Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

Chapter 20

Picking Up the Pieces

5:00 AM

June 3, Tenoh Estate, Tokyo

He opened his eyes in complete darkness. It didn't feel like he had any sleep, even though he had been in bed for hours. It was quiet, the rest of the house still under the covers of the night.

"Are you awake?" he whispered to the woman laying next to him.

"I am," she whispered in return, turning around and placing her arm around his mid-section.

"I think it's pointless to try and sleep. Should we make it an early arrival?"

"There will be no good timing for it, so we might as well."

He brought her closer, hugging her to himself and sharing a morning kiss. They parted and went on to get ready. They didn't bother to wake up their staff, the only call they placed was to the pilot. Riku got behind the wheel of their Lexus and drove out of the estate's grounds. The roads were still empty, the thickness of the pre-dusk morning almost impenetrable.

"We still have time, do you want to stop for coffee?"

"Sure." He looked at her momentarily before returning his eyes back to the road. "How do you think they will take it?"

"Which part? The part where the marriage we arranged will never work, the part where their daughter is gay, or the one where our daughters are involved?" Her voice was strained.

"All of them, I guess, but I think Michiru being gay will be the hardest on them. We always joke about how traditional Miho is, but in reality they both are. I have no idea how they will take it. Do you?"

She shook her head. "No, but at least we will be there to support them. We have accepted Haruka for who she is, whether she realized it this whole time or not. They don't love Michiru any less than we love our daughter, I'm sure they will learn to accept it."

She thought for a while before adding: "You know, under other circumstances I would actually admit that I'm happy that Haruka and Michiru care for each other. I love them both and I'm glad that they will have a chance at happiness together. I just wish Haru wasn't a casualty of their happiness… or our planning."

Riku nodded in response. They both accepted that they made a mistake, both hoped to correct it to the best of their ability. Hoped that their friends would feel the same way. All they had to do was wait until they got back to the oRb… and open their friends' eyes.

X X X

7:00 AM

June 3, Kaioh Manor, Tokyo

Nanami was watching the sleeping form of her sister from the bedroom door. They had a long and tiring day yesterday, so it wasn't surprising that Michiru was still asleep. The fact that Nanami was awake, on the other hand, would surprise many. After they finally made it to the bigger island by boat, they realized that their efforts would not get them far. All planes were grounded until the storm passed, so they ended up sitting at the airport for hours. That gave Sora and Nanami an opportunity to question Michiru about what happened. She eventually told them that Haruka went to confront her brother, just like Sora suspected, and that she had not heard from her since. Any more probing led to nothing, so the couple gave up and found something else to entertain themselves with. They boarded the first plane for Tokyo and came to the manor just before midnight.

Michiru seemed to get better as the day progressed, almost becoming her normal, albeit worried, self. She didn't argue with her sister when the latter insisted on Michiru going to her old bedroom and getting some sleep. Nanami herself, on the other hand, could not sleep. She was worried about what happened and dissatisfied with the limited information she got out of her sister. The evenly breathing form under the covers was not giving her any answers either, so she softly shut the door and went downstairs to find something to occupy herself with until Michiru awakened.

Nanami turned the large LCD TV on, sitting down on the sectional and curling her feet underneath herself. She flipped the channels looking for something interesting, until her finger froze as one of the news channels came on. The slick black remote fell to the floor as she stumbled over her feet, grabbing on to the glass coffee table for support. She picked herself up and ran back to the bedroom.

"Michi, Michi, get up, you have to see this." She shook her startled sister and dragged her downstairs.

"...It has been confirmed that there were no survivors. The authorities are not sure how many were present on board or that their bodies may be recovered…"

They both stared in shock at the images on the screen.

X X X

7:15 AM

June 3, Penthouse, Tokyo

She took a long shower, thinking of all the events of the past forty-eight hours and trying to figure out where she would go. The US seemed to be an obvious choice. She walked to the kitchen, flipping the TV on on her way and grabbing a glass of orange juice from the refrigerator. She turned around, raising the glass to her lips, only to let it fall to the tiled floor and shred in million pieces, just like her life, at the changing images on the screen.

The wetness at her feet made her move towards the television. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the burning images on the screen. Her hand reached for the volume and brought it up.

