Disclaimer: Standard stuff. I do not own the Sailor Moon characters, Haruka, Michiru, et al. If I did, I'd be rich now and having pizza in the middle of Venice while riding a gondola on my world-wide vacation. I'm only borrowing them. Please don't sue me. Enjoy!
Author's Notes: Here we go, people! Brief notes to everyone and "thankees" for reviewing.
eva: Thank you for still reading! *rubbing hands evilly* So...if I'm ever I'm in your neck of the woods, I have a place to stay, huh? Huh? Vienna. I've always wanted to go to Austria. *grin*
UD77: *giggling as if on sugar high* You made me soooo happy with your review. That is one of the best compliments anyone's ever given me!
Liz: Okay! I'll try to crank out something more from this oversugared, overheated, overstressed, underdone (Huh?) brain.
Storm Call: As requested. . . an update! Tada!
Nadai: New chapter! Will she or won't she? Will Haruka ever find love? Will Michiru always be rejected? Find out in the next episode of. . .Rain's ever so demented fic!
kino amiko kun: Yes, her brother. I'm such a sick, sick puppy aren't I?
And now...the next installment of our ongoing saga. Bwahahaha!
*******
Chapter 11
Michiru was so angry, so mad, so undefinably pissed off that there were not enough descriptive words for it.
She had thought there had been a connection made that day she had "saved" Haruka's life. No matter that after that brief smile from Haruka, the coldness returned quickly and she was once more sent home in a taxi. But damn it! She thought there had been something.
There was one reassuring thing about the whole experience though. She had seen what Haruka did with the bodies. Not eat them, thank goodness. She had not quite exactly seen what Haruka did since Haruka's back had been to her. But whatever it was, there was no body left afterward, only ashes that blew away in the wind. Then Haruka had turned to her and with a nod, led her to the street where she promptly whistled for a cab and was answered in less than two seconds by three different drivers.
Haruka's eyes did not look. She picked one, paid the fare, and almost forcibly shoved Michiru in the yellow cab. By odd circumstance, the same cabdriver that Haruka chose had been the one to pick Michiru up that first time. He gave her the same lecture too. Whoever he is, miss, he's not worth it, blah, blah, blah. I've got a daughter, too, blah, blah, blah. And so on. He gave Michiru a headache.
Despite the asperity, Michiru tried to visit after that day, after school, but the Tenoh residence seemed to be on lockdown. No one was going in or out. Michiru wanted to go during the morning but she couldn't risk any more absent days for the month. Headmaster Dartly was beginning to notice the frequent absences. Fine. Haruka didn't want to see her. She wasn't about to give up. She tried another strategy.
After a week of useless visits, she wrote the letters. Two a day. The first letter began with an offer of friendship. There were no answers but still she wrote. Still no answers. She was beginning to doubt Haruka received them. She had written the last letter three days ago. It had ended with a confession of love. If there was no answer by tomorrow morning, she was going to pay an evening visit to Tenoh, Haruka – whether she wanted to be visited or not.
*****
Haruka was tired. She had run here from the city where some idiot Immortal had been killing innocents to try and draw her out. The fight had been intense and to make it worse it had started to drizzle. Her jacket was soaked by the time she took his head off. She might be Immortal but she could still feel cold. Then to top it off, some rookie cop eager to get his stripes had come by just right after she took his head off. He wasn't going to find anything but she had a hell of a time trying to avoid his eager rookie friends combing the area.
It had been a day that could be considered full of excitement. At least it had been a day that took her mind off of. . .other things.
Peeling away her overcoat, she wondered idly where the servants had gone on their day off and gazed with disapproval at the puddle of water she was making on the carpet. Annette was going to have a fit when she came home.
The slight sound to her left made Haruka look up from the wet carpet she had been contemplating. It had sounded like a muffled cough. But that was impossible. She had given all three servants the day off. Her right hand automatically reached for her side, to where her sword would have been.
