28
She took a deep breath, enjoying the warm water and the peaceful quietness of the night. But when she felt Michiru's hands on her back, gently pushing her forward and making room for her on the bathtub, she opened her eyes and turned around, looking at the now naked woman behind her.
But Michiru simply smiled at her, gently guiding her blonde head to her chest, softly caressing short blonde locks.
"Just let me take care of you, Ruka" she said, taking the sponge with one hand, as she started to softly brushed it against the blonde's shoulders.
"You don't have to" Haruka said, her voice a soft, husky whisper.
"But I want to" Michiru said, not stopping on her task of softly washing the tall, slender body in her arms with the sponge "You're always the strong one, taking care of everyone and standing on your own" she said "You're being strong for Hikari, and for Hotaru and Makoto, and you take care of them. And you are strong, and they love you so much"
Haruka closed her eyes at Michiru's soft words, fighting against her tears again. All that tension, all that fear pressing on her chest, chocking her.
"I almost lost her..." she said, in a soft, broken tone of voice "I thought... I..." she chocked on her own words, and cover her face with her hands.
She couldn't believe she was crying. She hated being this weak, this vulnerable. But she couldn't keep her tears from falling.
"Shh, it's ok" Michiru whispered into her ear, caressing her hair with one and, the other going around her waist "Just let it out, it's ok to cry" she said, kissing her head softly, lovingly "You don't need to be strong for me, Ruka. Just let it out"
The blonde turned around, as much as the tub would let her, and curled herself up against Michiru's welcoming embrace, resting her cheek against her soft chest and closing her eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, finding comfort upon hearing Michiru's steady heartbeat.
"I was so scared" she finally said, not moving from her place in Michiru's chest "I've never been so scared in my entire life... I really thought I was going to lose her..." she took a deep breath again, swallowing hard "He was pointing that gun at her, and then at you... and then he just... he wanted to take her away. I couldn't let him do that. I don't know what I'd do without her..." she swallowed again "She's my baby girl, Michi. She's my baby..." she chocked again, and held the soft body beneath hers tighter.
"I know, I know" Michiru whispered, kissing her forehead "She's safe now, it's over. You got her back, and she's safe and unharmed" she said, wiping the blonde's tears with her thumb "And you took care of him pretty nicely" she added, in a joking tone of voice.
Haruka chuckled through her tears at that, and nodded her head "He deserved it"
"I know he did" the aquamarine haired woman agreed "And if you hadn't done it, I would have done it myself" she stated firmly.
And when Haruka looked up at her, she simply smiled at her "I love that girl too. And I love you" she softly whispered, before taking the blonde's lips in hers in a gentle, deep kiss "I love you, and I want to take care of you, Ruka. Just, let me take care of you"
Haruka didn't say anything. She closed her eyes, letting the younger woman wash her body, softly brushing the sponge against her sore, tired muscles, gently massaging her back in small, circular movements.
But when she opened her eyes again, the sad look on Michiru's blue eyes surprised her. She frowned, looking questioningly at her. But Michiru smiled a sad smile at her, continuing her task, gently caressing the tall racer's body, as she gathered the courage to talk. To have that one conversation that could change everything between them.
"My parents died when I was eleven" she started, mindlessly caressing the blonde with the sponge "My uncle took care of me then, but he's always traveling around the world because of his business. So I was pretty much on my own all the time"
The blonde didn't say anything, although she knew full well what it felt like to be alone. But she also knew Michiru needed to tell her this; she knew the aquamarine haired goddess needed to say it at loud, and somehow getting it off her chest.
So, she kept quiet, hugging her and letting her play mindlessly with her short blonde hair.
"But I was ok with it" Michiru continued "I guess I got used to it, to be alone and on my own. Just me and my music. And when I was sixteen some producer noticed me, and decided I was good enough to sign a record deal, and travel around the world. It was great, getting to know all those places, all those cities, staying in five stared hotels and having exclusive designers wanting me to wear their clothes" she giggled at that, and the blonde chuckled "It's every girl's dream, right? To travel around the world on pretty dresses, being treated like a real life princess"
Haruka frowned at that "Not mine" she murmured, and then smiled when she felt Michiru giggled again.
"Yeah, well, you're the exception to every rule" she joked, giggling. Her hands now holding the blonde close to her "And then I met Minako" she continued her tale, smiling at the memory of the bouncing, happy blonde girl she met one night in Paris.
She was there for a concert, and the blonde was there for the fashion week. Her manager had said to Michiru something about being good for her to show herself on such a popular event like the fashion week in Paris, so she had agreed to go to the shows. And there she had met the blonde. A raising young model.
