So, I actually stayed up past the time I needed to go to bed in order to finish this chapter for everybody. I hope you all appreciate it :P
I need to be awake in about 7 hours to get ready for work. More training for me. Going to be going from 9am to 8pm tomorrow, training Tuesday and Wednesday, then nothing Thursday, and going from 10am to 10pm on Friday. Wish me luck. My check will be amazing, but still I'll be like a zombie.
Anyway, please enjoy this chapter. Some more walls come down.
What Happened To Us?
Chapter 10
"Yuki, clean up this mess." Haruka yelled the moment she hung up the phone. Spread out on the kitchen table was her daughters completed homework. Yuki had a habit that Haruka always had in school. She'd take up the entire table while doing her homework, but once she finished, it wouldn't get put away for hours afterwards. "Now young lady!" She called out again when she noticed the young girl had not moved from in front of the television.
"Mama, I'll get it before bed like I always do." Yuki whined. Then she huffed as she got up to enter the kitchen. "Why can't I get it later?"
The blonde pulled out a bottle of beer from the fridge and popped the cap. "You can get it now. It's not going to kill you."
"It might." Yuki pouted, quickly cleaning up her papers, folders, and books. "You shouldn't drink so much mama."
Haruka chuckled at her daughter. It wasn't every day that she heard her daughter telling her what to do. "I don't drink that much. Just when I'm nervous."
The girl's brow furrowed some. Her mama was never nervous. To her, Haruka was a brave, strong woman and Yuki wanted to be just like her when she got older. "But you don't get nervous. Why are you nervous?"
"We have someone coming over shortly." The words instantly brought a smile to Yuki's face. In all honesty, it wasn't often that someone came to them since they lived fairly far outside of the city limits. "That's why I need you to clean up honey."
The girl nodded, the smile never leaving her lips. "Who's coming over?" She tucked the last of her school books into her backpack and moved it out by the front door.
Being nervous about Michiru coming over was only part of it. She was mostly nervous over the fact that Yuki was there. She had no idea how her young daughter would react to seeing the woman she hadn't seen in two years. Haruka had never fully explained to Yuki why Michiru never came around after their slight argument. She briefly remembered the conversation she had with her, then, five year old daughter.
-Two Years Prior-
"Is Michiru still going to the park with us mama?" Yuki bounded up to her mother, small bag already thrown over her shoulder.
"No, she left last night… I don't think she's coming back." Haruka whispered. She was still trying to fight off some of her own tears at the fact that Michiru was out of her life… again. Only this time, she probably wasn't coming back.
"Why not?"
Haruka couldn't even look at her daughter. She could tell just by the tone of her voice that Yuki was close to crying. Looking at Yuki would send herself over the edge, and the last thing she wanted, was Yuki to see her cry over another person that wasn't her mama. "I don't know honey. I wish I did…"
A soft sob escaped the child's lips. "Is it something I did?"
The blonde let out a dry chuckle before sliding her arm around the young girl and pulling her close. "No sweetheart… I don't know why, but I do know it had nothing to do with you."
"Mama?" She frowned at her mother, noticing she was off in her own little world. "Who's coming over?"
Haruka quickly finished her beer before looking at her daughter. She wasn't sure if she should even tell Yuki it was Michiru. What if Michiru changed her mind at the last minute? What if she just never showed up? "Go brush your teeth and start getting ready for bed."
"Who's coming over?" She asked one more time. She knew if Haruka didn't answer her than she wasn't going to answer her.
"Michiru…"
The girl squealed upon hearing the name. Happiness instantly washing over her. She never said another word as she ran down the hallway then disappeared into the bathroom to start her nightly routine.
"I'll get it mama!" The girl yelled out when the doorbell rang about an hour later. She was able to get to the door long before her mother.
Haruka's eyes rolled as a light laugh escaped her lips. She slowly followed behind her daughter and leaned against the doorframe. Her arms became crossed over her chest as she simply watched. "Well open it already."
"Michiru!" Yuki practically jumped into the woman's arm after she opened the door. "Where have you been? I've missed you so much!" She refused to let go of Michiru as she walked into the house.
Michiru wrapped her arms around the little girl, easily supporting her weight as she entered the house. "I've just had to do some thinking honey."
"That's a lot of time to think though. I never think that much."
Haruka snickered from her spot. Yuki definitely said odd things at odd times. "Hey Michiru."
The star blushed some when she looked up. Her eyes instantly locked with Haruka's. It was the first time they'd been face to face in the last week. But even with that time apart, it didn't break that connection she knows she had during their dinner. "Hello Haruka."
Haruka surprised both herself, and Michiru when she stepped forward and pulled the slightly shorter woman in for a hug. Her walls were breaking down, and it wasn't taking any time at all for them to do so either. She just hoped she'd be able to keep them up long enough to make sure Michiru was real. That all of her feelings, and her wording, were the truth.
"She's finally asleep, I'm sorry that took so long." Haruka spoke as she sat on the sofa beside Michiru.
"She is just a kid Haruka. She's going to be defiant." Michiru giggled when the blonde glared at her. "I'm just stating a well known fact. And you know it." She poked her finger into the taller woman's bicep.