"Shit," she said softly. She had left the sword in the greenhouse before coming in, too tired to clean it and too wet to care. Stupid, stupid, stupid! She hoped it wasn't an Immortal. If it was, there were always the kitchen knives. There was another muffled sound. No time to worry about it now. She would have to use her fists. As quietly as she could she started for the library, her eyes adjusting quickly, the blood singing in her ears.
A shadow moving. Was it a thief? One of the countless Immortals that were continually hunting her? The shadow moved again, more furtively this time, away from her. No time to waste now. Born of years of running and her great strength, she sprinted forward, one hand reaching out to grab the intruder and the other pulled back to strike, her full weight behind it. This would be an easy blow, the intruder would be unconscious before he knew what even hit him.
She grabbed the intruder's shirt and turned him around. Startled blue eyes met hers, aqua hair flying out of the way. There was a muffled shriek and Haruka realized suddenly who it was. Her momentum was too great and the hand striking forward was already flying, it took supreme effort to check herself. As it was, it was too late to pull back. Her hand hit the wall behind Michiru's head awkwardly and her speed brought her forward crashing into the girl. They fell on the floor, Haruka twisting so that Michiru landed on top of her and took her breath away.
Haruka lay breathless on the floor, the blood still pounding in her ears. Michiru stared down at her with her eyes wide, breathing heavily. Her hand rested on Haruka's chest and she was dimly aware of the woman's bound breasts beneath, rising and falling with every breath she took. And something else. Her heart beating fast.
Haruka was startled but recovered enough strength to push Michiru away with a grunt of pain. Desire surged through her making her heart erratic. Her hands wanted to reach out and touch, caress. Stop it!
Control. She had to control herself.
"What are you doing here?" she asked roughly, standing up.
"I – ah, the servants let me in," Michiru said. That wasn't an outright lie. Angus had turned his back to leave and Michiru had casually walked in the gate as it was closing. He hadn't known of course that she had snuck in but technically, she had been let in.
"Go home."
Michiru chose to ignore the request and focused on something else. "You're bleeding," she gasped.
It was then that Haruka realized that she was indeed bleeding. The wall was smashed but it seemed that her fist was as well. She flexed carefully. Damn it hurt. It would take at least a few minutes to heal.
"I'll be fine. I heal fast."
"I'll go bandage it for you. Kitchen?"
To Haruka's great surprise her body seemed to have a mind of its own. Her head nodded before she could stop herself. Michiru smiled, pleased with the whole thing. Haruka could do nothing but follow. Dammit! What was wrong with her? But she followed. The sooner she got bandaged the sooner Michiru would leave. Patience, Haruka.
In silence, Michiru started the warm water running and soaked a washcloth.
"Bandages?"
Haruka nodded to a counter with drawers and Michiru opened them, taking out bandages, alcohol, surgical tape, and scissors. She did not comment that the kitchen had ample supplies of hospital materials in its drawers that would have shamed a military camp.
"I wrote you letters, you know," she said softly as she cleaned and bandaged Haruka's hand.
"I know," Haruka said, she gritted her teeth to stop her hand from trembling, from reaching out to grab Michiru's soft and delicate fingers.
"And?"
"You wrote me letters." It was a statement. Haruka's voice was emotionless.
"Is that all you can say?"
"What else is there to say?"
Michiru wanted to cry. She had poured her heart into those letters. An offer of friendship. A confession of love. But this woman didn't seem to want her or her love. She cleared her throat and finished bandaging. "All done," she said cheerily, forcing the joy in her voice. She wouldn't cry. She was too strong for that.
Haruka looked puzzled at the expression on her face. She breathed out gently. Patience, Haruka. The sooner she's done, the sooner she can leave. "I didn't read them, if you must know."
"Oh."
"I had Elsa burn them." A lie. Elsa had decided that on her own.
"Oh," Michiru repeated.
Patience wasn't working. Haruka had to be brutal. "You aren't the first one to come to me like this, to offer yourself."
_Offer myself?_ Michiru felt a jab of anger. Offer herself? How dare she? She was no offering! But she kept quiet and put all the equipment she had used away.
