I do not own Sailor Moon.

- Chapter 11: New Promises (Part 2) -

Bare feet stepped gracefully on the white sand of the beach. A smile began to slowly spread across her delicate features. Michiru loved being here. She watched her feet with much interest as she kept walking. She dug her toes into the warm sand with each step. She loved the feeling. It was welcoming and soothing. The beach sand was pristine white. She looked up and saw a small pier in the distance. She silently made it a goal to walk there and back to the house.

The beach was empty because it was closed off to the public. It was her parents' private beach. Once in a while they found a trespasser or two but typically, no one crossed onto their property. A small breeze swept through ruffling her aquamarine locks and sun dress.

I should have brought my violin with me. Today is such a nice day to play, Michiru thoughtfully mused to herself.

Michiru cherished times like this to the fullest. She was hardly ever alone, especially now that she was dating Daisuke. This gave her a breath of fresh sea-salted air. It helped clear her mind and release any stress she might have. Although, she didn't carry too much stress these days since she's been on break. However, there was a heavy weight in the back of her mind she couldn't flush out. It was a strange nagging feeling but was easily ignored since she tried to keep herself busy. Now, however, with time to herself to think and breathe unshared air, was allowing her to contemplate this persistent bother.

Michiru walked up to the water rolling onto the beach and stood. She looked down and curled her toes into the wet packed sand below her feet. She giggled as cold water washed over her feet. She watched mesmerized by the way the water pulled back away from her ankles, rushing back to the ocean. After a few minutes, with her feet well hidden under the sand, she closed her eyes. She listened to and felt the ocean water flood her ankles accompanied with the distant squawking of sea birds. The warmth of the sun soaked through her skin warming her while the cool wind brushed against her skin and played with her hair. She smiled as she felt some of her hair tickle her face.

Her smile faded as she began to search her heart and mind for this unwanted heaviness. She felt a sinking feeling in the center of her chest. It was constantly tugging at the bottom of her heart, just above her diaphragm. She found it difficult to breathe with this sensation.

Michiru was confused. She felt like there was no balance in her life. She felt herself tipping dangerously in one direction with no weight on the other end to help level her out. She pictured herself standing on the edge of a cliff staring down into a dark precipice. The dark abyss had a gravitational pull. Her body began to fall forward. As if being jolted out of a falling dream, her heart jumped making her visibly twitch causing her eyes to shoot open.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she stared out at the blue ocean. She frowned at what she had imagined. The violinist was unnerved that her own thoughts could frighten her so quickly. Her heart jumped again as she felt a pair of strong arms circled around her waist. A warm body pressed behind her back. A gasp escaped her lips. She voiced the first strand of thought, "Daisuke! You scared me!"

The arms tightened around her in response. Michiru placed her hands on the hands pressed against her stomach. Her brows furrowed as she felt not the hands of Daisuke but slender, smooth, yet muscular hands beneath her fingertips. Michiru's body stiffened upon realization that a complete stranger was holding her. Just then a light weight of a chin rested on her left shoulder. The stranger released a deep sigh in response to her earlier exclamation, "mm."

Michiru wanted to scream and tear herself away from the intruder. She didn't know what this person's intentions were with her. He could be a sexual predator for all she knew. She wanted to flee but was frozen in place. She was scared. The only part of her body she was willing to move was her eyes. They darted left to right, up and down trying to find any clue as to who this person was. The head which rested on her left shoulder slightly shifted their head to the right. She could feel this person's warm breath on the side of her face and neck. She closed her eyes trying to suppress a shudder that threatened to run down her spine and audibly gulped.

Now she had wished she had asked Daisuke to join her. She was at this stranger's mercy. She knew she was still in viewing range of the house and prayed Daisuke would look out the window and see this so he could come save her. She began to convince herself that Daisuke would be there any moment to rip this guy off of her.

Maybe I should try to distract this person.

