"And where the hell do you think you're going?"
Haruka almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of John's voice.
"Jesus," she hissed, hand falling to her chest as she felt her heart come just short of stopping. In the dimly lit living room, Haruka saw her older brother stand up from the couch he had been lying on. The bright glow from his phone illuminated his aggravated features. When she had snuck in just under an hour ago from a night out with friends, he had been sound asleep.
"Heading out," she said dismissively, pulling her varsity jacket atop her t-shirt. Luckily, she had been too lazy to fully undress before flopping onto her bed and mindlessly scrolling through social media, so her jeans were still on when Michiru had called.
"You just got back like ten minutes ago," her brother said tightly as he came to stand next to her, folding his arms over his chest. Unlike Kai, who had a bit of a bird-like built to him, John was the one who always accompanied Haruka to the gym and it showed in his physique.
"Like two hours ago, John," she corrected with a lie and drifted toward the extensive display rack of car keys, grabbing a random pair.
"Amara," John snapped the second he heard the metal jingle.
Haruka cringed at both his tone and volume. "Oi," she said weakly, "Don't bitch. I'll be quick." The lights in the rest of the apartment were turned off, but not all bedroom doors were closed.
"You'll be quick?" John hissed, tone riddled with disbelief. He scowled. "You bet your ass you'll be quickly going the hell back to your room. You're not leaving this house in the middle of the goddamn night."
Haruka's jaw dropped as she stared at her brother. "John, what the hell is your problem?" she demanded, straining to keep her voice low.
"I don't have a problem," he countered, glaring down closer, "I didn't say anything when you stumbled in half-drunk five minutes ago-"
"-I wasn't drunk!" Haruka denied hotly. (She really hadn't been.)
"-because it's Friday, you had a good win and you have the right to have a little fun-"
"So fuck off!"
"-but sneaking back out at like 2:00 a.m. isn't a little fucking fun, Haruka!" Jon snapped back loudly. "Where the hell do you even think you're going? Where the hell do you need to be at this time of the night- getting a fix around the corner or what?"
Haruka stared at him with bewildered, wide eyes. Her expression quickly grew into a tight glare as her jaw tightened and she tightly snapped back, "I'm literally just going out for a quick ride and you're accusing me of being a drug addict?!"
"Yes! Because then I could come up with some excuse to your fucked reasoning as to why the hell you think you should be going out in the middle of the night to drive around in the pouring rain!"
In all fairness, Haruka could see where he was coming from. But, like hell would she admit that.
"I don't have time for this!" she snapped, throwing her arms up in the air and walking around John to head to the door, "Get off my ass, John!"
John grabbed her arm and jerked her back to where she was standing. "Let hell I will!"
"Let go," Haruka growled, wiggling her wrist free from his hold. It had been years since she properly tousled with her siblings, but that didn't mean she couldn't fall back into her old habits. "You're not dad! Stop trying to act like one, for fuck's sake!"
Down the hall, lights flickered on.
"What does that have to do with anything!" John yelled back, "You're acting insane and-"
Idina and Mirai, Haruka's 9 year old sister, poked their heads out of the guest room they were now sharing just as Haruka began to yell over her brother, who just as loudly began to shout retorts back.
Moments later, Kai was at their side, hands upon both their chests and shoving them further apart. "Oi, oi!" he shouted over them, "What the hell is going on?!" He turned to Haruka, "Why the hell are you all dressed up?!"
Incoherently, John and Haruka let out a flurry of complaints and accusations about the others as they pointed at the other, hardly answering Kai's question.
"Tell him to mind his own business or get the hell out of my apartment!" Haruka snapped to Kai, glaring at John.
Jon started laughing. "Your apartment?" He snickered, "With whose money did you buy it? Yours?"
Haruka's expression faltered and then she glared, "Yeah, well-fuck you. It wasn't bought with yours. My names still on the lease and I can throw your shit right out the door if I need to—"
"No one is throwing anyones shit out anywhere!" Kai growled loudly, smacking both blond siblings on the chest simultaneously. "This apartments on my money and I decide that the two divas waking us all up in the middle of the night with a damn hissy fit are both going to calm the hell down and stay!"
Both Jon and Haruka smacked Kai's hands away from their chest, but didn't stop arguing. Kai might as well had been speaking to a wall. Idina was trying to get Mirai back in the room, who kept trying to wiggle toward the arguing siblings, wide-eyes mixed with curiosity and fear.
To Haruka's horror, Kai began to take John's side once he heard Haruka was heading out for a drive.
"Where the hell are you even planning to go?" He asked, gaze flickering to the tall windowed walls that circulated their living room and seeing nothing but an erratic storm.
"I… I just need to pick a friend up!" Haruka explained, surprised at how suddenly desperate she sounded. Quickly, she tried to think of an excuse. "She...she… um is really lost, out on the street somewhere and she called me to pick her up..."
Both brothers gave her a disgusted, disappointed look. Not only was Haruka a poor liar by nature, but the two of them never had an issue seeing right through her.
John turned to Kai. "This is your fault, you know," he said wearily, "You haven't been keeping an eye on her at all."
Both Kai and Haruka bristled, had they been a pair of cats their fur would be standing high in the air.
"The hell does that mean?!" Haruka snapped just as Kai told John to shut up and "I've been watching her just fine, asshole."
"Really? Then why the hell is she not telling us anything?" John whipped his head around to Haruka as she angrily snapped, "Oh my god! There's nothing to tell!"
She clawed at her hair, car keys smacking against her temple, "I'm just going out for a quick drive to help out a friend in trouble! That's it! Stop making such a big deal out of it! Fuck."
Before John could yell back at her, already taking an angry step toward Haruka, Kai smacked his hand onto his step-brother's chest one more time to halt him and hastily asked Haruka, "Who is it and what happened to them?"
Haruka faltered. "Huh?"
