all
the young guys-- and
girls-- have all the glory and fame."
"I didn't realize you'd raced!"
"How'd you think I know so much about cars and racing them?"
"Uh... er... I
don't know. I never thought about that." Haruka scratched
her
head, then looked around a bit. "Hey, where's
everyone?"
"Some of them are getting off work still.
Others, I don't know. Probably being
lazy, don't feel like showing
up yet. I've seen several cars that could use some
last-minute
tune-ups, but there's no one around yet. Too cocky." He shook
his
head. "You should always show up really early. Good
habit."
"How's my car?"
"Why don't
you take a look at her yourself?" Engi led her to the sleek red
car
she drove. "Unless there's been a change since yesterday,
she's doing fine."
Haruka smiled. "Good. Man, I love
this car!" She ran her hand along it, and
commented, "Once
I get a good amount of money racing, enough to help pay for
school
and things, I want to get my own car to drive around."
"The legal driving age is--"
"Yeah, yeah, so what if it's
18, I love driving and damnit, I'm going to drive!
Besides, I
could get a motorcycle license pretty soon... I'll turn 16 in
the
next school year..."
"Think you'd even want a motorcycle?"
"Why not? I'd like to try them sometime."
"Hmmm... that reminds me, you could try racing dirt bikes and things sometime."
"Let me
enjoy F1 for now," she said, grinning, "but eventually I'll
move on to
other things as well."
"Good! I'd
hate to see you waste all your skill on one thing." Engi
quickly
glanced over her car, then said, "Will your mother be
coming to watch?"
"Yes, and my aunt, too, and maybe an old friend of mine."
"It'll be nice to have people you know be here."
"Yeah."
Someone
rapped their knuckles against the door as they came in. Haruka
looked
to see Hayasa there, an amused look on his face. "Pizza
delivery," he called,
holding out a few boxes. "Thought
we should have something to eat... Where
is everyone?"
"Not here."
"Always the comedian, Haruka," he said dryly. "Well, they'd better get here soon.
I didn't buy all these pizzas for no reason."
"Money out of your own pocket, Erai-kun?" Engi teased.
"Don't call me that! Yeah, I paid for it myself. Got the money, don't I?"
"I'll
call you whatever I feel like, boy," Engi said, throwing a rag
at him. "Now
come on, let's eat. The others can join in once
they get here. Oh, and Haruka,"
he turned towards her, "go
ahead and get your fire suit on. We don't need to
broadcast your
gender to everyone. Some of the guys you'll race with are jerks
that
will report you just as soon as look at you."
"Gotcha."
Haruka went into a backroom and changed. She glanced at the clock
and
sighed bitterly. Hurry up and be time! She wanted to race
right that moment,
not wait. She didn't care that she still had to
sit through the time trials,
either. Just being in her car,
driving it on the track was enough.
She wobbled a bit on her
feet and had to sit down. Damnit, a vision coming...
seemingly the
same as always, and once it was over, she noticed someone was
knocking on the door.
"Haruka-chan, you all right in there?" Engi called.
"Fine."
"Ok,
you're just taking longer than usual. Sure you're ok? Pre-race
jitters
maybe?"
"I said I'm fine." What in
the world... the vision was usually short, why
would it be longer?
It seemed the same... Oh well.
She opened the door with a smile. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's eat!"
Michiru
practically dragged Kirei by the arm to the race track. Kirei
told
her they had all the time in the world, but Michiru insisted
on getting there
at least half an hour early.
Michiru was
excited to see they had front-row seats. Michiru looked around the
stadium to see who else might be there. Murasaki and Kanpeki were
several seats
over, sitting with Sunao and Teinei. Kanpeki was
coughing and fanning her face;
she hated exhaust fumes. Teinei
noticed Michiru and waved, then nudged Sunao.
