Chapter 25: Life on the Run
Doctors were human too, and as many times as they had inured themselves to expressing emotion over human tragedy, they often were as vulnerable to grief as anyone when put in the unfortunate situation. In this case, the situation was the loss of a loved one, a daughter who, although not often seen recently by the person who lost, was deeply loved. The person in question was the esteemed doctor Saeko Mizuno, and within the span of a minute that night she had just learned two things about her dear child Ami. The first was that her daughter was one of the legendary Sailor Senshi, in this case the soldier of water Sailor Mercury. To say it was a shock to discover her daughter's precious secret, of which she was completely in the dark for a length of time she could not fathom, was one thing. The second, however, completely overshadowed the first, and understandably so given the gravity of the news, news that left her a ruined being.
The patient's room was utterly silent, save for the sounds of mourning, for several minutes after Usagi informed Saeko of her daughter's death. She didn't have an opportunity to provide any more insight into how Ami died—not that she had any more knowledge about it than what her former friends had told her. All she could do, and all anyone could do, was just sit there and watch the incessant, agonized sobbing of a heartbroken mother. Unfortunately, she was all too familiar with being both a spectator and a participant of such sorrow, and she fully understood what the doctor was going through.
It was a full hour before she could have the audience of all three again. As painful as it was to contemplate there being more to her story, there indeed was much more she had to say. First was a brief summarization of the origins and purposes of the senshi based upon what she could remember Luna telling her and her experiences fighting the beings from the Dark Kingdom. Next, and far more important, was a full and honest retelling of everything that had occurred to her since the day her friends and Mamoru initially abandoned her. She told them of her largely successful, yet futile, quest to improve herself as a warrior and as a young woman, her arguments and eventual reconciliation with Ami, the true reason why the girls had forsaken her, the plan she and Ami had conceived to recover those lost friendships, and her battle with Kunzite. This particular part of the story fully captivated Ikuko as she finally learned why Usagi's personality had changed so drastically almost overnight. Her daughter gradually opened up to her more and shared more of her personal pain, culminating with the confession that all of her friends—the other senshi—had left her. Despite the slow revelations, she had no inkling of the effect Usagi's suffering could have had on the survival of the entire planet until that night's explanation.
However, none of that compared to the next thing the princess had to tell them.
"Kunzite… Kunzite knows who I am… He knows I am Usagi as well as the princess," she said hesitantly as she slowly glanced over each of the three stunned people in the room with sullen blue eyes. "I'm sure the Dark Kingdom knows the true identities of the other girls as well. What I don't know is how he found out." She smoothed out the navy-blue skirt of her school uniform and sat down in the chair next to her mother's bed with a glum face. She had long ago dropped her transformation.
"So… if they know who you are, it is possible they know who we are as well," a sage Ikuko said with strange calmness given the haunting implication of her words. Shingo turned a worried gaze toward his mother.
"But, how could they know?" Usagi nervously asked. "It's not like you all were involved in any of the fights."
Even though she was not completely attentive given her depressed emotional state, Saeko was alert enough to be genuinely useful in the conversation. "You may have fought with Kunzite elsewhere, but after every fight you inevitably returned home, right?" she said in a coarse whisper.
"Um… maybe…" Usagi mumbled as she reflected on her previous battles and the aftermath.
"In that case, maybe they saw you when you transformed and then followed you home. That would be what I would do if I were in that position."
"But we tried so hard to keep our identities secret! We always made sure there was nobody around whenever we changed."
If there was anything that Saeko was expert at, it was using her innate logic to solve almost impossible problems. Her brilliant mind, along with her hard work, made her one of the top doctors at the busy hospital. So, despite feeling the crushing anguish of her daughter's death, she put her mind to work and, with awe-inspiring deftness, proceeded to solve how the Dark Kingdom identified the senshi. Besides, she figured it would be useful to Usagi and a tribute to her daughter's sacrifice if she could provide even the slightest assistance to the senshi.
"And how do you do that?" Saeko asked with a firmer voice.
"Well… we look for empty locations such as alleys to hide in so that we know nobody can see us," Usagi replied.
"And do you search the area beforehand to make sure nobody is there?"
"Yes, usually…" Her voice trailed off a bit. She began to feel nervous, not because of the pointed questions Saeko threw at her but the implication that she had overlooked something and thus put everyone she knew and loved at risk.
"How thoroughly do you search?"