"Who is the friend…" Kai asked impatiently, "...and what happened?" John narrowed his eyes at Haruka.
"I— I, I don't know, she didn't really tell me," Haruka stammered out. They didn't believe her, again. In an exasperated puff of air, she snapped, "She found someone sick on the road, okay! And she needs a ride to get them to a hospital—"
"Tell her to call a fucking cab," John snapped, not too sold on the story, even though he could tell Haruka was no longer trying to lie.
Haruka closed and opened her mouth. Why hadn't Michiru ordered a cab?
"She- she doesn't have any money," Haruka stammered out.
John scoffed and Kai snorted. Neither believed Haruka would know someone so poor.
"If she had a phone to call you on, I'm sure she can order a car. Wire her the money if she's that desperate and stay put," Jon said sharply. "And why the hell is she out on the street in the middle of the night? Just what delinquents have you befriended, now?"
Haruka swallowed, her mind racing. The wind and the rain were beating loudly against the windows. She hated how much time this stupid fight was eating up, she just wanted to get into a damn car already and pick up the girl she had promised to help.
"John, Kai," she now pleaded, realizing that arguing wasn't getting her anywhere, "She's just, like, a ten minute drive away from here. Can you two stop acting like pricks and just let me pick her up?"
"Where is she?" Kai asked. Haruka hesitated, she told them where. Luckily, John wasn't nearly as familiar with Tokyo as Kai was, so he didn't realize the infamy of the slum neighborhood Haruka just time, Kai recoiled from her. "Jesus Christ, Haruka," he exhaled sharply, "You are not going anywhere."
John's gaze flickered to Kai, registering his reaction to the location. Never before had Haruka felt so betrayed.
Haruka scowled angrily at Kai now. "Why the hell not!" she demanded.
"Because you're a six-fucking-teen year old girl!" Kai snapped so sharply and Haruka recoiled, "And you need to remember that!"
"But so is she!" Haruka yelled back before she could stop herself, her voice cracking just a little upon the last word.
For an odd, heavy second- the room fell completely silent.
Haruka swallowed.
Jon attempted to snatch the car keys away from her but Haruka jumped back just in time. Kai murmured to Jon that the location had been in some slums.
"Seriously, Haruka?" Jon asked incredulously, "You going to take the Benz into that part of town? Were you thinking at all?"
Haruka scowled but bit her tongue from snapping back. "I'll take another car," she negotiated, "Whichever you want me to take just… please. Please, please, please, let me go already." Haruka pressed her palms tightly together in front of her as she spoke.
Her brothers exchanged glances. They could all hear Idina trying to soothe Mirai, who was freaking out that Haruka was trying to run away.
Jon hesitated, Kai turned to Haruka and asked her, "Is it Kaioh?" Haruka stiffened. "Are you trying to see Kaioh?"
Haruka nodded. "Kaioh…?" Jon asked Kai with a furrowed brow, as if that name rang a bell.
"The violinist I told you about," Kai murmured briskly, "The one that was on the news about the murder." Jon hummed, face lighting up with recognition while Haruka clenched her jaw, staring at Kai. "You told him—?!"
"— that she was someone you met and were growing close to," Kai said briskly, and just a fraction, Haruka relaxed, yet Kai's expression only soured. "I don't know what's going on with you two," he said slowly, "But I can tell it's not good for you."
Haruka exhaled through her nose and counted to three to maintain her patience. "Can I go now?" She asked tightly.
Kai folded his arms over her chest. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Take the damn Volvo, if it gets stolen, it'll be a blessing. But, be back within an hour."
"Two—" Haruka's negotiation was cut off when John told Kai, "You can't be serious." He stared at his brother. "It's the middle of the night, raining like crazy and you know how insane Tokyo drivers are and she's a geijin, she's gonna be in serious danger if some prick—"
Haruka bolted. The rising argument between John and Kai was just enough of a distraction to get her to dart past John, grab a new set of car keys and stomp her feet into a pair of sneakers before running out of the door.
—
They had been soaked by the time Haruka arrived- Michiru more so than the other.
With Haruka's varsity jacket around her shoulders, Michiru sat in the passenger seat while the young woman- "Dara" Michiru said her name was- laid across the backseat, not quite unconscious, not quite asleep.
Haruka saw a bead of water collect on a strand of Michiru's hair. It broke free and fell down upon Michiru's damp skirt. Again, Michiru quietly thanked Haruka for coming to the rescue and apologized for the getting the car seats wet.
Haruka's gaze flickered over Michiru's face before she glanced forward, watching her windshield wipers battle the downpour upon her front glass. "It's no big deal. I don't live too far away." She said, her wrist resting atop of the wheel. "What happened?"
Michiru turned over her shoulder to look back at the young woman as she answered Haruka, "I spoke with her boss, the owner of the bar around the corner. She's a refugee, her family came here from North Korea a couple of years ago. She's been telling her mother that she's been dorming and going to university, but really she's been working about three jobs day and night, helping her mother pay the rent and her brother's private school, since no public middle school would take him because of their problem with documents."
Haruka watched how Michiru's features slackened with relief when they both heard the woman stir weakly. It appeared that she was simply asleep now. Whenever Michiru was tense, Haruka noticed that her lips would press together in a tight line.
"It started to rain after I returned her heart," Michiru told Haruka softly, still looking at Dara. "I didn't want to leave her, but I wasn't sure if I could drop her off at a hospital, in case she wouldn't be able to afford treatment she might not have needed. I'm glad I didn't. When she came to for a little while, her Japanese wasn't very good, but… I think she was half begging me to not take her home to her mother's either- she doesn't want her family finding out she isn't dorming."
When Michiru's gaze flickered over to her, Haruka idly looked over at the woman in her backseat- watching her chest rise and fall in shallow breaths. Haruka's expression softened. "She must be exhausted."