She began to strategize a distraction, perhaps through conversation so this intruder wouldn't be aware of incoming help. If the stranger was distracted with talking, then he wouldn't be doing anything else but his hands were still on her body and she felt violated. She suddenly realized her hands were still resting on the stranger's hands. She could feel her hands becoming clammy and slightly shaking. She convinced herself it was better this stranger had his hands where she could see and feel and not going anywhere else on her body.

As if sensing her nervousness, the stranger shifted again and now she could feel his breath directly on her left ear.

"What's wrong?" A deep, husky voice whispered into her ear. It held an air of slight worry.

She involuntarily shivered. She wasn't quite sure if the voice scared her or if she strangely found the voice attractive.

Michiru found this to be the opportunity she needed to distract this man.

With a shaky voice she asked, "W-Who are you?" It came out to be a lot softer than she had expected. It was so soft she hoped the sounds of the waves and wind didn't drown it out.

There was a pause. For a moment Michiru thought the stranger didn't hear her. She was about to repeat herself when he replied back.

"You know who I am."

The violinist was thoroughly confused by this statement. Her reply rolled off her tongue faster than she could rope it in.

"Do I?"

The stranger slightly nodded his head, "Mmhm."

Well, that didn't answer much but then again, she did ask him a 'yes' or 'no' question. She knew this was probably going to be a dumb question but she had to ask.

"Do you know who I am?"

Of course he knows who you are! That's probably why he's here taking you hostage!

Michiru mentally scolded herself but stopped at her last thought. Hostage? If he was taking her hostage, why wasn't he trying to haul her off to a non-descript car to drive off with his prize? Now she was more curious about his intentions if it wasn't to kidnap her. She looked down and saw her captor was wearing a long sleeved white button up shirt. Even though she couldn't see his shirt, she could tell by the cuff of his sleeves her forearm was partially covering. She gathered her nerves to be a little brave and pulled her neck out to catch a glimpse of his feet. They were also barefoot and now halfway down into the sand on both sides of her feet. He was wearing beige slacks with its cuffs rolled up mid-shin. It didn't keep the bottom from getting wet but he didn't seem to care.

Just based off his dress attire, he seemed a little too relaxed and casual to be a kidnapper. So who was he?

"I do."

This time his voice was a little louder. It was still deep but not as husky. It held a calm and smooth quality to it as if he was comfortable with her.

"So who am I?"

She was slightly worried about his response. She noticed her hands weren't shaking anymore but her hands tightened around his in apprehension to his answer.

"The sea." He said it in a matter-of-fact tone as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Her already shallow breathing hitched at his response.

Wait? What? I'm 'the sea?' Is he high?

She was baffled by his response. Her eyes slowly rose to look out to the ocean in front of them. She watched as the waves rolled towards them. She didn't know how to respond to his answer.

The stranger waited for a response. After waiting a minute, he took it as his cue to explain.

"You are the sea. Elegant, and beautiful on the surface but you hold all of your mysteries and treasures in your depths. You only allow those you truly trust and love to enter. You are also deeply passionate, like the ocean during a storm. You outwardly show it when you play the violin."

The stranger took a deep breath, "You, my dear, are the sea." He sighed and nestled himself again into her left shoulder.

A teasing smirk played on Michiru's lips upon hearing the stranger's response.

"Oh?" Michiru loosened up and settled a little bit into the stranger's arms.

"So if I am the sea, who are you then?"

He chuckled. "The wind, of course." Another fact stated by the stranger.

The aqua-haired woman was beginning to feel comfortable in the stranger's arms but stiffened when the stranger's hands began sliding back to her hips. His hands that were under hers, slipped away. She felt the sand to the right of her shift as the stranger pulled his foot out of the sand. His right hand continued to slide across the small of her back while his left hand was on the opposite side, sliding across her abdomen. His chin pivoted on her shoulder as he rotated his body to stand in front of her. He slowly lifted his head off her shoulder and stood to his full height facing her.

The sun, unfortunately, was beaming directly behind his head. She couldn't make out any facial features because it was shrouded by dark shadows casted by the sun. She noted he had wild unruly short blonde hair dancing on the edges of his profile. He stood almost a head taller.