"Well, of course we look around," she said softly, suddenly unsure of her responses.
"And up as well?"
That incisive question threw Usagi off completely. She scrunched her nose and furrowed her brows in apparent deep contemplation, but she knew in her heart that Saeko had her beat. There was a reason Ami was such a genius, and it went well beyond her history as a senshi. She soon relaxed her expressions, turned her head downward and slowly shook it.
"Not usually," she replied with a tone of resignation. "But, we never really had a reason to look up," she added a few moments later.
"And I'm sure that's what the Dark Kingdom took advantage of in order to learn more about you. After all, you did say that Kunzite was looking specifically for you," Saeko said.
Usagi sighed. "Yes, he was, and he still is," she said dejectedly. Tears welled up in her downcast eyes as she balled her hands into tight fists that gripped the bottom of her skirt. "And now, because of my carelessness, he not only knows who I am and who the other girls are, but he probably knows all about you as well." The tears soon began to fall down her cheeks.
It was Saeko's turn to sigh. Her intention was not to make Usagi feel stupid or make the young blonde feel any more depressed than she already was. All she wanted to do was provide what little insight she could into how the leader of the Shitennou could gain such critical information. She had no true knowledge about what happened, so she only made an educated guess based on what she heard from Usagi and what she determined she would have done. In doing so, however, she could sense she had inadvertently hurt the girl.
"I'm sorry," Saeko said with utmost sincerity. "I didn't mean to accuse you of anything or make you out to be irresponsible or, worse, put all the blame onto your shoulders."
"It's okay, Mizuno-sensei," Usagi replied almost instantly after Saeko finished speaking. She looked up at the doctor with dull eyes that only held a shine because of the moisture from her tears. "I know you weren't trying to make me feel bad." She whisked a few droplets from her cheeks with the back of her hand. "But it's still my fault, and it's something that I have to deal with somehow."
Ikuko looked over at her crestfallen daughter with calm sepia eyes that belied the distress and fear she truly felt. She wasn't afraid for herself, even though she had a sense that the incident that sent her family to the hospital was more than a mere accident. Everything about the crash just felt wrong. The car seemed to have a life of its own and Kenji was unable to gain control of the vehicle until the last second as it swerved into the opposing lanes of traffic at speed. It was a miracle, she thought, that her husband was able to slow the car enough and turn it so that the truck with which it collided hit the rear of the car instead of the front or side. Furthermore, there was a brief, almost imperceptible, flash of white light right before the car seemed to lose control and a similar flash seconds before the impact. At the time, she couldn't begin to understand what had happened, but as she witnessed Usagi's confession and heard her stories about the evil that was the Dark Kingdom she slowly came to a realization. The knowledge that Kunzite knew the civilian identities of the senshi only strengthened the recognition. However, despite all of that, she was more afraid of what her daughter would have to face given she had no way to fight, no senshi to help her, and a very determined enemy still targeting her.
"Honey, I know you feel bad about what may have happened, but don't think you have to handle it alone," Ikuko said gently. She would have reached over to hug Usagi, but the injuries made it painful to stretch her arm the necessary distance.
A startled Usagi raised her head and swiftly turned it to look at her mother with widened eyes. "You can't!" she complained loudly. "You can't get involved! You have no idea just how powerful they are, and how ruthless they are!" Her voice started to wobble as fear overtook her original emotion of surprise. "If something were to happen to you all because you tried to help me, then I don't think I could live with myself anymore."
Ikuko smiled warmly. "You're my precious daughter, Usagi, just like Shingo's my precious son. I would do anything within my power to keep my children safe," she said tenderly but with absolute conviction. "I may not have the magical powers that you had as Sailor Moon and have as Princess Serenity, but I'm sure I can contribute in some way." The smile then vanished and she sighed deeply. "Besides, it looks like we're already more involved in all of this than you would want," she said solemnly.
"What? How?" a perplexed Usagi asked.
"The accident we were in, I'm convinced it wasn't really an accident but an attack," Ikuko said calmly. "Our car moved like it had a mind of its own when it accelerated and crossed the center line, sending us into the oncoming traffic. Right before it did that I saw the car become enveloped by a bright white light, though it was only for a split second. I then felt a sort of strange energy that was completely different from what I feel from you. It was cold and dark. I had no clue at the time why I felt what I felt, but now I believe that it was an attack from the Dark Kingdom that you described."