"Again, the breaking news of Kaioh-Tenoh corporate helicopter exploding in the air have reached our studio not even an hour ago, along with these images taken by the witnesses of the early morning accident. It has been confirmed that there were no survivors. The authorities are not sure how many were present on board or that their bodies may be recovered…"

She didn't listen anymore. She didn't need authorities to tell her how many were on board of the helicopter, she knew that already. Her world just came crumbling down. If she thought that she was crushed yesterday, if she thought she knew what the worst pain was, she was mistaken; because she had never felt the way she felt in that moment. She couldn't even describe it, nor did she care to. There were no tears, no sobbing, no screaming… she just stood, paralyzed, until she could retell the progression of the images and live reports from the scene by heart; knew that she would never forget them. Then, she walked over to the stainless steel counter and picked up her cell, pushing the silver power button to turn it on and not feeling the small pieces of glass that pierced her feet.

27 missed calls. 14 voice mails.

She stared at the screen before unlocking the list. The voice mails were from Sora, Michiru, Mizuki, people she knew and worked with. The other 13 missed calls were the ones she ignored last night, when her concerned parents called her. Oh how she wished they would call her again. She would not turn the phone off this time… She knew that would never happen. She squeezed the small device in her hand before throwing it against the wall. To her satisfaction it would never deliver anyone else's calls in the future.

Her body walked to the closet in the bedroom and got dressed, mechanically. She wasn't controlling it anymore. She had no control over anything in this life, at least so it seemed. She looked at herself in the mirror and a familiar image stared back at her. The only difference was the emptiness of the green eyes. She grabbed the keys and the wallet from a nightstand and walked out to the living room. She paused for a second in front of a picture frame set on one of the shelves, both twins smiling back at her from it. She put it face down and left the penthouse.

Haruka didn't know how to deal with this logically, didn't know if that was even possible, so she did the first thing that came to mind. It was her way of dealing with it, the only way she could semi-function at the moment. She didn't know that she would regret her actions in the future, nor did she care. She got in her car and drove to the airport. There, she bought a ticket to the first departing flight.

X X X

8:00 AM

June 3, Kaioh Manor, Tokyo

Michiru was pacing the length of the living room and dialing Haruka's and Haru's numbers interchangeably, but both phones put her straight to voice mail. The effect of calling beach house was the same, penthouse's phone seemed to be disconnected. She looked at Nanami, who was sitting on the couch, her own cell in her hands.

"Anything?"

Nanami shook her head. She called Sora as soon as the first shock wore off, but he didn't answer. She texted him for good measure and was waiting for some kind of a reply. At this point, unsuccessfully.

One of the maids entered quietly and placed a tray of tea and pastries on the coffee table, giving the sisters a pleading look and leaving without a word. They didn't ask for food, doubting that they could force anything down, but appreciated the gesture nonetheless. Nanami looked at the assortment on the plate and gave up, grabbing a croissant and chewing on it in a neurotic manner. The phone she still held in her left hand finally buzzed and she threw the remainder of the pastry back on the plate, bringing the little device to her ear at the same.

"Sora-chan?"

She listened for a long while, staring into nothingness. Michiru kept looking at her questioningly, but couldn't read anything other than worry in the darkening face of her sister.

"Alright, we'll see you there." She clicked the button, disconnecting, and set the phone next to the plate, looking up at her sister.

"He's at the site of the accident, or at least as close as he can be, since the helicopter exploded above the water. The rescue teams are apparently diving from the docks, he's trying to organize efforts in a more efficient manner. Mom and dad just got there from the oRb, he said that they are in a bad shape. He doesn't know where either of the twins are, we should get there as soon as we can."

Michiru nodded, before it hit her that Nanami never mentioned the most important detail.

"Who was on board?"

"Riku and Nariko."

X X X

10:23 AM

Site of the accident

Chaos was the best way to describe what the bigger island next to the oRb looked like. News crews, recovery teams, government officials, private crews, emergency vehicles, local observers… everything you would expect when a disaster hits was there. Some people were scurrying around, some were taking a break, others were simply observing the divers that were hard at work. They dove in from the docks, searching for any remains brought to the island by the current. A freight vessel was positioned further out in the ocean, small black dots periodically going up and down its side. The mood was as grim as it could be, the absence of any result disappointing and frustrating to those involved and boring to the bystanders.