Sunao gave her a
huge smiled, making Michiru quite glad. She had Sunao's approval
to
pursue her daughter, and it thrilled Michiru to know that at least
one of them
wouldn't have difficulties with their parents over
the situation. Elza and Cindy
were a few more rows back from
that, and two women were with them, one a red-head
and the other
with black hair. Michiru assumed those were her parents; the
red-
head must be their real mom.
"Eeeee! There's
Hayasa-san, walking on the edge of the track! Ohhh, he's so
cute
even from here! Ahhh! He's coming this way!"
"Calm down, Kir--"
"You know you'll just leap from your
seat when Haruka walks out!" Kirei teased,
smiling at her.
"Let me have my fun."
Hayasa walked over to the
fence in front of where Murasaki sat. They talked a
bit, then
Kanpeki pointed over to where the sisters sat. Hayasa smiled
and
winked. Kirei squealed with excitement, then shrieked as he
walked over.
"Your sister tells me you wanted to meet me?"
"Yes, yes, I did! Hi!"
"Hi there. What's your name?"
"Kirei! Kaiou Kirei!"
Hayasa took her hand and kissed it lightly. "A pleasure to meet you."
Michiru chuckled as Kirei swooned.
"Ah, Kanpeki's triplet. Nice to meet you... what
brings you here?" he asked
Michiru.
Michiru smiled a bit, then said, "I'm here to see a new racer."
"Ah, Ten'ou Haruka, perhaps?"
"Yes, you know he-- um,
him?" Michiru almost slipped and said 'her',
then
realized Haruka might not have revealed her gender to the
other racers.
Hayasa raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I know...
him. We're good friends, actually,
racing buddies." He leaned
forward a bit. "You know more about Haruka than
the others
here, I assume. You almost slipped."
"Yes, I know
her... she doesn't know me." Michiru inwardly smacked herself.
What was she telling him this for?!
"Ahh, well then,
I won't mention this to her..." He then winked at Kirei as
he
said, "But I'll just have to mention this cutie I
met. Maybe she'll be
jealous that I met a pretty girl and she
didn't."
Kirei blushed and giggled.
"Maybe
we'll see each other again sometime? Just get Kanpeki-chan to tell
Murasaki-chan... those two are joined at the hip! Murasaki's a
good friend of
mine, so she'll pass it on."
"Sure! Thank you!" Kirei waved to him. "Good luck!"
"Thanks, bye."
Kirei sighed softly as he left. "This has to
be the best thing that's happened
to me in a long time. Wow, was
he ever nice!"
"Yes, he was."
"Such a gentleman, too! Kissing my hand even..."
Michiru smiled. "He's older than you, you know."
"Not by much! Just a couple years."
"Do you like older men?"
"Not too much older, but yes. I don't want
some dork whose voice still cracks.
I want him to be more mature,
but still fun."
"You have rather specific tastes!"
"Well, don't we all?"
They
looked out to the track, where the time trials were starting to wind
down.
Some silly advertisement played on the screen. They started
showing some pictures
of the regular racers, then mentioned the
"first race of Ten'ou Haruka, the
youngest racer out here!
Last year of junior high at Goban Yobi-ko. Heading for
his time
trial now."
Girls started screaming as they saw Haruka
emerge from the garage. Michiru
sat up in her seat.
"Whoa... if I didn't know she was really a girl, damn!"
"She
does pull it off, I just don't know how... You'd think she was flat
and had
no hips, but that's not true... You should see her in her
pajamas."
"Michiru! I would not enjoy that!... You didn't watch her undress, did you?"
"NO!! God, I'm not a pervert, Kirei-chan!"
Kirei breathed a sigh of relief. "Ok, good. Had me worried there a moment..."
They sat back and watched their respective
racers get into their cars. Haruka
was the last trial, and after
that, the race would begin.
Haruka breezed through the
time trial, taking things leisurely, for her.