The color drained from Usagi's face and her trembling body began to sweat all over, giving her the appearance of someone who had just turned violently ill. She immediately recognized that the Dark Kingdom absolutely had to be behind that crash. Spontaneously her mind replayed the last encounter with Kunzite in a desperate search for any clues as to why her enemy would suddenly attack her family instead of her directly. She then remembered the chilling words that Kunzite spoke at the outset of their battle. He mentioned the "other people" of importance Usagi might save if she gave up and allowed herself to be captured. The moment her mother spoke of the weird incidences surrounding the car crash, she realized that Kunzite was referring to her family.
"If I had just gone with Kunzite, none of this would have happened," she whispered as she stared at the blank tile floor.
"No," Ikuko said resolutely in a startling rejection of Usagi's line of reasoning. "We may have ended up hurt, but you absolutely did the right thing." Her tone then softened and she spoke more gently to her daughter once again. "If you had gone with Kunzite, the whole world would have been in mortal danger. You know as well as we do that you would not have allowed that to occur."
Usagi looked up at Ikuko and her mother's soothing eyes and began to feel a sense of calm wash over her. "You're right," she said as her shaking slowly ceased. Her face then became scrunched in bafflement as she pondered aloud what they could possibly do next.
"Obviously we can't stay in our current house," Ikuko said evenly despite the sudden shift in their lifestyle that she was advocating. "We will have to move somewhere else… maybe my sister's place for the time being until we can find another home."
"How can we be sure that Kunzite won't just follow us?" Usagi asked in a worried tone. "He knows who I am, so if he sees me again he'll just follow me to our new house. Everything that's happening now will just happen again."
"That's true," Ikuko replied with a light sigh. She looked up at the ceiling deep in thought as she searched her mind for a better plan.
"Ikuko-san, how far away does your sister live from Tokyo, if you don't mind my asking?" Saeko asked, momentarily shaking the injured woman from her thoughts.
"Unfortunately she's lives pretty far away from here, in Kyoto," Ikuko replied.
"I'm familiar with that area. That may not be such a bad thing, so long as Kunzite is unaware that we've left," Saeko said.
"Wait, we?" Usagi asked as she noticed Saeko's peculiar wording.
Saeko nodded. "Ami was my daughter, and even though she's no longer here, it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm not at risk," she said with tears forming in her eyes and threatening to fall yet again at the thought of Ami. She managed to keep them at bay as she continued. "Since she was your friend, and for the while your only friend, I'm sure she would have helped you with anything. In that spirit I feel that it's only reasonable that I do the same, especially considering that you have a long move ahead of you."
"But will you be able to leave your work at the hospital?" Usagi asked innocently. "There are so many people here who need your help."
That question elicited a strange, nervous chuckle from Saeko. "There are other doctors here, so I don't think I need to worry about that. Besides, I've been so busy working as a doctor here for so long that I've almost forgotten what it was like to be away from this place," she said rather sadly while staring at nothing in particular. "I was going to spend some of the vacation time I accrued to, as strange as it may sound, get to know my own daughter once again. Funny, that… Now, I have about two months of time that I can take off, and in light of everything that has happened I think I'll use all of it." She turned her auburn eyes to Usagi. "I don't mind helping you with this, as you've done so much more to help my Ami than I can even begin to imagine," she said solemnly.
"Thank you so much, Saeko-san," Ikuko said with a warm smile directed at the doctor.
"It's nothing, really," Saeko replied humbly with a nod of her head and a slight smile of her own.
Saeko then stood from the chair and walked purposefully to the front of the room. As she looked over the three other people sitting and lying before her with a pensive look on her face, it was apparent exactly what she was doing. She was doing what she was trained to do and what she loved to do: taking control of a difficult situation and solving an almost intractable problem. "Now, if the Dark Kingdom, particularly those of the Shitennou, are as you describe, then they'll probably figure out that you all are still alive and will plot another attack against you. I think it is best that we work as quickly as possible and as discretely as possible to prevent any chance of them finding our whereabouts," she said determinedly.
"Wow! I can definitely see shades of Sailor Mercury in Ami-chan's mom," Usagi thought to herself as a small grin crept onto her lips. "The only difference is she's way more assertive than Ami-chan."
"Now, I grew up in Kyoto, and my parents still live there, so I know the city well," Saeko continued. "My parent's house is fairly large and they have a number of guest rooms you could use for a while. They're very nice people and I know they will not mind you staying with them. I can arrange for the transfer of some of your belongings first thing in the morning, if you want."