Michiru gulped down as she exited the car that brought them from the airport and reached for her sister's hand, taking in the sight. She searched the crowd for their parents or anyone they knew but was unsuccessful.

"Let's see if they are by the boat they used to get here." Nanami offered.

Michiru nodded in agreement and moved towards the docks. They located the familiar boat they themselves used just yesterday and saw their father sitting on its floor, looking out into the ocean. His back was to them, so he did not see their approach. Michiru let go of Nanami and lowered herself down, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Otou-san."

He turned around, looking at both of his daughters in turn and bowing his head in greeting. He seemed older, even though they saw him less than two days ago. His somber expression intensified the wrinkles on his aging face, the shadows making its features more angular and thinner. Michiru could swear he had more gray hair as well.

"Where is Okaa-san?" Nanami asked quietly, looking around in concern.

"She's downstairs, sleeping. I had one of the doctors from the emergency vehicles give her a sedative. As you may imagine, she did not take this well." He pointed at the cabin's door before turning back to the ocean.

"Are there any developments?"

He shook his head in response. Michiru sighed and looked around. Her eyes fell on a solemn figure of her husband. He was standing at the very end of the dock, out of the crews' way, his hands in his pockets, unmoving, watching the efforts. He was wearing all black, much like Haruka did last time she saw her, except that today it was a necessity, not just preference. The wind played with his golden hair, messing it more than usual and making it fall in his eyes. He did not seem to notice.

She remembered everything that happened since the opening, but it barely mattered in contrast to what was going on now. She took a deep breath and quietly walked over, standing next to him on the edge and not daring to touch him.

"I'm very sorry." She was looking at the freighter, afraid to look in his face.

"Apology accepted."

She barely heard it and was wondering if he misunderstood her. "I meant about your parents."

"That's not what you should be apologizing for, unless you caused the explosion."

Her eyes finally dashed to his face. Who was he? He acted like somebody she did not know, was not sure she wanted to either. The sarcasm was out of place.

"Where is your sister?" She decided to avoid that other conversation all together and ask what she truly cared about.

"She's gone."

"What do you mean she's gone?" She kept looking at his profile, he never removed his eyes from what he was watching, never moved, never showed any emotion, no matter what he said.

"I asked her to leave for a while and she agreed to."

"Under these circumstances?" Her voice rose until she got herself back together, knowing that they had an audience. "You asked Haruka to leave when she lost her parents, just like you did?"

"I asked her before all of this and she agreed. I do not see how the circumstances affect the origin of my request or her agreement to do that for me."

Was he made of steel? She definitely did not know this person. She also was quickly growing to hate him. How could he make Haruka go away? She only imagined what the woman was going through… on her own. She felt a small sting of hurt because Haruka did not reach out to her in a moment like this, she could have given her any support she needed, but… perhaps she needed to deal with it in a different way. Michiru promised to wait, no matter what, and she will.

"It would affect the enforcement of your request if you had a heart," she said coldly.

"She's gone, Michiru, they are gone. Leave it be. Leave me be."

"Suit yourself." She gave him one last look before returning back to her family.

X X X

10:54 AM

Site of the accident

Sora got to the scene of the accident right after the police did. He had many connections and one of them happened to work for the news. Knowing that Sora had been in Kaioh-Tenoh Corp's employ, the contact called Sora as soon as he heard of the accident on the news wire. Sora caught a ride with the same contact on the news helicopter, arriving at the scene of the accident around seven. Having been blessed with unmatched organizational and directional skills from birth, he quickly got to coordinating and directing the efforts. One of his first and hardest tasks was to contact those directly affected by the tragedy. Neither twin picked up the phone, so he left numerous messages. Next, he called Kaito. The conversation was short, but devastating to the older man.

To aid the efforts, Sora called in private diving crews. He also suggested using the freight vessel Haruka bought months ago for some of the divers, positioning it where the helicopter was seen going down.

He found Haru walking through the crowd and getting inside the taped perimeter around nine. The blonde looked like an emotionless shadow. Upon approaching him, Sora realized that the look was not deceiving, in fact, he acted like an emotionless shadow as well. The friend he knew was gone, replaced by a robot that mechanically answered questions he felt like answering, while ignoring others. After getting a full report from Sora, Haru walked to the dock, where he was still standing.

