Part XII: Young Hearts
"What in the world were you thinking?!" The voice yelled out from the other end of the line.
Haruka already took the phone away from her ear but the voice was still audible. Completely audible. It was the first time in years since she last heard that tone. Not that she was a pain as a child. Haruka just simply had a knack for pissing of her family's attorney. The fifty year old lady could very well be described as Haruka's second mother, her legal guardian.
"How could you marry a girl you've known for a few months? Are you out of your mind?" The voice yelled out once more making Haruka grimace.
"Demo, I had no other choice. They thought I was a boy."
"BAKA! Even if you were I would disagree. You should have chosen your actions wisely."
"I did. I love her." Haruka explained but to no avail.
Nanatsumi continued her sermon making her sigh.
"Love? You meet a girl you like for the first time then sleep with her once, and you already call that love? Do you even know what love is Haruka? How would you know if you're really in love if you don't set yourself out there? Meet new people. I don't care if they are male or female! Just do it properly!"
"Nanatsumi-Chan…" Haruka pleaded.
If she could she would have knelt down in front of the older woman just to have some sense of peace. She wanted lesser problems that's why she agreed to the marriage. She didn't want multiple people to deal with. Instead, the problem has become more complicated.
"Oi! Don't Nanatsumi-Chan me. You will turn down that proposal. And you will not go with that Michiru to New York. If you ever decide to be friends till the day she gets back, well then I may at least let you date her. But for now Tenou Haruka, you will do as I say. You may be twenty, but your heart is too young to know or realize what love is."
"Demo…"
"Haruka, that's final. I'll take the earliest flight tonight to speak to Michiru's parents. This madness has to stop."
"DEMO!" Haruka replied but the other line only presented a tone proving that Nanatsumi did not care for explanations.
The older woman has decided and nothing can change it.
Haruka was frustrated now.
She ran her fingers through her hair. What was she to say? She had to explain. But then a cloud of doubt pierced through her mind. What if she wasn't really in love with Michiru? What if she was just infatuated, overwhelmed by the feeling of someone liking her back? Was it possible?
"Why did it have to be now?" Haruka mumbled burying herself under the sheets of her bed.
----
"Is something bothering my lovely sister? You seem a little… restless." Fei tilted his head eyeing his sister's movement on the veranda.
"Nothing… It's just… The wind is colder than usual. I do not know why…"
"Maybe you should get back in… You might be catching a cold…"
"Iie… It's not that… I feel…" Michiru replied as she stared harder into the moonlit sky, not daring to finish her statement.
I feel like a storm is about to come over my life. And I have no idea what.
Her bedroom door swung open, revealing her grandmother by the doorway.
"Fei-Chan, can I have a moment with your sister?"
"Hai." Fei smiled.
He stood up then walked over to his sister giving her a loving hug.
"I'll be here for you. No matter what happens. Follow your heart…" He whispered before pulling away.
Michiru smiled back at him as his form left the room.
"Michi-Chan…" Her grandmother sighed.
The older Kaioh gave her a hug, her arms remaining there for a while. For some reason, Michiru rested her head on her grandmother's shoulder.
"I feel overwhelmed and it feels like I'm not thinking straight…"
"About Tenou-Kun?"
"Hai…"
Michiru's grandmother led her to the bed and sat by the edge.
"Are you in opposition with the marriage?"
"Iie… I just… Don't know if it's right to jump into it. There are times that I feel I can't breathe without her. There are times that I just want to hide. She seemed caught up with running after things around her to even see this through. Like my world can never merge with her. Like the sea and the sky…"
Michiru rambled on not realizing the pronoun she used. She was scared and excited at the same time. Her heart was ready and yet her mind is telling her they need more time. Summer, being at its end, was making it harder for Michiru. The end of summer meant she had to go back to New York.
"Do you feel strongly for her?"
"Hai… It's like a fish fresh out of the sea seeking air, anything to make me breathe. I love her but is this real?" Michiru faced her grandmother, eyes welling up in tears.
Kaioh Michiru maybe famous and talented, but she was also just a young adult. She had a heart which was inexperience and fragile. This made her like anybody else.
"Rest Michi-Chan…We can figure it out tomorrow…" Her grandmother whispered as Michiru sobbed in her shoulder.
The older Kaioh knew this wedding was going to be a mistake. But she also understands that Michiru loved her Haruka very much. She was a bit doubtful they have time to find out though. This was true especially if the men in the Kaioh family find out the truth about Tenou Haruka.
----
"You've been standing in that porch since the start of never." Seiya crossed his arms and watched as Haruka turned around.
"Nanatsumi-Chan…"
"I know. You don't have to tell me." Seiya smiled a little.
"Should I run away from her Seiya? Is this just… an infatuation…?" Haruka asked sitting on the steps.
She sighed looking at the stars above. Seiya walked over and sat beside her. He too watched the stars above.
"You know… The heart can be wicked sometimes. It shows you the person of your dreams then takes it away sometimes. But what's important is… You stay true to who you are. Do your best to be your best. If it was meant to be, it will find you Haruka. No matter where you hide, no matter where you are, it would find you."
Haruka didn't respond. She stared the night sky feeling the wind growing a little restless.
"I'll see you later Seiya… I need to see her." Haruka stood up and ran towards Michiru's house.
"Ne Haruka! You're not allowed to see her after ten!" Seiya yelled out but there was no one there to listen.
----
She was half asleep but she couldn't give into it. Her heart was feeling heavier knowing she might leave Haruka at any point. Her eyes opened up when she heard something from the veranda just outside her room. Michiru gulped. It could be a burglar. So she gripped her pillow and slowly got out of her bed. She waited by the door leading to the veranda, ready to give her uninvited guest a piece of her mind.
Once the door opened Michiru hurriedly through the pillow towards the stranger and pushed the person out of her room. The person was a little tall and was mumbling something on her pillow but Michiru didn't care. She just pushed the stranger flipped over the railing.
"MICHIRU!!!" The voice screamed.
It was a voice Michiru knew so well. A hand was still within reach and Michiru was alert enough to take it. Haruka was now hanging by the railings with one arm held by the smaller girl.
"You're eating too many sweets lately…" Michiru mocked trying to make the situation lighter.
Her arm was aching. Haruka was a little bit heavy for one arm to take hold.
"I'm not even listening to that…" Haruka smirked then swung herself a bit to take hold of the railings.
In a few minutes, Haruka was back on the veranda safe and sound. Michiru was massaging her shoulders and kept apologizing.
"Gomen… I didn't know you were going to climb up to see me…"
"I would climb the highest mountain just to catch a glimpse of you…"
"Oh really?" Michiru asked with one of her eyebrows raised.
"Yeah… Really…" Haruka whispered in a very low voice.
She leaned towards Michiru and they kissed deeply. They problems can be discussed some other time. They had other things to think about… For now.