"Really?" Usagi asked in amazement. Saeko nodded in reply.
"I would very much appreciate it," Ikuko said softly. "I know Kenji would be a bit surprised, but once he learns about everything that Usagi told us I'm sure he would be supportive of the move."
"Well, I'll make sure that happens tonight," Saeko said firmly. "I'll put some calls through to some moving companies and some old friends of mine." She focused her gaze onto Usagi. "Now, Usagi-san, your mother and brother likely will be here for a few more days and your father likely will stay here a few weeks longer," she said with a calmer tone. "That means you'll need a place to stay, since you will not be going back home anymore. You can stay here tonight or you can come home with me when I leave in about an hour or so. I have a guest room in my house with a bed you can use before everything from your place is moved."
Usagi looked over at Ikuko and Shingo, then back at Saeko, with a look of consternation on her face. Her eyes narrowed as she contemplated what option she should take. Part of her wanted to stay with her parents and brother and look over them, fearing that they might be assaulted again by the Dark Kingdom. On the other hand, she was not very fond of the hospital chairs, and she knew she would have had to sleep in one—or at least attempt to—for several hours if she stayed, whereas Saeko offered an actual bed in which to sleep.
"We'll be alright, honey," Ikuko said to Usagi gently. "You can go with Saeko-san for the night."
"Yeah, I'd take the bed over the hard chairs any day," Shingo chimed in with a bit of a wry grin.
Usagi looked at Ikuko and Shingo one more time before making her decision. "O-okay, I'll go with you, Mizuno-sensei," Usagi replied, although with some hesitation as she was still partly unwilling to leave her family alone that night.
"Good. I'll make sure to take good care of you," Saeko said with a tender smile. She walked toward Usagi and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "And you don't have to be so formal. You can call me Saeko-san."
Usagi gave Saeko a brief smile before the pleasantries were interrupted by a sharp grumbling of her stomach. She remembered that she didn't have much to eat that entire evening, only a half-finished bowl of gumbo that she would never have an opportunity to complete.
"Um, Mizu—I mean, Saeko-san, is there somewhere to get food here?" she asked with a slightly embarrassed look on her face and a loose grasp of her stomach with one hand.
Saeko gave a light-hearted chuckle at the sight of Usagi's expression, which in turn elicited a small pout from the blonde. "I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't laugh," she said softly after noticing Usagi's displeasure. "Anyway, there's a pretty large cafeteria located on the ground floor. It's open twenty-four hours as this place is busy all the time. There are plenty of signs pointing to it, so it should be easy to find." She paused for a few moments before grinning. "The food actually is pretty good, which is surprising for a hospital."
Usagi stood up and was halfway to the door before Saeko remembered that the young girl would be isolated from them and rendered vulnerable once again. "Oh, one more thing, Usagi-san!" Saeko exclaimed, stopping Usagi in her tracks. The doctor reached into her pocket, retrieved her cell phone, and tossed it to Usagi, who slightly bobbled it but made sure not to drop it. "The number to my office is programmed into the phone so you can call me, and of course I can call you from my office phone," she said nonchalantly. "If you want to call this room, just replace the last three numbers of my office number with the room number. And I figured since you don't have your phone that you also don't have any money on you, am I right?"
Usagi blinked for a few seconds, knowing in her mind the brilliant doctor was correct, before she nodded her head affirmatively in reply. Her wallet was destroyed along with her phone and whatever else was stuffed in her shoulder bag when Kunzite blasted it in an attempt to kill Luna. There was going to be an unavoidable and horribly annoying process of replacing all the possessions she lost in that battle.
"That's okay, since the phone is linked to my account. All you have to do is wave the phone over the scanner and it'll pay for the meal." A stern look came to her face. "Just don't get carried away with it," she said, before her features softened once again.
"T-Thanks," Usagi stuttered as held onto the phone as tightly as her fingers could grip the mass of plastic and metal. She didn't have a pocket into which she could slip the phone so she reminded herself to keep a hand and an eye on it as she pulled open the door and walked out into the hall.