They had clicked right away. Even though Michiru was never the people kind of person, there was just something about that blonde girl that made it impossible not to be friends with her. Their different careers took them to different paths for a year, but they had kept in touch trough the phone and e-mails.
And when Minako had said to her she was tired of the glorious life, longing for some normalcy and wanting to go to college, Michiru had thought the idea sounded good enough for her.
Michiru had rented a small, nice apartment then, and the blonde moved in into an old friend's apartment. And that's how she had met Masaya.
"I was nineteen then" she said "It took him a whole year to ask me out, and then we started dating. And well, you know the rest..." she mumbled, and the blonde simply nodded her head, allowing the younger woman to continue with her story "I can't really blame him. I mean, I was always either practicing with some orchestra or the other, recording and album or giving a concert. I never really tried hard enough for things to work out. I drowned myself in my career, and everything else came in second place" she admitted "Or third..." she added, in a murmured.
She had never really admitted this to anyone. Not even Minako, when the blonde would scolded her endlessly for being so wrapped up in her music world that she was missing out on life completely.
But for Michiru, back then, her music had been everything and anything she had. Her music was her world, her life, and she never allowed anyone in.
"My violin had been my only companion for years" she said, in a quite whisper "And I was fine with it. It was all I needed, and I didn't really ask for more. I have no family, no real place to call home, and the only real friend I have is Minako"
Haruka frowned at that, taking Michiru's hands in hers and kissing them softly. She had have a hard life. There was no way she could deny that. But she still had her family, and her friends. Sure, she loved her career; racing cars was her passion. But her family came first. Always. And no matter where her career took her, she always knew she had a home to go back to, where her family waited for her. Where her friends down town where more than willing to invite her and her family for dinner and listen to all her stories from the different cities she had been to.
She felt Michiru moving under her, and she looked up at her. The aquamarine haired woman kissed her cheek, before standing up and reaching a towel. Haruka stood up as well, and smiled warmly at the younger woman when she felt the towel being gently wrapped around her body.
She allowed Michiru to dry her, softly caressing her with the towel, drying her short blonde hair lovingly. Kissing her cheeks, her jaw line, her neck, her shoulders.
She encircled her arms around the slender, wet waist, getting the aquamarine haired woman closer to her. Enjoying the feeling of her warm body softly pressed against hers.
"It used to be enough for me" Michiru said, softly, looking at her green eyes "But it's not anymore. I don't want to settle with just my music and an empty apartment" she added in a soft murmur, taking the blonde's hands and guiding her out of the bathroom.
She guided the taller woman to the bed, moving the sheets for her to get in it. She then gently pushed her into the bed, taking a place for herself right next to the blonde, hugging her close and resting the blonde head on her chest again. She then covered their naked bodies with the dark sheets, her hands never stopping the soft, gentle caresses on the soft, naked skin she had grown to love so much.
"You're so lucky, Ruka" she whispered near the blonde's ear "You have such a loving family. And you take so good care of them"
A sad gasp escaped the blonde at that, and Michiru held her tighter, softly making her lay on her back and kissing her neck.
She felt her shiver lightly as their hips came together, and she looked into her green eyes. Crystal tears were slowly running down their eyes; the words that had been said between them, their secrets out, the tension of the day. It all came as too much on both of them, and Michiru went down to kiss the blonde's wet cheeks. Their tears mixing, their breaths caressing each others faces.
"You don't have to be strong anymore, Ruka" she whispered against her face "Not here, not for me. Just let me be with you. I just want to be with you, and take care of you" she said, in a somewhat pleading tone of voice.
She felt the blonde's lips in hers, and she returned the kiss eagerly. Tongues dancing together, hands gently traveling up and down their naked bodies. Their hips softly rocking together. Tears still falling down from their closed eyes, as they both started showering each other with soft, intimate caresses.
Haruka moaned softly, almost brokenly, when she felt Michiru's legs pressing between hers. She opened her eyes then, braking the kiss and looking up at her.
"I love you, Michi" she whispered to her "I love you. I love you"
"I love you too, Ruka" she whispered back, showering the blonde's face with butterfly kisses.
Hands going down between their pressed bodies, fingers entering soft, wet folds. Both of them needing to feel each other, needing the comfort of the other's body, needing to feel their warm skins pressed together as they moved against each other. Softly, slowly. Tears falling down over warm skin, sparkling in the dark like small pearls. Pearls that in their eyes, only made them more beautiful.
"I love you" those three words could be heard, softly, breathlessly whispered in between the soft, deep moans that filled the night.