"There have been others before, Kaioh-san. You're only the tail end of many. Go home."
"No," she said softly and checked the bandages again. The bleeding had stopped.
"I told you I heal fast. Now go home."
"Why?"
"Because I'm an Immortal."
"Why?"
"Because of what happened when I was young."
"Why?"
"Just because." Haruka restrained the desire to grab her. To throw her out or to hold her? She didn't know but the questions were starting to frustrate her.
"How old are you?" Michiru asked.
"I was born in 1409," Haruka said without thinking and instantly realized her mistake. Damn.
There was silence from Michiru then quietly, so quietly it was almost a breath, "You're five hundred years old?"
Haruka smiled bitterly. "More or less. It's a long time to live." There was a tinge of sadness in her voice. The memories were still thick. 1409. The day she woke and found herself unaging, unable to die.
The silence stretched for so long that even Haruka was made uncomfortable. Then Michiru spoke again, "Are you the only one?"
"No," Haruka said, laughing oddly. "There are others. But they want nothing to do with each other or me. We are all alone because each of us must be."
"Why must you?"
"Because we kill when one of us meets another. We have to be alone."
"Are you alone?"
"I have been for three hundred years now." A matter of choice, a matter of the heart. Never again. "Go home Kaioh-san."
But Michiru wasn't listening. "Why? Why can't you be with someone?"
"Because it hurts too much to watch them die," was the harsh reply. "No more questions. Go home."
Then the unbelievable happened. The unexpected question happened.
"Tell me," Michiru said softly, gently.
Like an uncontrollable bursting of a dam the words came tumbling out of Haruka's mouth. Not because Haruka wanted them to, but because her mouth, like her body was betraying her. The memories came harshly back. The hurt. Evanne. The deaths. Liesl. The betrayal. The exile.
When the story ended Haruka was shaking from effort and Michiru finally understood something. She understood now why Haruka had killed that first night. She understood now how dangerous and how vulnerable this woman was. She understood now why Haruka did not want her love. She understood the hurt and the anger. And gods it hurt her too.
*****
Author's Notes: Bwahahahaha! Yes, I am evil.
Author's Notes: Here we go, people! Brief notes to everyone and "thankees" for reviewing.
eva: Thank you for still reading! *rubbing hands evilly* So...if I'm ever I'm in your neck of the woods, I have a place to stay, huh? Huh? Vienna. I've always wanted to go to Austria. *grin*
UD77: *giggling as if on sugar high* You made me soooo happy with your review. That is one of the best compliments anyone's ever given me!
Liz: Okay! I'll try to crank out something more from this oversugared, overheated, overstressed, underdone (Huh?) brain.
Storm Call: As requested. . . an update! Tada!
Nadai: New chapter! Will she or won't she? Will Haruka ever find love? Will Michiru always be rejected? Find out in the next episode of. . .Rain's ever so demented fic!
kino amiko kun: Yes, her brother. I'm such a sick, sick puppy aren't I?
And now...the next installment of our ongoing saga. Bwahahaha!
*******
Chapter 11
Michiru was so angry, so mad, so undefinably pissed off that there were not enough descriptive words for it.
She had thought there had been a connection made that day she had "saved" Haruka's life. No matter that after that brief smile from Haruka, the coldness returned quickly and she was once more sent home in a taxi. But damn it! She thought there had been something.
There was one reassuring thing about the whole experience though. She had seen what Haruka did with the bodies. Not eat them, thank goodness. She had not quite exactly seen what Haruka did since Haruka's back had been to her. But whatever it was, there was no body left afterward, only ashes that blew away in the wind. Then Haruka had turned to her and with a nod, led her to the street where she promptly whistled for a cab and was answered in less than two seconds by three different drivers.
Haruka's eyes did not look. She picked one, paid the fare, and almost forcibly shoved Michiru in the yellow cab. By odd circumstance, the same cabdriver that Haruka chose had been the one to pick Michiru up that first time. He gave her the same lecture too. Whoever he is, miss, he's not worth it, blah, blah, blah. I've got a daughter, too, blah, blah, blah. And so on. He gave Michiru a headache.