—|1|2|—
Usagi studied the menu that she held somewhat unsteadily in one hand while the other hand had a death grip on the cell phone. For all that Saeko said about the food being appetizing, she was uncertain about whether she actually wanted anything they had to serve. Her eyes scanned the menu up and down, and up once again. Part of her indecision stemmed from stories she had heard from her friends about how awful hospital food tasted. On the other hand, the people who told her that were patients at one time, and she had never been a hospital patient as far as she could remember. As klutzy and uncoordinated as she was for most of her life, she was also extraordinarily lucky to not injure herself to such an extent as to require hospitalization.
She felt her stomach growl again and could have sworn she heard it rumble as well. Despite the obvious message from her body that it needed food and the fact she knew in her mind she should eat something to recoup all the energy she spent while furiously fighting that evening, she could not will herself to just pick something and eat it. It was ironic that someone who had a voracious appetite most of the time just could not eat. Whether it was latent depression from all the tragedy she had experienced within a scant few hours or the fear of even more calamity following her that stemmed her desire to ingest food she did not know. But she found herself sighing deeply and pacing slowly back and forth near the entrance of the ordering line while loosely holding the menu in front of her face.
"I know that on any given day I'd have any of this stuff, or maybe even all of it, but I just don't feel like any of it right now," she reflected as she came to a stop near a short wall that divided the line from the remainder of the cafeteria. She bent over slightly and dangled her folded arms across the top of the wall and then laid her head atop her arms, her golden pigtails falling to the floor. It resulted in a pitiful scene of a depressed, hungry, and altogether miserable girl. In her melancholy she failed to recognize the young woman that slowly sauntered up to her.
"If I were you, I would choose this one," the woman said as she laid a slender finger upon one of the menu items. "It's not a traditional Japanese meal, but I somehow sense that you're not limited to such things," she said in a melodious voice that ended with a light smile.
Usagi slowly turned her head over her shoulder and saw, with ever-widening eyes, what she considered to be the most beautiful and elegant woman she could have ever imagined. And that was after seeing all of those awfully pretty girls at both of Mariko's and Azusa's photo shoots. The lady who had so kindly accosted her had wavy hair of a unique shade of turquoise that fell to her shoulders and harmonized well with the pale-aquamarine evening gown she wore. She was tall—not as tall as Mariko, but certainly as tall as Makoto, who Usagi at times considered a giant. The most striking aspect of the stranger was her eyes. Those stunning and yet equally calming cobalt blue eyes immediately captured Usagi's gaze.
"Oh, I didn't mean to startle you," the woman said gently as she averted her eyes from Usagi's. "It's just that I noticed you were standing there for an awfully long time with that menu and yet you haven't ordered anything."
Usagi snapped out of her trance and bowed demurely in front of the woman. "I-I'm sorry if I b-blocked the line," she said shyly.
The woman took a step back from the startled blonde and smiled. "You weren't blocking the line." The expression on her face changed to one of worry. "I know this is a hospital, but you appear especially troubled. May I ask what's bothering you so?" she asked politely.
"It's… I'm just worried about my family is all," Usagi said carefully, not willing to divulge too much to the woman who, despite her apparent kindness, was a complete stranger.
"Oh?" The woman replied in a tone that was mostly inquisitive but partially incredulous, as if she recognized there was a bit more to the story than she was told.
"My parents and younger brother were in an auto accident and were injured. My dad had the worst of it," Usagi said in a voice just slightly louder than a whisper.
"Hmmm… auto accident?" the woman asked in a pensive voice. "I wonder if it's the same accident we were involved in?" The question seemed more like an idle thought than an actual inquiry that was directed at the girl to whom she was speaking.
"You were in an auto accident too?" Usagi asked in shock.
"Yes, but not to worry, it was only a minor crash for us, thanks to the wonderful driving skills of my lovely partner," the woman replied, her tone changing to one of adoration when she mentioned her companion. "We only had some light injuries, and we wanted to go home tonight, but the doctors wanted to look over Haruka overnight. Something about possible internal injuries, they said."
Despite the hinted plea from the woman for Usagi to not worry over what she considered an insignificant event, the blonde could not help but show a face of utter concern.
"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked with greater emphasis.
"Absolutely," the woman said emphatically, if not a little harshly, in return. Usagi momentarily pouted at the rough reply, but soon the pout transformed itself into a smile.
"I'm glad," she said kindly. She stuck her hand out and gave a slight bow. "I'm Tsukino Usagi, by the way."
"Kaiou Michiru," the woman replied as she hesitantly moved her hand to take Usagi's.