"She's been working day and night shifts this whole week," Michiru confirmed quietly. They said nothing for a few moments, just slowly shifted to sit in their seats comfortably and listen to the steady swish of the windshield wipers.
"So what now?" Haruka asked.
Michiru hesitated and then turned to Haruka. "I was thinking of taking her to my apartment, letting her sleep there for the night. I can have my private doctor give her a checkup in the morning if she needs it."
Haruka thought for a moment. "That...sounds reasonable," she agreed, eyes flickering to the empty road before her. She saw some drunkards lingering on the street and a few suspicious figures lecherously eyeing the car. Once again, Haruka made sure the doors were locked and her hand fell to the gear shift. "Won't your folks think it's a little weird that you're bringing some random girl home in the middle of the night, completely soaked?"
"I live alone," Michiru said, also facing forward. Through the corner of her eyes, Haruka's gaze fell back to Michiru.
"Completely alone?"
"Well," Michiru paused, "I have a housekeeper that comes on weekday mornings, just before I go to school. She's gone by the time I get home."
Haruka didn't say anything for a moment. Then, she extended her phone to Michiru and told the girl to put in her address. Immediately, the GPS map popped up on Haruka's car screen.
—
For the first half of the drive, they said nothing. When the girl stirred awake, disoriented, Michiru watched as Haruka immediately put the girl at ease with a warm smile gifted through the rearview mirror. Thankfully, Dara had also recognized Michiru right away. As Haruka chatted the girl up in her light-hearted manner of speaking, Michiru grew further and further impressed as to how easily Haruka could connect with someone she not only didn't know at all, even with a sizable language barrier. Friendly grins, good use of small common words and the help of Google Translate quickly let Dara know that they were offering to take her to Michiru's- to spend the remainder of the stormy night.
The girl hesitated to accept the offer, but then after a few notes of encouragement from Haruka, she bowed her head deeply toward Michiru and thanked them both again and again. With a polite smile, Michiru just passed Dara Haruka's jacket, insisting the girl get as warm as she could. Haruka shifted in her seat when Michiru did that, but said nothing.
As Dara accepted the jacket, she slowly and quietly uttered a very fearsome word indeed, "Money?" Haruka immediately caught Dara's eye in the rearview mirror and with a chuckle, waved her hand expressively in the air to reassure the young woman she had nothing to worry about. To lighten the air, Haruka turned on the radio and tried to find a music channel everyone like. To Michiru's joy, Dara appeared to like the station that played old mid-century Japanese songs just as much as Michiru. The songs was the only lyrical music Michiru truly new, having grown up listening to them in her father's study. Both of them bullied Haruka to remaining on the station, to which the driver made a show of begrudgingly relenting- although the look that she had exchanged with Michiru was riddled with unspoken endearment.
—
Just a few straight blocks away from Michiru's building, the music and GPS were interrupted as Haruka's phone began to ring and Kai's contact popped up. Haruka stiffened, but knew better than to ignore the call. She picked it up just in time, but was unable to disconnect her phone from the car's bluetooth as the slippery road demanded her attention.
"Hey, Kai," she said in English, hoping her brother would pick up the language for discourse.
There was a long pause. At. last, her asked "Where are you?" in slightly accented English.
"Driving my friend home," Haruka replied, using both hands to turn the wheel around the corner. Luckily, she remembered what was left of the directions to Michiru's home.
"Michiru?" Kai asked pointedly.
Haruka's face flushed a little as she felt Michiru look at her.
"She's right by me," Haruka replied as nonchalantly as possible.
"I see." There was a hint of static on the other line. Haruka stopped at a redlight, the car clicking softly.
"Just be home soon."
Haruka didn't reply right away. "I'll do my best."
"Haruka…" There was a pause, "Look, John's sorry. He's stubborn and he won't admit it, but he hated that you two got into such a horrible fight over you leaving to pick her up." Haruka lifted a hand off the still wheel to rub the back of her neck- she really really hoped Michiru didn't pay attention in English class. "But… he had a point. The rain is ridiculous, you just got home drunk like half an hour before. I know I smelled cigarettes on you. And you're driving at a time when there's no sane driver out on the street. And you're a 16 year old girl, whether or not you like it." Haruka's hand fell back to her wheel, her fingers impatiently tapping away on her wheel. Next to her, Michiru faced forward, looking at the red glow of the traffic light above them.
"I think we're all just a little bit worried because you've been acting strangely. From the nightmares to pulling out of races to winning them with ease to acting like you don't even care that you're in them. Look, I don't know what's going on between you and her, but no girl is worth risking your safety or sanity for," Kai continued, "And, listen, I don't know if it's drugs, or like...prostitution or some intense clubbing that's keeping her out so late into the night-" Haruka felt her face flush red. Kai always talked too much and too quickly when he was uneasy, she. knew she couldn't stop him.
"Honestly, I do expect teenage violinists to the a bit more uptight than that, but you know what mother always says about the perfoming types and maybe she has a point..."
Haruka stole a peek at Michiru, so just gave her a small, innocent smile. Haruka gave her an apologetic one in response.
"...but seriously, come home. Don't spend a second longer than you have to. And don't come back with some fruity painting as if it'll excuse you any better this time, either. You have a bright future up ahead of you and don't let some D- ranked celebrity pull you away from it."
Haruka's hand tightened on the wheel. The light finally turned green. Haruka couldn't have put her foot to the peddle fast enough.
"Are you done?" she asked lightly. Everyone heard her brother sigh.
"Idina called Mom."
Haruka couldn't suppress her groan. "She told her about the night terrors, you skipping school, and this… Mom wants to talk to you. You know how she's convinced that all artists are just roaming about, tripping on LSD and molly at every the corner and ripping everyone off for some half-assed outdated music or sculpture or whatever- so she's...absolutely horrified you're hanging out with a relatively famous one…So you'd have to convince her otherwise."
