Disclaimer: The usual

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Have I mentioned that I love reviews? Anyways thanks, and here it is Chapter 11 and after this chapter I expect things to get way interesting… oh Btw thanks to my wife for encourage me to keep writing even when my author fits disrupt our pacific marriage ^.^; sorry hun… the mood of my characters sometimes rubs on me.

Chapter 11: Stormy blue eyes

A few days later Haruka found Michiru working fervently on the 'Rose' portraits. "You do know you don't have to finish them all before the dance ah?" Michiru smiled at her and accept the rose bouquet the blonde offered her.

"I know, I just never had a job commission before, it is quite exciting. So tell me what are you doing here in the middle of the day?"

"Well I thought you might want to have lunch with me." Michiru kissed her softly and nodded.

"I need to get changed though. And afterwards would you mind driving me to Shizuka's office? Does she have an office?"

"Nope, but I could drive you to her place, she has a nice penthouse in Shibuya."

"Oh, fancy. Now stop looking at me like you're some sort of molester while I change." Haruka blushed softly and laughed, she had been caught staring again. It was hard to keep her eyes of Michiru; she was so in love with the small girl. "Instead tell me more about Shizuka, I barely know anything about her besides that you two were dating and that she is on the ball committee."

"Sure, what do you want to know?" Haruka pulled the half dressed girl to her lap.

"Anything." Hugging the blonde's neck Michiru kissed her lips.

"Let's see, full name Shizuka Ishii, born in Tokyo, age 22, do you want her measurements?"

Michiru laughed and tapped her girlfriend with the hairbrush she was holding. "Perv. I meant in general, things I should know."

"Ok, ok no need to pummel me with a hairbrush."

"Such a baby…"They kissed again and Haruka continued talking.

"She's the daughter of Tanaka and Sakura Ishii, her father Tanaka is a well known doctor, her two brothers are doctors as well. I know she went to college to study some sort of fashion degree but she never worked after college, and besides shopping, which I will call her favorite hobby she enjoys tennis, parasailing and dancing. She lives alone and she works must of the year putting together fundraisings mainly for the hospital and of course she enjoys being a socialite."

"I see."

"Why the sudden interest on her anyways?" Michiru fixed the fabric of the dress she chose, she turned to Haruka and started walking to the door.

"I like her. Let's go, I'm ready."

"Like her like her?" The blonde replied lifting an eyebrow.

"Oh don't be silly. She is very beautiful but I mean like a person like her."

"Does she like you back?"

"What a rude question to ask, I don't know. She did commission those portraits though… you don't think she is after something bad do you?"

"Shizuka may be a bit shallow and she does have an explosive temper now and then but I don't think so, it is too farfetched I think."

"I feel guilty sometimes, for coming between you two." Haruka hugged her gently, lifting her chin softly to kiss her.

"Don't be. You came to speed up a process that was already in our paths, sometimes we procrastinate to avoid the discomfort of pain, the familiarity and the hope keeps us bonded to others to whom we don't belong. Shizuka and I did not belong together forever."Michiru looked into the green eyes, a question on her lips fluttering like a bright butterfly. Did they belong together forever? "Let's go, I want to take you to this wonderful sushi place I found in downtown…"

-0-

"Are you sure you don't want me to come upstairs with you?" Michiru nodded, hugging her portfolio, she kissed Haruka goodbye and walked into the luxurious building where Shizuka lived. She fixed her hair a bit nervous, she had even picked up a fancy dress from the wardrobe room, she wanted to feel confident and level the grounds between her and Shizuka.

Michiru knocked on the door, a servant girl with an impeccable navy blue uniform made her wait for a while in the entrance hall and guided her afterwards to a beautiful white room, the back wall was an enormous window with a grand view to the city below, the spacious room was decorated with fine taste, there were fresh iris bunches in vases and a beautiful set of white living room furniture that matched the fluffy carpet beneath her feet. Sitting on the couch she found Shizuka, a stack of magazines next to her, Michiru noticed that there were actually a lot of magazines around the room. "Well this is indeed a surprise." Shizuka gestured her to sit down and Michiru sat on the loveseat in front of the blonde. "What can I do for you Michiru? Did you get the photographs I sent you?"

"Yes, I actually finished a couple of them…"

"I see, you didn't have to come all the way for that."