She wanted to
impress everyone by being a new racer that had some speed
going,
but still start far enough back to make things interesting. When she
finished, they told her she'd be starting tenth. She got out of
her car to
get a last drink of water and stretch.
Hayasa
finished up his time trial fourth, then came over to her.
"Haruka-san,
I know you can do better than that!
Tenth!"
"Relax," she said. "It wouldn't be any challenge if I started first."
"You're a nut, Haruka-san. You better start first next race."
He stopped
as someone came over to tell them to get back into their
cars.
Everyone else started revving their engines and getting
ready to start.
"Good luck, Hayasa-kun!" Haruka shouted over the roar of engines.
"You too, Haruka-san!" he returned, winking as he gave her a thumbs-up sign.
Haruka
slipped into her car, adrenaline already pumping through her veins.
This was it. Her big moment. Suddenly, the helmet she pulled on
didn't seem
so constricting, the fire suit so hot and stuffy, her
hands in her gloves so
constricting, the fumes so nauseating, her
starting place so far back. It all
lead up to the race, the
speed, the excitement.
She placed her hands on the wheel,
anxious for the start. The sound of the
engine seemed to beg to be
put to work. Some people waved to her, and she
waved back. She
gripped the wheel. Come on, come on, come on...
Finally, they
announced the beginning of the race. The lights came on. Ready,
set...
The light changed, and the cars started moving at
once. Haruka quickly pulled
in front of a few cars that were near
her, flooring the pedal to shoot ahead.
Despite the shielding and
her clothing, she could feel the wind perfectly. She
felt herself
move at speeds she could never hope to reach on her own. She
easily
turned a corner, noticing out of the corner of her eye that some
other
racers had bumped into each other trying the same
corner.
Ah, here we go... Hayasa wasn't that far ahead of her
now, with only a few
cars between them. She waited for her
chance, then pulled in front of the car
just in front of her. This
seemed to surprise the man now ahead of her. He
didn't react as he
should have, and she pulled in front of him as well. A
long
straight-away, this was where she was best. It didn't take much
effort
to pull right behind Hayasa. She smirked a bit, enjoying
the speed she'd
reached. There was a bend up ahead, and she
prepared to turn. The man
behind her was getting in position to
try and pass her, and she noted that
as she rounded it. She moved
to block him, then noticed Hayasa was far
enough away for her to
safely pull in front of him as well.
Two more to go, and she'd be in first...
Everyone was standing up, screaming.
Michiru felt excited for Haruka-- here
she was, the new racer, and
she was in third already! Kirei was screaming
to, at Hayasa to
regain his position.
"Wow, that new guy's great!" Michiru overheard someone say.
"And he's hot, too!"
Michiru smiled to herself, and went back to watching the race.
Haruka carefully edged closer to
the car in front of her. He was being rather
difficult, and she
couldn't get ahead of him quite yet. He was no coward;
others had
moved out of the way, fearing a crash, but he just kept going,
not
backing down.
He would make a mistake. They always did.
There it was! He tried to pull in front of the first
place racer, and had to
fall back a bit when he couldn't get
around. Haruka swerved out to the side,
then shot in front of both
of them. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and
inside she was
screaming in delight. She kept picking up speed, intent on
widening
the gap between her and the other racers. A quick glance revealed
the
audience on their feet, apparently screaming, from the sight of all
the
open mouths.
She completed the first lap with ease. She
was intent on keeping her speed,
but knew she'd have to slow for
the turns. She checked to see how much
distance she had between
her and the others. Good, she could be cautious and
not have to
worry about them gaining too much. Heck, she could make a pit
stop
or two without losing her position.
It was a breeze to keep
ahead of them all throughout all the laps. She lapped
some people.
She stopped to change tires and get some more fuel. The other
racers
posed no challenge. When she neared the finish line the final time,
Hayasa had pulled into second, and was getting close. She quickly
checked
her fuel gauge, then decided to go all-out for the
finish. Pressing the pedal
down hard, she shot off full speed for
the finish line.