Despite the asperity, Michiru tried to visit after that day, after school, but the Tenoh residence seemed to be on lockdown. No one was going in or out. Michiru wanted to go during the morning but she couldn't risk any more absent days for the month. Headmaster Dartly was beginning to notice the frequent absences. Fine. Haruka didn't want to see her. She wasn't about to give up. She tried another strategy.
After a week of useless visits, she wrote the letters. Two a day. The first letter began with an offer of friendship. There were no answers but still she wrote. Still no answers. She was beginning to doubt Haruka received them. She had written the last letter three days ago. It had ended with a confession of love. If there was no answer by tomorrow morning, she was going to pay an evening visit to Tenoh, Haruka – whether she wanted to be visited or not.
*****
Haruka was tired. She had run here from the city where some idiot Immortal had been killing innocents to try and draw her out. The fight had been intense and to make it worse it had started to drizzle. Her jacket was soaked by the time she took his head off. She might be Immortal but she could still feel cold. Then to top it off, some rookie cop eager to get his stripes had come by just right after she took his head off. He wasn't going to find anything but she had a hell of a time trying to avoid his eager rookie friends combing the area.
It had been a day that could be considered full of excitement. At least it had been a day that took her mind off of. . .other things.
Peeling away her overcoat, she wondered idly where the servants had gone on their day off and gazed with disapproval at the puddle of water she was making on the carpet. Annette was going to have a fit when she came home.
The slight sound to her left made Haruka look up from the wet carpet she had been contemplating. It had sounded like a muffled cough. But that was impossible. She had given all three servants the day off. Her right hand automatically reached for her side, to where her sword would have been.
"Shit," she said softly. She had left the sword in the greenhouse before coming in, too tired to clean it and too wet to care. Stupid, stupid, stupid! She hoped it wasn't an Immortal. If it was, there were always the kitchen knives. There was another muffled sound. No time to worry about it now. She would have to use her fists. As quietly as she could she started for the library, her eyes adjusting quickly, the blood singing in her ears.
A shadow moving. Was it a thief? One of the countless Immortals that were continually hunting her? The shadow moved again, more furtively this time, away from her. No time to waste now. Born of years of running and her great strength, she sprinted forward, one hand reaching out to grab the intruder and the other pulled back to strike, her full weight behind it. This would be an easy blow, the intruder would be unconscious before he knew what even hit him.
She grabbed the intruder's shirt and turned him around. Startled blue eyes met hers, aqua hair flying out of the way. There was a muffled shriek and Haruka realized suddenly who it was. Her momentum was too great and the hand striking forward was already flying, it took supreme effort to check herself. As it was, it was too late to pull back. Her hand hit the wall behind Michiru's head awkwardly and her speed brought her forward crashing into the girl. They fell on the floor, Haruka twisting so that Michiru landed on top of her and took her breath away.
Haruka lay breathless on the floor, the blood still pounding in her ears. Michiru stared down at her with her eyes wide, breathing heavily. Her hand rested on Haruka's chest and she was dimly aware of the woman's bound breasts beneath, rising and falling with every breath she took. And something else. Her heart beating fast.
Haruka was startled but recovered enough strength to push Michiru away with a grunt of pain. Desire surged through her making her heart erratic. Her hands wanted to reach out and touch, caress. Stop it!
Control. She had to control herself.
"What are you doing here?" she asked roughly, standing up.
"I – ah, the servants let me in," Michiru said. That wasn't an outright lie. Angus had turned his back to leave and Michiru had casually walked in the gate as it was closing. He hadn't known of course that she had snuck in but technically, she had been let in.
"Go home."
Michiru chose to ignore the request and focused on something else. "You're bleeding," she gasped.
It was then that Haruka realized that she was indeed bleeding. The wall was smashed but it seemed that her fist was as well. She flexed carefully. Damn it hurt. It would take at least a few minutes to heal.