"I came for a different reason. I was wondering if you will mind posing for your portrait." Shizuka looked at her puzzled.

"You already made a portrait of me without even needing a photograph why do you need me to pose for you?"

"I tried to do it but …look." Michiru opened the portfolio and showed Shizuka a few drawings.

"They all look fine to me." Michiru pointed the eyes of the portrait.

"It is your eyes, you have stormy blue eyes and I just can't seem to paint them right." Shizuka examined Michiru with caution; were there any hidden intentions on her visit here? She couldn't think of any. "Please, I will be quick, a couple hours."

"You are not going to ask me to get my clothes off are you?" Michiru blushed violently.

"No!"

The blonde smiled. "Fine, I guess I should order tea if you are staying." She rang a small silver bell and just a few seconds later a second girl wearing the navy uniform came in. Michiru wondered if the girl was just outside the room waiting for orders. "Tea for two, please." The girl nodded and exited quietly.

"May I ask you something?"Shizuka nodded, Michiru wished she could look as cool and elegant just nodding. "How many servants do you have here?"

"Four. I know what you think, why would I possibly need four maids, believe it or not I keep some of them just for company sake, it gets quiet here. You don't have to pretend is not pretentious, I know it well, but you see they part time here while attending nursing school, it is a win-win, I get spoiled as much as I want and they get an education which allows them to never serve again unless they want to." Michiru nodded. "This is awkward isn't it? You and I having afternoon tea… the world is funny sometimes."

-0-

Michiru traced the factions of the beautiful face in the silence of the afternoon. Shizuka uncomfortable sighed softly. "Being a model is too boring, at least talk to me."

"Ok, but please try not to move I have to start again every time you switch positions, find a comfy spot and stay still."

"I never thought you could be bossy." Shizuka lay on a bunch of pillows and looked at her. "There, I will stay still."

"Thank you. I'm not sure what we could talk about. I am not a terribly interesting person."

"Lies, you had amnesia and fell on the lap of princess charming. That is quite interesting. Did you get all your memories back?"

"Not all. Most of them though."

Silence again, Shizuka resist the urge to pick a magazine up, she was suppose to look at Michiru and stay still. She found the smaller girl cute. "Is that your natural hair color?"

"It is."

"Two words, you are quite the social butterfly."

"Sorry, why don't you ask and I just answer?"

"Sure, we're having a regular slumber party over here…let's see. How long have you played the violin?"

"15 years."

"Really? Must be nice to have it all figure out since childhood, I never learn to play any instrument, my father says it's because I am hyperactive, I say it is because I have the attention span of a hummingbird for things like that. Can I see the painting now?"

"No. Do you get along with your family?"

"I do. But they have their lives and I got mine so I don't see them much. Family of doctors, they are always on call. If your next question is why I am not a doctor the answer is because I wanted a personal life." Michiru nodded and started a new sketch; Shizuka had turned her face again. "You look so awfully serious when you paint, much older. Maybe I should ask you spicy questions to see if you can keep the straight face." Shizuka was always so composed, but lying on the pillows and bored she let her guard down. Michiru lifted an eyebrow but kept her eyes on the pad. "Was Haruka your first?"

Lifting the eyes of her work Michiru blushed softly. "Do you want me to finish quickly or not?" Shizuka shrugged.

"I don't care, honestly you came into my house and now I get to ask you everything I want."

"No. She wasn't. There."

"Oh… was it romantic, your first time I mean?"

"I thought you say you and I were not friends, why will I answer to that?"

"Because otherwise I will move again and you will never finish your portrait."

Sighing Michiru placed the sketch pad and her pencils down. "It was… kind of, I thought I was very in love and it was special at the time. Was yours?"

"Not really, but we're not talking about me. Was this person a she?"

"It was, not that it matters, but yes."

"I made you sad…" Shizuka noticed the calm sea of Michiru's eyes clouded with tears, the smaller girl shook her head and smiled.

"Old wounds. Forgive me."

"It is ok, we all have wounds that take a long time heal. Do you want to talk about it?"