Everything seemed to slow in her mind. She
could see it coming. She felt a
brush of wind against her cheek.
Pressure pushed against her from the speed.
Fans were screaming,
jumping up in the air. The other racers moved farther
and farther
behind. There it was, coming closer, closer...
She literally shouted as she crossed it, well ahead of everyone else.
"HARUKA WON!!" Michiru screamed.
"Hayasa-kun got second!" Kirei added.
They were both shrieking in excitement, then
they hugged each other tightly
on impulse.
"I can't believe it!" Michiru said. "She did it!"
"Hush, let's see what happens now."
Everyone finally
slowed to a stop. Haruka leapt from the car, ripping her
helmet
from her head as Hayasa and Engi ran over to her.
"You
did it!" Engi shouted, slapping her on the back
enthusiastically, then
pulling her in for a fatherly hug.
Hayasa
gave her a high five and winked. "Beginner's luck," he
teased as he
gave her a bear hug.
"Sure it was!"
Haruka laughed, throwing her arms up in the air, her head back.
A
gust of wind hit her at that moment, blowing her hair from her face.
She
closed her eyes, enjoying it. This is what she lived for. The
speed, the rush,
just like the wind, closer than any other human
could be. She could hear it,
feel it, taste it. And it was happy
for her.
Hayasa grabbed her arm and dragged her to collect her
trophy and prize money.
Haruka paused a moment to wave and wink to
all the screaming girls, then
followed him.
The trophy was
beautiful, the amount of money staggering. She couldn't believe
her
eyes. She got all this for having the time of her life?
Cameras
were snapping pictures left and right, reporters trying to push
their
way towards her, video cameras rolling. Haruka caught a
glimpse of Sunao's
face, bobbing through the crowd, trying to get
through.
"Okaa-san!" she shouted, waving. That got
them to let her by. Sunao rushed
over and hugged her tightly, and
she seemed close to tears.
"Oh Haruka, that was wonderful. I'm so proud of you!"
"Thank you, okaa-san," she murmured.
This was truly the best thing that had ever happened to her.
Michiru sighed gratefully as she stepped into the hot shower. Three weeks
had passed since she saw Haruka race for the first time. She'd raced every
week since, and Michiru made sure to go every time. She always started and
placed first. The media was going nuts about her, plastering her face on
magazines, newspapers, and television stories.
Michiru was having her own share of fame. Her CD was
selling fast, and her
performances were selling out. She performed
every Saturday night, and
again Sunday afternoon. People asked for
her to play on Fridays, but she
declined... after all, she had to
watch Haruka race.
The daimon attacks were getting more
frequent now, averaging two a week.
Michiru was terrified. They
were getting harder to fight, and she knew they'd
just get worse.
She needed Uranus's help. She needed it quickly.
Michiru
shivered with excitement. Today was the day. Today she would
meet
Haruka face to face. Her face burned whenever she thought
about it. What a way
to start a new week. She didn't know how
she'd make it through the day.
The sea was calm. Thank
goodness; she wouldn't have to worry about a daimon
spoiling
things. Everything was going to be ok. Everything would be
great.
She stepped out of the shower to dress for school. It
was going to be ok.
It had to be.
Haruka woke up
screaming again. She stumbled out of bed into the kitchen.
Thank
God Sunao wasn't here to question her about it. The visions were
more
and more frequent now, not just every few days, but sometimes
a few times
a day. It had interfered with the start of a race the
other day, but she
managed to recover. She almost collapsed while
running in her first track
meet because of a vision, but somehow
her body knew to keep moving, just
going with the wind.
The
wind... every few days now, she could feel it's uneasiness in the way
it
would rustle. She didn't know why she did, or how, but somehow
it happened.
She had a track meet today. Maybe she could sort
things out then. Running
gave her time to think while letting her
enjoy the company of the wind.