His hands that left a light trail impression around her body when he turned were now settled on both sides of her waist. He was so close. He smelled like clean cedar. She didn't expect the stranger to smell like that but then again, she didn't know what to expect.

Snapping out of the stranger's scent that was slowly intoxicating her senses, she realized he didn't have a tight grip on her. She could back away and flee. Her primal instincts of fight or flight began to re-emerge again as her heart rate increased as a slow creeping fear wrapped her heart and mind.

As if the stranger sensed Michiru's panic and readiness to flee, his right hand shot up to cup Michiru's left cheek. The stranger's palm covered her jaw and cheek as his fingers wrapped around the back of her ear. In that moment, Michiru's panic-driven heart stilled. Everything around her became quiet. She no longer heard the ocean waves crashing, and gulls cawing. It was silent. A loud thumping beat its way through her ear drums as she felt her heart pound in anticipation. She knew her cheeks were flushed from the heat she felt. Her face was now buzzing as blood flow increased. She didn't know what she was anticipating but she no longer felt fear. In fact, she felt the opposite of danger. She felt safe in the stranger's arms.

The hand on her face began to move. Her cheek was being softly stroked by the thumb. Although the touch was gentle, she could feel the pad of the thumb was calloused. She wondered what this stranger did for a living to have rugged hands. The stranger began to move his thumb in a circular motion on her cheek causing Michiru to look up at the shadow clad face.

The stranger leaned down. Michiru's breathing shortened as the stranger's face came close to hers. She could feel their hot breaths mingle as they stood frozen. Their lips were a hair's breadth away. Although they were so close, Michiru still couldn't make out any other facial features other than his lips.

The aqua-haired girl realized she didn't see any other features of the face because all she could do was stare at his lips. She saw the lips slowly curl into a smirk. She didn't know why he smiled nor was she given the time to ponder it. His lips captured hers. Michiru froze in shock as his lips massaged hers. She was shocked at how soft his lips were. Michiru suddenly felt very warm and closed her eyes enjoying the feeling. She raised her arms and wrapped it around the stranger's strong neck. Her fingers ran through his wild hair.

It's so soft.

As her lips moved with his, she contentedly sighed into his mouth. She was beginning to enjoy herself when the stranger pulled away. Her eyes were closed but she could feel herself frowning in disappointment. She slowly opened her eyes to catch a glimmer of sharp emerald green eyes staring at her. Her breath caught in her throat as she was momentarily mesmerized by those eyes.

Michiru noticed they were still very close to each other. She squinted up at the stranger's face again. This time, she was able to make out small details such as the strong high cheek bones, eye brows, nose, those irresistible lips, eye shape, how the chin curved. She could see almost every detail of the stranger. Michiru's light blue eyes widened as a realization dawned on her. This person in front of her was no doubt handsome but being as close as she was to his face, she had a craziest thought cross her mind. This stranger was not a man but a woman.

The curves of her face were masculine for a woman but they still held feminine features. Michiru was stunned by the revelation. She wasn't disgusted or horrified. She never had any problems with people who were in same-sex relationships. She just never considered herself to ever find herself in that situation. She was never attracted to women before. Well, not until now. She wanted to kiss those lips again.

"Promise me," the stranger spoke, bringing Michiru's attention back. She gave the stranger a questioning look.

Again, with a deep husky voice she softly whispered, "Promise me you'll find me."

The violinist was baffled by the request, "what?"

Find her? She's right here in front of me.

"Promise me you will find me," the stranger said, taking on a serious tone.

"Find you? How? What… I don't even know who you are!"

"I already told you, I am the wind," the stranger replied.

"The wind? What's your name?"

"The Wind."

"Your name is the Wind?" She asked in a doubting manner.

Either the stranger didn't hear Michiru's disbelief or completely ignored it. "Yes. Promise you will find me."

Michiru decided to play along with the stranger, "Okay, fine. However, there is a little bit of a problem. The wind is everywhere. You can't see the wind. How do you expect me to find you?"

"No, you can't can you? But you can feel it right?"