Haruka inhaled sharply, mind already reeling from having to deal with convincing her mother of anything. She opened and closed her mouth in attempts to come up with some coherent reply, but then, to her sheer horror, Michiru Kaioh leaned to the side a little and said, "She has the right to be worried, many of us artists are indeed just like that," in perfect English and with a soft chuckle.
Haruka felt her heart drop into her ass.
Kai's awkwardness, the intense embarrassment of being caught talking smack, was a palpable as Haruka's own. If she hadn't been driving, she was sure she would've sunk low in the driver's seat. Her face must've been tomato red.
But, Michiru wore a small, soft smile as she smoothly continued, "My father's like that." Haruka's car almost jolted as she whipped her eyes around to Michiru as the girl spoke, but the girl was looking ahead with an unreadable expression. "That's why Haruka was so kind to help me tonight."
Quickly, Haruka forced her gaze to return to the road. Kai's silence broke as he weakly said, "Hello, Michiru. Is that so?"
"Yes," she hummed, gaze focused on something Haruka couldn't see, "My father has recently been… quite difficult on me. I've been in the process of emancipating, you can check online if you don't believe me. Haruka has been good, kind and helping me through it. I had made her promise not to tell a soul, out of the shame of it all." One couldn't exactly say that Michiru was acting as she spoke, for the lines she uttered were said simply, softly, in the usual tranquil manner by which she spoke.
"Hearing your reaction, I can tell she kept her word. And I am terribly sorry for all the trouble I have caused you and her. Please be kind and understanding to her," Michiru paused, "The painting that she brought had been for my financial benefit, I am mistakenly too proud even though my father had caught me off from all my money. Haruka was the only one that I could call to for help when I became lost after he dropped me off at curb in a fit of rage a couple hours ago. He's off drinking somewhere now, I suppose. Or doing goodness knows what else. But, I'm afraid I've never been all that good with directions, even with my phone's map."
Dara, absolutely understanding beyond nothing, kept darting her gaze between Haruka and Michiru, trying, and failing, to read the situation.
Everyone could hear Kai's hesitation on the other end. Michiru calmly rested her hand on Haruka's bare arm, having the girl register that she was approaching a red light. Just in time, Haruka stopped her car. They both could see Michiru's building right up ahead.
At last, Kai sighed. "Okay," he said meek in Japanese, "I'm sorry you're going through that, Michiru." His condolences sounded sincere. "Please let us know if there's anything we can do to help. Haruka, I'll do what I can...but you're still going to have to talk to Mom when you get home."
"Yeah," Haruka ran her fingers through her hair, briefly looking out the window and seeing Michiru's reflection as well as her own. "I will."
"Stay safe, you two. If the rain keeps going like this, wait it out a little before driving home, Haruka."
"Okay, okay." After goodbyes were said, the line ended with a click and slowly, the radio music came back.
Dara still sat in the back seat, eyes flickering between the two girls that looked up at the empty road ahead of them.
Haruka reached out to lower the music volume a little.
"I thought Michelle was your Russian name," Haruka murmured weakly, sheepishly.
"It is," Michiru replied, turning to meet Haruka's gaze, "But I spent my first ten years in an English-speaking international school in Paris."
"Ah," Haruka exhaled feebly. Neither of them said anything until the light turned green and Haruka slowly drove in front of the tall glass building that Michiru lived in. The doorman, who doubled as a valet, shivered under the entrance awning that was keeping him dry.
The windshield wipers clicked in rhythm to the car's own chirps. Michiru was looking down at her hands. Her hair still dripped.
"I suppose," Michiru said, "I've been giving you a harder time than I realized?"
"You haven't," Haruka said firmly, only brave enough to stare at Michiru's reflection, "My family's just been on my ass."
Michiru smiled weakly. "They're worried about you. It's hard for them not to, when they can't understand why you're doing the things you're doing. Just as it's hard for you to have to hold back."
"Yeah." Haruka looked out to the residential skyscrapper that didn't stand out in the slightest amongst Tokyo's financial district. "Is that why you live alone?"
"Afraid so," Michiru confessed at her side.
Haruka hesitated. She turned to face Michiru, who she realized had been watching her. "That stuff about your dad…" Haruka asked carefully, "Was any of it true?"
Michiru shook her head. "No," she said softly, "No, not at all. He's really… quite a wonderful man. Exceptionally kind. We were always incredibly close." If Michiru had been trying to hide the pain in hre voice, she had failed entirely. Haruka realized it must've hurt her to say such things about a man she loved so much.
Haruka hummed and her expression hardened as she began to wonder the details of Michiru's awakening. A heartbeat later, she turned at her waist and smiled at Dara. It was time to step out. The young woman understood.
"It's raining really hard," Michiru said softly to Haruka as Dara inched closer to her car door.
For a moment, no one said anything. At last, Haruka asked, "Can I come up?"
Michiru nodded. "Of course."
—
The flickering murmurs of comic dialogue from the television was accompanied by the sound f running water from the other end of Michiru's apartment. Haruka sat alone on the couch, in front of the TV, but staring at everything but the screen. It was only the noise from the shower, drying machine and sitcom that provided the disturbingly pristine apartment with any sense of coziness.
Everything in the home looked like it was pulled straight from a furniture catalog. Not a single item dared appear out of place. Clutter was nonexistent. The decor that was sparingly spattered across the room emphasized the loneliness of the space with its useless: a bowl of fake fruit upon the coffee table, vases without flowers upon closed cabinets, untouched fancy cooking utensils on the kitchen walls, and sparkling wine glasses hanging upside down on display. Not a single pillow upon the couch was dented. A throw remained perfectly folded over a nearby arm chair. No spec of dust or crumb accented the surfaces. No books, papers or magazines laid around. Even a movie set apartment must feel more lived in than this, Haruka thought.
"Care if I join you?" Michiru asked softly from behind Haruka.