Was something going to happen today? The wind was being strange...
Finally, the
school day was over! Michiru rushed to meet Elza and walk with
her
to the track for her meet. Elza would be racing Haruka, and would
introduce
her afterwards. Elza still remained confident she would
win. Michiru knew
otherwise.
She held her sketchbook in
hand. Stay calm, Michiru. Just ask her to pose for
a painting.
Simple. If you have to, mention the wind... that will get her
attention. She'll realize you aren't just some ordinary
girl.
She sighed and sat to wait for the race to end.
Haruka stretched a lot, as usual, to make sure
she didn't injure herself. A lot
of kids were racing today, some
she'd raced with before, others were new.
There was a cute
girl with red hair racing by her. Haruka vaguely recognized
her
as a top racer. Haruka wasn't intimidated. The girl looked over at
her,
and said, "Hello there."
"Hi. Haven't raced you before."
"I haven't ran here in awhile. Been busy."
"Well, I always look forward to racing
someone that's supposed to be unbeatable.
You do realize I'm going
to win?" Haruka questioned as she stood up tall, ending
her
stretching.
The vision hit her when she stopped stretching.
For some reason, the girl in it
seemed sadder than usual. When
she came out of it, the red-head commented to her,
"I've
heard you're fast, but I'm not going to lose."
Haruka smirked a bit. "Oh really? Why's that?"
"I'm Elza Grey, and I lose to no one!"
They took up their
starting positions. The gun shot rang out, and everyone took
off.
Some kids tried to get an early lead, others were saving energy for
the end.
Elza wanted an early lead. Maybe she could last the whole race, if she got it.
Haruka took the early lead. She would definitely last the whole race.
Haruka ran effortlessly,
as always. Elza was struggling hard, trying to keep up
and get
ahead. Haruka didn't give her full effort. A track meet wasn't worth
it.
It was easily won without going all out.
Haruka
crossed the finish line and slowed to a stop. Elza finished second,
breathing hard, a disappointed look on her face. Haruka didn't
bother to stick
around long. People congratulated her as she
walked away. She went over to where
the runners kept their bags
and things, and pulled her racing clothes on over
her track
clothes. What a boring day. She couldn't wait to leave.
She
heard footsteps approaching. Two people... hmmm... Who could that be?
One
hesitated, the other came forward.
Elza. She smiled and
said, "Ten'ou Haruka! I've heard your reputation. You're
really
great." She paused briefly, then said, "There's someone I'd
like you to
meet. Come on, Michiru!"
Haruka fought to
keep her jaw from dropping. She barely noticed Elza saying,
"This
is Kaiou Michiru. She is extremely intelligent and a brilliant
painter.
She really wants to meet you."
Really wants
to meet me? This gorgeous girl? ... Lord Almighty, she was
the
most beautiful girl Haruka had ever seen. She had incredible
deep blue eyes,
soft but inviting; wavy seagreen hair that fell
around her shoulders, held
black with a black headband; full lips
that looked so soft and sweet; a delicate
chin and high
cheekbones; small but elegant hands; a bit taller than
average,
slender, well-developed, quite feminine in appearance;
wearing the school
uniform, but looking much cuter in it than
anyone else did. She was clasping a
sketchbook in front of her,
head lowered, having closed her eyes, a blush just
barely
flushing her cheeks. Haruka's heart pounded at the sight of her, and
she
felt her blood heat up. She was attracted to her immediately.
She wanted to get
to know her... she wanted her. When Elza
finished speaking, she opened her
eyes and stepped forward.
She
spoke, the voice of an angel, so sweet and kind, "You didn't
break a sweat.
I think you were holding back. Right?"
"What do you mean?" She could tell?
Michiru tilted her head
slightly, a sly grin appearing on her face. "You can hear
the
wind rustling, can't you?"
WHAT?! All traces of
nonchalance were erased from her face and her eyes shot open.