"Well, yeah, but how-"

"Then you will be able to find me. You'll know when you do. Just promise you'll find me." A hand lifted again to Michiru's face and swept a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The stranger's hand stayed cradling the side of her face and began to lean in again.

"Promise me." The stranger's other hand on her hips tightened as the stranger brought her closer, both bodies now flushed against each other. Michiru was at a loss of words.

The stranger repeated again, "Promise me."

Michiru looked into the stranger's dark green eyes. She didn't know what to say. She wasn't confident to agree but looking into those eyes didn't want to make her disagree. She decided she would try her best. "I-I promise."

The handsome stranger closed the distance as soon as those words left Michiru's mouth sealing their lips in a searing kiss. Michiru felt her insides flutter straight to her center. The shorter girl's hands found their way up to the stranger's neck, pulling her in for a deeper kiss. The stranger's tongue traced her lower lip. Michiru parted her lips and allowed the stranger's tongue to explore her own mouth. It was gentle as their tongues momentarily danced with one another. Michiru found herself sucking in air between kisses. She was on fire. Michiru finally released a moan into the mouth of the stranger.

Michiru didn't know what it was but she wanted more. She wanted the stranger to be closer to her. She wanted to melt into her. She began to rub her body against the stranger's. The stranger's hands circled around to the small of her back and pulled her impossibly closer. Michiru lightly bit and playfully tugged at the stranger's lower lip. She smiled when she saw the stranger's lips curl into a smile at the pull.

God, you're so damn beautiful. I want you.

Clear blue eyes slowly fluttered open, lightly panting for air. She was staring at her ceiling. Michiru blinked a couple of times to bring her mind back to her body. She realized she was in bed at home.

What was that?

She tried to lift her arm to feel her lips but was blocked. She felt a warm weight on her bare stomach and left arm. She looked to find a muscular arm, just as bare, draped over her. It was Daisuke. She turned her head to the left and saw Daisuke sleeping peacefully. He was sleeping on his stomach, with his face nuzzled against her left shoulder. His left arm was lazily draped around her waist. She turned her gaze back to the ceiling. She felt a small tinge of disappointment that her meeting with the beautiful stranger was a dream. She laid there for a few minutes more mulling over her dream, which was now quickly slipping away. She shut her eyes trying to preserve whatever detail of the dream she had left in her mind. She tried to burn the blurry details of the stranger's face, touch and kisses into her memory. For some inexplicable reason, she didn't want to forget her.

Michiru gently pushed Daisuke's arm off and got out of bed. She needed a shower. Waking up in Daisuke's arms made her feel dirty for some reason, especially having woken up from that body jarring but sweet dream. Everything felt right with the blonde and she wanted to meet her again. She shook her head.

Come one Michiru, get real. It was just a dream. She's just a dream.

Disappointment set in when she admitted it to herself. Her heart sunk. The blonde woman wasn't real and therefore would never be able to meet her in the real world. Michiru gave a sad sigh as she turned on the water to the shower.

One week. It had been one week since Haruka arrived back in Tokyo to her apartment. She was currently in front of her thermostat raising the temperature to better warm her apartment. It was the middle of December and it was cold. It was currently snowing outside.

The blonde grumbled incoherently about how cold it was. She'd rather be at the sports club running and working out instead of being confined to the walls of her apartment but orders were orders.

The doctor said it was best she didn't move too much to allow her ribs and neck to heal properly. She did hourly breathing exercises and coughing to decrease the risk of pneumonia and partial collapse of lung tissue. She also had to ice her injured ribs very often. The winter weather wasn't helping with the icing. She was constantly cold because of it.

She limped over to the kitchen and opened her freezer. She shivered as the cold fog of the fridge floated towards her and kissed her skin. She reached down to grab a blue ice pack and quickly shut the door with a growl. She wrapped it with a clean towel as she walked over to the couch. She gingerly set herself down onto the sofa. She lifted her layered shirts and placed the pack on her injured ribs and groaned.

Six weeks. Six weeks of this? Someone shoot me.