Sora himself had been standing on the bridge of the freighter, watching divers come back empty-handed hour after agonizing hour. Their only success was locating the cabin's remains. Sora, along with the forensic team, was waiting for the arrival of a crane that would pull the remains of the helicopter out of the water.

X X X

12:10 PM

Empty green eyes watched as large rippling circles appeared on the surface of the blue water, a distorted frame of the cabin slowly rising from their center. There was nothing but black, burned, twisted metal left. There was no hope to recover the bodies, judging by the impact of the blast. The crane turned steadily and carefully deposited the form aboard the vessel. It was momentarily surrounded by people, disconnecting the cables and searching for any explanation for the cause of the explosion or any remains. A motor boat departed the freighter and came towards the dock.

Small particles of salty water splashed the motionless figure as the boat came to a standstill. Sora got out and approached his friend. He searched for any changes in Haru's demeanor, hoping that the past hours had any kind of effect that would bring a person to the surface, but found none. He sighed and waited for his presence to be acknowledged. He took the slightest turn of the blonde head as a signal and delivered the news.

"There is nothing that can be salvaged from that wreck. They will keep looking for the black box, but it's unlikely that they will find it… or any remains." He looked at the face devoid of any emotion. "Haru, is there anything I can do?"

Eventually he got a shaking of the blonde head in response. Then, his friend turned around and walked away without a word to anyone present.

Sora watched him leave the same way he came from, without ever stopping, without a word to anyone else. Despite everything he and the twins had been through, he hasd never been this worried about either of them. He stood for a while, dwelling on the subject, then he moved on to the next of kin. He walked to the boat, where all four Kaiohs were sitting on the floor at this point.

Michiru and Nanami seemed tired, but set on staying until they got some kind of resolution. Kaito looked exactly the same as when Sora left him before departing for the freighter, Miho looked slightly better. She was no longer crying uncontrollably like she was a few hours ago, though she still held on to her husband's hand for support, even in their sitting position. Four pairs of eyes looked at him with the same question. Sora squatted to their level and delivered the same report he just gave to Haru.

X X X

3:07 PM

Despite the general belief that the remains would never be found, unrecognizable bodies of two out of the reported three people aboard the helicopter were recovered in the afternoon. The first speculation by the forensic team was that the blast initiated in the front, thus, the bodies most likely belonged to the passengers, and not the pilot. DNA testing later confirmed that the bodies belonged to Tenoh Riku and Tenoh Nariko. All further efforts were unsuccessful.

X X X

June 5, Aoyama Reien, Tokyo

Nariko had always been in love with the cherry blossoms. For their first date her and Riku went to the cherry blossom festival, which they had attended every year ever since. Consequently, they had purchased a plot of land under a cherry tree at the Aoyama Reien decades ago. They had always intended their spirits to enjoy hanami every year.

Though it was Haru's responsibility as the eldest son, Sora took it upon himself to organize the funeral. The only directive he ever got was to not cremate the remains under any circumstances. It was unusual to do so, but Haru curtly explained to Sora that one inferno was enough for his parents' bodies and that he would not allow them to burn again. As a result of this condition, the wake and the funeral became more Western than Kaito and Miho wanted, but their opinion was cast aside by the remaining Tenoh.

Everyone was welcome to the wake, but the funeral ceremony was reserved for the family. There were less than twenty people present, women dressed in black kimonos, men dressed in black suits, white shirts and black ties. Haru stood in the front, his shoulders perfectly square, hands in his pockets, as still as he had been at the dock. The Kaioh family and Sora stood right behind him and to the side, Kaito supporting the shaking frame of his wife, Michiru holding Nanami's hand. Other relatives crowded behind them.

The day was sunny and clear, not a cloud covered the blue sky. There was no wind, all was still, as though the world held its breath to listen to the chanting of the priest. The only other sound was the soft thud of the first casket hitting the ground; another one followed shortly after. The first pieces of soil hit the wood as a single tear slid down from the green eyes, unnoticed by those behind the frozen figure. The masks slipped for just a short moment, allowing the soul-tearing torment to project in the emeralds, before the lids closed and the calm, impenetrable surface was restored.