Been watching Sailor Moon a lot lately, and I can feel my inspiration returning :D This is a good thing for everybody that I'm continuing to write even though I'm so tired. But if I don't write I'll never sleep because it will always be on my mind. Anyway, please enjoy :D


What Happened To Us?
Chapter 12

She could feel them. Everywhere. They were all around them. Over the years, it had become a sixth sense to her. The paparazzi. They followed her every move. Whether it be at the studio, or even doing some grocery shopping. They were there.

"Are you alright?" Haruka asked her friend. She'd noticed the way Michiru had been looking around for the past few minutes as they'd been walking. The café she was meeting Ami at for lunch was only five blocks away. It was much faster to walk, but seeing Michiru's sudden paranoia, she was beginning to second guess herself on that decision.

The star looked up at the other woman. "They're following us." Her voice was low enough to where only the blonde heard her.

Haruka stopped walking to give her full attention to Michiru. "Who's following us?" She quickly began looking around, trying to see whomever it was that Michiru saw.

"The paparazzi. They're always following me. Let's just keep walking Haruka. The sooner we get there, the better." She walked past Haruka to make sure her words were taken seriously. There was one thing she'd learned over the years. They never followed her into any buildings she entered. No. They'd just wait until she was exiting to ambush her… she'd warn Haruka and Ami of that after lunch.

When they turned the corner, Ami was right there waiting. She glanced at her watch before smiling at her friend. "You're late Haruka."

The blonde rolled her eyes at the comment before pulling the short, blue-haired woman in for a hug. "I had a bit of a distraction." She tilted her head back toward Michiru.

Ami's face lit up at the sight of her once dear friend. "Michiru… it's been years."

"Hi Ami." A genuine smile overtook Michiru's face. One of the few real smiles she's shared with anyone other than Haruka for ages.

The two former friends shared an embrace before Haruka interrupted them. "Come on ladies, my stomach is hungry." She pulled the door open to the café. Once her two comrades had entered the building, the blonde smiled smugly at a man that was near them and waved toward his camera.

If the paparazzi were going to follow her now, she might as well have fun with it. It had been years since she dealt with them herself. After she retired from racing, they all seemed to lose interest in her for the most part. There were still the ones that followed Kimi around, but not as many. And when Kimi passed, there were a few that followed Haruka shortly after her death. But then they all vanished completely. Haruka was thankful that she'd be able to give Yuki a sense of normalcy in her life. At least for a little bit. With her new connection with Michiru, that normalcy would soon fade away.


"They're going to be waiting for us." Michiru stood from her seat after losing a small fight with Haruka on who was going to pay for her lunch.

"Who?" Ami grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair and started to put it on.

Haruka only chuckled. She was honestly waiting for Michiru to bring up the paparazzi that she'd pointed out to her before they entered the café. "The men with cameras who stalk her."

The star blushed some. It was true though, it was like they stalked her. They were always there and there was no doubt they'd have a field day with any and all pictures they'd gather of her with Haruka. "They never follow me inside anywhere. They just wait for me outside." She found herself subconsciously leaning closer to Haruka when she saw the mass of people outside.

Haruka sensed her friend's discomfort and pulled her close to talk to her. "I'm not going to do anything that's going to put more pressure on you. Especially since you just fired your manager and you're facing everything alone." Michiru met her eyes and smiled softly. Being in Haruka's presence always relaxed her. "But I swear, if they get too close to you all bets are off. You're my friend and I want to protect you."

Friend… She only saw her as a friend. Swallowing the lump in her throat she simply nodded. How could she expect anything more from Haruka? Especially so soon after reconnecting. It didn't make the statement hurt any less though. That word made her feel like someone was sitting on her chest. An unexplained feeling in her heart that Michiru knew she didn't like. But, what could she do about it? Just be patient.

"Ready?" Haruka bravely offered her hand. Making no attempt to force Michiru to take it, just simply offering the comfort. She knew that pictures of them holding hands would easily be misconstrued into them being a couple. Which they weren't. But as Michiru nodded wordlessly, Haruka began to wonder if they ever could be.

"Are the rumors true?"

"Is Haruka your girlfriend?"

"Did you fire your manager?"

"What did you eat?"

"Who's with you?"

Michiru was able to pick out each and every question that was thrown their way. She quickly grabbed Haruka's hand for comfort and support. She knew what would come from it, but feeling what she was feeling at the moment, she didn't care. She didn't care about the rumors. There would eventually be a press conference held to announce that she was gay. But no time soon. She'd simply allow the rumors to fester and grow. People always believed what they wanted to believe anyway.

"Are you gay Michiru?"

That one caught her attention. She looked right at the young man who had asked it and politely declined her comment on it. All while her grip on the taller woman's hand tightened as the three of them pushed their way through the crowd of people. Most of which were starting to refuse to move out of their way. "Can we just get back to your office Haruka." Her voice was so timid and frightened at the same time.

Haruka could sense your friends discomfort. She simply nodded and raised her hand to cover some lenses that were close to them. She was starting to feel claustrophobic as it was anyway with so many people around them. "Come on Ami." She used kept her grip on Michiru's hand, pushed away another camera, then reached back to grab Ami's as well.

One tug on Haruka's left arm sent the blonde flying over the edge. She wasn't exactly sure what it was inside of her that caused it, but Michiru was the one on her left side. Michiru tugged on her arm because she couldn't move. She, herself, had been grabbed by a reporter. "Get off of her!" The blonde nearly screamed at the man holding onto his friend. "Let go of her you pig!" Before she realized what was happening, she shoved the man. Pure adrenaline running through her veins. Her eyes widened when the man fell to the ground. All around them, all that could be heard was the very familiar sound of flashing cameras.

"Let's just go Haruka, please." Michiru pleaded. She even started to lead the way out of the crowd of people which had started to make room for them once the blonde had snapped.

There was no doubt in Haruka's mind that her action was going to blow up in her and Michiru's faces. She instantly regretted shoving the man. "Michiru… I'm sorry."

Ami stayed close to the pair as they finally entered Haruka's office building. "I'm sorry, but what was that back there? He could press charges against you Haruka."

The blonde didn't need to hear her friend's comments. She knew what she'd done and had no explanation as to why. She had just felt an overwhelming need to protect Michiru from those people. Something she knew she wouldn't have felt toward Ami, or Makoto and they were both her best friends. She felt something more toward Michiru, and it scared her. Most of the feeling reminded her of how she protected the aqua haired woman when they were in high school.

"They won't." Michiru answered Ami's question once they were all safely in Haruka's office. "They won't press charges, they'll just blow it up in the media." She plopped down on the leather chair beside Haruka's desk. "It's not the first time they've grabbed me…"

The whole time Michiru and Ami had their conversation about the last time Michiru was grabbed, Haruka tuned them out. She became lost in her own little world. She couldn't figure out what it was that made her defend Michiru the way she had. She knew that it had to do with her old feelings for the woman, but she wasn't sure as to why they were returning so quickly. No matter how hard she tried to fight it, she couldn't keep her feelings for Michiru at bay. They were returning, and there was no way she could stop it.

Haruka was falling in love with Michiru all over again, and it scared her. She made eye contact with the other woman and smiled softly. The smile was returned. It was a silent communication between the two. A communication that had once been perfected when words were hard to speak. They'd have to face this new found connection soon. But right now, they simply enjoyed being in one another's presence.