Haruka rolled her head against the couch, long neck arching back. Her expression softened when she met a pair of familiar sea blue eyes hovering above her. Michiru's hands rested on the back of the couch, near Haruka's shoulders.
"Why are you asking such an unnecessary question?" Haruka asked as she returned Michiru's steady gaze.
"I might've been interrupting. You appeared very lost in your thoughts," Michiru replied. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear as it fell forward, reaching out to Haruka. Haruka's gaze flickered over Michiru's face. How familiar it was growing. How perfectly seamlessly etched into Haruka's memory it was becoming. "I was," Haruka replied. Michiru hummed. The racer's heart twisted and she straightened, lifting her head to face the TV screen. The sitcom was at a volume barely above mute, Haruka hadn't been paying attention to it in the slightest.
When the girl settled by Haruka, the mint-colored silk nightgown she wore under her baggy knit cardigan slid just above her knees as she folded her legs at her side. With an effort, Haruka looked anywhere but to the glimpse of thigh she was catching from the corner of her eyes.
Haruka didn't quite know what to do with her arms, one was draped over the back of the couch, hand close to Michiru's shoulder, the other rested at her side near the remote.
Noticeably stifling the slightest shiver, Michiru pulled the sides of her white cardigan over her body. The distant murmurs of machine thumping informed Haruka that Michiru had tossed both her and Dara's wet clothes into the dryer. Along with Haruka's varsity jacket, Michiru mentioned.
Together, they watched the scene before them unfold as a cliche gag about spousal miscommunication arose. The shower kept running, the machine kept drying.
"I don't think she's had access to such clean hot water for a long time," Michiru said quietly, her hand resting on her ankle, "If ever."
"Me neither," Haruka admitted. They both heard the laugh track blast for the punchline, but neither of them so much as had their lips twitch up.
"Her smile is so bright," Haruka murmured, "But I can't even begin to imagine what she's been through."
Michiru hummed softly. When Haruka looked at her, she saw that Michiru was eyeing the vast living room of the high-rise luxury apartment her parents had gifted her upon her request to live alone in Tokyo. "It sure does give us a good look at ourselves, doesn't it?" the girl asked with a slight tilt of her head once her roaming gazed settled on Haruka.
"It does," Haruka agreed softly. She properly muted the TV and her hand brushed against Michiru's shoulder when she stretched forward to set the remote upon the coffee table. Haruka shifted in her seat, crossing an ankle over her knee but twisting at the waist to have her body face Michiru. She set her elbow upon the edge of the couch and prompted her head upon a fist as she faced her little hostess. How strange it was, to finally be so alone together as humans. "Think our hearts are pure?"
"Oh, not in the slightest," Michiru retorted so quickly and flatly that Haruka couldn't help but chuckle. Of course she agreed, and she knew Michiru knew that, but Haruka still felt compelled to scowl and ask, "What? Not even me?"
Michiru raised her brows, unimpressed. "With all the flirting you do?"
Haruka's expression faltered immediately. Michiru's eyes shined with silent laughter. "And all that late night underage drinking your brother was talking about?"
"Oi, oi," Haruka defended herself weakly, "Don't judge me for that. You weren't supposed to know about that. And, the legal drinking age in Switzerland is 16."
"But we're not in Switzerland are we?" Michiru pointed out. They didn't have to whisper, but still, they kept their voices very low.
Haruka rolled her eyes to the side in a subtle acknowledgment of defeat. "Okay, true," she relented, "But I've been to one of your performances, and I've seen just how freely the alcohol was passed around. I know you've tried it before."
Fighting down a smile, Michiru shook her head. Haruka didn't believe her. "Michiru," she said pointedly, "I can see the wine glasses on display."
"As you should. They're on display. They're decor."
Haruka met Michiru's gaze with a flat expression. "You know why you don't have a pure heart? Because you can look me in the eyes and blatantly lie with such conviction."
Michiru let out a sweet sound that was somewhere between an indignant little gasp and a scoff. "And do you know why you don't have a pure heart?" she put forth, "Because you don't believe me."
Haruka's eyes shined with amusement as she watched the girl before her. Everything about Michiru...the shape of her nose, the curve of her sharp eyes, the way her dark damp hair still clung to her forehead...
"And," Michiru added pointedly, "because I also already see the gears turning at the back of your mind: concocting some plot to tempt me into my first drink once you finally accept the truth."
Haruka laughed. She pushed her head off her fist and then folded her arms over her chest, but remained facing Michiru. "See," she conceded, raising one finger off her arm to accentuate the point she was about to make,"If you were any other girl, I would have done precisely that."
For half a second, Haruka swore she saw Michiru's smile flicker into a frown. But, hardly missing a beat, Michiru simply asked, "Oh? Please tell how I fall short of all the others?"
Haruka clicked her tongue and without any farce, told her, "You were cursed with a good head on your shoulders. You'd never fall for my conniving charms."
Michiru ran her fingers around her damp hair, collecting it all to one side and exposed the clean curve of her neck as she replied in a flat tone, "And all other girls would? The arrogance with which you speak is outstanding."
Again, Haruka laughed. Then, she shrugged, folded arms under her chest rising and falling with her shoulders. "I'm the forbidden fruit to too many," Haruka said with quiet confidence and even raised a coy little brow at Michiru, "They just can't resist. Their curiosity overwhelms them."
Michiru let out a wearily, little sigh as she looked over Haruka— face and figure— with the most unimpressed expression. "You're obnoxious."
Oddly enough, Haruka found herself grinning from ear to ear at the accusation. "I believe the term you used before was 'juvenile.'"
Michiru furrowed her brow as she tried to remember. "When?"
"When I let the door close in your face at the restaurant."
Michiru's lips curled up as she remembered. "Ah, yes. It was a well deserved judgment."
Haruka unfurled one hand from across her chest to point an accusatory finger at Michiru Kaioh before she got too full of herself. "You also called me...what was it? An independent spirit? Honest?" Haruka took care to remind Michiru.