Her mom just left that morning back to Oyama. Her mom wanted to stay the whole month to watch her but Haruka insisted she went back home so she could properly rest and work. The blonde told her mom she'd call her every day to update her status.

The older woman left unwillingly but knew it was better for the blonde and herself to not coddle Haruka. Haruka had always been a very independent child and as a grown woman did not want her mom to fuss over her. Miho knew her daughter would take care of herself because her career depended on it. She also knew it was better for business if she was back in Oyama to deal with her employees and clients directly.

Miho made sure to prepare a lot of dishes for Haruka to re-heat so she didn't have to stand too long in the kitchen. Haruka didn't mind that part. She loved her mom's cooking and knew she wouldn't be able to make it out to Oyama during her time of rest.

The blonde shifted her weight on the couch trying to find a comfortable position to sit. The ribs affected a lot more of her movement than she had expected. She couldn't fully lie down or else she wouldn't be able to get back up on her own. Just using her abdomen muscles hurt her ribs. She groaned at the thought of what her abdomen was going to look like after a month of not working out. She would have a lot to catch up on.

Typically during the off-season, she constantly trained to keep in shape for the next season. She couldn't afford to lose discipline during these months. She knew some drivers turned into gluttons during the winter season and would struggle to regain what they had lost later before season start.

Haruka leaned her head back against the couch and stared at the ceiling. She was supposed to be training for a triathlon she was going to do with Donovan in March but it might not seem feasible now. She wouldn't be able to get back to training until, at the earliest, mid-January.

She had spoken to Donovan just the other day on the phone. He was regretful that he couldn't stay with her at the hospital because he had to fly out to Italy for the season debrief. He had seen her when she was unconscious but couldn't stay because he had a plane to catch. He took first place but he admitted that Haruka should have stood at the top of the podium. Haruka laughed at him and said she knew that but wanted to give him a shot at it. That was the reason why she took out the top three spots to let him take it. She smiled as he began to laugh over the phone. They spoke about what their plans were for the upcoming holidays. Donovan was going to some sponsored parties while Haruka had zero plans at the moment. She figured in her current condition she wouldn't be able to do much.

They both spoke briefly about the triathlon they wanted to attend together but quickly deduced Donovan would be going alone. He was a little disappointed but knew nothing could be done about it. He then said he would visit her in Tokyo in February when she's able to train again. He would stop by to train with her. He would train for the triathlon while she trained to get back into somewhat decent shape. Ending on that agreement, the conversation ended.

Haruka held a ghost of a smile as she recounted her phone conversation with Donovan. She always held a high appreciation for the close friends she surrounded herself with. She was very particular about the type of people who she allowed into her inner circle of trust.

A ringing phone snapped her out of her musings. She winced as she leaned forward to the coffee table in front of her to grab the phone. She glanced at the caller ID and picked up.

"Hey Jun."

"Yo! How are you feeling?"

"Like I crashed my car into a wall. Wait, it's because I did," the blonde said with a smirk.

A laugh was heard over the phone.

"Is Oba-san still around?"

"No, she just left this morning."

"Aw, no one's around to baby you anymore!"

"Yeah, yeah. So what do you want?"

"Did you eat already?"

"Yes."

"Oh… well, you're coming out anyways."

"What? No, I'm staying in to rest."

"Oh, relax. We're just going to the café down the street from you next to the shinkansen station."

"I shouldn't be moving too much. Plus, it's cold as the Arctic Circle outside." Haruka knew the cold outside would make her body involuntarily constrict which would add a lot of unnecessary pressure to her ribs. Her left shoulder was also still very sore and sensitive to the cold. She constantly kept a warm pack on it.

"Bundle up. You'll be fine. Ryouji and I haven't eaten yet."

"No, why don't you two go eat and then come over when you've finished." Haruka was not leaving her apartment.

After a moment of thought, Jun agreed.

About an hour and a half later her doorbell chimed. The blonde slowly stood up from the couch and shuffled over to the door. She opened it to find a snow dusted Jun and Ryouji.