She
stared hard at Michiru, who stared right back, but her gaze was
wistful,
taking her in, while Haruka's was one of horror.
What... how... And suddenly, a sharp chill went through her.
Oh no, no, it
couldn't be... but gazing at Michiru, hearing what
she said... this was the girl
in the vision. The girl begging her
to join her mission... to leave her life, to
risk it for some
strange cause. To give up all she'd worked for... all she'd
tried
to accomplish, to fight, be hurt, and maybe die. To make her life a
living
hell all over again, but this time it would be
willingly.
Haruka felt like something in her had died. How
could fate be so cruel? To give
her a girl she was dying to be
with, but place this price on being close to her.
How could she just give up her new life for her?
Fighting back her
tears, she tried to sound and look disinterested and cold.
She
grabbed her bag up, slinging it over her shoulder. "You're
strange," she
said, turning away. "So, want do you want
of me?"
She looked over her shoulder to see Michiru as
she said in an excited tone,
"Would you be a model for my
painting?" Her voice left no doubt as to what she
was feeling
for Haruka.
Haruka's heart skipped a beat. No... Even worse,
this girl was interested in
her as well. "Pass! I don't like
that kind of thing." I don't like that kind
of thing, but I
like you...
She could sense Michiru's pain, the hopes
she'd crush. Her eyes threatened
to brim over with tears as she
walked away from Michiru.
God... I hate you. I hate you for doing this to me.
Michiru's head sagged, and she just
stood there trembling, her face unreadable
except for the tears
welling in her eyes. She swallowed hard and turned
to
Elza.
"Michiru?... Are... Are you all right?"
"I'm
fine," Michiru said, her voice carefully controlled. "I-It's
just a minor
set-back. She's probably just... just stressed from
all that's happening. I'll
talk to her again some other time. I'm
fine..."
"Michiru, you look pale--"
"I'm
fine," Michiru said again. Her knuckles were turning white from
her grip
on her sketchbook. "I'm going home now. I'll see you
later."
"If you're sure... I'll see you."
Michiru
calmly walked away from the track. Elza watched her leave, then
turned
away.
When Michiru was sure no one could see her,
she ran. She'd never run so fast in her
life. She'd never felt
this hopeless. She'd never felt this much pain.
How could she
do this to me?! How could this happen to me?! After all these
months,
after all this waiting, all this time... she just gives me the
brush
off?!
She cried out as she stumbled and fell. She had run into
her backyard, lay
near the lake. She felt the sea share her agony.
The waters cried with her.
She screamed, tearing up the grass.
I love her... I love her so much... and she doesn't care.
She
shook all over, racked with sobs. Ki ran outside to see what the
commotion
was, followed by the other children.
Ki tried to
go to her, but Kirei and Kanpeki got there first. Kanpeki sat her
up, hugging her tightly, and Kirei motioned for Genki to pick her
up. She made
Ki step aside as they carried Michiru up to her
room.
How can I go on? How can I complete my mission, knowing
she doesn't care? How
can it be completed at all, if I don't have
my partner?
"Michiru... please... stop crying,"
Kanpeki pleaded. "Please... you need
to calm down."
Michiru pushed her away, crying out, "Leave me alone! Get away from me!"
"What happened?" Kirei asked softly. "I thought you were meeting Haru--"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Kirei flinched, then bit her lip and left. Genki
gave her a hug, then led
Kanpeki out with him, shutting and
locking the door.
Michiru lay back in her bed, too weak to
move. She closed her eyes and tried
to ignore the pain. She
couldn't stop sobbing, and ended up coughing violently.
She
couldn't breathe, and she doubled over from the effort. Gasping,
coughing
harder, she ran for her bathroom and threw up.
She
lay on the floor in there afterwards, not wanting to move. She
struggled
to stand and rinsed her mouth out, then went and flopped
on her bed again.
"Michiru..." Setsuna. At a time like this.