As soon as they touched, she felt something akin to a spark of electricity course through her entire body. At the same time, a flood of images poured into her mind. They were fuzzy images of memories that were long ago forgotten, but everything she saw were both completely unfamiliar and yet strangely innate to her. Along with the visions came a sudden sensation of warmth that filled her body. It brought a pleasing sensation to the young woman that fortunately alleviated the physical pain of the abrupt recollection, though it still hurt mightily. She quickly pulled her hand away from Usagi's sooner than the younger girl expected and put it to her head.
"What's wrong?" Usagi asked anxiously.
"No-nothing. It's just a small headache," Michiru replied in a suddenly shy voice of her own. "Maybe due to the fact I haven't had anything to eat in a while, just like you," she quickly added. She dropped her hand from her head and used it to point to the line. "Shall we order something to eat?"
Usagi slowly nodded in reply and walked toward the entrance to the ordering line with Michiru following closely behind. Usagi decided to order the item that was suggested to her by new acquaintance, whereas Michiru chose a more traditional meal. The pair then proceeded to the end of the line to pay for their meals.
"I'll pay for you. Don't worry about it," Michiru unexpectedly offered.
"What? No! I can pay for myself. You don't have to pay for me," a somewhat stunned Usagi replied hurriedly.
"I know I don't have to. It's more like—" Michiru's chest heaved upwards and then sank back down as she released a sigh— "I don't know why, but I feel like I just want to do so." She gave Usagi a weak smile.
In Michiru's mind she truly did not know why she did that. She didn't even know why she approached the girl in the first place, as meeting people definitely was not her strong suite. If Usagi were any other person the entire encounter never would have occurred, but some unconscious force drew her to the troubled young girl. The strange phenomenon she experienced when touching the blonde served to further pique her curiosity and drive her suspicions. Part of her questioned whether she should have accosted the girl in the first place, as she was beginning to feel very strange in her presence. She couldn't describe the feeling, and it wasn't a particularly bad sensation, but she was unsure if it was typical and if she wanted to continue experiencing it.
Usagi, in turn, acquiesced to Michiru's request to pay for her food, knowing she wouldn't have been able to stop her from doing so. Besides, how could she? She was completely mesmerized by that wonderfully elegant young woman. It was beyond her comprehension how an individual human being could be so graceful and beautiful. For the entire brief time she was waiting for her meal she thought about how she wished she could be just as gorgeous and refined as the person standing immediately next to her. The turquoise-haired woman exuded exquisite beauty. Despite all the glowing compliments Mariko gave her, which the late photographer sincerely believed and Usagi happily accepted, she still believed that she did not quite measure up.
"Well, Tsukino-san, it was nice to meet you. I certainly hope your family recovers well," she said politely but with brusque overtones as she took her food from the cafeteria worker and bowed. She then turned away from Usagi and started to walk to one of the tables.
"Wait!" Usagi yelled, grabbing Michiru's attention and causing the turquoise-haired woman to turn around. "You're eating in here, right?"
"Yes," she said curtly as she glared at Usagi. She then softened her expressions, partially because of the upset response she elicited.
"Well, can I eat with you?" Usagi asked hesitantly, careful to not cause another of what she interpreted to be an angry response from Michiru.
Michiru paused for a several seconds, looking up at the ceiling while she was deep in thought. "I don't think it will hurt to have you join me," she said softly as she briefly turned a pleasant gaze to Usagi.
"Thanks," Usagi said with absolute sincerity. She looked up at Michiru with a wide, beaming smile and utterly brilliant sapphire-blue eyes. Her soul felt true joy at such a minute gesture of friendliness as eating a meal together with someone who was a complete stranger only minutes ago. She couldn't have been alone. A person with a heart as wide open and loving as hers would not have survived the insult. Solitude was a kind of death sentence for her, as she had learned from bitter experience the past two weeks.
They sat down at a table near the far corner of the cafeteria, away from the main entrance, with Usagi seated across the table from Michiru. The normally gregarious girl wanted to ignite a friendly conversation, but she suddenly found herself at a loss for words as she was captivated by the elegance of the person sitting immediately in front of her. Even when she was doing something as basic as eating, it seemed like she did it with an infinite amount of grace and deftness. Usagi, on the other hand, had a complete absence of table manners, and she was suddenly made very self-conscious of that fact.
"So, are you going to eat or just stare at me the whole time?" a thoroughly annoyed Michiru said.