"Shake off the snow before you come in."

She walked away from the open door and sat back down on the couch. After a minute the other two sauntered into the living room.

"Wow, it is warm in here!" Ryouji happily exclaimed as he removed his gloves and outer coat.

"Yeah, makes my body and joints feel better."

"Jeez, you sound like an old grandma."

Haruka shot Jun a glare. "Why don't you speed yourself into a wall, flip and catch on fire and see how you feel after."

Jun laughed, "No thanks! That's why my profession does NOT include placing myself in fast, high-performing cars."

"High-performing cars aren't part of your personal life either," Haruka snickered.

Jun made a face at her as he plopped himself onto the adjacent couch.

"So, what have you been doing this whole week?" Ryouji asked as he sat down on the couch next to Haruka. "Watching TV?"

"More or less," Haruka grumbled. "I can't wait for February! I want this to be over with already!"

"Is that when they said you'd be able to train?" Ryouji asked.

"Technically, mid-January but we'll see. I should be good for sure by February."

"What the hell are you going to do for a month and a half?" Jun wondered aloud.

Haruka shrugged. "Watch TV. Play video games, maybe. I can't remember the last time I had to stay indoors this long and not allowed to do any physical activities."

"I do," Ryouji piped in. "Remember when you beat the hell out of Hideki-kun our first year in high school and you got suspended for a whole week. Man, Oji-san was so pissed off at you. He kept your ass grounded at home for that entire week!"

"Oh yeah, I remember that fight! Hideki-kun talked with a lisp for months after that," Jun added.

"Whatever, that asshole had it coming," Haruka grunted.

"He avoided you through the rest of high school!" Ryouji laughed. "I don't think anyone tried to mess with you after that fight. I was glad I was your friend by then."

Haruka rolled her eyes, "You say it as if I wasn't your friend I'd have kicked your ass too."

"No, but you were intimidating as hell. I don't think anyone wanted to get on your bad side. Again, look what happened to Hideki," Jun pointed out. "That's probably why I stayed away from you."

Haruka laughed, "I think it's a good thing you did. Knowing your personality now, I probably would have kicked your ass too."

"You wish you could have! I might be shorter but I was stronger then," Jun shot back.

"Ha! Well, luckily for you my temper isn't as short as it used to be." Haruka grinned.

The other two laughed at the blonde. "Yeah, it's longer now by a couple of centimeters," Ryouji snorted.

"Hey! It's long enough to put up with the two of you without kicking your asses up and down the street every time I see you guys."

"Okay, okay! So what's your guys' plan for Christmas and New Year's Eve?" Jun tried to shift the conversation in another direction.

"Natsumi-chan and I are spending Christmas with both our families at my place this year. I think Natsumi-chan is trying to find a spot to view the New Year's fireworks," Ryouji stated.

Jun and Ryouji turned their attention to Haruka.

"Mm, Haha-chan is coming over on Christmas Eve and staying until the 28th. That's it. I have no plans for New Year's Eve."

A large grin spread across Jun's face. "Ryouji, tell Natsumi-chan to stop searching for a spot for the fireworks and Haruka, you have plans now."

The other two groaned. What did Jun have up his sleeve this time? They both gave him questioning looks about his plans for them.

Author's Notes:

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delayed update. I actually finished this chapter a couple of weeks ago but didn't like how the dialogue was composed and I'm still not sure if I do. I might revise this chapter later if something better comes up. I've been tinkering around with the structure for the last two weeks. I think the dreaded "writer's block" is upon me. Words aren't flowing as well as it usually does. Well, please R&R! I salute you if you do!

Well, folks, next chapter is the awaited meet chapter. I haven't started it but I have a basic outline. Hopefully, I can crank this out faster than this last one.

Also, on a side note, does anyone here follow K-Pop? I just recently got into it and started following f(x). Does anyone else think Amber Liu and Krystal Jung remind them of Haruka and Michiru?

Me (guest): Wouldn't it have been easier to make a shorter username then? ._. *blink blink* [I salute you laziness. ;) ]