"What the hell do you want?!" Michiru cried out. "Can't you see that I'm--"
And then
Setsuna was there in person, in her fuku, as usual. "Michiru-chan,
I
know what happened. Please, don't give up. It's going to be
ok."
"How can it be ok?!"
"Just
keep trying. It'll be all right. Haruka's not one to rush into
things, you
should know that. She terrified right now. She's had
the visions everyday now,
and they're started to interfere with
her life. She's afraid to accept the
mission."
"Wh... what are you trying to say?"
Pluto smiled sadly, then
said quietly, "It's not that she isn't interested in
you.
She's afraid of losing her life, the one she's made for herself. She
doesn't want to be a Senshi."
"A-are you sure?"
"Yes." Pluto sat down by her and said,
"Michiru, you're my friend, and I'm
going to look out for
both you and Haruka. Just give her time. Be her friend.
It may
take awhile, but she'll learn to get over her fear and accept
things."
"How am I supposed to--"
Pluto
chuckled and said, "I have... connections... at your school. I
have
arranged for you to switch around your classes so you'll have
the same as her.
You won't need to worry about P.E., they'll make
an exception in your case."
She winked and said, "They
just won't realize it."
Michiru sniffled and said, "You're an interesting person, Setsuna-chan."
Pluto
laughed and said, "When you're stuck by yourself for a long
time, you
learn to think your way through all sorts of possible
situations."
She stood up and smiled sadly. "Well, I've
got to leave again. Remember, it's
going to be all
right."
"Th-thank you, Setsuna-chan."
"You're welcome, Michiru-chan." Pluto seemed to shimmer as she disappeared.
Michiru hugged her pillow tightly. Could things
really work out between her
and Haruka? She was very grateful for
Setsuna visiting her and talking to her,
not to mention
rearranging her classes. How in the world had she done it?
The
doorbell rang. Michiru assumed someone else had gotten it. Shortly
after
that, she heard someone coming up the stairs, then knock on
her door.
"Michiru-chan? It's me, Elza. Can I come in?"
Michiru got up and smoothed her hair, then unlocked the door. "Um, hi..."
Elza shut the door behind her,
and handed over her sketchbook. "I figured you
weren't as
fine as you said you were. You've always been too good at hiding
how
you feel, especially when you're upset. Tell me the truth, are
you all right?"
"I'll live." Michiru sighed sadly.
Elza hugged her, saying quietly, "I know it hurts
to have her act like that,
but like you said, she's been going
through hard times, right? So she's
probably just afraid of
relationships right now."
"Yeah..."
Elza
pulled away and said, "My ex-boyfriend... he was so rude to me
at first,
but he eventually came around. He treated me like a
queen after a few months."
"Ex?"
"He
moved to Europe last year," Elza said quietly. "I really
miss him... But
enough about me, right?"
Michiru smiled. "Thank you for coming over."
"No
problem. We're friends, and friends look out for each other. Come
on,
let's go get some ice cream. Nothing like chocolate chip
cookie dough to
cheer you up. My treat."
"I think I'll just rest some... I'm fine, really. I'm just really tired."
Elza looked at her with concern. "Are you
sure you're ok now? I mean, after
what happened and all?"
"Well I... had a visit, of sorts."
"Huh?"
"Nevermind.
Let's just say, I had a talk with someone. I'll be fine. I'll
...
I'll try to see you at school tomorrow, but I'm changing my
schedule."
"Um, ok. See ya."
"Bye, Elza-chan."
As Elza shut the door behind her, Michiru
curled up in a ball on her bed. It'll
be all right, she told
herself. It'll work out. Don't start crying again. Things
will be
fine.
Haruka slammed the door of the apartment shut,
making a picture fall from its
hook on the wall with the force of
it. Sunao tried to talk to her as she
stormed past to go to her
room. She slammed that door too, and flopped onto her
bed.