Haruka's first reaction was to grab the attacking hand. The only initial problem was that she didn't let it go. Deep inside, she felt another large chunk of her emotional wall crumble away. "So what happened at your party? Figured now, with Yuki in bed, you could tell me."
Michiru leaned back on the cushions before crossing her right leg over her left. "His name was Taro. He couldn't get the hint that I wasn't interested in him."
The blonde finally pulled her hand away from Michiru's and leaned back herself. Putting distance between herself and her former lover was the best bet. It helped to curb any impulse she felt to throw herself at the smaller woman. "Who was he? Why was he even at your party?" Taro wasn't a name that she'd ever heard Michiru mention to her over the last week of them talking.
"Denji's brother. He introduced him to me and then ran off to leave me with him." Michiru reached up to pull her hair out of the bun she'd placed it in earlier that night. Now that she was out of the party and in a more comfortable place. What she didn't notice though, were Haruka's eyes locked on her. "Taro was such an ass. He kept trying to get me to go to a more… alone place with him."
Loud laughter filled the room. Haruka knew a lot of things about Michiru, and one thing she knew about her was that she wasn't easy. "He was full of himself wasn't he?"
Hearing Haruka's laughter brought a smile to Michiru's face. For a brief moment, she felt as if everything was like it used to be between them. She felt at home, being able to talk to the blonde like she was. "Apparently Denji told him I was very lonely and he took it upon himself to make it better."
Haruka just shook her head before standing up. "Would you like a drink Michiru?"
"I'd love one actually." She smiled warmly up at the blonde who returned the smile.
The blonde disappeared around the corner and into the kitchen. She took a deep breath once she knew she was out of view. Offering Michiru a drink meant something big. It felt like more than a friendly gesture to her. It was a personal offering. By offering Michiru a drink, she knew the woman would be staying longer now. Something inside told Haruka that it was okay though. That same something told her she could trust her again. She really wanted to believe that and to know she could trust Michiru again.
After filling two glasses of white wine, Haruka returned to the living room and offered one to the star. The filled the room with small talk for several hours. They shared information about what had happened to them over the past two years, and Michiru finally broke down to someone who wasn't her doctor about her depression and anxiety.
Their wine glasses were soon forgotten, and Haruka found herself with her arms wrapped around the smaller woman, comforting her as she cried. Haruka always hated when Michiru cried. Even with their past, she still couldn't stand to see the woman cry. So she did what she did best and offer her shoulder to cry on… literally.
"It's like I told you last time, I just couldn't take it anymore." Michiru spoke after an eternity of being silent. She didn't dare to speak while she was crying.
Haruka pulled away some to cup Michiru's cheek. She completely understood the feeling of being completely and utterly alone. She felt Michiru's pain. Using the pad of her thumb, she wiped away some of the tears from her eyes. "All better." She smiled softly, allowing her thumb to caress the smooth skin of Michiru's cheek.
"Thanks…" Michiru's voice was soft as she stared into the blonde's teal colored eyes. She didn't allow her eyes to move as she felt that familiar magnetic draw that pulled her closer to Haruka.
Haruka, on the other hand, felt the same draw. The only difference was, she stopped it. She forced herself not to kiss Michiru. Even as much as she wanted to, she shook her head. "We can't Michiru…"
Michiru suddenly felt horrible. She couldn't believe she tried to kiss Haruka so soon after reconnecting with her. "Haruka I…" She felt herself tremble, suddenly fearing rejection from the taller woman.
She wanted to snap. She wanted to yell and scream at Michiru for even attempting it. But she couldn't, because it took her a lot to be able to deny the kiss herself. "It's just too soon." Haruka pulled away completely before standing up without another word. She left a very confused looking Michiru on the sofa as she disappeared into the hallway to dig through the closet.
"What are you doing?" She was confused. Haruka had denied her kiss, but wasn't telling her to leave. But on the other hand, Haruka herself had gotten up and left her on the sofa.
The blonde returned a few moments later holding some folded sheets and a light blanket. "There's no way you can drive home tonight Michiru. We finished off that bottle of wine."
Always caring about the well being of others. It was a quality that Michiru always loved about Haruka. "Are you sure? I really don't want to impose and I can assure you, I'm perfectly fine to drive home."
After receiving a very pointed look, Michiru quickly backed down and allowed Haruka to spread out the sheet on the sofa for her. "I'll go find you something of mine to wear for the night, and get you a pillow." And with that, she disappeared again.
Michiru found herself standing in the middle of the living room, staring at the make-shift bed she was to sleep in for the night. Half tempted to pinch herself to see if it was a dream, she decided against it and went with the flow instead. Haruka wanted her to stay the night. Haruka wanted to make sure she was okay. She was brought out of her thoughts when the blonde appeared beside her with a pair of sweat pants and an old t-shirt.
"They might be a little big for you, but they'll work."
"Thank you." She accepted the clothing before pulling Haruka in for a hug.
Haruka tossed her a friendly smile as they pulled apart. "I'll see you in the morning Michiru. Sleep well."
"You too Haruka."
What would you like to see happen? Still open to ideas. Even though I have a basic storyline built in my head, it doesn't mean it can't be altered with ideas from you guys :D
Don't forget to hit that review button and tell me what you think.