There was just the slightest hint of blush to Michiru's cheeks, but her expression didn't change. Again, Haruka was impressed by even the smallest things about her.
"Lapses in judgment tend to occur when one is barely conscious," Michiru replied smoothly. Something about Michiru mentioning the reality of their last encounter, reminded Haruka of why they were sitting on Michiru's couch, at half past 3 in the morning. Haruka's light expression faltered.
A silence fell upon them as Michiru read Haruka's features. Her gaze ran away, her smile also fading. "I suppose you want to know what happened with Yasho?" she asked, to Haruka's surprise.
Haruka studied Michiru. "A little," she admitted quietly, "Or at least, I used to. Now, I think I understand...so no, I don't-"
"-but I want to," Michiru interrupted softly, eyes fixed on no particular point in the distance. Haruka wondered where she was always looking off to. "I want someone… to know what happened to him."
The comment surprised Haruka, but then she remembered how she couldn't even keep her dreams, or her little crush on a violinist-stranger, silent from Kai. How much had Michiru been bottling up? Keeping to herself? Haruka didn't want to dwell on those thoughts.
All Haruka could do now was offer Michiru her silence. That, and a hand. Palm up, Haruka slowly rested her hand upon the very edge of Michiru's warm bare knee, as if she was waiting to be given something.
Just the slightest, Michiru's lips twitched up. She descended her hand down to Haruka's, but only her fingertips brushed against the open palm.
"When Yasho had reverted," she began quietly, "he was bleeding out from his chest, although there was no injury there." Haruka watched Michiru's profile as she spoke, recollecting the one she had seen from her car window when it was set upon the horizon with a watery gaze.
"I had shattered his heart," Michiru said softly, eyes down on the fine lines of the palm and long fingers she was tracing. "Not on purpose, of course. It had happened when I was pinned under...it and trying to escape. But I did try to collect the pieces, all the hundreds of little shards which sometimes appeared so fine, you'd think there was glitter on the ground.
Michiru's fingertips were surprisingly rough from years of the violin, but still, Haruka felt her heart warm at their touch.
"I even tried to do some bare semblance of CPR," Michiru confessed with a weary chuckle, drawing tiny circles on Haruka's fingerpads, "Silly, because I knew nothing about it. Just what I had seen in films."
Then, Michiru finally looked up to meet Haruka's gaze. With a bit of a forced smile, she withdrew her hand from Haruka's palm to brush some damp flyaways behind her ear. Haruka didn't say anything as she noticed the girl miss the strand at the back of her neck.
Once, Michiru let her hands, which were shaking just the slightest, fall back to her lap, she shrugged to conclude her story.
Haruka didn't reply for a moment. Her eyes fell to the the sleeve of Michiru's cardigan, which had slipped down to her elbow. Without a word, Haruka reached out and pulled it up to hide Michiru's bare shoulder as she softly said, "You did a good thing today." She met Michiru's eyes, "By helping her, bringing her here."
"I wouldn't have been able to help her today if you hadn't come," Michiru pointed out softly.
You would've found away, Haruka thought immediately, but knew that wasn't what Michiru needed to hear.
"Well," Haruka said lightly, drawing her hand back, "that's what friends are for. Right?"
Michiru's tight smile melted into something softer, more genuine… but also sadder. Michiru looked at Haruka. Then, Haruka felt a warm hand gently cup her jaw. Michiru turned Haruka's face a little more towards her. Softly, Michiru planted a kiss upon Haruka's cheek.
Haruka's heart leapt. Her breath caught. When Michiru drew away, Haruka just dumbly stared at her. They could hear Dara stepping out of the shower, tentatively minding her business. It was time for Michiru to go to her, so she rose from the couch.
Haruka caught her hand, stopping her from leaving.
Michiru looked down at her.
Haruka looked up.
She could kiss her. Kiss her right on the lips.
Michiru hand slipped out of Haruka's hold. Soon, she was down the hall, gently knocking on the bathroom door.
Haruka, sitting alone on the couch, heard their soft voices exchange broken attempts at conversation. She exhaled through her nose and let herself sink low in the couch. She smacked her face with both hands and dragged them down, stretching her face. The spot where Michiru had kissed her cheek burned with the sweetest warmth.
This was pathetic. Haruka scolded herself for acting like a prepubescent boy. Why were girls… why was Michiru so hard to read? The amount of hours Haruka had dedicated to replaying Neptune's words- 'I was interested in you long before…'- had left her with no solid conclusion to their meaning.
And their texts... Haruka could've sworn they had been flirting, and yet, the conversation and banter flowed so smoothly, it felt completely at odds with the way she spoke with all the blushing, fumbling bicurious girls.
With a soft grunt, Haruka pushed off Michiru's couch and slowly began to stalk through the apartment to the two girls in case they needed her help. But, something caught her eye. Through the crack of a half open door, Haruka spotted a familiar object on the corner of a lonely vanity. Tentatively, Haruka pushed the door open into the only room that appeared the least bit lived in. Immediately, Haruka recognized it as Michiru's. Still, her legs guided her in and she came to stand before the wooden table and mirror, meeting her reflection as her fingertips rested atop the finely painted white wood. She was careful not to touch the sapphire rod, even though every fiber of her being felt drawn to it.
Standing under murky glow of flickering city lights, Haruka once again wondered about the details of Michiru's night life. The more Haruka thought about it, the more her heart ached and the more human Michiru Kaioh appeared. Really, the violinist was nothing less than a 16 year old girl.
The light from the hallway was obstructed by a silhouette. Haruka looked up to see Michiru, arms folding over her chest to hold her cardigan tight, approach.
"How is she?" Haruka asked.
"Knocked out the second she fell to the bed." Michiru replied quietly.