Part
of her was numb, unable to accept what had happened. The other part
was
screaming bitterly, sobbing hard. She lay their, eyes fixed on
the ceiling,
unmoving.
Sunao quietly opened the door and
sat down at Haruka's side. "Is something
wrong?"
"I-I'm
fine, okaa-san, I..." Haruka left a long pause, continuing to
stare
at he ceiling. She closed her eyes and muttered. "I
need to get away from
here, from everything."
"Oh?... Well, do you want your own apartment?"
What a way to
twist her words... but it would be better than being trapped
here.
"Please... I'll pay for it myself. I'll move today, I don't
care..."
"I-If that's what you really want. I'll call some places right now."
Sunao got up and left, and
Haruka buried her face in her pillow, crying into
it. She tried to
convince herself that it wasn't worth crying over; she'd just
met
this girl, knew nothing about her... but deep inside, she felt like
she
did know her, that somehow this girl was perfect for her, if
only...
Why did the mission have to be a part of it? Why did
that damned Senshi junk
have to be mixed in? She couldn't accept
it, and by refusing that, she refused
Michiru. Why couldn't she
just be with Michiru and not deal with the mission?
After half
an hour, Sunao came in again. "I found a place for you in the
downtown area. It's about the size of this place, rather nice...
a bit pricey,
but you can cover it, right? Closer to the
school..."
"Fine. I'll be packing."
Sunao
seemed almost hurt, but nodded. Haruka looked at her sadly, then
said,
"I'm sorry, okaa-san, I... I just need to be alone. I
need to get away from
everyone, even you. I can't let my troubles
bother you. You... you really can't
do anything for me now. I'm
sorry."
Sunao lowered her head. "I... I'm sorry I couldn't be a better mother--"
"No, no, that's not
it..." Haruka sighed. "I just have too many personal
issues
that I can't let you get involved with. Just... get on with
your life. We'll
still see each other... I'll call you..."
Sunao hugged her tightly. "I love you, Haruka."
"I love you, okaa-san."
Sunao sniffled a bit and left the
room, and Haruka quickly packed her things,
called the friend
they'd borrowed the van from before, and drove it to the
new
address. She examined the apartment critically when she arrived. It
was
more than enough for her alone. It came with nice furniture.
It wasn't too
much money, considering what she earned
racing.
After quickly unpacking her things, she went to stand
out on the balcony.
It was very windy that night, so she rested in
the chair there, closing her
eyes.
It wasn't like she'd see
Michiru again... she'd never met her till that day,
so they must
not have any classes together. She could get over her, in time.
It
would be fine. She just had to avoid seeing her.
She almost screamed at the terrifying vision that entered her mind then.
"Haruka..."
It was too dark to see clearly... just a bright red coming
from
somewhere... too much wind to
keep balance...
"Haruka... please..."
She struggled to
look up and saw Michiru in her sailor fuku, her face
more sad and pleading than ever.
"Please... don't be afraid... we need you..."
Other Senshi could be seen faintly, fighting, dying?
"No, I can't... you don't need me! You can do this without me!"
Michiru's eyes closed, tears
streaming down her face. A silhouette
rose up behind her, a girl with shoulder-length hair, wielding a
large weapon... a glaive? It started lowering
towards the ground,
time seeming to
slow as she did so.
"Please... Everyone is counting on us..."
"No!"
"Please, for the sake of the world--"
"NO!"
Suddenly, there
was a bright flash of light, the sound of millions of
screams. A cluster of metal ribbons shot out from the
glaive, tearing
first Michiru, then
the other Senshi to pieces. They shot out everywhere,
covering the Earth.
Haruka
opened her eyes, finding herself lying on the floor of her
balcony,
sweating and crying.
"It's just a vision... just a vision..."
She shuddered and swayed as she stood
up. It was just too vivid, too real...
the pain seemed so real,
the screams...
She passed out on the floor of the apartment
before she could make it to her
bed.