Usagi blushed slightly as she averted her gaze downward toward the container holding her food. "Sorry 'bout that," she said softly. She lifted the fork and stuck it into the middle of the small hunk of meat that vaguely looked like steak. Her immediate intention was not to actually cut out a small piece but to just move the steak around in tiny circles on her plate. Although she appeared to be miserable, and in a way she was, in reality she felt more contemplative than anything.
Again, Michiru found herself in very unfamiliar territory, for at no other time would she have felt truly awful about the previous exchange. It was an innocuous remark and she meant absolutely no harm by it. However, in the presence of this young girl, everything just felt different. Merely looking at the hesitant blonde play with her food drove compelled her to immediately apologize.
"It's just that, I feel so in awe when I look at you, at how graceful you are, that I feel way too intimidated to do anything," Usagi suddenly blurted in soft tones, momentarily catching Michiru off-guard and interrupting her intended apology.
"Why should I intimidate you?" Michiru asked innocently as she collected herself.
"I… I just don't think I could ever compare to such a magnificent woman like you," Usagi said with a sullen sigh.
Michiru scrunched her nose slightly in confusion. "And why would you think that I'm any better than you, or that you're any worse than me?" she asked more straightforwardly.
Usagi shook her head. "I'm sorry for being so random and blabbering on about personal stuff. I just have had a lot of things on my mind recently," she replied remorsefully. She looked up at Michiru with perceptibly dimmer and yet hopeful eyes. "I thought that, maybe, you would be someone who wouldn't mind listening."
"On that last point I have to say that you would be wrong," Michiru replied calmly. Before Usagi could feel the inevitable pang of dejection, she quickly added, "If you were somebody else. But, if we're going to start our conversation with random, awkward blabber, I might as well join in." She punctuated her words with a small, warm smile.
"Huh?" Usagi uttered with a face that twisted slightly in confusion. "You're troubled with things too?"
"Isn't everyone at some point in time?" she replied somewhat teasingly. "Anyway, the thing that's troubling me is that I just met you and yet I feel a strange pull toward you. It's similar to the attraction I feel for my dear Haruka."
"So, are you saying that I'm going to be replaced one day?" said the slightly lower-pitched teasing voice that originated from a person standing behind the woman.
"Hmmm… maybe sooner than later as she's oh-so tempting," Michiru responded in an equally playful tone and a mischievous smile. Her eyes remained locked on the thoroughly puzzled visage of the pigtailed blonde who had no idea why her elegant female dining partner suddenly was flirting with her. She immediately knew who had apparently materialized behind her without turning even the most fleeting glance in that direction. However, she didn't need to look with her eyes, as she had an innate sense for the proximity of that particular person.
"So, you're just going to make me have to work extra hard for you?" the sandy-haired person replied with ever increasing jocularity while bending down next to Michiru and very gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Michiru replied as she finally turned around to lay shimmering eyes on the one person she loved more than anyone. She reached up and tenderly brushed the side of the pleasantly smirking face that rested so close to her own with the palm of her hand.
If Usagi was perplexed at the beginning of the exchange, she was utterly flabbergasted by the end. She deduced rather quickly that the person who had sauntered up to the table behind Michiru was the Haruka she was talking about. However, there were two thoughts that immediately struck her as intriguing. First, she had just no idea how deeply the two loved each other until she witnessed that small display. In a scant few seconds she observed a love that was practically limitless. It was something she never felt from Mamoru, especially near the end of their relationship but even early on when things between them were good. Second, as much as she thought Mamoru was mind-blowingly handsome at one time, this new stranger was absolutely stunning. There was no comparing the two. The clincher was the face. Bracketed by short, sandy hair and punctuated by astonishing teal eyes, it was an unquestionably alluring countenance that held a strange, almost feminine softness to it that she found even more attractive.
"Oh, where are my manners?" Michiru asked as she slowly retreated from Haruka with a wink. She then turned to Usagi with a friendly smile on her lips. "Tsukino-san, this is Tenou Haruka," she said as she gestured to the sandy blonde sporting navy-blue slacks and a button-down formal dress shirt that matched the pale hue of her gown.
Usagi emphatically extended her hand in greeting as she pulled her lips into a wide smile. "Hi, I'm Usagi," she said cheerfully.