Haruka's cheek still hummed with the feeling of Michiru's lips against her skin. "I'm glad," Haruka murmured, "She deserves the rest."
Now, with Michiru before the vanity with her, Haruka looked back at the strange objects.
"What...exactly are they?" Haruka asked just as Michiru's arm brushed against her own. The girl was opening the top right drawer of the vanity. How good she smelled. How desperately Haruka wanted to hug her. For a moment, both their gazes flickered up to the vanity mirror and they stared at each other. "Their hearts, I think," Michiru said softly, holding Haruka's gaze.
Both looked away. Michiru pulled out a finely embroidered handkerchief from the thin drawer. With a soft click, it closed.
Tentatively, Haruka reached for the liprod. With great care, Haruka cradled the emerald wand in her hands, inspecting its lovely color and fine shape. Her thumb traced over every detail of Neptune's liprod- the staff, the heart, the crescent moon and the ring around it.
With the same level of care, Michiru took the sapphire rod. "What are you thinking about?" she asked softly as she placed it upon the handkerchief in her hand.
Haruka didn't reply right away. When she did, she knew what she said was true. "You."
"Oh?" Michiru looked down as she began to slowly fold her handkerchief over Uranus' liprod. "What about me?" she asked.
Haruka inhaled and exhaled slowly. "That I'm sorry," she said quietly but firmly, looking directly at Michiru even though her head was still down, "for the cruel things I've said to you. For all the assumptions I've made."
By the way Michiru blinked, Haruka could tell her words had surprised the girl, even if Michiru kept her gaze on the sapphire liprod. Haruka too looked at the liprod she held. It felt oddly cool, hardly warming from Haruka's hold.
"And that if you resent me...Well," Haruka continued with a weak chuckle before she extended Neptune's liprod to Michiru, "You do a great job at hiding it."
Michiru finally looked up at Haruka. She studied her. "I don't resent you," she said, "If anything I admire you." Michiru tucked a final corner of the cloth over the fullmoon of Uranus' liprod as she continued, "So many people spend their lives doing exactly what they are told to do by others. But you refuse to march to the beat of anyone else's drum. If anything, I'm almost a little jealous."
Now it was Haruka's turn to blink in surprise. She looked at Michiru with parted lips and then ran her fingers through her short hair, combing the longer strands out of her face. "Oi, Michiru," she said with a weak smile, "you're making me sound way cooler than I am."
Michiru shrugged her shoulders. With a small smile, she accepted Neptune's liprod from Haruka. But, as she extended her bundle to Haruka, she said, "Haruka, promise me one thing, please."
"What?"
"Whatever decision you make about your role in this," Michiru spoke with a hardened expression, "you make it without the influence of whatever pity or sympathy you hold for me."
Haruka furrowed her brows. As she looked down at the bundle Michiru had extended to her, Haruka knew it would was pointless to deny that learning about Michiru's life didn't make Haruka start seriously contemplating accepting herself as Uranus in hopes that she could ease the heavy burden Michiru was shouldering alone.
Haruka swallowed, but didn't say anything for a long moment. "Aren't there others?" Haruka asked at last, still not taking the liprod.
"Yes," Michiru replied, "But they haven't awakened. I don't know when they will, but I'll do my best to unburden them with this." She looked past Haruka, out to the window that kept being beat upon by heavy rain. "They're most likely going to be younger than us."
Haruka's clenched her jaw. Ridiculous, she thought with a sudden flare of aggravated disbelief. Michiru was already concerning herself protecting unawake guardians, girls that were somewhere, somehow, still enjoying their lives as simple civilians.
Michiru sighed softly. With a weak smile, she said, "I know I promised to protect you, Haruka, and I will..." Haruka watched her set Neptune's liprod down on the corner of the vanity closer to her before she turned to the blonde. "But, if I fail... if I die and this falls upon your shoulders, I'm truly so-"
Before Haruka could stop herself, she clasped her hand over Michiru's mouth and fiercely whispered, "Shut up." Michiru's blue eyes widened as she stared up at the girl that loomed over her. "Don't say shit like that, Michiru," Haruka scolded in a low voice, "And don't you go around declaring you'll protect me." Haruka swallowed. "That's such a pickup line."
Just by a fraction, Haruka could feel Michiru's lips twitch up into a smile against her palm. Michiru raised her hand and her fingers gently around Haruka's wrist so that she could pull the hand away. "I'm serious, Haruka," she said, her eyebrows low, "promise me that whatever you do, it'll be without any regard to me."
Haruka didn't reply, instead her eyes slowly roamed over Michiru's face. Then, she peered over Michiru's head into the hallway that glowed with enough warm light to illuminate their view of each other. In the silence, Haruka tried to collect her rampaging thoughts. Michiru gently squeezed her wrist. How strikingly warm the girl's fingers were...
"Okay," Haruka murmured at last, "I promise." Michiru relaxed, her touch slipping away from Haruka.
"But under one condition."
"What is it?"
Haruka looked back from the door down to Michiru. "You cover the lunch you promised to get with me," she said flatly. Michiru stared up at her, with a bit of a dumbfounded gaze. Quickly, she recovered. With a scoff, all Michiru could say was, "How obnoxious," as she passed Haruka Uranus' liprod. Haruka chuckled softly and pocketed the item with surprising ease- it fit perfectly into her small pocket despite its size.
The rain had stopped beating down on the windows. It was time for Haruka to go.
But, as Haruka watched the shorter girl turn around and step away, the warmth of her lips still burned on Haruka's cheek and at the palm of her hand.
"Michiru," Haruka spoke up.
"Yes?" Michiru faced Haruka once again.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Haruka stepped closer. She reached out. The back of her hand gently pressed to Michiru's hot forehead. It had taken a good measure of Haruka's willpower to not use this as an excuse to lean in and kiss Michiru's temple. With the faintest touch, Haruka felt Michiru's hands hover at her waist.