"There isn't much to say, she was abusive and I was … well, I let her be." Shizuka got off the couch and sat on the loveseat next to Michiru. "It was all so romantic at first, I thought her jealousy meant that she cared, that her bad temper was just a phase, but things got sour quick and well…" A tear rolled down Michiru's face and Shizuka bitted her lower lip, she was not sure what to do. She hugged Michiru softly. "I was so stupid, I left my parents house for her, my whole world and she used me and abuse me at will."

"Why didn't you left at the first sign?"

Michiru wiped her face and looked at Shizuka; she had asked herself that question many times during the past weeks. "I was ashamed. I could not go back home being a failure, having my father telling me 'I told you so' I had nowhere to go, and I hoped in the end I could make it work, and I did left, more than once, but then I just came back again and again…"

"But it is over now. And you survived it; you should not cry or feel ashamed anymore, it is over." Michiru nodded softly, she felt so stupid crying in front of Shizuka, but no one had ever asked about Claire, and she had never told anyone about the abuse and the pain. "Ok, I'll tell you what, I will go back over there and stay very still so you can finish if you promise not to cry anymore, and here me out this is big, I will consider perhaps being your friend in the non distant future."

Michiru laughed softly. "How generous of you."

Shizuka went back to the pillows and looked at Michiru. "I am bad at making friends, so it is a big deal."

"Well I am bad at it too so I guess we are even. Will you ever forgive me for…"

"Haruka? Oh… "She sighed. "I will lie if I say I didn't try to hate you, but the truth is after I cried myself three days to sleep I realize that the thing that upset me the most was that I was going to have to call my mother and tell her there was not going to be a wedding in the near future. And once in this point I realize, I was really just obsessed about the wedding and I had left my relationship with Haruka slip down the hill. I really, really wanted a wedding." Michiru noticed as Shizuka pointed down to the stack of magazines, almost every single one of them were bridal magazines. "This is me, the crazy lady subscribed to every bridal publication in Japan."

"Did Haruka know you wanted to get married?"

Laughing sourly Shizuka nodded again. "Is it not obvious? But for Haruka marriage is the equivalent of swallowing glass shards or at least the idea of a marriage with me seemed that way. It is ok, I somehow feel I am not ready to marry, I just really like weddings…"

"Maybe you should become a wedding planner."

"What a wonderful idea. You're precious. Now finish that portrait I am starving, fancy going out for dinner with your brand new frienemy?

"Frienemy? Well I guess that will do for now, but could you please stop moving? Seriously…"

-0-

"Zip me up please." Michiru lifted the shiny cascade of curls and showed Haruka her exposed silky back. Haruka kissed the base of her neck and zipped up the elegant gown slowly.

"Are you sure we got to leave now?" Smiling Michiru stepped in her tip toes and kissed the blonde's lips.

"Oh yes, I want to have a look at every 'Rose' I want the excited look to be in the portrait.

"Aren't you only painting the winner?"

"I am, so I have to look at all of them and then try to remember the one that wins later." Haruka hung her arms in defeat.

"That sounds like we are going to be there all night…"

"It is going to be fun! Shizuka is going to show us around the VIP area."

"Oh right your new spanking friend Shizuka… I should be worried that my ex and my current girlfriend are friends…"

"Ridiculous, we never talk about you anyways, you are not that interesting."

"Ouch…"

"Let's go, I bet this night is going to be full with excitement."

-0-

"Is that what you are wearing?" Claire walked into the room wearing a white collar shirt and black jeans.

Claire looked at her and nodded. "Is something wrong with it?"

Mizuki fixing her makeup gave her a stern look. "You could wear something more attractive."

"Like what? Not everybody can wear a slutty dress as well as you do."

"Watch it Claire, I am not in the mood. Tonight is very important, if you screw this up you will end up drawing people at the carnival."

"Yeah, yeah I heard you the first time." Claire lighted a smoke and Mizuki walked to her and hugged her neck.

"If you do it well I will make you very rich and very famous mhmm?" She took the cigarette from the brunette's hand and put it out. "Now be a good girl and go get changed into something more appropriate, I got you all those suits for a reason."

"Fine, but after tonight I expect you to be quite generous with me." She said sliding her hand down to Mizuki's waist.

"Later, after you dash the little Disney princess…" Tonight was the night, no more running around the bush, it was all or nothing.

(So The Rose Garden Ball will be an interesting event don't you think? Review if you want more!)