Haruka turned her eyes to Usagi. She saw the gleam in those blue eyes as she approached, and she knew the younger blonde was absolutely smitten by her charms. She also assumed, correctly, that Usagi had no clue whatsoever that she was, in fact, a woman. Yet, her flirtatious nature would not allow her to waste her perfect opportunity. In that light, she willingly took the hand offered to her.
Instantaneously, Haruka felt a sharp pain in her head as a flood of ancient visions, similar to what Michiru had experienced earlier that night, rushed into her mind. She recoiled noticeably at the shock and the sudden warm sensation that filled her body. Yet she did not pull her hand away from Usagi's. Instead she smiled.
"So if this is the girl that's threatening to replace me, then I have quite a bit of work to do," she said with a playful smirk. She leaned in closer to Usagi until her mouth was right next to the younger girl's ear. "Or, I may just take you for myself instead," she whispered, causing Usagi to blush furiously.
"Oh, come on," a suddenly irritated Michiru said softly.
Haruka stood erect once again, took a few steps back, and sat down at the table next to Michiru, sending her an imperceptible wink as she lightly and tenderly grabbed her hand beneath the table.
"So, Tsukino-san, are you here at the hospital for a car crash as well?" Haruka asked nonchalantly.
The red disappeared from Usagi's cheeks as the offhand reminder of the accident startled her. "Y-yes. Well, not for me, but my parents and younger brother were involved in one earlier tonight," she said nervously.
Haruka's face turned remarkably pensive as she comprehended Usagi's words. "Wait, so how old is your brother?" she asked unexpectedly.
"He's eleven now," she said hesitantly, unsure of the reasoning behind the question.
Haruka paused for a few more moments, deep in thought, before continuing. "And do your parents drive a red five-door Mazda Axela?" she asked determinedly. The confused look on Usagi's face reminded her that not everyone knew as much about cars as her. "A small red hatchback?" she quickly asked in a resigned tone.
"Ah. Yes, they do. Why?" Usagi responded with even more puzzlement.
"Because I think your family almost collided head-on with Michiru and me," Haruka said flatly.
"Fortunately, Haruka-chan's a professional race car driver, and an excellent one at that. Because of that, we were able to avoid both your parent's car and the truck they ultimately hit and get us out mostly unscathed," Michiru said admiringly as she glanced up at Haruka.
"Although I am very sorry for what happened to your family," Haruka added solemnly.
Usagi slowly shook her head. "It's okay. They were hurt, but I think they're going to be fine," she replied forlornly despite the optimistic words she voiced. The blatant discrepancy was noted by both Haruka and Michiru, although neither pointed it out.
At that time Usagi felt the phone vibrating in her left hand. She had been tightly clutching the thing since she received it from Saeko earlier that night and had been loath to set it down for even a few seconds for fear of losing it. She flipped the phone open and immediately saw on the screen that Saeko was calling from her office. A small sigh of disappointment escaped her lips as she knew soon she would have to leave the elegant Michiru and the gloriously handsome Haruka. "I'm sorry," she whispered sadly as she excused herself from the table to speak with Saeko. A minute later she returned to the curious glances of the pair.
"I have to go now. However, it was nice meeting both of you," she said softly as she closed and picked up the container holding her uneaten food in her free hand. She attempted to sound lively but failed miserably as she wished she could talk much longer with the pair. Her dejected gaze fell first upon Michiru, loitering there for several seconds before it shifted to Haruka. Even though she knew they were a couple, she wanted to befriend both of them. Yet, she didn't have the opportunity to even really learn much about them, and she doubted whether she would ever see them again.
"Oh, it was very nice meeting you, Koneko-chan," Haruka said while gazing softly at Usagi in a manner that caused the younger blonde's cheeks to turn bright red once again. It also elicited a sharp glare from Michiru, though she broke away from it to give her valediction.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Tsukino-san," Michiru said gently with a polite nod and a friendly wave. "I'm certain we will see each other again," she added in a more resolute but overall very placid voice.
Usagi nodded to each of them before slowly turning and walking out of the cafeteria. The final words that Michiru told her rang loudly within her mind. "But how can we see each other again, when soon I'll be in a completely different city, effectively in hiding," she mused sadly.
Meanwhile, after she saw Usagi pass through the cafeteria doors, she turned to her partner and lover in Haruka. A bemused expression fell across her face as she looked at the person she loved more dearly than anyone on the planet and asked her, using a tone of utter disbelief, two simple questions.
"Koneko-chan? Really?"