"You're burning up," Haruka murmured. Without missing a beat, Michiru simply replied, "I know," to Haruka's surprise. She took a step away and Haruka's hand fell to her side. With a sheepish smile, Michiru explained "I never could handle the cold very well. But I took a pill not too long ago. It should break in the morning."
The nonchalance with which Michiru spoke about her health made Haruka feel uneasy. Her heart twisted.
She frowned and peered over her shoulders at the windows. Remnants of raindrops littered the glass, but both could see the weather had calmed. It would've been an easy drive home. Still, Haruka heard herself say, "Let me stay the night."
Michiru hummed, already halfway to her closet door. "Of course," she said and with a small smile, she innocently offered, "You're far too tired to drive back safely," as an excuse. Haruka smiled. "Yeah," she accepted.
—
The second Haruka had set foot through the door, Mirai jumped her. Her arms clasped firmly around Haruka's neck, her legs wound tightly around Haruka's waist and she began to wail about how much she had missed her even though it was hardly noon.
With her arms folded over her chest, Idina scowled at them as Haruka stomped into the kitchen where all her older siblings were currently collected. Although Mirai was fairly heavy, it wasn't difficult to carry her around once Haruka had her arms under her sister's butt. Pointedly, Idina told Haruka how she had to spent half the night soothing Mirai, reassuring the girl that her favorite older sister hadn't suddenly decided to run away forever. Cheekily, Haruka laughed and teased Mirai for being such a giant cry baby. Still, her heart felt oddly heavy with guilt as she showered her grey eyed, black haired little sister with reassurances. Many times, Haruka kissed the top of Mirai's head and her cheek.
John offered her the food that he was having, but Haruka declined. Having ate breakfast at Michiru's, she was full. The smell of Dara cooking a mouthwatering breakfast in effort to show her gratitude had woke both her and Michiru up. While her siblings enjoyed their early Sunday lunch or snacks, Haruka nursed a cup of coffee and entertained Mirai.
Naturally, the conversation of last night, or rather today's early morning quarrel came up. Haruka relayed to her siblings the details of her stay. With a begrudging ease, Haruka skimmed over Dara's existence and played upon the tale Michiru had uttered in the car to keep them both out of trouble. It felt weird to lie, but Haruka sprinkled in the important truths that she couldn't ignore- like how unlived in Michiru's apartment had seemed.
Knowing John, ever the skeptic, would doubt Haruka's tale, she had taken the precaution of snapping a photo this morning. Her siblings hovered over her phone, looking at the picture of Michiru Kaioh sipping her morning tea by her window- fluffy white clouds visible in the strikingly blue sky.
"Oh, wow," Mirai sang softly from where she half-sat, half-stood with her knees on the high counter seat. She leaned over to see picture better. "She's so pretty," Mirai whispered, her eyes shining.
Unexpectedly, Haruka heard, John murmur, "She really is," in awe. With a soft smile, Haruka watched her siblings ogle the picture as she sipped her coffee. Of course, she didn't blame them. There was something indescribably ethereal about the sight of Michiru Kaioh, with her tousled waves and bulky cardigan, staring directly at the camera over her cup of morning tea.
As her older siblings debated which actress the young violinist looked like, Haruka spoke softly to Mirai- telling her all about how Michiru was a famous violinist and artist too. She even showed Mirai a video of Michiru's performance. By the end of the day, Mirai was bugging and begging Idina to buy her a violin and Haruka was seeking refugee from her older sister's glares in her bedroom.
No one other than Mirai bothered Haruka for staying in her room for the rest of the day. As the little slept at Haruka's side, Haruka stared up at her phone, eyeing the photo of Michiru for a countless time. Upon her nightstand, Michiru's handkerchief was draped over the family portrait and Uranus' liprod rested next to Haruka's race medal.
—
After Michiru passed Haruka a set of pajamas, it hadn't taken her long to wash up and changed. Before she returned to the bedroom, Haruka checked up on Dara and then shut off the hallway light. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. When they did, Haruka could make out the dips and curves of Michiru's side as she saw the girl sleeping on the very right edge of her bed.
Carefully, Haruka set her clothes, properly folded for once, upon the vanity chair and checked her phone once more. Dismissively, she sent a couple of texts to her older siblings to update them on her whereabouts and then turned the device off.
As quietly as she could, Haruka crawled onto the left side of the bed and mirrored Michiru's position. Immediately, Haruka wished their sides had been flipped so that she wouldn't have been subject to the sight of Michiru Kaioh's sleeping face, perfectly lit by the weak moonlight that was finally peering through the storm clouds.
Haruka tucked both hands under her cheek, eyeing the enigma before her. Her gaze guiltily fell to Michiru's rosebud lips more times than she cared to admit. Remembering how dismissively Michiru had addressed her spike in temperature, Haruka smiled despite her worry. So much for doting and tending to a cute sick girl the way they did in movies. 'How unfair,' Haruka thought as she watched Michiru sleep, 'She already declared that she wanted to protect me. Now I can't make the same claim without sounding like an idiot.' Haruka swallowed a melancholy sigh. Promises are promises.
Just before Haruka closed her eyes, she reached out to the hand that had unfurled to lay at the middle of the bed. With a featherlight touch, Haruka rested a finger upon the back of Michiru's hand. The little contact was an attempt to keep track of Michiru's body temperature throughout the night, to make sure she didn't get any worse. The small touch was enough to relax Haruka and set her adrift into a dreamless sleep.
A/N: ik this one might be a little slow but i really wanted to capture/see how young and human these girls were when all this started happening. also, it was really important for me that Haruka didn't become a guardian because of Michiru, bc that would a recipe for resentment and disaster that would prevent them from ever having any semblance of a healthy friendship or relationship. also, thought this was a good look from Haruka's perspective on just what kind of person Michiru Kaioh really is and was just giving them some space before exploring the impeding romantic stuff.