"I'll be fine. I heal fast."
"I'll go bandage it for you. Kitchen?"
To Haruka's great surprise her body seemed to have a mind of its own. Her head nodded before she could stop herself. Michiru smiled, pleased with the whole thing. Haruka could do nothing but follow. Dammit! What was wrong with her? But she followed. The sooner she got bandaged the sooner Michiru would leave. Patience, Haruka.
In silence, Michiru started the warm water running and soaked a washcloth.
"Bandages?"
Haruka nodded to a counter with drawers and Michiru opened them, taking out bandages, alcohol, surgical tape, and scissors. She did not comment that the kitchen had ample supplies of hospital materials in its drawers that would have shamed a military camp.
"I wrote you letters, you know," she said softly as she cleaned and bandaged Haruka's hand.
"I know," Haruka said, she gritted her teeth to stop her hand from trembling, from reaching out to grab Michiru's soft and delicate fingers.
"And?"
"You wrote me letters." It was a statement. Haruka's voice was emotionless.
"Is that all you can say?"
"What else is there to say?"
Michiru wanted to cry. She had poured her heart into those letters. An offer of friendship. A confession of love. But this woman didn't seem to want her or her love. She cleared her throat and finished bandaging. "All done," she said cheerily, forcing the joy in her voice. She wouldn't cry. She was too strong for that.
Haruka looked puzzled at the expression on her face. She breathed out gently. Patience, Haruka. The sooner she's done, the sooner she can leave. "I didn't read them, if you must know."
"Oh."
"I had Elsa burn them." A lie. Elsa had decided that on her own.
"Oh," Michiru repeated.
Patience wasn't working. Haruka had to be brutal. "You aren't the first one to come to me like this, to offer yourself."
_Offer myself?_ Michiru felt a jab of anger. Offer herself? How dare she? She was no offering! But she kept quiet and put all the equipment she had used away.
"There have been others before, Kaioh-san. You're only the tail end of many. Go home."
"No," she said softly and checked the bandages again. The bleeding had stopped.
"I told you I heal fast. Now go home."
"Why?"
"Because I'm an Immortal."
"Why?"
"Because of what happened when I was young."
"Why?"
"Just because." Haruka restrained the desire to grab her. To throw her out or to hold her? She didn't know but the questions were starting to frustrate her.
"How old are you?" Michiru asked.
"I was born in 1409," Haruka said without thinking and instantly realized her mistake. Damn.
There was silence from Michiru then quietly, so quietly it was almost a breath, "You're five hundred years old?"
Haruka smiled bitterly. "More or less. It's a long time to live." There was a tinge of sadness in her voice. The memories were still thick. 1409. The day she woke and found herself unaging, unable to die.
The silence stretched for so long that even Haruka was made uncomfortable. Then Michiru spoke again, "Are you the only one?"
"No," Haruka said, laughing oddly. "There are others. But they want nothing to do with each other or me. We are all alone because each of us must be."
"Why must you?"
"Because we kill when one of us meets another. We have to be alone."
"Are you alone?"
"I have been for three hundred years now." A matter of choice, a matter of the heart. Never again. "Go home Kaioh-san."
But Michiru wasn't listening. "Why? Why can't you be with someone?"
"Because it hurts too much to watch them die," was the harsh reply. "No more questions. Go home."
Then the unbelievable happened. The unexpected question happened.
"Tell me," Michiru said softly, gently.
Like an uncontrollable bursting of a dam the words came tumbling out of Haruka's mouth. Not because Haruka wanted them to, but because her mouth, like her body was betraying her. The memories came harshly back. The hurt. Evanne. The deaths. Liesl. The betrayal. The exile.
When the story ended Haruka was shaking from effort and Michiru finally understood something. She understood now why Haruka had killed that first night. She understood now how dangerous and how vulnerable this woman was. She understood now why Haruka did not want her love. She understood the hurt and the anger. And gods it hurt her too.
*****
Author's Notes: Bwahahahaha! Yes, I am evil.